Montenegro: Introduction

During the 1980s Montenegro was a favorite holiday destination for European holiday makers, with millions of visitors flocking there each year. The war in the Balkans temporarily put a stop to that, but recent years have seen a massive recovery and investment in Montenegro’s tourism sector and travelers are once again discovering the charms this beautiful, diverse and fascinating nation has to offer. At the present time, Montenegro is undergoing a extensive reconstruction of roads and renovations of hotels, facilities and tourist attractions as it races towards its aim of creating an internationally popular first class holiday destination.

The country’s mild climate, impressive natural beauty and many places of historical interest are already once again attracting visitors from all over the globe. Montenegro’s coast is long and pleasant, with many fine beaches and sights to behold, while the mountainous terrain of the interior is awe inspiring, the northern part being perfect for skiing and winter sports. Boasting a variety of resorts, lively nightlife, fam-ily vacation spots, still unspoiled coastline, canyons, lakes and rivers, in a pleasant Mediterranean climate of dry summers and wet mild winters, Montenegro is also home to Biogradska Gora, one of Europe’s last remaining rainforests.

The Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and Durmitor National Park are both designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Currently home to a quite diverse population of 678,000, Montenegro’s civi-lization reaches back into antiquity with cities founded by the Ottoman Empire, ancient Romans, Phoeni-cians and Illyrians as far back as the 5th century B.C.. This distant past can still be experienced in cities such as Budva, Ulcinj, and in the capital Podgorica.