Montenegro - Nautical paradise

Crystal blue sea, endless lines of beaches, restless rivers and magnificent mountains have enhanced Montenegro with everything necessary to spend an unforgettable vacation there. It is situated in the heart of the Adriatic, only a few hours of flight away from the major European cities. Lately, it has become very popular and is on the way of becoming an elite destination. Government and investors efforts have caused the tourism rate of this country to be the highest growing one in the world. Since Montenegro reaches the Adriatic through Boka Kotor bay - a submerged river canyon, some consider (groundless opinion) Boka as a fjord. This southernmost part of the Venetian Dalmatia right on the border with Ottoman Empire, with Budva close by, is famous for its monuments and natural beauties: Perast and Kotor which are under the protection of UNESCO, and islands Our Lady of Skrpjel and St. George. This exquisite coastline is just one piece of all-natural beauties of Montenegro - the mountains take up more than 70% of the territory. The canyon of the river Tara is the deepest one in Europe, and it is remarkable just like the National Park Durmitor protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with one of the last preserved forests of black pine trees in Europe. Starting from Palaeolithic through Iron Age, all the way to Renaissance and Baroque, Montenegro is rich with cultural heritage. Monasteries and churches spread out across the whole country, unveiling its spiritual wealth. Orthodox monastery Ostrog, dedicated to St. Vasilj, carved high up in the rocks, attracts tourists from all over the world due to its spiritual power and unique ambience. The coastal cities shall conquer your heart with their charm, diversity and scents of the Mediterranean. Ulcinj is located in the far south with the longest ‘Heavenly beach‘ configured of fine sand, which derives from Skadar lake, for centuries deposited there by Bojana.

Olcinium, founded in 163 BC, was an important merchant marine centre famous for selling salt and slaves, for centuries avoided by many, including Venetians and Boka people, for being a pirates nest. This city offers 360 m long sandy beach called ‘Small beach' swarming with people in the summertime. Its features hold great potential for high-quality tourism. In 1639 the church of St. Mary from the 13th ct., located in the old town, was turned into a mosque. The Bishop’s Palace from the 13th ct. hosts today Ethnographic Museum and a fabulous model of the city can be observed in the building of Venetian custom post. Orthodox church of St. Nikola (1890) can be visited outside the City walls, as well as Pasha's mosque with Turkish bath (1719) and Sahat-tower from the 18th ct... Bilingual inscriptions tell us of the domineering population - Albanians. The mouth of the river Bojana has been for decades a nudist paradise - sand dunes of untouched beaches buzzing with restaurants in stilt - houses, typical for the Ulcinj Riviera. Nearby Bar is a very old city, mentioned in the 9th ct. under the name of Antbareos, holding a position of a significant trade port. It is 180 km away from Otrant Gate, representing major connection port between the Eastern Mediterranean and the rest of Europe. The multi-ethnical features of the town are also obvious through many orthodox, catholic and Muslim monuments. This modern port town amazes with its cleanliness and greenery. The remains of the Haj Nehaj structure from the 15th ct. together with the castle of King Nikola belong to the cultural monuments of the city. Festivals and cultural events contribute to a high level of cultural offerings. Suscepan, well known as St.Stefan, is an exclusive town - hotel, built by the landowners, traders and fishermen in the 15th ct. - located on an island that was later connected to the mainland by a sandbank offering two magical beaches of fine reddish sand. Budva has been a metropolis of the Montenegrin tourism ever since the 60s. It puts at visitors disposal a wide range of hotels, restaurants, gambling houses and cafés. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world due to its numerous breathless beaches stretching along 21 km long shoreline. The old town lies on a small peninsula and represents a treasure chest of the cultural heritage - the Church of St.Trinity, St.John, the Church of Our Lady, palaces of local noblemen built during the reign of Venetians. Tivat is situated in the central part of Boka kotorska, built around former war port and navy yard.

Even though today it stands for the smallest modern town of Boka, it has the biggest port for yachts as well as the airport. The number of mega yachts in the ports of Boka and Montenegro shore has doubled in the past years, especially after the opening of a superyacht - marina Porto Montenegro, which has the privilege, though not too many ports in the world enjoy such feature, of hosting yachts more than 24 m long. Porto Montenegro is located in the natural cove and is the most protected port of the Eastern Mediterranean - the former Austro - Hungarian naval base. It provides promenade and apartments at the waterfront, hotels, cafés and restaurants, art galleries, daily spa centres, beauty salons, boutiques... an array of relaxation and recreational offerings, including Sports club,Yacht club, Maritime Museum and a pool Lido Mar 64 m long, lounge bar, beaches introducing possibility of experiencing diving, mountaineering, rafting, skiing... The aim of the marina is to meet the wishes of the yacht's owners regardless of the yacht size. It will offer 650 berths when complete, including those for superyachts and a floating dock for repairs. So far five residential buildings have been built: Teuta, Zeta, Ozana, Milena and Tara containing 3.500 m2 of business premises and 130 high - standard apartments. Current marina capacity is 370 berths, containing 50 berths for mega - yachts. Besides marina, a dynamic waterfront city with apartments, hotels, restaurants, and shops will be built. But that is only a part of the whole story: Porto Montenegro symbolises project that shall contribute to the development of new tourist image of Montenegro, having in mind exquisite maritime advantages. That new, yet long - term investment shall transform Tivat into a global centre of nautical tourism. The big picture of Peter Munk, the Canadian businessman, is to have a complete service with waterfront residence, relaxation and recreation, but also the possibility of living in the marina residential community. The customers can enjoy duty - free fuel, repair and maintenance of mega - yachts at Bijela shipyard, and the rest of the offering includes services of charter agencies, nautical shop Freedom Maritime providing logistics support to the vessels in the marina.

Porto Montenegro organises an array of social activities, sailing races, sailing school, bilingual classes based on international Baccalaure Programmes. At the foot of Lovcen, in the heart of the most beautiful bay on the Mediterranean, the town of Kotor. It represented the town of rich culture and tradition and used to be the town of seamen and traders. It has the best-preserved architecture on this part of the Mediterranean inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. 2000 years old history has left its traces: cathedral of St. Tripun, churches St. Luka and St. Mary from the 13th ct., St. Anna from the 12th ct., and the church of Our Lady of Health from the 15th ct. - are just a part of the rich treasure chest of Kotor tradition. Every year carnivals and festivities are organised, bringing out the additional charm of the town. Risan is the oldest town in Boka, founded as an Illyrian settlement in the 3rd ct. BC, as craftsmen, maritime and trading centre of the Illyrian state. With the arrival of Romans, palaces were built ornamented with beautiful floor mosaics, representing today valuable cultural heritage. Among numerous mosaics, there is the mosaic of the God of sleep Hypnosis. Perast, the sleeping Baroque town, with the most fabulous structures of Boka kotorska that were constructed during its flourish period in the 16th and 17th ct., and large villas built by sea captains from Perast famous families Bujovic, Martinovic, Brajkovic... certainly captures the attention of every visitor. Herceg Novi is the town well known for its Mimosa tree and a zillion of steps, the town of ‘sun‘, adorned with Sahat tower (1667), fortresses Spanjola (1538) and Forte mare (1687). Igalo is famous for its high-class hotels and health - rehabilitation tourism.