Montenegro is a small country in Southeastern Europe, famous for its natural and cultural heritage as well as the producing authentic wine and brandy.
The history of wine-producing dates back to Illyrian times when they planted the first grapevines on the shores of Skadar lake. When Romans conquered this area, they started to produce wine. For a long history, people in Montenegro used to make wine for their own use. In the 19th century, this useful activity was recognized and regulated by the law.
The area of Skadar lake was the centre of Montenegro in the past. Now it is a national park, a centre of tourist activities, a habitat for many bird species and a kingdom of viticulture. The influences from the Skadar lake, the Adriatic Sea and the mountainous hinterland have created fantastic conditions for the production of wine.
Airport Podgorica/Dubrovnik
According to the program
Since the vineyard centre is in the area of Skadar Lake, you will visit the most prominent Montenegrin wineries. A visit to the Skadar Lake area does not count if you did not take a boat ride and enjoy the diversity of flora and fauna!
Also, one day is reserved for exploring Boka bay, which is often called Europe’s southernmost fjord. Vineyards on the shores of the Adriatic sea are rare but we found one in lavish Mediterranean vegetation and woodland surrounding, the entrance of Boka bay.
You will have an opportunity to visit two wineries in Albania and taste the wine, made of their autochthonous grape varieties. Albania is one of the oldest viticulture countries in Europe since they grew grapes in 8 century BC.
The last third of the tour is planned to be a little bit relaxing. You will spend two days in the mountains in Northern Montenegro. You can either go rafting, zip-line over the deepest canyon in Europe, hiking and walking in the national park Durmitor or go canyoning in the last conquered canyon in Europe or try mountain biking through the stunning nature of Montenegrin mountain area!
Arrive at airport Dubrovnik/Podgorica and transfer by minibus to the hotel “Budva” in Budva.
Budva is a metropole of tourism in Montenegro. With many gorgeous beaches, vivid nightlife, long promenades close to the sea and a 2500-year old town, Budva is definitely a must-visit place.
For this day, there are no planned activities. You can relax in the spa centre of the hotel or swim in the rooftop pool. The beach is a 3-minute walk from the hotel, so you can feel the charm of the Adriatic sea, as well. If you are interested, we can book your Budva old town – walking tour or you can explore the town yourself.
Free time, dinner and overnight.
Included activities:
Airport transfer to Budva
Optional activities:
Budva old town – walking tour – 30€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Budva
Accommodation on FB basis in a double room at hotel “Budva”
Meals: Dinner at the hotel included. (Drinks NOT included)
After breakfast, you will go on the tour “The wine treasury of Plantaže” – to learn about wine traditions and to discover the secrets of success of the company “Plantaze”. Tasting the best premium wines pared along with the traditional food included.
Also, Skadar lake is the largest lake in Balkan and one of the largest bird’s reserve in Europe. So, after the wine tasting, you will go on a boat ride on Skadar lake. If you’re lucky enough, you will see amazing Dalmatian pelican and many other birds! The magnificent surrounding will impress you.
On your way to Budva, you will have one more stop: a short photo-stop on the viewpoint “Pavlova strana” and a visit to the interesting Lipovac winery. In addition to traditional production and storage technology in barrels, stainless steel tanks, oenologists use amphorae as well as kveries. The method of making wine in kveries has been known since the time of the state of Urartu, that is, approximately from the 8th century BC. Since 2011, this method has been included in the list of intangible cultural UNESCO heritage. Wine tasting is, of course, included.
Back to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner. Overnight.
Included activities:
“The wine treasury of Plantaže” tour
Skadar lake – boat tour
Lipovac winery – tour
Optional activities:
Budva old town – walking tour – 30€ p/p
Paragliding Brajici – 95€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Budva
Accommodation on FB basis in a double room at hotel “Budva”
Meals: Breakfast in the hotel. Lunch box included in a day tour. Dinner in the hotel. (Drinks NOT included)
This day is reserved for collecting moments in one of the most beautiful bays in the world – Boka bay. Starting just after breakfast, you will enjoy the drive to the town that have been keeping the secrets of many civilisations for more than 20 centuries! In this town, each wall has its own story to tell you. You will see many lavish noble palaces, the impressive cathedral of Saint Tryphon, visit the Maritime Museum and learn about 1000-years long maritime tradition.
The journey continues along the scenic road next to the Adriatic sea toward a small pleasant baroque town – Perast. In the past, people from Perast were prominent nautical experts. Marko Martinovic opened one of the first nautical schools in the world! In front of this town are located two picturesque islands. Our Lady of the rocks is an artificial, boat-shaped island with the church and the museum opened for visitors.
Your next stop will be in Herceg Novi, in the Savina winery. It is located at the entrance of impressive Boka bay, on the estate of the famous monastery Savina from the 11th century. In comparison to the previous day tour, today you will learn about the techniques of winemaking in the lavish Mediterranean vegetation and woodland surrounding. The members of Obradovic family will explain the benefits of wine growing in the coastal area, how they succeed to make light and breezy, summer style of their wines. Also, you will listen to one indigenous white varietal, Žižak (zhizhak). All of that, while tasting the products from their cellars!
Dinner at the hotel. Free time. Overnight.
Included activities:
Kotor old town – walking tour
Perast – walking tour
Savina winery – tour
Optional activities:
Our Lady of the rocks – walking tour – 10€ p/p
Paragliding Brajici – 95€ p/p
Budva old town – walking tour – 30€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Budva
Accommodation on FB basis in a double room at hotel “Budva”
Meals: Breakfast in the hotel. Lunch box included in a day tour. Dinner in the hotel. (Drinks NOT included)
On this day, you will visit the town of Cetinje. Popularly named city-museum, Cetinje is the royal capital of Montenegro, which used to be the capital over 5 centuries. As a result, visitors could visit the residences of Montenegrin rulers and see many international embassies.
Your next stop will be one of five national parks in Montenegro. On the second highest peak of the mountain, Lovcen has located the Mausoleum of Petar Petrovic Njegos, a famous Montenegrin bishop-ruler and philosopher. A magnificent view of endless mountain ranges, Boka bay and Skadar lake will leave you breathless even though many of you will be literally breathless after climbing 461 steps to the top.
The second part of this day tour is visiting two family wineries in the area of Skadar lake. Mrkan winery is the first one to be visited. It is located in the village Rvasi, a place with a very favourable Mediterranean climate and a lot of sunny days in a year, which is perfect for making top quality craft wines and brandy. The Sofranac family has traditionally grown grapes and produced wine, brandy, and liqueurs, through generations. The quality of these products has historically been recognized, with some of our awards dating back to mid of 20th century. An interesting fact is that the president of Yugoslavia – Josip Broz Tito was impressed by Mrkan wine and he used to drink it for more than 20 years! Very hospitable owner and his family will tell you about their techniques and share their decades-long experience. Also, they will host you with different types of wine, paired with traditional food.
On the way to another interesting winery, you will have a short break on the viewpoint “Pavlova strana” and visit Rijeka Crnojevica.
Masanovic family, whose winery and cellars you will explore, has a very long tradition and history and one part of it is related to winemaking. Actually, the tradition over the ten generations long, you can experience by tasting their red wines, made by using modern French technology. The fact that their wine has symbolic names, interesting stories will be told. Except for the wines, the Masanovic family as many other families in this region produces the fruit brandy. Tasting wine is a must.
The drive back to the hotel will be along a famous road called “Petrovacke strane” so you will enjoy the landscapes of the coastal villages and the Adriatic coast as well. There will be one more stop for taking photos of the charming island Sveti Stefan.
Dinner. Overnight.
Included activities:
Old royal capital Cetinje – walking tour
Mausoleum Lovcen tour
Mrkan winery – tour
Masanovic winery – tour
Pavlova strana viewpoint
Sveti Stefan viewpoint
Optional activities:
Paragliding Brajici – 95€ p/p
Budva old town – walking tour – 30€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Budva
Accommodation on FB basis in a double room at hotel “Budva”
Meals: Breakfast in the hotel. Lunch box included in the day tour. Dinner in the hotel. (Drinks NOT included)
This day is planned to be spent in Albania, the border country of Montenegro. Since it has a pretty similar climate to Montenegro, the hinterland of the Adriatic sea has great conditions for wine-producing. Actually, according to the historical facts, the tradition of grape-growing dates back to 8 century BC! People who used to live in this area in that period grew autochthonous varieties of grape. So, it can be concluded that Albania is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in Europe.
The first one to be visited is the Duka winery. Located at the heart of the forest, on the hills of Ishmi, this winery will impress you with gorgeous scenery and three extraordinary types of wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo. You will enjoy the view of the nearby lake as well as they walk through the vineyards!
Kokomani winery will be your next stop, located between the capital – Tirana and the ancient town Durres. It is famous for growing the autochthonous grape varietu Shesh, one of the best in Albania. They produce white and red wines and had three types of premium wine: “Shen Mhill”, “Shesh i Zi” and “Shesh i Bardhe”. The visit includes tasting wine with traditional food. At this estate, you can also go donkey ride along the vineyards.
Drive back to the hotel along the scenic road with views of the Adriatic sea.
Dinner at the hotel. Free time. Overnight.
Included activities:
Kokomani winery tour
Duka winery tour
Optional activities:
Hopping tour in Tirana – 15€ p/p
Milovic winery in Ucinj tour – 25€ p/p
Paragliding Brajici – 95€ p/p
Budva old town – walking tour – 30€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Budva
Accommodation on FB basis in a double room at hotel “Budva”
Meals: Breakfast in the hotel. Lunch box included in the day tour. Dinner in the hotel. (Drinks NOT included)
Early in the morning, just after breakfast, you leave the hotel for new adventures in Northern Montenegro. After 1.5h long drive, you will arrive at the Mola winery. A friendly owner will take a walk with you through the vineyard as well as the underground wine cellar and explain what impacts has rocky terrain on grape-growing. This is a relatively new-opened but fast-growing wine company. They will tell you about their way of producing wine – a combination of tradition and new technologies and methodologies. The interesting fact is that they produce a biodynamic wine, a blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon, the fruits of the varieties from their vineyard. Also, they use a special method of wine ageing – placing the wine bottles in Skadar lake, 35 metres underwater!
Your day trip continues through the canyon of river Moraca, also known as canyon Platije. The road is reflected in a total of 32 tunnels, some of which run for miles through the rocky interior of the mountains, and some just like arches, cut through a large rock. The journey to the Djurdjevica Tara bridge will go by quickly since you will be travelling through the picturesque area!
The Djurdjevica Tara bridge is an architectural masterpiece over the second deepest canyon in the world! It is the centre of adrenaline activities in this part of Montenegro. So, you will be transferred to the rafting starting point and have an unforgettable experience on the fast rapids of the river Tara. Also, there will be a short break for lunch and swimming in “the tear of Europe” as Tara popularly named.
If you’re not a rafting lover, you can try a 1040m-long zip-line or visit the town of long and rich history – Pljevlja. (Optional)
Transfer to the Zabljak.
Diner. Free time. Overnight.
Included activities:
Mola winery tour
Optional activities:
Rafting Sljivansko – Zukica Luka – 65€ p/p
Zipline – 25€ p/p
Pljevlja city tour – 35€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Zabljak
Accommodation on an FB basis in a double room at the hotel
Meals: Breakfast in the hotel. Lunch box included in the day tour. Dinner in the hotel. (Drinks NOT included)
For this day there are no planned activities. You can choose some of the optional activities or explore Zabljak and Durmitor on your own.
The area of the mountain Durmitor is one of five national parks in Montenegro, established in 1952 and since 1980 it is on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With an elevation of 2522 m, Bobotov Kuk is the highest peak of Durmitor and the second highest in Montenegro. This area is an extremely popular tourist spot since it has 18 glacial lakes, dense coniferous forest, a lot of hiking trails and 40 peaks over 2000m above sea level! During the winter months, the mountain slopes are perfect for skiing so ski centre Savin Kuk is full of people.
Included activities:
Without any planned activities on this day
Optional activities:
Black Lake and Curevac Viewpoint – walking tour – 80€ p/p
Black Lake and the top of Savin Kuk – 80€ p/p
Hiking on Bobotov Kuk – 65€ p/p
Nevidio Canyoning – 135€ p/p
Tandem Paragliding Durmitor – 110 € p/p
Fly-fishing on river Tara – 150€ p/p
Glibaci – Ogradjenica – mountain biking – 75€ p/p
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Zabljak
Accommodation on an FB basis in a double room at the hotel
Meals: Breakfast in the hotel. Lunch box included in the day tour. Dinner in the hotel. (Drinks NOT included)
The last day of this wine tour is simply the day of departure without any organized activities.
Transfer to the airport.
We hope you had an unforgettable experience and you are welcome again!
Included activities:
Airport transfer to Podgorica/Dubrovnik
Optional activities:
Without planned optional activities today (Only on request)
Accommodation & Meals:
Accommodation: Without accommodation today
Meals: Buffet breakfast at the hotel included. (Drinks NOT included)
