Budva in One Day: the Old Town, the Ballerina Statue, and Mogren Beaches

If in the previous article (link to the YUG–Bar train) we were only getting to the Montenegrin coast and moving from Bar to Budva, now the most interesting part begins.
Our starting point is Budva’s Old Town…

We are on the Adriatic coast, in Budva’s Old Town, which is made up of stone buildings. Mostly two-story houses, together they resemble one large fortress. Narrow stone-paved streets run between them, though greenery appears here and there. Thanks to this, the Old Town feels quite cozy, I’d say.

There are plenty of great spots here for taking photos.
Adding to all this beauty is the Montenegrin flag — mostly bright red — which you can spot in different places, for example flying high above the entire Old Town from a spire.

Everything feels very harmonious and charming: the architecture, palm trees, wall lamps, streetlights, and of course, the view of the sea.

Nearby there is a small rocky islet where a seagull was sitting. The color of the water is simply stunning — transparent, turquoise, deep blue — in short, just an absolutely gorgeous color of water!

Here we found ourselves near the small Church of St. Mary, built in the 9th century — an absolutely delightful building with round windows, arches, and other shapes.
The roof is tiled, as are most buildings not only in the Old Town but across the Balkans in general.

The tiled roof looks amazing, both in color and shape.
The church was closed during our walk, but according to some reviews I found online, the interior is quite simple, and the space is sometimes used for exhibitions and classical music concerts.
And literally right next to this church is the sea and a panoramic view of the Mediterranean — or more precisely, its Adriatic part. Little boats sail by, adding an extra sense of coziness to the place.

A summer café in the Old Town fits perfectly into the setting. If you want to sit for a bit in the shade, with birdsong, the wonderful scent of the sea, and a view of magnificent historic architecture — this is the place.

There are also huge cacti here, as tall as a person or even taller, planted in raised flowerbeds. They blend very harmoniously with the surrounding architecture.

A big advantage of coming here early is that you can take photos without other tourists around — the pictures will feature only you and the Old Town.

Here and there you see balconies with beautiful chairs and small tables, decorated with bright red flowers in very neat pots. Everything looks incredibly stylish and warm. It feels like you want to spend at least a few dozen minutes in every corner, just to enjoy and absorb all this beauty.

Some windows and doors are made with special old-style hinges that actually hold the doors and shutters in place.
The windows have shutters — wooden panels on the outside that are closed at night. This looks truly fantastic and very much in the spirit of classic European architecture.

There are also souvenir shops here. Not that there are tons of them, but you can definitely find some along these streets. Everywhere you’ll see different souvenirs.
You can also find items with the word “Montenegro,” which is the English name for Crna Gora.

From the Old Town there is also an exit directly to the beach — put on your swimsuit and you can dive straight into the sea.

The Old Town itself literally juts out into the sea in places, decorating this part of the town and serving as its historical center.