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Panorama of Budva
Panorama of Budva
Flag of Budva
Coat of arms of Budva
Coat of arms
Budva is located in Montenegro
Location of Budva
Coordinates: 42°17′17″N 18°50′33″E﻿ / ﻿42.28806°N 18.84250°E﻿ / 42.28806; 18.84250Coordinates: 42°17′17″N 18°50′33″E﻿ / ﻿42.28806°N 18.84250°E﻿ / 42.28806; 18.84250
Country Montenegro
Settlements 33
 • Mayor Lazar Rađenović (DPS) (DPSSDP)
 • City 4.2 km2 (1.6 sq mi)
 • Metro 122 km2 (47 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)[1]
 • City 13,338
 • Density 3,200/km2 (8,200/sq mi)
 • Metro 19,218
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 85310
Area code +382 33
ISO 3166-2 code ME-05
Car plates BD
Website http://www.opstinabudva.com/



In Montenegrin and Serbian the town is known as Будва or Budva; in Italian as Butua; and in Greek as Μπούντβα (Budva).



Illyrian helmet from Budva (4th cBC)
The Old town in 1615.

A legend recounts that Bouthoe (Βουθόη - Vouthoe) was founded by Cadmus the founder of Thebes, Greece, when exiled out of Thebes, finding a shelter in this place for him and his wife, Harmonia.


In the 6th century, Budva was part of the Byzantine Empire, and in the following two centuries, Slavs and, to a lesser extent, Avars begin to arrive in the area, mixing with the native Roman population. Budva bay was reportedly known as Avarorum sinus during the Avar incursions. In 841, Budva was sacked by Saracens, who devastated the area.


The Venetian walls of Budua (Budva) in a 1900 postcard



A union of Boka Kotorska (and Budva) with Montenegro took place for a brief period (1813–1814), but from 1814 until the end of World War I in 1918, Budva remained under Austria-Hungary. After WWI, Serbian army entered Budva abandoned by Austrian forces and it came under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In 1941, with the beginning of World War II, Budva was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy. Budva was finally liberated from Axis rule on 22 November 1944 and incorporated in SR Montenegro, now part of SFR Yugoslavia.




Circle frame.svg

Ethnic groups (2011)

  Montenegrins (48.19%)
  Serbs (37.71%)
  Others (14.10%)

Budva is the administrative centre of Budva municipality, which includes the neighbouring towns of Bečići and Petrovac, and has a population of 19,218 (2011 census).[1] The town itself has 13,338 inhabitants.

Ethnicity in 2011 (Municipality):[1]


Old Town[edit]

Churches in Old Town

The Old Town of Budva is situated on a rocky peninsula, on the southern end of Budva field. Archaeological evidence suggests that Illyrian settlement was formed on the site of the Old Town before Greek colonization of the Adriatic. While the site was permanently settled since Roman era, most of existing city walls and buildings were erected during the Venetian rule.

The entire town is encircled with defensive stone walls. The fortifications of Budva are typical of the Medieval walled cities of the Adriatic, complete with towers, embrasures, fortified city gates and a citadel.

Originally, there where gates on all of the four sides of the walled city. However, sea-facing gates were closed up over the years. The main city gate is Porta di Terra Ferma, the grand entry to the city from the west. It is also the beginning of the city's main thoroughfare, Njegoševa street. There are also four more gates on the north wall, facing Budva marina (Porta Pizana, Porta Pizana 1 and 2, and Porta Pizanella), and one small gate facing southwestern beach of Ričardova glava.

The layout of the town is roughly orthogonal, although many streets deviate from the grid, resulting in somewhat irregular pattern, with many piazzas connected with narrow streets. Today, entire city within the walls is pedestrian-only.

The town citadel is situated on the southern tip of the city. Originally known as Castle of St Mary, fortification was continually rebuilt and expanded through Middle Ages, reaching its final form during the Austro-Hungarian rule. The sea-facing 160m long ramparts of the citadel, complete with eastern and western towers, are intricately connected to the rest of the city walls. Austrian stone barracks form the most prominent structure within the castle, separating the citadel from the rest of the walled city. Ruins of the Santa Maria de Castello church, after which the entire complex was originally named, are located within the citadel.

Old town by night

A large public square is located to the north of the citadel, containing all of the churches of the old town - St. Ivan church (17th century), Santa Maria in Punta (840 AD), and The Holy Trinity church (1804).

The Old Town suffered extensive damage in 1979 earthquake; repair and reconstruction took eight years (until 1987), but traces of the damage are now hardly noticeable. Today, it is a prime visitor attraction of Budva, packed with tourists during the summer months. Its narrow cobbled streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops.

Outside of the Old Town[edit]

Although confined to the walls of the Old Town for most of its history, Budva started significant expansion into the adjacent Budva field in XX Century, with the development of tourism industry. Hotels started springing up near the Old Town and to the west of it, along the 1600m long Slovenska beach, including landmark Avala hotel (built in 1939), Mogren hotel, and Slovenska plaža hotel complex (built in 1984). Development near the Old Town and along the longest city beach was done in a planned and sustainable manner, with parts of Budva built in the SFRY having all the characteristics of a well organized resort town. Most of the hotels and facilities built during this period are situated to the south of the town's main traffic artery, a portion of Adriatic Highway (E65/E80) that crosses the city parallel to the Slovenska plaža beach.

Budva mountain view

However, rest of the Budva field, to the north of the Adriatic Highway, developed in a less uniform manner. Western part of Budva field, containing civic center (area featuring local government offices, schools, sports center, police and fire station, health center and bus station), Rozino, Dubovica and Golubovina neighbourhoods, was developed relatively in accordance with principles of urban planning.

In contrast, eastern part of the Budva field, and slopes of the hills surrounding it, saw emergence of the chaotic urban sprawl. Spontaneous growth begun in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as combination of high demand and inability of the state to enforce urban planning, as the Breakup of Yugoslavia took place. This trend continued into the 2000s, with prices of real estate skyrocketing following the Montenegrin independence. Overwhelming demand, fueled by the influx of foreign capital (in large part from Russia), meant that all the undeveloped lots in the Budva field and surrounding hills were quickly being turned into construction sites. Local and state authorities have failed to keep up with the developers, resulting in the unfortunate lack of urban planning in much of the area. Thus, large parts of Budva are connected with irregular grid of narrow streets, and are sporting overall inadequate infrastructure. This trend continues even today, with limited land forcing developers to turn to building towering high rises in place of small detached residences that made up for majority of Budva field in the early 1990s.

The pressures of the real estate market and neglect of urban planning have resulted in chronic and severe lack of parking space, and frequent traffic jams during the summer. Even the water and electricity supply have failed to keep up with the explosive growth in the 2000s, but those issues have since been addressed.

A testament to the urban sprawl, city bypass (Obilaznica, a crescent road that circles the northern ends of Budva field, with ends connecting to the Adriatic Highway) is a bypass only in name, as it now a busy urban street, swallowed by city's expanding urban area.

The term Budvanizacija (Budvanization) has been used regionally to denote a form of chaotic and massive urban growth, tailored to the needs of individual land owners and developers, without regard for sustainability or environment.


Sveti Stefan, near Budva

Tourism is the main driver of the economy of Budva. It is a significant tourist destination on the eastern Adriatic, and by far the most popular destination in Montenegro. During the 2013, Budva recorded 668,931 tourist visits, and 4,468,913 of overnight stays, thus accounting for 44,8% of tourist visits to Montenegro, and 47,5% of its overnight stays.[2]

Although Budva is notable for its long history and its well preserved Old Town, it is not primarily known as a destination for sightseeing or cultural tourism. Unlike Kotor or Dubrovnik, Budva has an image of a crowded beach resort, with lively and vibrant atmosphere and a very active nightlife.


The Budva riviera has some of the most attractive beaches of south Adriatic, and the most pleasant climate in Montenegro. Mogren beach is arguably the best known and most attractive of the Budva city beaches, nested beneath the cliffs of the Spas hill, between cape Mogren and Avala hotel. The beach is separated from the city by the slopes of Spas hill that plunge to the sea, and is only accessible by 250m long narrow path along the cliffs. Other city beaches include small Ričardova glava (Richard's Head) and Pizana beaches, next to the Old Town; as well as 1.6 km (1.0 mi) long Slovenska plaža (Slav beach), that makes up for the most of city's coast.

However, majority of the beaches of Budva riviera are outside of the city itself. Jaz Beach is a long and spacious beach west of Budva, its hinterland serving as a popular concert and festival venue, as well as a campground. Bečići resort town, with its long sandy beach, is situated south-east of the city, separated from Budva by the Zavala peninsula.

Further to the south, there are numerous small beaches and towns, that make up the more high end and exclusive part of Budva riviera. This is especially true for the famous Sveti Stefan town, but also for other smaller Paštrovići settlements in the area, that once were unassuming fishing villages. Area of Sveti Stefan and Pržno, including Miločer resort with its park and secluded beaches, is considered the most exclusive area of Montenegrin coast.

The town of Petrovac and undeveloped Buljarica field occupy the very south of the Budva municipality.

Sveti Nikola Island is located opposite of Old Town, 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) across the Budva bay. It is mostly undeveloped island with some beautiful beaches. Well connected to the mainland with water bus, it is a popular excursion site for tourists visiting Budva.


Budva is well know regionally as the capital of nightlife of the eastern Adriatic. First discothèques in Budva started to emerge during the 1980s, as hotel-attached dance clubs. However, clubbing scene mushroomed in 1990s, with numerous open-air clubs opening along Budva sea promenade. This trend continued into the 2000s, with Old Town and promenade hosting a large number of bars, pubs and restaurants, and two big clubs, Top Hill and Trocadero, dominating the clubbing scene.


Budva is home to the Adriatic Fair (Jadranski sajam), the only specialized exhibition venue in Montenegro. It hosts numerous trade fairs throughout the year, including the only auto show in Montenegro, held annually in autumn.

Gambling tourism is also popular in Budva, as many hotels have attached casinos. Maestral hotel and casino in Pržno is particularly popular among international gamblers, but other large hotels have also attracted players from European countries. 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale is partly set in eponymous casino in fictional Montenegrin Hotel Splendide, thus giving a boost in Budva's profile as a gambling destination.

Budva marina, nestled right to the north of the Old Town city walls, contributes to image of Budva as a nautical tourism destination. Luxury yachts dominate marina berths during the summer, overshadowing small fishing vessels owned by the locals. Budva marina was host to periodic boat shows, but in recent years it has been losing primacy to the larger and more luxurious Porto Montenegro. Budva was host of Class 1 World Powerboat Championship Grand prix in May 2008.

Panorama of Budva.


Budva Dancer

Among the cultural events and establishments in the city, the annual cultural event Theatre City (Budva Grad Teatar) is of particular importance. Founded in 1987, and held in July and August every year, this festival transforms the entire Old Town into an open-air venue for a programme of theatre, musical, literary and visual art events and performances.

Another popular event in Budva was Pjesma Mediterana (Song of the Mediterranean), annual pop musical festival held in Budva from 1992 to 2010. Its format was similar to that of Sanremo Music Festival, featuring a competition of previously unreleased songs. The song contest attracted popular performers from the EX Yugoslavia region. However, the festival was cancelled in 2011 due to the lack of funds, and has not been renewed since.

In 2014, Sea Dance Festival was organized at Budva's Jaz Beach for the first time.[3] A spin-off of the popular Exit festival, Sea Dance is set to be an annual event. Jaz Beach rose to prominence as a popular concert and festival venue with the The Rolling Stones concert, held on 9 July 2007. The show was part of their A Bigger Bang Tour and attracted a crowd of some 35,000 spectators, twice the population of Budva town itself. Madonna staged a show at the same venue on 25 September 2008, while Lenny Kravitz and Armand Van Helden performed at Jaz beach during the "Live Fest" in August 2008, along with Goran Bregović, Dino Merlin and Zdravko Čolić.

Budva Carnival is a 3 day long festive event in Budva, happening annually during late April or early May. It has been organized every year since 2003, and although a recent carnival, it has attracted significant regional attention. Budva, together with nearby Kotor, was host to the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) World Carnival City Congress in May 2009.

Budva city museum is one of the prominent cultural institutions in the city, featuring permanent archaeological and ethnographic exhibit. Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša memorial home is another significant institution, honoring the legacy of the famous native of Budva.

Budva occupies significant place in the history of Cinema of Montenegro, as it is home to the Zeta Film, Montenegrin primary motion picture company from Yugoslav era. The now-defunct company has produced numerous Yugoslav movies, including pictures by famous Montenegrin director Živko Nikolić. The city has occasionally provided backdrop for international movie productions. The 1964 movie The Long Ships was shot in and around Budva, and the prop from the movie, a large 4m tall cracked bell, has been permanently displayed in front of the Old Town walls, becoming one of the local landmarks. Recently, Budva has been the setting and the filming location of locally produced, and regionally very popular TV series Budva na pjenu od mora (Budva, on the sea foam).


Budva has 2 elementary schools, and one high school. In 2009, city administration has founded Knowledge Academy (Akademija Znanja), an institution envisioned to act as a university center, and introduce higher education to Budva. The Knowledge Academy building, situated in the Rozino neighbourhood of Budva, is currently home to Budva city library and private Business and Tourism faculty, and serves as the center of higher education of the municipality.


FK Mogren is the most popular football club in Budva, and the sports club with longest tradition in the city. Founded in 1920, it competes in Montenegrin First League, winning the championship in 2008-09 and 2010-11. The club also won the Montenegrin Cup of 2008. Stadion Lugovi, the home ground of FK Mogren, will probably be relocated in the near future, as it is situated on the very valuable land lot, right next to the Slovenska beach.

OFK Petrovac, from the eponymous town, is another significant football team from the Budva municipality.

Another popular sport in Budva is volleyball, with Budvanska Rivijera volleyball team being successful in domestic and international competition. Mediteranski sportski centar (Mediterranean sports center) is main indoor sport venue of Budva, and is the home of Budvanska Riviera volleyball team and RK Budvanska Rivijera handball team.

Water polo is very popular sport in Budva, as is the case with the rest of Montenegrin coast. VK Budva is the city's water polo team, competing in the regional Adriatic Water Polo League.

Budva is hometown and residence of Nikola Sjekloća, one of the most successful Montenegrin boxers.

Paragliding is popular activity in Budva during the summer. Steep 700m high hills above Budva provide perfect setting and stunning vistas for paragliders, with hamlet of Brajići being the usual launching point.


Budva is connected to inland Montenegro by two-laned highways. There are two ways to reach Budva from Podgorica – either through Cetinje, or through the Sozina tunnel (opened 2005). Either way, Podgorica, the capital and main road junction in Montenegro, is around 60 km (37 mi) away.

Budva is connected to the rest of coastal towns of Montenegro by the Adriatic Highway, which extends from Ulcinj in the far south to Herceg Novi in the north, and on to Croatia.

Tivat Airport is 20 km (12 mi) away. There are regular flights to Belgrade and Moscow throughout the year, and dozens of seasonal and charter flights land daily on the airport during the summer season. Podgorica Airport is 65 km (40 mi) away, and it has regular flights to a number of European destinations throughout the year.

Urban transport consists of Mediteran Express buses, that operate between Budva city center and Sveti Stefan. This line services a large portion of Budva urban core, as well as some small towns between Budva and Sveti Stefan. Frequency of this line is high during the summer months, and it is very popular among tourists.

Closest train station is Sutomore. This stop on Belgrade–Bar railway is some 30 km (19 mi) away from Budva city center.


Climate chart (explanation)
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [1]

Budva has a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and mild winters, and 230 sunny days in a year. Budva has the typical Mediterranean rainfall pattern, which results in wetter winters and drier summers. Daytime highs in the summer range from 24 to 32 °C (75 to 90 °F) and from 8 to 14 °C (46 to 57 °F) during the winter months. The mean summertime temperature is 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 9.3 °C (48.7 °F) in the winter. The temperature of the sea reaches up to 25 °C (77.0 °F) in the summer months, while it keeps between 17 °C (63 °F) and 20 °C (68 °F) in the autumn.

Twin towns – Sister cities[edit]

Budva is twinned with:

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b c "Montenegrin 2011 census". Monstat. 2011. 
  2. ^ "Tourism statistics 2013" (PDF). Monstat. 2014. 
  3. ^ "EXIT festival will be held in Novi Sad and Budva". B82. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013. 
  4. ^ "Banská Bystrica Sister Cities". 2001–2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008. 

External links[edit]

Official sites[edit]