Bar Montenegro Highlights Shore Excursion

Today was a 94 degree super hot day. For the 7 of us (5 seniors + 2 adults), our guide Petar was very smart about the traffic situation. We start out doing the one hour boat ride enjoying the lake scenery very much. We saw the lotus, many birds and the captain treat us the local white wine and fire water. Then we stop over 2 scenic spots, the special cafe for pomegranate juices and beer, the old town, the 2 thousands year old olive tree and the beautiful church. We were dropped off the lunch place so we can enjoy local fish stew, smoked ham afterwards. The winning key is to have a private customized hop off, take pictures, hop on tour. Royal delivered the tailored itinerary for our senior family group. I would recommend them and look no further for Montenegro shore exclusion.

This tour was basically an overpriced bus ride. Went to a little tourist trap town where the only thing to do was take an optional boat ride for 49 euro. If you didn’t, the only thing to do was look at a bunch of souvenir booths. On top of that, the boat cruise provider told our tour guide that they would not allow us to use our credit card since they supposedly had a problem the day before. That information was told to us after we were on our transport vehicle. I had a problem with this as I didn’t have enough euros with me and there wa a problem with using an atm at the site. Our tour guide finally talked them into taking US dollars, thus I overpaid. Boat trip was in a state park lake as nd boring. The rest of the tour consisted of driving to two other locations with nothing significant to do but wander around during “free time”. The one thing that I was really interested in seeing was the beautiful church that was shown on the vendors Viator ‘ s site. This was bait and switch as we initially passed at a distance while heading through town. When I questioned the tour guide, she then said that she would ask the bus driver to go past the church. So, we ended up circling the church without any visitation. So we got ripped off for $178. Don’t deal with Royal Services. Not the guides fault but strip with wasted itinerary.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I also appreciate honest reviews when I’m deciding whether to book an excursion. Unfortunately, this tour was disappointing from start to finish. The day got off to a poor start when we departed about 40 minutes late because passengers were delayed by the Princess shuttle buses from the port. While that wasn’t necessarily the tour company’s fault, the late start affected the rest of the day’s schedule. Much of the excursion was spent on the bus. The drive to Lake Skadar took about an hour, plus additional time sitting in heavy traffic. After that, it was another long drive—roughly 90 minutes—to Budva. August traffic was reportedly heavier because of the holiday season, which may have contributed to the delays, but it meant we spent far more time in transit than actually enjoying Montenegro. The scenery along the way was absolutely breathtaking, but there were very few opportunities to stop and take photographs. Aside from one brief five-minute photo stop, we mostly admired the views through the bus windows. The guide was knowledgeable, but the commentary was almost nonstop throughout the drives. Instead of being conversational, it felt like a continuous history lecture that became difficult to follow after a while. A shorter, more engaging presentation would have made for a much more enjoyable experience. At Lake Skadar, the optional boat ride was clearly advertised as an additional charge, so that wasn’t a surprise. However, we noticed local operators advertising private boat rides for €40 for four people, while our group was charged €20 per person. It made the excursion option feel overpriced. The small town at Lake Skadar has very limited facilities. The public restrooms cost €1 to use, yet one stall wouldn’t lock, another had no toilet paper, and there were no paper towels available. If you’re charging people to use the facilities, they should at least be maintained and adequately stocked. The walkway from the parking area to the lakeside town also raised safety concerns. It passes under the road and railroad tracks on aging wooden planks that were rotting, uneven, and sloped. We used the same walkway on the return before boarding the bus from the roadside rather than the parking lot. Anyone with mobility or balance issues should use extra caution. By the time we reached Budva, our free time had been reduced to about 65 minutes because of the delayed start and the amount of time spent waiting before we were finally dismissed to explore on our own. Budva’s Old Town deserved much more time than we were given. The excursion description also indicated Wi-Fi on the coach, but nothing was ever mentioned about it, and I never determined whether it was actually available. One positive deserves mention: our driver did an excellent job navigating the extremely heavy traffic and narrow roads. I always felt safe, and that was appreciated. Finally, I wasn’t comfortable with how close we returned to the ship. We boarded the shuttle back to the port at 4:32 p.m., with the last shuttle scheduled for 5:00 p.m., and arrived back at the ship around 4:50 p.m. While we made it in time, I prefer shore excursions that leave a more comfortable buffer. Overall, the natural beauty of Montenegro is undeniable, but this excursion didn’t do it justice. Between the late departure, endless traffic, excessive time on the bus, limited time at the destinations, and poor value for the price, I left feeling that I had spent most of the day looking out a bus window. If I were visiting Montenegro again, I would skip this group tour and book a private driver or smaller tour instead.

Our guide and driver, Bojan, was excellent. We visited Budva and had beautiful ride to Skadar Lake where we had a wonderful lunch.

Absolutely great tour! We saw a lot and the country is just beautiful! We were on a cruise ship and I felt like this tour showed us a lot more than any of them got to see. I just wish I would have taken my swim suite because the water looked amazing and I was jealous of all of the people swimming. I would definitely recommend it and we really liked our guide Dragan.

It was a very small group (nice), with a friendly guide and excellent van. Beautiful scenery. Old Budva is very interesting and the lake boat ride was very pleasant. By the end the hour long stop at Old Bar seemed a bit too much (not much to do) but the final stop at the old olive tree was brief and fun. The tour would benefit from some shortening/ tightening. It took 7 hours plus on a Sunday with lighter traffic than most days.

First let me start by saying our guide Tanya was very kind and nice. But, the van was very warm (I don’t think the air conditioning worked very well) which did not make a very hot day enjoyable. We wished we had booked a beach day because Tanya showed us videos of the beaches on her phone. We had a nice lunch and spent an hour of free time on our own walking around Budva. We did not learn much at all.

Our multigenerational family took this tour. We enjoyed seeing medieval villages and a boat tour on the lake. I would advise people with mobility issues that this is not the best tour for you. There is lots of walking. The boat tour involves inclines and entering and exiting boats without steps or railings. Our guide was very accommodating and quickly helped a guest by getting a different transport when they saw they could not walk to the boat area. They were able to wait inside a hotel until we returned. Overall it was a great trip but prepare for longer drives and walking.

What a great tour. We just weren't taken around Bar, but to three different locations in Montenegro. The first spot was Budva. It has to be one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It is situated right next to the ancient walled city of Budva and was just stunning. I thought that I could sit here for the rest of my life and be completely happy. Next, we took a boat ride, which is optional on the Tara River. Lastly, we went to old Bar and walked the ancient cobblestone streets and enjoyed pomegranate beer that was recommended to us by our tour guide. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about Montenegro and answered all of our questions. I never heard of Budva before this tour and would have never thought to go there, but now that I have spent an hour there. I will be coming back for an extended stay, and that is what a great tour is supposed to make the visitor want to do, and that's what they did for us.

Peter was our tour guide he was very knowledgeable and personable. We loved the old town of Budva it was beautiful with many different shops and historical sites to explore. The river cruise was simple but very relaxing and a nice way to wind down