Whether you wish to visit Budva on a day trip, hunker down for a holiday to unwind, or sample Budva’s history, you will find there is much to see and do. From the walled Old Town, the lively city, beaches and stunning natural environment and surroundings, Budva satisfies with a range of appealing attractions. However, a visit to Budva can be made even more interesting, and considerably more informative, by peering into its attractions a little more deeply.
Take the time to investigate the historical limestone Old Town (Stari Grad) where you will see its gates, public square, churches, citadel, and enclosing city wall including ramparts and towers. The history of the Old Town and its architecture is more interesting than what is now a labyrinth of pedestrian-only limestone thoroughfares that cut through a commercial precinct comprising shops, cafes and restaurants.
Enjoy the beaches and landscape at Budva. The beaches and slopes around Budva are well resourced so that visitors can enjoy the ocean and coastline in a variety of ways. But also explore them as parts of a seismically active coastline that stretches north and south along the entire length of Montenegro.
There are also other sites around Budva to delve into. These sites are within an easy drive of Budva along a stunning coastline.
- Where is Budva?
- Peer into the History of Budva Old Town
- The City Walls of Budva Old Town
- Historical Context of the City Walls of Budva Old Town
- Geological Context of the City Walls of Budva Old Town
- The Northern City Wall and North Gate at Budva Old Town
- The Western City Wall and West Gate at Budva Old Town
- The Southern City Wall and South Gate at Budva Old Town
- The Eastern City Wall at Budva Old Town
- Inside the City Walls of Budva Old Town
- What to Do in Budva
- Final Thoughts on Make Your Visit To Budva Even More Interesting
Where is Budva?
The Adriatic coast of Montenegro extends for 290 kilometres from its northern border with Croatia to its southern border with Albania. Budva

Peer into the History of Budva Old Town
Budva Old Town is located on a low-lying rock platform on the south-eastern perimeter of the city. It is the historical core of Budva and the repository of its rich cultural heritage. Budva Old Town appears visually as a seamless extension to a city which is very different in character. The Old Town dates back to the third millennium and has been occupied principally by the Romans, Byzantines and the Venetians.

What can we find out about the Old Town that makes it more interesting that what we just see?
The City Walls of Budva Old Town
The imposing city walls or ramparts of Budva Old Town, by a bit of street science, stand about 10 metres high at the western gate and are several metres thick. The walls needed to be formidable as Budva, like Kotor, had to withstand not only Ottoman assaults, but earthquakes as well.
The city walls of Budva Old Town and its fortifications were constructed from masonry derived from limestone, dolomite and tufa. The Balkan Peninsula is rich in these carbonate rocks and they were used in a range of structures throughout the region. The colour of limestones can change by region. The limestone used to construct Venice and towns along the northern coast of Slovenia and Croatia was Istrian stone. It is a very white and hard stone, reflecting the integrity of its calcite (calcium carbonate). Alternate stones may tend to appear grey, yellow, green and even red due to impurities as well as the replacement of calcium ions in the calcite (form of calcium carbonate). The limestone used to construct the Old Town at Budva can be analysed to determine both its mineral and organic content, giving indications about its possible source.
Historical Context of the City Walls of Budva Old Town
The 9th Century city walls of Budva Old Town were constructed during the Roman-Byzantine period. The Roman Empire fell during the Early Medieval (476 AD to 1000 AD). Byzantium then primarily ruled Budva from 476 AD (later Constantinople and Istanbul). Budva then came under Serbia’s control in 1042 AD.
The powerful Venetian Republic controlled the Adriatic in the Late Medieval Period (1250 AD to 1500 AD) and ruled Budva from 1420 to 1797 AD in the midst of Ottoman invasions. It was during those years of Venetian rule that the fortifications and city walls of the Old Town of Budva had to be strengthened.
Geological Context of the City Walls of Budva Old Town
Historical invasion was not the only threat to Budva. The region also has had to contend with earthquakes. Geological maps show that Budva is located within an active seismic zone. A micro plate lies under the Adriatic along part of the length of the Baltic peninsula. There is also a major tectonic zone that runs north from Albania along the Baltic peninsula through the Dinaric Alps.The Budva coast is therefore sandwiched between a coastal thrust front and a continental thrust fault.
The earthquake of 1667 damaged most buildings and opened up Budva’s original 9th Century city walls in multiple places. The Venetians rebuilt the walls and exclusively used masonry materials. Regrettably, history was repeated as recently as 1979 and Budva was very significantly damaged by another earthquake. The city was rebuilt using original materials but, needless to say, some of the city’s original style and appearance was lost. It is inevitable that faults around Budva will shift again in the future, and more earthquakes will result.
The Northern City Wall and North Gate at Budva Old Town



There is a section of the Old Town’s city wall above the North Gate that typifies Budva’s walled defences. The width at the top of the ramparts was wide enough to allow defenders sufficient mobility to oppose an attempted siege. They could manipulate their weapons and move along the rampart to fortify new positions.
The bastions which were located at each corner of the city wall protrude forward. One of the bastions can be seen in the image. This would have ensured that the defenders on the city walls would have had a clear view of any attempts to breach the city gates. the surface area at the base of a bastion was enlarged by its being located at the intersection of the city walls. Apart from defensive advantages, this enlargement may also have acted to buttress the city walls and increase the stability of the bastion.
Loopholes can also be seen in the northern wall on either side of the North Gate. The loopholes are in the forms of narrow, vertical apertures through which archers could shoot their arrows onto the enemy below. They were later used through which to fire muskets.
The Western City Wall and West Gate at Budva Old Town


The gate entrances along the West of the Old Town maintain the rounded arches which are characteristic of the architecture of the original build. It seems to indicate that the Venetians maintained the semi-circular arches during the re-build of the city walls.
The Southern City Wall and South Gate at Budva Old Town

The South Gate through Budva Old Town’s southern wall is a small gate located in the south-western corner which exits onto the Old Town Beach. This beach, the Plaza Ricardo Glava, reserves some private access for paying guests. The image taken from the beach gives a glimpse across the Plaza Ricardo Glava of several things to see on the other side of the southern wall. Visible in the image is the spire of St Ivan; the unusual spire of St Maria in Punta; the roof of St Sava; the colour variation of the façade of the Holy Trinity; and the flag atop the Budva citadel.
The South Gate leads from the beach via Njegoseva Street which directs to the south-eastern extremity of the town. This is where the Public Square and Citadel are located. Clustered nearby are the Churches of St. Ivan (15-18th Century); Santa Maria in Punta of Budva (9th Century); and The Holy Trinity (18-19th Century).
The Eastern City Wall at Budva Old Town

The rebuilding of the walls around Budva Old Town incorporated many of the pre-existing defences. Things to see in the image include the strong bastions at the corners of the wall and the sentry fore-posts. These precluded adversaries from congregating at the base of the wall out of the sight of the defenders. You can climb the to the top of the walls from steps located along the eastern wall.
Inside the City Walls of Budva Old Town
The rectangular arrangement of the streets of Budva Old Town is consistent with the design of many limestone Old Towns located along the coastline of the Balkan Peninsula. The focus of the Old Town at Budva was a Public Square located in the south-eastern quarter.
The Public Square
The Public Square served as the market place and set the location of civic buildings and houses of worship. It was the focus of urban living and the square facilitated rallying of the population when the Old Town of Budva was confronted by threats.
Urban living within the Old Town was served by a rectangular network of very narrow cobblestone lanes. The width of these lanes has been preserved and so it is impossible to take a vehicle into the Old Town.
A slow meander along Njegoševa Street
The Citadel of St Mary and Austrian Barracks
The citadel

HIstorical Churches Inside the City Walls of Budva
Clustered nearby are the Churches of St. Ivan (15-18th Century), Santa Maria in Punta of Budva (9th Century), St Sava (12th Century) and The Holy Trinity (18-19th Century).

Image credit: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Santa Maria in Punta
The oldest of the churches, Santa Maria (804 AD),
Santa Maria (or St Mary’s) is an excellent example of how the architecture of the early Christian churches was influenced by the Romans.
The interior of the Church of Santa Maria
Image credit: Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The façade of Santa Maria shows some inconsistencies due to the inevitable restorations that occurred over the years. The masonry is anything but uniform and some features are not consistent with the period of the original facade. The wheel window may have been a later Romanesque addition. The arched window on one side of the wheel window is consistent with the period of the church’s build, but inconsistent with the rectangular architrave of the window on the other side.
The Church of St Sava
The Church of St Sava (1141 AD)
The Holy Trinity Church
The comparative simplicity of the Holy Trinity Church (1804)
Image Credit Holy Trinity Church: Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
St Ivan’s Church
The other church in the vicinity, St Ivans (or St Johns),
Image Credit St John’s Church: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What to Do in Budva
One of the reasons for Budva’s popularity is because there are many things to do for both day-trippers and stayers. Visitors who are drawn to the venue’s history and architecture are usually happy to spend a day In Budva making their way around the Old Town. But Budva also offers facilities for families and individuals to stay much longer, particularly in the warm summer months.
Basking on the Budva Beaches

Budva is pretty and the beaches around Budva have been groomed for holiday makers and sun lovers. During summer days there would be no end of things to do in the water. Visitors can happily enjoy swimming, diving, catching the taxi boats, yachting, parasailing, jet skiing, kayaking, bungee jumping and tennis, just to draw on some of the activities available. You won’t get bored in Budva if you enjoy water sports.
We have already identified two tranquil beaches close to the Old Town. They are the Old Town Beach, which is near the southern wall, and Pizana Beach, which looks onto the eastern wall. The sand on these beaches is relatively fine due to their protected location.
A track
Each of these popular beaches is very well resourced but if you are looking for a peaceful afternoon, they may not be the place for you. The sand on these beaches further away from the Old Town is more likely to be of a coarser grade, even a fine gravel ranging to pebbles. This is due to its wider exposure to storm currents and perhaps even material being washed from the coastal landforms behind the beaches.

The most accessible beaches at Budva are in front of the city. They sweep from the Marina to the opposite headland. The ubiquitous ‘sun beds’ and rentable water craft take up much of the space on the beaches. However, there are ample areas available for public swimming.


Budva in the Evening – the Budva Nightlife

Needless to say, there is a plethora of bustling clubs, bars, bistros, restaurants and cafes, along with a Casino. So, during summer nights there would be no end of ways of how to enjoy Budva either in the city or along the waterfront. The location of all those facilities can easily be found on Google maps. We’ll leave it to other posts to fill in the details if that is your interest.
When it comes to a meal recommendation, the seafood we enjoyed at the Old Fisherman’s Pub,
A seafood platter of grilled fish, squid and octopus, mussels and prawns in tomato sauce with a hint of chilli, grilled vegetables on rice with bread to absorb the sauce; a beverage to wash it down; hot pancakes filled with custard and ice cream on a bed of chocolate, topped with a warm fruit slurry and served in a hot fry pan followed by coffee. It was the first time since arriving in Croatia that we were enjoying a sea food meal to expectations.
Exploring Beyond Budva
You won’t want to spend all your time in Budva – there is plenty to see and do in the region surrounding Budva as well. Here are some proven ideas.
Take a Drive and See the Lovely Montenegrin Coast
Irrespective of whether you are visiting Budva for a day trip or to stay longer for a sea-side holiday, enjoy a leisurely drive towards Albania and see the picturesque Montenegrin coast. Take the time on a beautiful day to pause at attractions that take your attention. If you are into the earth sciences, stop every now and then when you see an interesting cutting or distant landform.
The lovely Montenegrin Coast is being developed as a holiday coast and one of the more interesting attractions is, of course, Sveti Stefan. This small resort island provides one of the iconic photographs used to promote Montenegrin tourism.

Take a Boat Trip Around Kotor Bay
Another thing to do while you are in Budva, if you haven’t been to Kotor, is to organise a boat trip around beautiful Kotor Bay. You get to Kotor by bus or rental vehicle if you prefer. You can read about Kotor and Kotor Bay in our post.
Spend a Day in the Peace and Tranquility of Skadar Lake National Park
When in Budva you are just one hour by car to Skadar Lake National Park. You should put aside an entire day for your visit, because Skadar Lake offers something for everyone. You can check out what there is to see and do at Skadar Lake in our post.
Visit Cetinje – the Cultural Capital of Montenegro
Still not sure of what to do around Budva? If you are on holiday in Budva and have the time, then take the thirty minute drive over the coastal mountains onto the central highland. The capital of Montenegro was originally located in the Skadar Lake basin, but due to ongoing Ottoman invasions, the capital was moved to Cetinje. Consequently, it was in Cetinje that culture and diplomacy flourished. The capital of Montenegro is now Podgorica, but the vestiges of Cetinje’s history and opulence still remain.
Lovcen National Park
And if you’re in Cetinje you are also just a stone throw from Lovcen National Park, the site of a panoramic mausoleum and karst landscape.
So, the inevitable conclusion is that there is much to see and do around Budva, particularly if you are having a Budva vacation.
Final Thoughts on Make Your Visit To Budva Even More Interesting
We chose to travel to Budva hoping to see vestiges of Montenegrin history and archaeology. We got from Budva Old Town a connection with its past and how life was lived there. It was also evident that Budva is an active summer holiday destination and much of what to see and do in Budva is based on the city’s redefinition as a vacation hot spot with an emphasis on its modern beach culture and nightlife. By all means visit Budva – and even better, stay at least a few days to enjoy, not only Budva, but all the things you can see and do around it. There are attractions to suit every taste.