Budva

Budva is the metropolis of Montenegrin tourism thanks to the great number of beaches that make this a most desirable tourist destination. Apart from its natural beauty, its bay islands and beaches for example, Budva is rich in historic monuments. The Old town lies on a small peninsula and represents a treasure chest of culture heritage. Crossed with narrow streets and squares are famous buildings, the Church Sv. Trojica, housing the tomb of the exquisite writer Stjepan Mitrov Ljubisa, the Churches of Sv. Ivan, Sv. Bogorodica and Sv. Sava. During the summer months it turns into a City Theatre with numerous local performances and shows from abroad. In the Stari Grad (Old town) you can also visit many shops, cafés, restaurants and galleries. Monasteries Stanjevici, Podostrog, Rezevici and Gradiste are important historic and religious monuments of Budva.

The Budva coast is 21 km long with 17 beaches. It is among the most beautiful coasts in the world and its beauty will not leave you indifferent.

PETROVAC

Petrovac is a little settlement near the town – hotel of Sveti Stefan. Its beaches Perazica Do, Lucice, Sveta Nedjelja and Buljarice are among the finest of the Riviera of Budva. Its cultural and historic monuments include mosaics dating to the III century and Fortress Kastelo, built by the Venetians in the XVI century. For diving enthusiasts the two small islands Katic and Sveta Nedjelja are a real attraction.

 

SVETI STEFAN I MILOCER

Sveti Stefan, a town – hotel, is located on an island connected to the mainland by a narrow strip that has two red colored sandy beaches. Originally built by traders and fishermen in the XV century, it became a town – hotel in 1960 thanks to our famous painters Lubarda and Milunovic, who recognized this old place as a potential tourist attraction. Many famous persons have visited Sveti Stefan, among them Sofia Loren, Monica Viti, Willie Brandt, Bobbi Fisher, Sylvester Stallone, Claudia Schaeffer and Ingmar Stenmark…

Milocer, located close to Sveti Stefan, was once famous as a summer residence of the Karadjordjevic Royal Family. The great number of rare plants, beautiful beaches and top service hotels and villas at Milocer guarantee a wonderful holiday.

Budva – and ancient town, next to the very coast, hides a rich historical past. The distant past reaches back to the V century B.C.  According to the numerous legends Budva was firstly the Illyrian town. Its first inhabitants were the King of the historically well-known Thebe – Kadmo and the Queen Harmonia.

Already in the II century B.C. Budva falls under the Romans. On its territory at that time the trading was very developed. The citizens were engaged in raising grapes and olives. After the fall of the Roman Empire, in Budva began the period of Byzantium reign. The struggle of people from Budva against Byzantium began in 535 year. The fall of the Byzantium reign happened after the arrival of the Nemanjic dynasty on the territory of the former Montenegrin coast (1184. – 1186.).

Still, the greatest bloom Budva experienced in the Middle century during the period of life of Serbian emperor Dusan. At that time Budva got its statute, in which the new conditions of life in the Middle century are described.

Under the reign of the Venetian Republic, Budva falls in 1442. Beside the oppression by the Venetians, the troubles of citizens of Budva came also from the Turks, who often invade Budva and surrounding places and they as well fight with the Venetians. Budva is bearing the brunt between the two belligerent sides, all the time until the beginning of the XVIII century.

In 1807. Budva is taken over by the French, and in 1813. it falls under the Austro – Hungarian reign, which governs Budva for the next one hundred years. Ravaged and impoverished Budva, under the reign of the Austro – Hungary awaits the I World War, that is, the year 1914. The liberation from the Austro – Hungarian monarchy came in 1918.

Still, that was just a pause until the II World War, because already in 1941 Budva and its surrounding were again occupied, this time by Italy. The liberation from the Nazi reign Budva awaited on the 22nd of November 1944.
The legend of the foundation of Budva

With the special attention Budva and people from Budva keep the mythical legend about the foundation of the town. BATHUA, BUTOBA, BUTUA – today Budva – hides its name behind the most famous authentic story about the foundation of the town from the time of the Stefan Byzantium from the VI century.

As it s written in the incites of the Filon from Bilbos from the II century A.D., the foundation of Budva is connected to the founder of the town Thebe, a mythical personality and the son of the Phoenician King Agemor – Kadma.

Namely,  Kadmo and his wife Harmonija in their old ages were exiled from Thebe and on the ox driven vehicles they directed themselves to the land of the Enheleans – the eel people, (the oldest citizens in the area of Budva), where they have founded a new town BOUTHOE – Budva.
According to the legend, it is by the oxen that Budva got its name, (Bous – in Greek Ox), which brought the spouses Kadma and Harmonija, the former rulers of Thebe, in Budva. According to some other sources, Harmojia gave birth to the son of Illyrian.
Still, because of some murder that Kadmo committed in his youth, the punishment of Gods came onto him, so the spouses (Kadmo and Harmonija), according to the legend, were turned into snakes.

 

YOU MUST VISIT

We are suggesting 5 places in Budva, which you must visit :
OLD TOWN
SVETI STEFAN
ISLAND SVETI NIKOLA,
PETROVAC
ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
BUDVA OLD TOWN

The old town is Budva’s trademark. It is raised on the island, which used to be connected for the land by a sandy covering and so it grew into a peninsula. The Old Budva's town is a unique architectonic and urban entity, which is mentioned as a lodgment even in the antique period. Budva according to those sources is one of the oldest urban centers in the Adriatic; it is more than 2.500 years old. The walls of the Old town were, and are even today, the attraction for both the tourists from the country as well as for those from the farthest parts of the world. They date from the middle century, when in these areas Venetians ruled. Certain damages the urban nucleus of the Old town experienced twice, first in 1667., and then in 1979. in great earthquakes.
When for the first time you visit the old Budva's town maybe you will think that you are in a labyrinth, because of the braided streets, squares, bulwarks and towers from the late middle century.

In the Old town a city fortress Citadela (Citadel) is placed, which dates from the V – VI century B.C., which is today a stage of the famous City theater.

In town there are also Church of Sveti Ivan (St. Ivan) – a monumental basilica with three transepts, which was built in VII century, the oldest edifice Sveta Marija (St. Marija) from Punta from 840 A.D., and also the church of Sveti Trojica (St. Trinity) built in 1804. year.

SVETI STEFAN

The Island Sveti Stefan is today best known as a fashionable summer resort. With the sandy covering it is connected to the land, and such islands, which today are very rare, are called “tombolo”. A famous tribe Pastrovici, used this place in the past, more specifically through the XV century for the defense from the enemies, and today that place reminds us about that through the cannon openings and cannons that are kept as a memory and reminder of the past times.   The interior of the town is made of curvy, narrow streets. We also have picturesque squares, 3 churches, and the hotel sweets are found in the elegant houses made in the Mediterranean style.

Sveti Stefan is a summer resort for elite tourists and for the tourists who crave for glamour. When at the end of the 1940’s a decision was brought which said that this place should be turned into a tourist facility, a creation of new history began for Sveti Stefan. Its glory from then until now to world is presented by actors like Sofia Loren and Carlo Bruni, as well as the presidents of the majority of countries of the world, singer, scientists and many others. English princess Margaret stayed as well as Italian King Umberto II of Savoy, famous world actors like: Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Geraldine Chaplin, Sidney Poatie, Richard Vidmark, Sylvester Stallone, Jeremy Irons… Famous literates Andre Marlow and Alberto Moravia, also stayed in Sveti Stefan, also Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin, famous chess master Robert Fisher, as well as the most beautiful women in the world Claudia Shifer. The majority of the mentioned “crowned heads” stayed in the villa 118, which is a part of the hotel complex “Sveti Stefan”. For that exclusive villa, the price of staying is negotiated with the leaser. The starting price is 1.500 euros a day.

In 1972. year Sveti Stefan got a reward “Golden apple”, as the most exclusive summer resort in the world. In its immediate vicinity a former king’s summer residence is situated, which is today hotel Milocer.

Hotel Milocer is completely surrounded by the pinewoods. In the immediate vicinity is a gorgeous park, which is made of pine tree alleys, nicely arranged smaller parks with various flowers, two beaches, walking path which along a smaller hill leads you to the hotel Sveti Stefan. A special experience represents a lunch or a dinner in the open-air restaurant of the hotel, which is made of the finest white stone.

Such a natural surrounding, like it is the surrounding of Milocer, is ideal for the rest of the tourists with a refined taste. It is a perfect place for the funs of the rest in peace, which is disturbed just with the chirping of some bird or the murmur of the swimmers.

 

ISLAND SVETI NIKOLA

The attractive Island Sveti Nikola popularly named Hawaii near Budva, is another attraction of Budva Riviera. According to some sources, the island used to be connected with the town by a sandy sandbar, popularly called “tunja”.

To the island beaches and numerous capes the easiest way to get is by taxi boats, or barges. When you already have reached the destination a translucent and clear see will await you, as well as the blue sky, sunbeams and the smells and tastes of the Mediterranean. One-day trip to the island offer you swimming, researching, if you get in such a project by yourself or you can just simply enjoy in the sea, peace and Mediterranean.

Today the island is privatized in one part, and in that part there is a new restaurant, two modernly arranged beaches. A building of the marina is planed also in that part of the island. The island is full of deers, rabbits, roe deers, birds… as well as some rare floral kinds. It is covered with thick conifers, pine, and spruce forest. With its greatest part the island reminds to a non – sufficiently examined parts, which are craving for new Robinson Crusoes.

 

PETROVAC

It used to have the name of  Kastel Lastva, and today it is called Petrovac on the sea. Petrovac is a very nice little place at about half the way from Budva to Bar. As a lodgment it is mentioned at the end of the XVIII and at the beginning of the XIX century. The town is found in the sandy bay, encircled with the thick pine forests. It used to be mainly a fishing lodgment. The thick pine forests and olive groves, the clean sea, and the wonderful beaches, that surround Petrovac, make this place, to the guests who from year to year are coming back to Petrovac, pleasant for staying.

The beach Lucice during the summer is full of visitors, but beside its attractiveness and numerous lovers it remained naturally intact. From the center of the town that beach is 500 meters away, going to the south. The nightlife in the town mostly takes place on Petrovac Riva and along the promenade towards the hotel Riviera. During the summer all the cafés are filled with young and beautiful people. From the open – air terraces and discothèques one can hear the sounds of modern music and dance.

ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

The museum of the town Budva is situated in the very center of the Old town. Even though Budva is more than 2.5 millenniums old, it awaited for its museum in the last 20 years. Beside the antiques visitors are offered by the museum of the town with the exhibits that mark Budva from the creation of the town until nowadays. Those are various items with Hellenic traits, various vases, jewelry, ornaments, tool, eating utensils, the items made of glass and clay, of unusual designs and shapes, silver dishes and many other items that have been waiting for years to be discovered and are now kept in the building of the museum in Budva. The items in the museum testify about both life and historical conditions of this part of the Mediterranean, with ethno genesis, which is made of pervasion of various cultures: Illyrian, Greek. Roman, Byzantine, Slovenian and others, as well as about the specific profile lead down to the art, archeology and ethnography of this area.