The white sandy beaches, pristine rivers, clear blue skies, mountains that soar up to the skies, and glittering sea caves paint a picture of Montenegro as nothing short of a piece of heaven on earth. With the tourist industry rapidly developing in the country, Montenegro has become a year-round tourist destination. The country can be divided into four main points of tourist interest, namely coastal, northern, southern and central regions and each one of these regions has its own unique topological features and activities to offer. The Adriatic coast is dotted with lots of ancient towns that the tourism industry has worked hard to preserve in an immaculate condition, such as Herceg Novi, Kotor (which is declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO) and Sveti Stefan, an island turned into a luxury hotel. The southern city of Ulcinj, placed among the top 30 places to go in 2010 by The New York Times, has a bustling night life and lively parties. Stari Bar’s ‘living museum’ and the wildlife reserve in the Skadar Lake are some other striking features of the south.
If you move up north, you can experience a fun filled mountain tourism in one of the ski resorts or walk around the Tara River Canyon in Durmitor. The Central Region, which is most densely populated, has the least tourist attractions, but makes for a great place for heritage tourism, with its numerous archeological remains. See below our month-by-month guide to this country and plan your trip according to your favorite weather.
January
January is a cold start of the year in Montenegro. The average daily temperature reaches 5°C along with plenty of northern wind and rainfall. The sun shines just four hours a day while precipitation might reach 101mm over a ten-day period. The sea temperature is usually low during this time of the year at 13°C on an average. Since the weather isn’t exactly beach perfect, a good way to spend your holiday in Montenegro would be by exploring the old towns. It’s considered to be one of the best-preserved medieval fortifications in the entire Mediterranean and Adriatic region.
February
The weather is still cold during the second month of the year as well. The average daily temperature goes upto 7°C with humidity reaching 75%. The days are warmer and shorter than the nights, as the sun shines for only four hours a day. Chances of rain during this month are 60% with a total volume of 109mm. The sea is still quiet at this time of the year with an average temperature of 13°C (not recommended for swimming). February is a good time to visit the old towns and its numerous architectural masterpieces dating back centuries, from both medieval and Venetian occupation times.
March
March is the start of the spring season here in Montenegro. The sun is gentle and there is consistent rain. The average daily temperature is around 10°C during the dayand5°C at night.Sun shines only five hours a day with a 60% chance of rain on average. The sun had started to warm up the sea by now, making the water 16°C warm. A windbreaker is recommended if you’re planning to spend your days out either hiking or walking along the shore, and an umbrella would come in handy as well, since the rain falls quite heavily for short episodesat the bay.
April
April is the second month of spring. The weather is pleasant with an average temperature of 14°C. The high is 19°C atdaytime with nights being chilly at 7°C. The sun stays a bit longer totaling around six hours a day. There is a 60% chance of rainfall with a 116mm precipitation rate, being expected over a 12-day period. One of the unmissable sights of Kotor, Montenegro is “Our Lady” of the Rocks and SvetiDorde – two little islands resting in the middle of Kotor’s Bay, with a church peeking out of one and a monastery nestled between trees on the other.
May
The month of May is warm and humid. The average daily temperature is 19°C with nights being reasonable 12°C cold. The sun shines almost eight hours a day at this time of the month, with minimal chances of rain of approximately 75mm spread across nine days. One of the must-dos in Montenegro is hiking all the way up to a fortress which one must visit while being here.
June
The average temperature is a beautiful 23°C during this month. The nights are refreshing and cool at 15 °C while the day can reach around 28°C. The sun shines approximately nine hours a day with clear skies and sometimes 50% chances of rain. Now that the weather is just so close to perfect, the summer season brings about a wide variety of both land and marine activities worth engaging in while visiting Montenegro. One such activity is Stand-Up-Paddling at Kotor Bay, which is all about exploring the bay area waters and surrounding scenery.
July
It’s like a midsummer night’s dream here in Montenegro during this time of the year. The average daily temperature is approximately around 26°C with warm nights of around 18°C and days being hotter at 31 °C making it a perfect weather for holidays. The humidity is around 47% on average, keeping the air dry. The days are long as the sun shines for approximately ten hours with clear skies. The precipitation is approximately 24mm over a five-day period. With the water so perfect and the skies so blue, you must certainly go on a Blue Cave Kayak and Snorkelling Adventure, in one of Kotor Bay’s most beautiful and fascinating locations.
August
The month of August is a glorious month here in Montenegro. The average daily temperature is around 26 °C with daytime maximums of 31 °C and mild nights with 18 °C. The sun shines approximately nine hours a day with chances of rain being very low. The skies are clear, and the sea is also warm at around 25 °C. Montenegro has a great appreciation for art as well, and its summer festival encompasses a number of established cultural and artistic events, including the Children’s Theatre Festival, Don Branko’s Music Days.
September
Autumn in Montenegro starts mild while summer still hangs around. The average daily temperature is around 21 °C with daytime temperatures of 26°Cand night-time temperatures of 14 °C. The sun shines approximately for around eight hours a day with a humidity of 60%. The chances of rain are 60% with the precipitation level reaching around 103mm. September in Montenegro presents the perfect weather for many outdoor activities, including hiking, horse riding and cycling. You can take a Montenegro cycle tour, which gives you the opportunity to ride a bike through some of the country’s most beautiful and untarnished landscapes.
October
This month fully welcomes the autumn season with clear, grey and sometimes heavy clouds. The average daily temperature is around 16 °C with fresh nights at 11 °C and the days being 21 °C warm. The sun shines approximately six hours a day with the chances for rain being 40%. The average total precipitation is around 117mm over 11-day period. The sea temperature in the bay is still surprisingly high for this time of the year, measuring an average of 21°C. Weather permitting, you can also take the popular Vrmac Mountain Bike Tour, an outdoor adventure that shouldn’t be missed. It will take you off-road through splendid pine forests, giving you panoramic views of Kotor’s Bay
November
This is the wettest of all the months here in Montenegro. The average temperature is around 11 °C cold with night dropping to 7 °C and the days being warmer around 17 °C. The sun shines for around four hours a day because of which the days have now reduced in length. The sea water temperature drops to approximate 18°C thus not offering good swimming conditions. November is a good month to explore the old parts of Kotor, especially if you take an Ancient Montenegro Day Trip from Dubrovnik.
December
The winters are cold and rainy. The air gets extremely cold during the night and chilly during the day. The average daily temperature is approximately 7°C with daytime temperaturesof 13°C and nights being 3 °C cold.The sun shines for around three hours only. The chances of rainfall are around 75% with heavy rainfall showering to around 165mm in total across the whole month. The sea water temperature drops to 15 °C enhanced by the cold currents from the northern parts of the Adriatic. A wonderful religious building worth visiting is Saint Luke’s Church, which offers a fascinating insight into the old Serbian and Croatian influence on Montenegro, particularly during the Middle Ages.
CONCLUSION –THE BEST TIME TO VISIT MONTENEGRO:
A trip to Montenegro will undoubtedly be a fulfilling one, given that you plan wisely so as to make sure you visit as many places as possible. The country will provide ample opportunities to do things for the ‘first time’, such as ziplining over the deepest canyon in Europe or paragliding over the seashore. The mountain regions of Montenegro are a wonderland for adventure lovers, with dreamlike hiking tracks and untouched, meandering rivers to go kayaking and rafting. If you want a break from active days, you can head to the beaches for a casual stroll or sunset horse riding. The forests bustling with wildlife are perfect for some rare bird watching.
The best time to visit the country in terms of weather and climatic conditions is in Spring and Autumn, which means from late March to the end of June or September and October. A trip to Montenegro should be a well thought out one. With so much that the country has to offer, it really would be a disservice to yourself and the country itself if you came and weren’t taking advantage of everything there is to see and do. That is why you should not forget to consult this travel guide which contains all the necessary details regarding climatic conditions, best seasons in terms of tourist activity and prices and the kind of activities that you can enjoy here. With this article as a guide, plan your trip and prepare to enjoy an experience of lifetime.
If you’re looking for more information on Montenegro or any other country you’d like to visit, take a look at Backpackertrail. The German start-up knows all about backpacking and will help you with planning your adventure, so you to get the best out of your travels and experience the world’s diversity and beauty.
