Week in Montenegro and the Art of Slowing Down
A week in Montenegro of slow traveling might just be the thing you needed. Usually, when you think about Montenegro, you picture rushing from the rugged peaks of Durmitor to the sparkling shores of the Adriatic, ticking every must-see box along the way. However, Montenegro isn’t just a place you visit – it’s a place you feel. And, slow traveling Montenegro for a week can teach you lessons no itinerary ever could.
Arrive with No Urgency: Day 1 of Week in Montenegro Awaits!
Don’t rush to get started. Choose Kotor as your starting point, check into your accommodation, leave your bags, take a deep breath, and let yourself just be.
Instead of climbing the fortress immediately or planning your day, wander the ancient alleys with no destination. Find a sunlit square or a good restaurant with a view, and kick-start the day with a strong coffee. Watch life move around you – locals chatting, cats stretching lazily, bells marking time.
Lesson one: In Montenegro, presence is more valuable than plans.
Day 2: Linger Longer Than You Think You Should
Most travelers move quickly through Kotor. Our advice? Stay put.
Spend your morning sitting on random stone steps in Kotor’s Old Town. Watch the fishing boats come and go. Talk to the vendors setting up market stalls. Buy figs or homemade cheese from an old woman with a sun-lined face.
Later, climb the fortress stairs – but stop midway to take the view in. Sit on the ancient stones, look over the bay, and let the view fill you slowly instead of snapping a dozen photos and rushing onward. Continue towards to top but remember that you’re not here to conquer sights – you’re here to belong to the moment.
Lesson Two: True connection happens when you stay awhile.
Day 3: Taste the Rhythm of the Land
Rent a bicycle or simply stroll toward the nearby countryside. Just beyond Kotor’s walls, tiny villages like Muo and Prčanj unfold quietly along the bay. Proceed and explore more of the Bay of Kotor. Pause often. Sit by the water.
Pick fresh grapes from overhanging vines (with a local’s permission). Accept the offer of homemade rakija or wine – you’ll find it’s often shared generously.
There’s no need to reach a “destination” today. The journey itself is the experience.
Lesson Three: The road itself is the reward.
Float, Don’t Paddle: Day 4 of Your Week in Montenegro is About to Start
Drive to Lake Skadar National Park. Stay in a simple lakeside village, surrounded by olive groves and wildflowers.
Book a small wooden boat ride—not the speedy tourist ones, but a slow, gliding one. Let your guide drift across the lilies and into narrow reed passages. Watch herons and pelicans lift effortlessly into the sky.
You don’t need to talk much. In Montenegro, silence says more than words.
Lesson Four: Let stillness carry you farther than effort ever could.
Day 5: Let Nature Set Your Pace – Your Week in Montenegro is Far From Over
Spend a full day without any screen time. Walk slowly through the vineyard rows. Sit on a hill above the lake and listen: to bees humming, to leaves rustling, to the distant splash of fish. Maybe you’ll find yourself napping under an olive tree. Maybe you’ll write in a journal, watch clouds drift over, or simply snooze a bit in a hammock.
Give yourself permission to do nothing – and to treasure it.
Lesson Five: In the quiet of doing nothing, life softly unfolds.
Day 6: Embrace the Forest’s Stillness
If you’re ready for a slight change of scenery, head to Biogradska Gora National Park. It’s not far, but it feels like another world. Spend time wandering among ancient trees – slowly. Find a patch of sunlight and sit for a while, breathing in the green stillness. Feel how life here has been growing and flowing for centuries before you arrived, and will continue long after.
Here, you’ll understand: you’re part of something timeless.
Lesson Six: Be part of nature’s stillness.
Day 7: Watch the Sunset Like It’s a Full-Day Event
Return to the coast for your final evening. Find a quiet beach—not the famous ones, but a hidden cove known only to locals. Bring a blanket, some bread, local cheese, and wine. Arrive well before sunset. Watch the sky shift slowly—from blue to gold to soft lavender. Feel the sand under your fingers, the sea breeze, feel yourself—fully alive, fully here.
When the last light slips away, don’t rush off. Stay a little longer. Let night fall around you, wrapping your week with a soft, quiet goodbye.
Lesson Seven: As the light fades, your spirit brightens.
The Gift Montenegro Gives You
Montenegro has adrenaline if you seek it—canyons to raft, peaks to climb, clubs to dance through the night. But its real, lasting magic lies in the moments where you pause, breathe, and simply exist.
It’s in the thick, fragrant air of an olive grove and in the slow rocking of a boat across lily-filled waters. It’s in the warm gaze of local, wishing you a warm welcome or a gentle farewell.
Our Final Advice: Slow Down to Truly Belong
If you arrive in Montenegro thinking about how much you can accomplish, you’ll miss the point. Come instead with space in your heart and time in your hands. Let Montenegro’s wild beauty work on you gently, patiently, powerfully. You don’t need more days – you just need fewer distractions. And you’ll leave with something richer than memories: a quieter mind, a fuller heart, and a new understanding of time itself. So, let the week in Montenegro be your teacher, and if you need more ways to get inspired, check out our blog page below, our book some of the best day trips in Montenegro if you wish to have the best experience and meet like-minded travelers.
