Everything you need to know about VanLife in Montenegro

Planning a road trip to the Balkans, and curious to know whether you should visit Montenegro? Are you wondering what Vanlife in Montenegro is like? Or do you want to find out why we think the best way to travel around Montenegro is by campervan? Well, look no further.

This compact country packs more than a punch when it comes to epic park-ups, views, cultural towns, cities and incredible views.

In this blog we want to share our experiences with you – giving you the topline info you need to know before you travel, as well as share some ideas of things to see and do here. Plus, some extra info if you are like us, vegans on the road. Read below for more info! And for an idea of things to do and see – check it out here

Campervan travel in Montenegro – VanLife in Montenegro:

Wild/Free camping

Wild / Free camping is not, officially, allowed in Montenegro. But plenty of people, including experts at Caravanya vouch that “if you behave inconspicuously and stay away from tourist areas and beaches, the authorities and residents will usually turn a blind eye.”

We stayed on a number of free parking spots, found through Park4Night, and we did not experience any issues whatsoever. As usual, it’s easier to stay in scenic spots in the low or shoulder season, than it would be in the peak season. In the week and a bit that we visited here, we did a mixture of free/wild camping. It felt like it was tolerated, provided you didn’t overstay your welcome and remained discreet. And of course, you spend your money in the local area!

Campsites

Montenegro is slowly becoming a popular place to visit in a campervan, with campsites and businesses catering to the growing number of campers and campervans.

While we free camped for the majority of our visit, campsites weren’t too badly priced; in fact our favourite spot of the whole week was AutoKamp Dule, which was 15 euros, but had THIS view of the Bay of Kotor!

Other spots we stayed on included a city view of Ulcinj (in peak season a man in the car park charges 5 Euros, we stayed for free!), a beach spot by Petrovac, as well as an empty car park close to Lovcen National Park. All are available on Park4Night – if you drop us a DM on Instagram, we can share them with you!

What are the roads like?

Fine to drive, and beyond scenic. In fact, Montenegro has a number of Scenic Highways that cross up and down the country, and are clearly signposted, and are a trip highlight in and of themselves!

The roads are in really good condition, and the driving is a lot more chilled out than we experienced in Albania, the country we were previously in.

Where can I get water?

We used campsites to fill up safe drinking water. If you’re staying the night, this is included, but we also paid 5 euros to fill up, and to also empty our black and grey water half way through our trip via a campsite we were passing by.

What about gas?

We used a refillable LPG system, and pretty much all petrol stations supplied LPG. 

What do I need to enter the country with my own vehicle?

We crossed the border twice into Montenegro, and both times they asked for our V5 registration document. So make sure you have that to hand!

Insurance

We contacted our insurance provider before we visited and we were told that we were not covered to drive in Montenegro under our current policy. After a bit of confusion at the gates with border insurance – who told us we were fine and didn’t need insurance as the country is part of the greencard membership in Europe, we were able to buy insurance for our vehicle for 15 euros for 15 days!

We are not 100% on whether we needed this insurance, or indeed, if it actually covered us, so please don’t take our word for it. Speak with your insurer first!

TRIP PLANNING

When should you go?

Montenegro, like many of its Balkan neighbour’s experiences variable seasons; with snow up high in the mountains in winter, but sunny, warm summers. We visited in April and the weather was just about warming up enough to enjoy days at the beach; but, with a few cold spells there was still snow up on the mountains. (including our hike up to Lovcen!)

This provided epic backdrops for our photos, but, it also meant that we didn’t visit some places like Durmitor National Park and the Dinaric Alps, because the conditions were still snowy and meant we were unable to do any hikes.

Like most places in Europe in Summer, we have heard it does get busy, with tour groups and the cruise ship crowd descending on popular spots like Kotor.

We will always suggest shoulder season as the best time to visit, as the weather is fair, and it’s easier to travel and wild-camp in our van.

Is it safe?

Yes! Montenegro is just like any country in Europe, safe to visit and safe to travel. While we can only speak from our own perspective, we never felt unsafe visiting this country. 

As you would in even your own country, if you keep your wits about you, and treat everyone with respect, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Common sense prevails – for example, park in secure parking lots, don’t leave valuables on show when leaving your vehicle unattended.

What language(s) do they speak?

Montenegrin is their main language, but we never struggled to find someone who couldn’t speak English, or at least understand a bit of charades. 

What is the internet situation like?

Super fast, and very cheap. While our UK Sim didn’t include roaming into Montengero, we were able to buy a Montenegrin SIM for 500gb for 5 Euros from a mobile phone shop (you will spot the advertisements in most major towns and cities), which is insanely good value!

What about money?

We found Montenegro to be a very cheap country to travel, with some of the cheapest diesel prices (at the time of writing) in Europe, plus reasonably priced food in restaurants and shops.

The good news about Montenegro if you’re traveling here from another European country is that their currency, despite not yet being a member of the EU, is in Euros!

In the cities card payments are all good, but for campsites and markets, cash is still king.

We’d recommend you get yourself a card like Monzo, Starling or Revolut to keep costs down, and get a decent exchange rate when withdrawing cash.

The Vegan Question – how easy is it being vegan or plant-based in Montenegro?

After being in Albania and struggling a little, we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of options in Montenegro. Not only are their vegan restaurants in the main cities and tourist towns (check out HappyCow!), but we also managed to find tofu and pesto (the staple of our vegan lives), in an organic health food shop in Kotor! Details below.

Vegan Eats and Vegan treats:
– Natures Way Organic Shop, Kotor
– Ombra Cafe and Lounge Bar (Vegan Pizza in Kotor!)

Much like in Albania, Montenegro also had a number of fresh fruit and veg shops with lots of plastic free veg to pick-up!

Thanks for reading – if you have any questions let us know, and if you’re looking for some ideas of things to do and visit, check out our video below, or follow this link for our suggested itinerary!

Want more inspiration for your next trip? Check out some of our recent trips here.

Or come and say hi, and follow us on Instagram for real-life updates: https://www.instagram.com/thesewildjourneys/