Budva Monastery Tour: Coastal Views & Hidden History

Two monasteries, a viewpoint over Sveti Stefan, and stories only a local guide knows.

A private monastery tour from Budva or Podgorica visits Praskvica Monastery, dating to 1051 and the spiritual center of the Paštrovići tribe, and Rustovo Monastery, a women's convent where you meet the nuns and taste homemade rahat lokum. The tour includes a local English or Serbian-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport, bottled water and stops at viewpoints over Sveti Stefan and the Budva bay. The two-to-three-hour route stays off the main tourist circuit, preserving the peaceful atmosphere these sites have held for centuries.

Step-by-step itinerary

Monastery visits and coastal views

• Visit Praskvica Monastery
• Explore Rustovo Monastery and meet nuns
• Enjoy viewpoint over Budva bay
• View and photograph Sveti Stefan island

The experience

If you have a free afternoon in Budva or are arriving from Podgorica, this tour reaches two monasteries that sit above the coast but remain largely untouched by mass tourism. Praskvica Monastery, perched above Sveti Stefan, was founded in 1051 and holds the treasury and graveyard of the Paštrovići tribe. The spring nearby smells of peach, a local variety once common in the area. From there you continue to Rustovo Monastery, a women's convent 370 meters up in the forest, where you meet the nuns, see handmade souvenirs and local products they have made, and finish with traditional homemade rahat lokum: a local sweet that anchors the visit in something tangible and memorable.

The route includes two viewpoints: one overlooking the whole Budva bay and Sveti Stefan, and another at the most famous vantage of the island itself, where you stop to photograph and absorb the view before the tour ends. Your guide speaks English or Serbian and travels with you in an air-conditioned vehicle, so the pacing is yours and the stories are grounded in someone who knows the region. Bottled water is included throughout.

You choose whether to depart from Budva or Podgorica. Both options include pickup. The monasteries themselves remain active, so the experience is not a museum visit but a genuine encounter with the places and the people who inhabit them.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned transportation with pickup from Budva or Podgorica.
• bottled water throughout the tour.
• a local guide in English or Serbian.
• free photographs taken by the guide.
• traditional homemade rahat lokum at Rustovo Monastery.

Options for this experience

2 options

Tour from BudvaGuide in English or Serbian · No fixed timeLasting three hours, this tour has its pickup point in Budva. Pickup is included.

Tour from PodgoricaGuide in English or Serbian · No fixed timeThe journey takes four hours, and the drive from Podgorica to Budva is one hour each way. The tour also begins in Podgorica. Along the route there is a stop for photos at a viewpoint 800 m above Budva Bay. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (10 to 80 years) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Serbian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 10 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Advenger Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the Budva departure if you are staying in town and want to avoid the drive from Podgorica. Choose Podgorica if that is where you are arriving or based. Either way, the private vehicle and local guide let you move at your own pace between the two monasteries and the viewpoints, without the schedule constraints of a group tour.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Serbian.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Praskvica Monastery and why does it matter to the region?

Praskvica Monastery, founded in 1051, is the spiritual center of the Paštrovići tribe and one of the oldest on the Montenegrin coast. It holds a rich treasury and the ancestral graveyard of the tribe, and sits on a site named after a nearby spring whose water smells of peach, a local variety once common in the area.

Can I meet people at Rustovo Monastery or is it just a viewing site?

Rustovo is an active women's monastery, and you meet the nuns during your visit. You can see handmade local products and souvenirs they have made, and the tour ends with traditional homemade rahat lokum served there, so it is an encounter with the community, not a walk-through.

What are the viewpoints like, and do we stop long enough to photograph?

Two viewpoints are included: one overlooking the entire Budva bay and Sveti Stefan island, and another at the most famous vantage of the island itself. You stop at both to take photographs and absorb the view before returning.

Do I need to arrange my own transport from Budva or Podgorica?

Pickup is included in the tour, so you do not arrange separate transport. You choose whether to depart from Budva or Podgorica at checkout, and the vehicle picks you up from your location.

How physically demanding is this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You travel by air-conditioned vehicle between sites, and the stops themselves do not require strenuous hiking or climbing.