# Travel

Driving the Bay of Kotor. 50km. Three hours. The most beautiful road in the Balkans.

Every bend in the road reveals a different perspective on the bay. Mountain above. Sea below. Medieval villages in between.

The road around the Bay of Kotor is one of those drives that makes you understand why people hire cars on holiday. Pull over at every layby. Every layby has a view.

Every village has a konoba that will feed you well for £12. This drive is a full day if you do it properly.

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Bay of Kotor by kayak vs boat tour. Which is better value?

Kayak rental: £20 for 4 hours, self-guided. Boat tour: £25, 3 hours, guide included. Both cover Our Lady of the Rocks. Kayak wins for freedom. Boat wins for ease.

The Blue Cave and Our Lady of the Rocks island are the two highlights of the Bay of Kotor.

Both are accessible by kayak or boat tour. If you're comfortable on water and want to go at your own pace, rent the kayak. If you want the history and context, take the boat. Both are worth the money.

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The Kotor city walls hike. Everything you need to know.

1,350 steps. Takes 45 minutes. Best time: before 9am or after 5pm. Ticket: £8. View from the top: priceless.

The hike up the Kotor city walls to the Castle of San Giovanni is the best activity in Montenegro. The view of the bay from the top is one of the great vistas of the Adriatic.

Wear good shoes. Bring water. Do not attempt it in the midday heat. The entry ticket keeps out enough people to make it pleasant.

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Kotor old town at 6am. Cats, church bells, and no one else.

Cobblestones still wet from overnight rain. The bay perfectly still. Every cat in Montenegro seems to live here.

Kotor is famous for its cats. It is also one of the best-preserved medieval walled cities in the Adriatic.

The town inside the walls is small enough to walk in 20 minutes and interesting enough to occupy two days. Go before 9am when the cruise ships dock.

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Montenegro budget reality check. What happened to the affordable Balkans?

Kotor accommodation: £45-60/night. Coffee: £2.50. Restaurant meal: £18-25. Bay of Kotor boat tour: £25.

Montenegro has priced itself as an aspirational luxury destination. It is beautiful enough to justify premium prices for those with the budget. For travellers coming from Albania it feels extraordinary.

Plan accordingly, Montenegro is not Albania and trying to travel it on an Albanian budget will be frustrating.

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Montenegro in three days. The only route that makes sense.

Day 1: Kotor old town. Day 2: Bay of Kotor by boat or road. Day 3: Durmitor National Park or Budva beach depending on priorities.

Montenegro is a small country with a high density of extraordinary landscapes. The Bay of Kotor in the north is dramatic fjord scenery.

The coast at Budva is Adriatic beach. The mountains at Durmitor are Alpine. Three days is enough to see two of these three faces of the country.

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Crossing from Albania to Montenegro. The border takes four minutes.

Mountains on both sides. A river between them. The landscape doesn't change. The price of coffee doubles.

The transition from Albania to Montenegro is the most economically dramatic border crossing in Europe.

You go from the cheapest country in the continent to one that has positioned itself at the premium end of Balkan tourism. Both are beautiful. The adjustment is jarring.

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One week in Albania. Total spend. Real numbers.

Accommodation: £88. Food and drink: £55. Transport: £28. Sights and activities: £15. Total: £186 for seven days.

Under £200 for a week of travel in a genuinely beautiful, historically fascinating, and largely uncrowded European country. Albania is not a compromise destination.

It is an exceptional destination at a fraction of the cost of its neighbours.

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Berat day trip from Tirana. Full cost breakdown.

Return furgon: £6. Castle entrance: free. Lunch: £5. Coffee in the castle: £1. Total: £12 for one of the best days in the Balkans.

Berat costs almost nothing and delivers an outsized experience. It is genuinely one of the most photogenic towns in Europe.

The fact that almost nobody outside Albania knows about it is either a failure of marketing or a gift to the people who do go.

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Beach in Albania vs beach in Croatia. Honest cost comparison.

Day at Dhermi beach (Albania): £8 (lunch + drinks). Day at Dubrovnik beach (Croatia): £65 (sun lounger + lunch). Same quality sea. Same quality sky.

This comparison is not unfair. The Adriatic and Ionian seas that border these two countries are connected.

The water quality is comparable. The scenery is comparable. The price is not. Albania charges what things are actually worth.

Croatia charges what tourists are willing to pay.

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