Montenegro
Apr 2021
1 week

Budva

Beautiful, if not a little boring.

[Local Time}
{Temperature}
°C ·
[Description}

A coastal town in Montenegro, Budva is celebrated for its sandy beaches and vibrant nightlife.

The well-preserved Budva Old Town, nestled on a small peninsula, stands in stark contrast to the burgeoning skyline of new buildings emerging on the town's coastline.

Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

A nice holiday if combined with Kotor, but not enough activity year-round to justify working from there. Too quiet.

🌎
Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

A nice holiday if combined with Kotor, but not enough activity year-round to justify working from there. Too quiet.

Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

A nice holiday if combined with Kotor, but not enough activity year-round to justify working from there. Too quiet.

👎
Verdict:
Consider for a holiday

A nice holiday if combined with Kotor, but not enough activity year-round to justify working from there. Too quiet.

🛫
Euro (EUR)
19,000
🏝️ Great for a holiday

Summary

As part of a tour in the Balkans in 2021, Montenegro was the next natural destination after a few weeks in Tirana. Budva hadn't been somewhere I was too interested in visiting but appeared a better option than the rather sombre capital of Podgorica.

Total:
Accommodation
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
78
%

If booking out of peak season you should have no problems getting a great deal on a good quality apartment. Even during peak summer months the cost shouldn't be prohibitive compared to other summer destinations.

info
New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.
Places to work
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
62
%

Not a great deal of dedicated options for coworking, with a good looking option having opened a year after my visit. Plenty of coffee shops towards the centre.

Value
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
75
%

Even though it is a predominantly tourist destination, restaurant prices are great value whilst compared to Western European destinations. Great deals on accommodation outside of the tourist season.

info
The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read more
Excitement
Bad
Ok
Good
Great
52
%

Unless you plan to spend a lot of time at the beach, there’s likely not enough to keep you entertained in Budva for more than a couple of days outside of work. While the old town is picturesque, it primarily serves as a tourist attraction, and there is no central urban hub to justify a longer stay.

Working hours

Montenegro operates on Central European Time (CET), aligning with Western Europe.

🇪🇺 Consider working European hours from Asia?
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
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Where to stay

The entire town is easily accessible by foot, with more residential neighbourhoods to be found going back from the beach.

Would avoid
Recommended
Rozino
More of a relaxed neighbourhood feel with a few options for eating out. 10 minute walk to the beach and 20 minutes to the old town.
Would avoid
Recommended
Gospostina
If you're only in town for a couple of nights then it would make sense to stay as close to the centre as possible.

Where to work

Umbrella PBSSO
Top Choice
☕️ Good Coffee
📍 Top Location
🥗 On Site Cafe
🧍Community Focused
⭐️ Quality Fit Out
🌳 Outdoor Space

A small coworking office is offered by a local company specialising in overseas business registrations. Internet was stable, and it was comfortable week, but by no means somewhere you would consider basing yourself for a prolonged period. Day rates were very affordable, around €5.

Since I visited two more coworking offices appear to have opened with AdriaHub looking like a good option for anyone passing through the town.

Learn more

Remote work visa

No remote work visa
Remote work visa available
Remote work visa coming soon
A dedicated remote work visa is available for this country.
This country is actively working on a visa support for remote workers.
Check your local government website for details of how to obtain a tourist visa.

Montenegro plans to introduce a 2-year renewable Digital Nomad Visa by 2025, exempting holders from income tax to attract remote workers and improve digital infrastructure. Program rollout starts this year, but requirements are still forthcoming.

Visa length
Visa cost
Earning requirements
View full details
To the best of my knowledge this information was correct as of September 2024. If you notice something has changed drop me a message and I'll update it!

Citizen Remote is a great source of up to date knowledge for everything to do with remote work visas.

Safety

Off-work

Explore the Old Town

Encircled by a fortress wall, the Budva old town provides a refreshing contrast to the wave of new construction high rises cropping up throughout the city.

Learn more
Visit Slovenska Plaža

The main draw of Budva is it's beaches. Plenty of bars and resutraunts along the front.

Duration & season

The weather wasn't quite warm enough during April to be consistently on the beach but did prove to be a great period for exploring the outdoors. If planning on making the most of the beaches you'd be best off heading for the peak summer months.

One week was plenty and I would have been in no hurry o stay longer.

Food & drink

Beach Loop
·
Run
The Budva beachfront is an ideal place for runs, venture either side and you're likely to encounter sizeable gradients.

People

My visit coincided with the COVID period which perhaps painted an unfair reflection on how quiet the area was, but the lack of coworking spaces at the time were an indication that there wasn't much demand for such services. That appears to have changed recently with two new offerings having opened up in the last couple of years.

In the summer it is a popular draw for people across Europe, so expect there to be high seasonal differences.

Exercise

Beach Loop
The Budva beachfront is an ideal place for runs, venture either side and you're likely to encounter sizeable gradients.
keyboard_arrow_down
Beach Loop
The Budva beachfront is an ideal place for runs, venture either side and you're likely to encounter sizeable gradients.

Verdict

Positives
  • Beaches on your doorstep.If are you are looking to be by the beach no matter where you are staying you can be there within 10 minutes.
  • Good value for a European destination.Outside of peak season some good deals can be had on accommodation and restaurants are cheaper than you would expect in Western Europe.
  • Outside of the Schengen Zone.If for whatever reason you have reached your limit of time available within the Schengen group of countries, Montenegro is an alternative.
Negatives
  • Very touristic.It's a resort town unless you are visiting during peak season, it's likely to feel a little anti-climactic.
  • Small old town.There isn't a great deal to explore there and it is noticeably smaller than in Kotor.
Tips
  • Give Podgorica a miss.Having ventured through the capital on a couple of times and it may be the most underwhelming cities in Europe.
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