KOTOR STANDS OUT in a coast full of outstanding scenery. Other old cities and plenty of new and tasteless resorts run from Croatia to Albania, with summer crowds flocking ike seagulls to the ordinary beaches. Plenty of historical old towns make for better entertainment, but watch out for the mindlessly dangerous drivers.
Montenegro's coast really is utterly jaw-dropping.
Medievil cities, Greek and Roman ruins, roads whipping around high cliffs above turquise seas.
Plenty of towns and resorts lie on and off the coast, often running into each other.
Our first stop was Ulcinj, just over the Albanian border, and a handy stop of for ancient Stari Bar.
Illyrains founded the city around 800BC, and from around 1000AD has been Ottoman, Slav, Venetian and Montegrin.
The ruins are probably the best of their type in the country, extensive, well preserved in parts and with good views.
Not everyone comes to Montenegro for the old cities.
Inexplicably, millions come for these shitful beaches, Ulcinj being particularly popular with Kosova.
We chose Ulcinj so we could do some twitching at the old salt works outside town.
But the big daddy of drawcards, and rightly so is Kotor.
And judging by these rooftops, the place has always been crowded.
The setting is unparalleled with steep mountainside forts, and a blue, blue bay.
The old walled city contains a myriad of churches, embassies and other historical buildings.
Laneways lead here and there, eventually emptying out into one of the town squares.
As I found out a few times in Europe, the old town and its sights are quite compact and take surprisingly little time to see.
There are plenty of water ba$ed activities on offer, but the steep climb up behind the town should not be missed.
Start early, before the crowds, and in summer before the heat.
In summer, a queue forms in the harbour for floatng petri dishes.
Newly weds, overfeds, and almost deads are disgorged into the Sea Gate, to jam the old city and get fleeced for a few hours.
A good walk around the bay took us to calmer pastures, but a couple of days was enough in that weather.
No matter where you are in Montenegro, you're never far form a hearty mixed grill or stew or cold meats and cheese.