Budva has a lot more to offer than its reputation as Montenegro’s coastal party town. Beyond the busy beachside promenade and turbo folk clubs, Budva has its own secret spots for you to discover. Having a tour guide on hand to navigate the tourist traps is recommended, that’s where Ocean Blue Swimming Tours steps (or rather swims) in to help!
What better way to start the tour than with a coffee or cheeky Prosecco (we won’t judge) at a
restaurant on the walkway with a view of Sveti Nikola Island. We will return to explore the island later; this is just a taster of what’s to come. After our energising coffee break, we head to Sveti Stefan, a private islet featured in many tourist snaps. Sveti Stefan was once inhabited by fishermen and their families until the 1960’s when it began its glamorous reincarnation as a celebrity hotspot and is now home to an exclusive 5 star resort. However, you can still appreciate Sveti Stefan’s beauty from the sea without having to stay at the hotel. Even better, steered by your Ocean Blue Swimming Tour guide, you will swim 750 metres around the island for a 360 degree view, before travelling back to Budva.
We take a short boat ride over to Sveti Nikola Island, which we viewed at the very beginning of our adventure around Budva. The island, named after Saint Nicholas and also known as ‘Hawaii’, has two sides to it. It caters for tourists on the side facing Budva’s coastline but is also home to a protected nature reserve. Circling the island during this adventure swim, you will get to explore the rock formations jutting out of the crystal clear waters, which was reasonably warm (mid 20s) in temperature for our September swim. On this particular trip, we found an exquisite blue cave so you may want to bring your GoPro and get some shots of the sea life! After exploring, you can relax on one of the many beach loungers on the resort side of the island and gather together some energy for later on. Just a note, the beach is rocky, so you may wish to wear sea shoes.
The Budva tour is not all swimming, later you will get time to explore by foot the character filled cobbled streets of Budva Old Town. There’s plenty to see, including entrance to the Citadel, a walk along the walls for a spectacular view of the coastline and not forgetting many great spots to unwind with a drink or enjoy a bite to eat. Check out ‘Casper Bar’ for barista quality coffee and a broad range of cocktails accompanied by eclectic Jazz sounds. For vegetarians, there’s ‘Hajde’ where you can eat delicious meat free meals. Finally, end the day browsing amongst antique stores, window shopping at the many jewellers or simply pick up a souvenir to remember your visit to Budva.
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