Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If Dubrovnik is the grand finale of a Croatian vacation, then Montenegro is the encore. One
of Europe's youngest nations awaits you just south of the border, with dramatic scenery,
friendly locals proud of their unique land, and a rough-around-the-edges appeal. If you're
looking for the “next Croatia,” this is it.
Crossing the border, you know you've left sleek and tidy Croatia for a place that's gritty,
raw, and a bit exotic. While Croatia's showpiece Dalmatian Coast avoided the drab, boxy
dullnessoftheYugoslavera,lessaffluentMontenegrowasn'tsolucky.Betweenthedramat-
ic cliffs and time-passed villages, you'll drive past grimy, broken-down apartment blocks
and some truly unfortunate concrete architecture. Montenegro is also a noticeably poorer
country than its northern neighbor, with all that entails.
Historically, Montenegro has been even more of a crossroads of cultures than Croatia or
Slovenia. In some ways, there are two Montenegros: the remote, rugged, rustic mountain-
top kingdom that feels culturally close to Serbia; and this chapter's focus, the sun-drenched
coastline of staggeringly strategic importance that has attracted a steady stream of rulers
over the millennia. At one point or another, just about every group you can imagine—from
the usual suspects (Venetians, Austrians) to oddball one-offs (Bulgarian kingdoms, Napole-
on's Ljubljana-based Illyrian Provinces, Russian czars)—has planted its flag here. In spite
of their schizophrenic lineage, or maybe because of it, Montenegrins have forged a unique
