We did a 2 week road trip this summer around Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina and it was one of our favorite recent trips. Both countries had so much to offer and we enjoyed them both more than we thought we would. The place that surprised us most throughout this trip was the place we hadn’t even originally planned to go, Herceg Novi. We were staying in the mountains of Montenegro when giant weather system came through. It was set to rain for the next 48 hours and we had planned a ton of hiking. We decided last minute to swerve and book somewhere on the coast last minute. This is how we found Herceg Novi.
Why Herceg Novi surprised us
On the map and on the internet this town doesn’t look like the most exciting one Montenegro has to offer. When you read about coastal areas of Montenegro you more often here about Kotor, Perast, Budvda, etc. Luckily I have a few friends who get a little further off the beaten path and I had heard about this town through them. I still hadn’t honestly heard much about what it was actually like though. So we booked on a whim and showed up.
What we LOVED about this town was how relaxed and local it felt. When we arrived it seemed like every living soul was in the sea. The sea comes right up to the promenade here and there are beach chairs lining the whole sea. You can LITERALLY just walk directly from your chair and into the ocean. There are endless bars, restaurants, cafes, and shops along the promenade. It was bustling and vibrant but not overcrowded.
We didn’t even make our way up to/find the old town until our second day! The Old Town of Herceg Novi is incredibly charming and I’ll detail how much we loved exploring up there as well. Overall, Herceg Novi was full of surprises and ended up being our favorite part of Montenegro.
How to Get to Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Northwestern Montenegro near the entrance to the bay of Kotor. If you’re flying into Montenegro, Herceg Novi is about an hour by car from the Tivat airport. If you’re entering Montenegro from Croatia as part of a Balkans road trip, Herceg Novi is also about one hour from Dubrovnik. You should be aware though, that border crossings can make that one hour drive much longer.
Herceg Novi runs into Igalo (which is another town)
Herceg Novi is connected by a long seaside promenade with the neighboring town of Igalo. To be completely honest, it’s almost impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. You can easily enjoy spending time in both on the same trip and move up and down between the two. I ran from one to the other and back every morning and we walked along both all of the time during our visit.
Where to Stay in Herceg Novi
As I previously mentioned, we booked this town last minute. I think we found a really excellent place for a last minute deal. But I’m also going to list another option or two that I think we would have enjoyed if we’d been able to book in advance or if we wanted a little more luxury.
Hunguest Hotel Sun Resort (where we stayed)
I have to start by saying that I think your experience at this hotel can vary based on the room that you book. We had originally booked their simplest room as it was the only thing left when we booked last minute. It was in an annex on the edge of the property, had no views, and was quite small. I am not complaining about this, just simply stating the facts. We had a little trouble at check in and the hotel had a mix up with our room. To make things right they upgraded us to a much larger room with a huge balcony and a sea view.
This room was SO nice and we had a really excellent experience. I’m not sure if we would have loved this place as much had we stayed in the room that as meant for us. So if asked “would you book this hotel again?” My answer would be yes, but only if we had a good room category.
This resort is incredibly well located. It has TONS of parking, so if you are road tripping Montenegro you could park safely and easily. It was right in the center of the promenade so either direction you went there was so much to do. We absolutely loved the “beach” area. We loved that it was right on the water and you could just walk straight in from your beach chair. The pool area was large and beautiful too, but honestly with the ocean right there we didn’t spend any time at the pool. It would be excellent for families with children and we saw many.
We had breakfast here each day and breakfast was large and plentiful. The hotel also has full restaurant but we didn’t eat any meals here as we like to get out and explore for our meals. Overall, this hotel was great value for money, and we sincerely enjoyed our stay here.
If you want to check availability and book this hotel, click here —> Hunguest Hotel
Lazure Hotel & Marina
We did not stay here so I can’t provide personal experience. But I can say that this is well researched has insanely good reviews (a 9.5 on booking.com is almost unheard of), and I did see it for myself when I was there and it looked incredibly lovely. This would be way more of a splurge if you’re visiting Herceg Novi. The pool area is incredibly beautiful and looks like the kind of place you’d just want to hang out all day long. They also have spa services and well equipped apartment style rooms. This would be great if you’re staying for an extended period of time.
One thing worth noting is that this property is at the end of the promenade. This can be a positive or negative depending on what your point of view is. It is a positive because it is a very peaceful and beautiful area of town. It’s on the water and it is very private. The negative may be that you have to walk a bit to get to some of the places you want to eat or activities you want to do. We don’t mind a walk, especially a beautiful one, so for us this would be a non issue.
If you want to check availability and book this option, you can click here —> Lazure Hotel & Marina
Where to Eat in Herceg Novi
There are tons of options for food here all up and down the promenade. You can really have whatever kind of experience you want. You can eat some cheap “street food” type meals, you can have snacks, you can have a fine dining meal, you can have a local and relaxed meal, basically the promenade is your oyster!
Fish Dinner: Konoba Skver
Even though this place is technically on the main drag, it is kind of hidden. You have to walk down the stairs from the main promenade and into the restaurant so it’s easy to walk past or miss. It is so lovely and is directly on the water! I was so glad we were able to get a reservation since we had come to Herceg Novi on whim. We shared a delightful octopus carpaccio and then I had some excellent grilled seafood and my husband had a meat dish. The seafood was so fresh and grilled so well. The views here were so nice and all of the staff were very kind. I would highly recommend this spot if you only have one night in Herceg Novi.
Inner local dinner: Tre Lipe
I read mixed reviews about this spot online but we loved it. It’s right off the promenade as well and we sat out on the little terrace. People say it’s “touristy” but first of all I’m a tourist, and second of all the entire town of Herceg Novi is really a lot less touristy than many other parts of Montenegro. So do with that information what you will. Here we split a nice tomato, mozzarella, & pesto starter. My husband had a meat platter and I had shrimp buzzara. I had this a few times in Montenegro and I highly recommend it. It’s basically Montenegros version of a red or white sauce with seafood. We loved it every time we tried it. Just know you may get messy and it may be hard to drink your wine while eating!
To go fish spot: Parangal Fish & Burgers
This spot was super casual and right on the promenade and a great stop for lunch. You could sit in or out while you ate or take it right to the beach with you. We split a nice fresh salad, I had some delicious breaded tiger prawns, and my husband had a burger. If you’re looking for a quick easy spot, this is it.
Things to Do in Herceg Novi
Boka Beach Bar
We spent an afternoon chilling here and really enjoyed it. We love to be a part of a fun scene but we’re past the age of blaring music and major party vibes. This place was exactly our speed (at least mid day). We showed up right after lunch and got some beach beds and an umbrella and stayed for a few hours. We had a few drinks, jumped in the sea a few times, and enjoyed the relaxed vibe. It looked like it got a little more lively as the day/evening went on but it never seemed like an over the top party scene.
Take the ferry to Rose
One of our very favorite things we did during our time in Herceg Novi was to take the little ferry boat over to Rose. It only cost a few euro and took about 20 minutes. Rose is the most peaceful and beautiful little village. It really is just a small strip of a few homes, cafes, and beaches. There is a very fancy looking resort/restaurant over there and if we returned I would have loved to have lunch there under the trees. We wandered around bit, had a drink, some pizza, and a plate of tomatoes (SO GOOD), and just enjoyed the scene until taking the ferry back.
Next time I’d want to spend a longer time and relax on the beach over there for a while. It was just such a nice pace and a lovely place to spend an afternoon. Ferry boats run pretty frequently and it’s easy to check the schedule. You don’t need to book anything in advance you can just hop on.
Explore the Old Town
Warning! It requires a number of steps to get to the Herceg Novi’s Old town. Herceg Novi is sometimes lovingly called the city of 1000 stairs. You could honestly spend your entire visit down on the water and have a lovely time. But the Old Town is incredibly beautiful and it would be sad to miss it. There are some shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as a fortress and the most delightful streets. If you go in summer I’d recommend visiting early or late rather than mid day, it can be super hot up there.
Grab a drink overlooking the water polo stadium
We were just looking for a bar with a nice view of sunset over the water. But when we walked into this spot we were met with tons of families watching their kids play/practice water polo. We didn’t know that the bar overlooked the court, but it was such a perfect set up. Honestly, even if you don’t know anyone playing it can be an entertaining place to have a drink. It also had really chill vibes and we enjoyed hanging there before dinner. This spot was called “Jadran Restobar”. We didn’t eat here so I can’t speak for the food, but it was lovely for a apertif.
Visit the Kani Kula Fortress & the Forte Mare Fortress
We found the Kani Kula Fortress to be a worthwhile visit during our time in Herceg Novi. It was very special to be able to see the views over the Old Town, the promenade, across the bay, and really as far as the eye could see. This fortress also contains an amphitheater which is still used to hold events and shows! It is neat to visit and explore throughout the complex, you can walk some of the walls and see some of the old prison areas etc.
We didn’t visit the Forte Mare fortress as we kept having bad timing and we felt like one was enough, but it would definitely be worth seeing too. It is also the easier to reach of the two if you’re already down on the promenade. When we go back we’ll check this one out!
Stroll the Promenade
You almost can’t avoid strolling the promenade here as most of the things you’d want to do are along it. It is lined with restaurants, cafes, beaches, shops, beach clubs, and bars. Pretty much anything you want to do and see can be done down here. The Igalo area is definitely more lively and busy and as you edge toward Herceg Novi things get a little quieter and a bit more upscale. We spent a lot of time on both sides for different reasons, it’s nice to have options!
Go Hiking
Unfortunately we were in Herceg Novi during a pretty extreme heat wave. We didn’t do any hiking here even though I would have liked to. If you’re in the area at a more reasonable time in the season you should absolutely look up some hiking options. This area is so incredibly beautiful and I’d have loved to have seen some of the views from higher up!
Exploring more of Montenegro
If you’re planning to spend more time in the area, which I assume you are, here are my blog posts about staying in Dobrota —–> 4 Days in Dobrota, Montenegro
If theres a chance you’re visiting Bosnia as well while you’re in the area you can check out my posts for that here —–> Bosnia & Herzegovina Posts
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