Croatia or Montenegro: which is better?

Adriatic. Amazing nature, emotional people, sea, delicious food - this is what we imagine when we say this word. People who are going to relax in this corner of the world often wonder what to choose: Croatia or Montenegro. Where to go to rest and which country is better in terms of tourism - we will consider in this article. Below are the facts about these two countries, the choice is always yours.

Montenegro is a separate state located on the map of Europe, on the western coast of the Balkan Peninsula, washed by the Adriatic Sea. The modern state was formed in 2006 after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The capital of present-day Montenegro is Podgorica - the largest city in the country, although the residence of the president himself is located in the city of Cetinje, which is rightfully considered the cultural capital.

Croatia is a country located in the west of the Balkan Peninsula, also washed by the Adriatic Sea. This state was also formed as a result of the collapse of Yugoslavia, became independent in 1991. The capital is the city of Zagreb. The population is 4 million, and the area is 4 times larger than the area of ​​Montenegro and is 56,542 sq. km. Croatia shares borders with Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia.

If you are going to rest, and even more so if you decide to go with a child, you need to carefully prepare and choose a worthy place. After all, it is not very convenient to go down into the sea with a child, for example, from a wooden pier.

It is also necessary to think over where the child will play, therefore, you need at least a clean beach, a wooded area to hide in the shade of trees from the sun, a comfortable hotel, a market to buy quality products, developed infrastructure, and so on.

Accommodation prices are lower in Croatia, as there is a very large number of offers for renting apartments. The same cannot be said about the prices for food or for visiting catering establishments. It will be cheaper to dine in Montenegro. However, you must take into account the fact that in Montenegro the currency is the euro, which is less subject to fluctuations, so it will be easier to plan a budget in advance. Unlike Croatia, where the Croatian kuna is in use.

In general, in comparison with Croatia, everything is very cheap in Montenegro. For example, in Montenegro a cup of coffee, if translated into rubles, costs about 60-120 rubles, in Croatia - 240 rubles, or even all 360. Lunch in Croatia will cost you about 60 euros, and it will also be expensive even just get a haircut, get a manicure, pedicure or go to a museum.

In terms of quality, there are many more good catering establishments in Montenegro. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Croats are already too spoiled by a huge flow of tourists, unlike the inhabitants of Montenegro.

The resettlement options are mainly as follows:

• apartments (flats);
• villas;
• mini-hotels.

There are enough beaches in Montenegro, and there are both pebble and sandy ones. Before choosing a suitable one, you should take into account that all Montenegrin beaches are state property and even there is a special law that regulates their management. Equipped beaches are simply rented out for long-term lease to private entrepreneurs who must comply with a number of specific rules:

• the entrepreneur is obliged to level and clean the beach area assigned to him all year round;
• sun loungers can occupy only half of the beach, and the rest of the beach remains for those vacationers who like to sit on the ground;
• beach entrance must be public and there should be no admission fees.

But in order to use the inventory, you still have to pay a symbolic amount - about 30 euros. Montenegro has its own piquant feature - there are fenced beaches for nudists. On the beaches in Budva, Petrovts, Rafailovichi, the peak of the season starts around July 15 and lasts until September 15.

During this period of time, it will hardly be possible to find a place along the sea. If you look from above, you can hardly understand where the sea begins and where the beach ends, because the number of people having a rest both on the beach and in the sea is huge.

Both in Croatia and in Montenegro, the mountains are located on the coast of the sea, so it is rather difficult to find a sandy beach here, mostly pebbly beaches. Among the Montenegrin expanses, sandy beaches can be found in the south, beyond Ulcinj.

In Croatia, sandy coasts are usually found on islands. For example: Punta Rata, Drazica, Golden Horn. But don't underestimate the pebbly beaches either. The tenants annually bring in small pebbles and cover it with sand from above. The sea crushes large pebbles to small sizes, covering the coast with "stone sand".

Summer in Montenegro is usually hot, and this time lasts for a long time. The climate in the country is predominantly temperate continental. In summer, the temperature on the coasts reaches an average of + 25C, in winter + 5C. There is a lot of rainfall during the winter, but the duration of the winter is short. People start swimming here in May and finish in October. In Croatia, the swimming season is shorter and lasts from May to September.

In summer, the air temperature can reach + 29C, the average mark is kept around + 23C. Going on vacation to Croatia, you must take into account that the climate here is different, depending on the place of stay.

In the north it is continental, in the center of the country it is mountainous, on the coast, similar to Montenegro, it is moderately continental. Thus, we can conclude that both countries are quite similar in climatic conditions. To decide when it is better to go to the Adriatic coast, you can start from the fact that August is the hottest month, both for Croatia and Montenegro. The peak tourist season is from about mid-July to mid-September.

You can dine in Croatia both in a restaurant and in a konoba. Konoba is a small, homely, rustic-style restaurant. The cuisine is predominantly Mediterranean, where seafood prevails on the menu, and European, where you can find other hearty dishes. Lunch will cost you about 50-70 kuna. In Montenegro, you can organize your meals in different ways.

• Eat at home. It is worth noting that food, in comparison with Croatia, is much cheaper here.
• In catering establishmentswho prepare fast food or, more simply, fast food. This lunch will cost you 3 euros.
• Go to set lunchs (soup, main course, bread and salad). This lunch will cost about 5 euros.
• In restaurants... In such establishments, lunch will cost about 25 euros. Although there are restaurants where you can eat for 40 euros, there are still few of them.

Many believe that the quality of service, infrastructure development and service level are higher in Croatia. This is due to the fact that the tourism business began to develop here much earlier than in Montenegro. And also because this country is considered close to European standards. But in reality this is not entirely true. In Croatia, people are more closed, while in Montenegro they are more sincere and sociable, they treat tourists better.

The main resorts of Montenegro are the Budva Riviera or Budva, with its pebble beaches, the family resort Hercegnovskaya Riviera, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, and the Ulcinj Riviera, famous for its basalt beaches. Places worth visiting in Montenegro:

• The Maritime Museum, located in the center of the city of Kotor - it contains the entire history of the Montenegrin coast;

• National Museum;

• art lovers - the Cetinje Museum of Art;

• the oldest theater "Zeta House";

• Durmitor National Park;

• a park located near Lake Skadar, on the territory of which the most ancient monasteries and fortresses of the Middle Ages are located.

If you have chosen Croatia, then be sure to visit the following places:

• Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List;

• the medieval palace of Diocletian in Split;

• amphitheater of Pula.

In order to go on vacation in Montenegro, you do not need a visa, since this country is not part of the European Union. The entrance is open to residents of Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Belarus. The visa-free stay is 90 guest days.To visit the Republic of Croatia, you need both a visa and insurance for the entire period of stay in the country. You can get a visa at the Croatian visa application centers, of which there are quite a few in Russia. It takes about 5 working days. There are also some concessions for multiple holders of Schengen visas.

For information on which city to choose for families with children, see the next video.