By far the most popular place for tourists visiting Montenegro, Budva was much more pleasant than I expected. It is one of the oldest habited places in the world, dating back to 5th century BC, though there is little sign of that. Instead it is a mostly unmanaged sprawl from the sea up to the surrounding hills.

It does however have a small but attractive Old Town, filled with ice cream shops, and relatively few tourists when I visited late one afternoon in early June 2023. The enjoyment of my visit was probably helped by the absence of Russian tourists, who before Covid and the Ukrainian war were the second largest group of visitors, meaning that it was much quieter than would normally be the case judging by the number of restaurants and hotels.

The Church of St John the Baptist was closed both times I visited, but had a nice exterior.

The neighbouring Holy Trinity Church had a spectacular Orthodox interior, but unfortunately photography wasn’t allowed inside.

The Citadel was well worth a visit, in part for the lovely library, vine ceiled walkway, and model ships.

But mainly for the stunning views across the Old Town and the rest of Budva.

And looking out across the coast, and toward Sveti Nikola Island.

Budva’s main attractions are its nightlife, and many beaches. Turning a corner in the Old Town I came across the clearly popular Ričardova Glava Beach.

I much preferred Pizana Beach though, just outside the Old Town. I went for a memorable swim in its warm waters by the ancient city walls.

Early the next morning I went for a walk past the Old Town around the coast, by the only route to Mogren Beach, a 250m footpath past eye catching rock formations.

The Dancing Girl Statue was photogenic, with the backdrop of the Old Town.

At that time the beach was quiet, and had more amazing rock formations at the far end.