Budva is the most famous and popular resort in Montenegro. It is the center of the district of the same name and the heart of the Budva Riviera. Here you can enjoy not only classic beach relaxation but also active recreation, including classic and extreme sports, as well as excursions to cultural sights. Budva is suitable for all types of tourists, including youth groups, older travelers, and families with children.
Why Budva is Chosen for Family Vacations
The Resort Through the Eyes of Children
Budva has plenty to offer to young travelers. Here's why it's an excellent choice for families:
- Beaches:
There's a wide selection of both sandy and pebble beaches in and around the city, perfect for building sandcastles and searching for unique stones.
- The Sea:
The clear sea is ideal for kids to splash around and have fun.
- Water Park:
Budva boasts the largest water park in the Adriatic, situated in the highlands, making all the rides even more exciting for children.
- Entertainment:
The resort offers a variety of entertainment options, including places to play sports, dive for treasures, and explore local fortresses.
Benefits of the Resort for Parents
Budva is a destination where both parents and children can enjoy their vacation. Parents choose Budva for several reasons:
- Convenient Transfer:
There are convenient transfers to the city from both of the country's airports, located in Podgorica and Tivat.
- Clean Beaches:
The resort's beaches are well-maintained, cleaned twice a day, ensuring a clean and safe environment for families.
- Lodging Options:
Budva offers a wide range of apartments to suit every family's preferences. Additionally, there are many cafes and restaurants with special children's menus or suitable options for kids.
- Entertainment Variety:
There's no shortage of things to do with your child in the city. Options include beaches, guided walking tours of local fortresses and museums, playgrounds, water parks, and various sightseeing programs for a couple of hours or a full day.
Special Features of Vacationing at the Resort with a Child
- The Best Time to Visit Budva:
June, the first half of July, and September are ideal for family vacations. April to May and October can be cooler, while mid-July to early September can be crowded.
- Food:
- In a Hotel:
Most hotels offer breakfast or board, and all-inclusive options for families with children are less common in Montenegro.
- Self-Catering:
There's the Zelena Pjaca market and many supermarkets where you can buy everything your child needs. Budva also offers national baby goodies, like half-meter-long marmalade sausages called "komad" in Coca-Cola, apple, and watermelon flavors.
- Moving:
You don't have to rely solely on foot for getting around the city. Budva has a bus station with shuttles to the resort, its surroundings, and the entire country. Taxis are also available, and recreational boats, yachts, and ships are readily accessible.
Where to Spend Time with Children in Budva
Beach Vacations
For enjoyable beach time with children, follow these guidelines:
- Babies Under 7:
Guvantse beach on the outskirts of the city has the gentlest bottom among Budva beaches.
- Children 7-10:
Mogren beaches, belonging to the Old Town, are clean, safe, and cozy. Mogren 1 and Mogren 2 are particularly suitable for this age group.
- Adolescents:
Ploce (about a kilometer from Budva) and the central Slavic beach will be exciting for older kids. Ploce hosts a foam party, while Slavic Beach offers waterslides and more.
Most beaches provide opportunities for sports (from soccer to tennis), diving, and windsurfing.
Children's Entertainment Centers
In addition to the Budva Water Park, which features slides suitable for three-year-olds, there's "Dino Secrets," an entertainment center with mechanical dinosaur replicas of various sizes. Kids can enjoy the lifelike movements and even roars of these extinct giants.
Dino Park offers entertainment for all tastes:
- For quieter entertainment:
There are archaeological excavations, drawing and sculpting favorite dinosaurs, and informative mini-lectures about prehistoric times.
- For non-scientists:
There's a ride on a huge dinosaur.
- For adults:
They can join their kids in a game of dino-darts.
For teenagers, the "Aquapark Mediteran" in Becici (a resort in the Budva district) is ideal, with steep slides appealing to extreme sports enthusiasts. Along the seafront, there are slides, merry-go-rounds, pavilions with slot machines, and grasshopper rides for children. Nearby, the "Miracle Park" indoor amusement center offers a variety of fun activities.
Old Town: Kids' Version
Why pick at plastic fortresses when you can walk to the real thing? Old Town is sure to keep little explorers interested:
- A Mini Amusement Park:
With a maze, cars, trampoline, and other attractions.
- The Citadel:
A real fortress.
- Sea Boat Ride:
It awaits young tourists next to the moored beautiful yachts in Budva harbor.
- Maritime ("Pomeranian") Museum:
Here you can imagine yourself as a brave discoverer of new lands and seas or a pirate, plunging into a unique atmosphere.
- Family Restaurants:
Poslasticara Branka or Mozart with the richest selection of desserts.
Budva Neighborhoods with a Child
If the family is going to Montenegro for more than seven days, Budva itself is worth exploring beyond. Even with a child, you can explore its surroundings. In the Budva district, it will be interesting to see such sights:
- Miloceros Botanical Garden:
Reserving the rarest species of local and exotic flora.
- Turkish Fortress in Sutomore:
A silent reminder of the former dominance of the Ottoman Empire.
- Venice Castle in Petrovac:
Montenegro's little Italy.
