Perhaps the most important information for any tourist before planning their vacation. When is the holiday high season, what is the weather in Montenegro, and what is the water temperature monthly. You will find this and much more that will help you in choosing a month for your vacation in this article.

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seasons in montenegro
Montenegro has 300+ sunny days a year. Almost every day you can see a sunset like this

Weather in Montenegro: general information

I will tell you briefly so that you have a complete picture about the climate and weather in Montenegro:

  • Montenegro is a small country on the Balkan Peninsula.
  • On the shores of the Adriatic Sea.
  • Coastal neighbors: Albania and Croatia. And on the other side of the Adriatic is Italy.
  • Generally speaking, there are two climatic zones in Montenegro: the coast and the mountains. In fact, there are more of them (climatic zones), but now we are looking at the climate of this country in general.
  • Mountains occupy more than 80% of the country’s territory.
  • Read about the pros and cons of Montenegro for tourists in the article at the link.
  • If we consider the coast of the country: then there is dry, hot summers and wet, warm winters. The temperature here does not fall below zero. Snow – rare. To be honest, the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius for only 1-2 weeks a year.
  • But in the mountainous part of Montenegro, in winter, snow falls on the roofs of houses. And in summer it is also dry and hot.

Details about the winter in Montenegro, a lot of information and advice.

It was all general information about the climate. Next, you will learn more about the weather in Montenegro by months. What can a tourist expect and where is it better to go on vacation in the off-season.

Weather in Montenegro: precipitation, water and air temperature by months

Below are three graphs with air temperature, precipitation and water temperature monthly from the most important resort in Montenegro – Budva. The weather in all other resorts differs by a maximum of 1-2 degrees. So Budva can be taken as a standard.

weather in Montenegro monthly
On the graph you will find the temperature of air, water and precipitation throughout the year on the coast of Montenegro

From the graphs it can be seen that:

  • The hottest months of the year in Montenegro on the coast: June, July, August, September. When even at night the air temperature hardly drops below 20 degrees.
  • Also from June to September the warmest sea. The warmest water is in August, at this time of the year it warms up to 26 degrees. And on urban shallow beaches – up to 30 degrees.
  • The rainiest months of the year are from November to March

When is the high season in Montenegro

So we came to the main question: when is the high season in Montenegro for vacation.

In fact, tourists come here all year round. If you are not interested in a beach holiday, but only sightseeing – you want to see the architecture, the old cities of Budva or Kotor, or maybe just take a car ride along the coast, then even in January this can be easily done. Prices in Montenegro are much lower in the off-season, in addition – not crowded.

There is only one drawback of holidays in Montenegro in winter:

Very poor infrastructure as most cafes/restaurants/excursions/hotels are closed during the winter months.

Do not forget that there are also ski resorts in Montenegro, there is information about them in the article about winter (the link was at the beginning of the article).

Everything opens from April and every day there are more and more tourists. May and October are considered low season in Montenegro. Everything is already or still working, but the prices are lower than in the high season in Montenegro, and there are few tourists. At the same time, the weather is dry, the air temperature is about 25 during the day, you can safely sunbathe. But the water during these months is cool for swimming, although there are enough swimmers.

montenegro water temperature
Ulcinj beach in August. In September there will be 5 times fewer tourists

High season in Montenegro:

The high season in Montenegro is three summer months and September. Most tourists are in July and August.
The best month for a holiday in Montenegro is September. If you can afford a vacation in September, this is the perfect time. In September it is still real summer: hot, no rain, warm sea. But there are few tourists, families with children leave Montenegro by the beginning of the school year.

Climate features in the Bay of Kotor and on the Adriatic coast

I said at the beginning of the article that Montenegro has mountains and a coast, and each of these zones has its own climate. But in reality, the Montenegrin coast is divided into two more climatic zones.

  • Bay of Kotor
  • Coast of the Adriatic Sea from Budva to Ulcinj

Only a very attentive tourist will notice the difference in weather between these zones. Most tourists visiting Montenegro do not even know about these differences. But I will talk about it. Perhaps it will be important to someone.

Important:

All settlements of the Bay of Kotor (Kotor, Perast, Tivat and even Herceg Novi) are surrounded by mountains on all sides. The bay itself is located between the rocks, it is a real fjord.
when is the high season in montenegro and the weather
Kotor, view of the mountains from the city
weather in montenegro
Kotor, view of the mountains across the bay. You can see mountains on all sides.

Due to the fact that the mountains come close to the bay from all sides, and the cities are located on the slopes of these mountains, there is much less sun here during the day than on the coast. Roughly speaking, the sun rises over the mountains an hour later in the morning, and sets behind the mountains on the other side an hour earlier. For this reason, the air temperature here is on average 1-2 degrees lower than at the same time in Budva.

Although it is only 30 km from Kotor to Budva, the temperature difference can be felt. Perhaps in August these 2 degrees do not matter, but in May and October you already feel it strongly.

The same goes for water temperature. In the Bay of Kotor, it is much colder, as the water warms up worse from the sun. In addition, many mountain cold springs flow into the bay from the mountains in spring and autumn. And the water in them is much colder than in the sea.

I advise you to read a great article: where is the best vacation in Montenegro and everything about the resorts of this country.

Weather in Montenegro: travel tips

I’ll try to highlight the most important:

  • High season in Montenegro for a beach holiday from June to September
  • I like May and October for holidays: it is still warm and dry. But the prices are lower, and there are much fewer tourists.
  • The best month for a vacation in Montenegro according to many travelers: September. It is still real summer, but most families of tourists with children have already gone home.
  • You can also visit Montenegro in winter. Here the average temperature on the coast is +10 degrees at this time. But this time is not for a beach holiday. And for cultural and sightseeing: to walk along the old streets of medieval fortresses and cities without crowds of tourists.
  • Do not forget that even in summer in the mountains the air temperature is 10-15 degrees lower than on the coast. This also applies to Durmitor Park and Mount Prokletije and even Lovcen Park.
Remember: any trip is great, even if it’s in January, and even if it’s on the North Sea.

Following the link you will find a dynamic rating of good hotels and apartments in Montenegro on the coast.

In conclusion: the weather in Montenegro is much milder and more pleasant than in much of Europe. It has dry and warm summers. And the winter on the coast is mild, without snow and the temperature is always above zero. In Montenegro, 300+ sunny days a year is very cool.

Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Montenegro

  • Flights at the best prices with discounts
  • Car rental in Montenegro (cheaper – only by bus):
    • Discovery Cars – a large international resource
    • LocalRent – work with local rental companies. Leader in car rental in Montenegro.
  • Hotels and apartments all over the country: Booking
  • Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
    • GYG – more than 150 tours
    • Viator – 700+ excursions and activities throughout the country
  • Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
  • eSIM virtual card in Montenegro
  • Taxi and transfers from Montenegro airports: Intui.Travel