Tivat is a modern resort town on the shores of the Bay of Kotor on the Vrmac peninsula. Initially, the city was perceived solely as a place where the first thing you get when you arrive in the country: the main Montenegrin airport is located here. In addition, unlike neighboring popular cities, in Tivat there is nothing marked by UNESCO, and indeed almost nothing old, noteworthy and culturally significant (with the exception of one single medieval castle in the center). Check liuxers for customs and traditions of Montenegro.
But the mild climate, pleasant beaches and convenient location attract more and more tourists every year. The infrastructure here is well developed and is getting better every year. Active life is in full swing in the harbor, a number of fish restaurants and cafes will satisfy even the most insatiable, the city park provides shade and abounds in rare plants. Yes, and if you wish, you can jump on the bus and quickly get, for example, to the more famous Kotor. And the Tivat yacht marina, built by a businessman from Canada on the site of an old Navy shipyard, is considered the most luxurious on the entire Adriatic coast, and what is “parked” here can be admired as a separate attraction.
Communication and Wi-Fi
You can save money on telephone communications and mobile Internet by purchasing a SIM card from one of the local operators. Simkm is sold at the airport, operators’ offices, grocery stores, newspaper, tobacco and souvenir kiosks. It is generally accepted that Telenor has the largest coverage area, T-Mobile has the best communication quality and fast 4G Internet, M:Tel has the lowest voice tariffs, but in practice the quality and cost of their services are almost the same.
M:Tel SIM card with M:GO Turist tariff costs 5 EUR. The initial balance includes 1 EUR for calls and 10 GB of 3G Internet traffic (the first 3 days at maximum speed, then 128 kb/sec). The cost of a call to Russia is from 0.95 EUR / minute. For 2 EUR, an option is activated that reduces this price by half. A data-only SIM card from Telenor valid for 15 days will cost 12 EUR (includes 10 GB of high-speed 4G internet). True, you can only call from it via Skype, WhatsApp or Viber.
The balance of SIM cards is replenished at the points of sale, with special voucher cards, through an ATM or with a bank card on the operator’s website.
Free WI-Fi is available in all hotels of the city, most restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as in public places – in squares, embankments, parks, beaches. The cost of Internet cafe services is 1 EUR /hour.
Tivat beaches
On the coast around Tivat there are 17 municipal and hotel beaches, as well as many small picturesque coves with restaurants, hotels and bars. In addition, the Tivat Riviera includes three islands – Flowers, St. Mark and the Merciful Virgin.
- Opatovo Beach is located 3 km from the center of Tivat, near the crossing, and stretches for 220 m. It is almost equally divided into two parts by a picturesque lighthouse. It is more than comfortable to relax here: there is a shower, a toilet, paid sunbeds and umbrellas, a cafe and a parking place.
- At 1.5 km from the city there is a nice sandy beach of Donja Lastva, 1 km long.
- Between Tivat and the Verige Strait, there is a 1.7 km long beach on Cape Seljanovo. Sand, with picturesque patches of smooth rocks. There are restaurants, bars, parking and a small marina.
- In the center of the resort, near large hotels and along the promenade, the beaches of Belane (Belane, 150 m long) and Zupa (500 m) stretch. They are equipped with everything necessary for recreation, including restaurants and cafes, showers, parking.
As a bonus, cypress and pine groves stand out in the background.
- Not far from Radovici is the beach Oblatno (Oblatno) with a length of 150 m. The wild forest gives this place a special attraction, but on the beach itself everything is quite civilized – cafes, showers, toilets, umbrellas and sun loungers.
- There is also a pebble beach in the vicinity of Tivat – Krasici, 1.5 km long. There are 4 bars on the beach: Zanzibar, Paradise, Prince and Poseidon.
- The beach of the Island of Flowers is located 2 km from the city and stretches for 1.2 km, skirting the entire island.
- Not far from the Island of Flowers is the sunny Kalardovo beach. This is a typical urban beach with all amenities, sports fields, picnic areas, parking, restaurants and cafes.
The most beautiful beach on the Tivat Riviera is the Przno valley, where the Plavi Horizonti beach with the hotel of the same name is located. There is soft healing sand, dense olive groves and pine forests.
In addition, it is good to relax in these places with children, as the seabed is shallow. The length of the beach is only 300 m.
The cost of renting two sun loungers and an umbrella is 12 EUR per day (the price of an umbrella in a store is 11 EUR, a beach mat is 7 EUR). Rent a water bike 30/60 minutes – 5/10 EUR, paragliding with an instructor – 60-90 EUR.
Diving
For the first time you can dive under water with a Russian-speaking instructor, get a license for independent diving, improve your diving skills, rent scuba diving equipment and a boat at the local Neptun-Mimoza diving club (off. site in English) or at the Rose diving center with its own beach and pier.
Of course, it is difficult for Tivat to keep up with Sharm el-Sheikh and the Great Barrier Reef in terms of the beauty and diversity of the underwater world, but fans of wreck diving will not be disappointed. The oldest ship at the bottom of the Bay of Kotor, the Gallia, sank in the 16th century and today you can see the remains of its hull, anchor and cannon. The rest are well-preserved victims of the 20th century – the Austro-Hungarian torpedo boat Goleshnitsa built in 1913, the coal carrier Tihany that sank in 1917, and the small warships of the 1950s that had served their time. the buildings. The “freshest” of them is the Tunzh tug of the Montenegrin Navy, sent to the bottom in 2013. And, like a cherry on top, artificial 50-meter tunnels where Yugoslav submarines hid.
Shopping
The best place for shopping in Tivat is Porto Montenegro. It’s the most expensive one. It is here that shops with branded, mostly Italian, clothes are concentrated. For children’s clothing, go to the Fashion Gallery, for a new swimsuit and sunscreen cosmetics – to the boutique of the British beach brand Heidi Klein. For adherents of a healthy diet, there is the Bonella store with homemade cakes, freshly squeezed juices, seasonal fruits and vegetables.
In Porto Montenegro, you can completely update your yacht wardrobe – from jackets and polos to shoes and much more.
There are also shops in the resort. The largest are the Voli supermarket near the port and Queen in the Selyanovo area. Souvenir shops are found at every turn, but the largest selection is in the Portokali-Athens Art store. In addition to the obligatory magnets and plates with views of Tivat (8-25 EUR), lovers of authentic gizmos should look at tablecloths and napkins with traditional Montenegrin embroidery, caps, single-string harps, dolls in national clothes.
From mid-January to the end of August, large-scale sales start in Tivat, when prices for world brands fall by 30-50%.
Of the tasty and healthy souvenirs, mountain honey (especially black) and nuts in honey are good. The most famous Montenegrin specialty is prosciutto or, as they say here, “proshut” – dried pork ham, an analogue of Spanish jamon. The best is from the mountain village of Nyegushi. It is also from here that the excellent Nyegush cheeses come from – from goat’s or cow’s milk, young or aged, with paprika, blueberries or prosciutto. Of the wines, the white “Krstach” of the middle price category and the red “Vranac”, included in the rating of the 100 best wines of Europe, are popular.
Cuisine and restaurants of Tivat
On the dining table of Tivat there are dishes of two cuisines – Montenegrin and Mediterranean. In the first – a lot of meat and few sauces. In the menu of every self-respecting institution there is a thick rich soup “chobra” made from veal or fish. Meat here prefer to cook on the grill and do it perfectly. Traditional dishes include chevapchichi sausages, veal chop hanger, large minced pork and beef patty spit, all kinds of rolls stuffed with cheese, pork and chicken skewers. The most popular fish are sea bream and river trout. The sea and neighboring Italy have enriched Tivat’s culinary palette with squid stuffed with prosciutto, pasta and seafood risotto, grilled octopus.
Tivat does not experience a shortage in catering establishments. Cozy cafe-pastry shops with delicious pastries and fragrant coffee are a good place for breakfast. For lunch, inexpensive cafes on the beaches, pizzerias and colorful canoba restaurants with local cuisine are suitable. Most tourists dine in restaurants on the waterfront. Prices here are slightly higher than in the rest of the city, but the beautiful view makes up for it.
The Gourmet Corner Cafe at the Regent Porto Montenegro, with excellent French pastries, is called “a piece of Paris in Montenegro”.
On the go, you can have a snack with bureks with all sorts of fillings, sweet pancakes “palachinka” or “gyros” – a flatbread stuffed with meat and vegetables. Mesary butcher shops are another place that sells takeaway food. For a small fee, semi-finished products will be immediately cooked on the grill for you, you just have to choose the side dish offered here.
Lunch without drinks in a modest cafe will cost 8-15 EUR per person, dinner in an expensive restaurant with wine – 50-90 EUR, a piece of pizza to go – 2.5 EUR, a burger with splash – 5 EUR.