Hotel Tara

This full day of exploring invites you into the Montenegrin countryside to discover dramatic mountain landscapes dotted with traditional rural villages. It’s the perfect introduction to life away from the coast with agricultural pastures and pine forest covered slopes adding to fast rushing rivers and emerald-green lagoons. Stopping off at a rural farmstead allows you to soak up the sleepy rustic ambience surrounded by gently rolling hills. You’ll also have the chance to tuck into an authentic farmhouse lunch with fresh seasonal produce, homemade bread, cheese and meat, washed down with a warming shot glass of rakia (fruit brandy).

Straddling Montenegro and Albania, Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkans stretching for a whopping 43 kilometres (27 miles) in length and 14 kilometres (nine miles) across. Today you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a boat trip on the lake as well as visiting a small natural history museum. It’s a beautiful location with numerous islands, wetlands and willow and oak forests helping to create one of Europe’s biggest bird reserves including nesting spots for endangered curly pelicans.

You’ll need your passport for this excursion which takes you down the coast and across the border into Albania. Another of the Balkans’ well-kept secrets, Albania promises spirited cities, medieval treasures, and wild sweeping landscapes loved by walkers and adventure-seekers alike.

Today we’ll enjoy a full morning or afternoon guided tour of Stari Grad, Budva’s Venetian-built Old Town. Situated overlooking the Adriatic and featuring the fortified Budva Citadel, this is one of the city’s cultural highlights and the perfect place to enjoy sea views and a coffee from within the medieval walls. Our tour will feature all of Stari Grad’s most important monuments including the ballerina sculpture, the ancient Roman necropolis and the façade and interior frescos of the Holy Trinity Church.

Dubbed the Monaco of Montenegro, the seaside town of Tivat is where we’ll be heading to enjoy a morning spent mingling with the local jet set. It’s a really glamorous location and just right for strolling along the sun-drenched promenade and admiring the yachts twinkling in the marina. We’ll be here for half a day so plenty of time to check out the high-class restaurants and elegant apartments as well as popping into one or two of the harbourside bars to enjoy a cocktail overlooking the Adriatic.

This half-day excursion will introduce you to the UNESCO-protected old town of Kotor, with its labyrinthine medieval quarter, bustling market, and beautiful Renaissance architecture. This is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the Adriatic, and the architecture is heavily influenced by Kotor’s past Venetian occupiers. You’ll find a myriad of authentic shops, restaurants and cafés in its sunny squares and side streets, and your knowledgeable local guide will explain the town’s history and stories as you stroll around the sights. Aside from the pretty town itself, you can look forward to jaw-dropping surroundings. Kotor overlooks a huge, glittering bay, which is framed by soaring green peaks.

Today’s optional excursion takes us along the coast to see the former fishing village of Sveti Stefan. Dating back to medieval times, this cluster of red roofed buildings is attached to the mainland by a narrow strip of land and has become one of the most photographed spots in Montenegro. Although we won’t have access to the island itself, there will be plenty of time to enjoy the surrounding beaches and shaded cypress trails before heading back to the hotel after a spot of lunch.