MontenegroUpdate 2024 - What's new on the Adriatic Sea

Bodo Müller

 · 21.02.2024

The new holiday resort of Luštica Bay with marina
Photo: Bodo Müller, Häfen
Montenegro, the small state between Croatia and Albania, has experienced an incredible boom in nautical tourism in recent years. Although the country is not part of the EU, it introduced the common currency back in 2002. Several high-end marinas have been built. And the largest mega yacht marina in the eastern Mediterranean has even had to double its berth capacity. The small state of Montenegro has long been known as the "Monte Carlo of the Balkans". Our marina update shows what has happened this season.

Marina Luštica Bay

The brand new Marina Luštica Bay is the centrepiece of a completely new town being built on the Luštica peninsula on the Montenegrin outer coast. Although everything is new, the town's intricate architecture has the charm of a hundred-year-old Mediterranean village. The marina for yachts up to 45 metres in length leaves nothing to be desired. Restaurants, bars, cafés and boutiques invite you to shop and linger.

The remarkable architecture of Luštica Bay is a very fine example of how interestingly you can build a harbour town from the drawing board"

About one nautical mile south of Luštica Bay, a new clearance harbour with a (duty-free) transit petrol station is being built at Cape Kamenova. Once the border harbour has been completed, yachts coming from Albania will not have to go to the Bay of Kotor to clear in if they want to head for Luštica Bay.

Marina Resort Portonovi

The latest must-see destination in Montenegro is the new Marina Resort Portonovi at the northern entrance to the bay of Tivat (Boka Bay). While the harbour was already completed in May 2019, the dimensions of the 5-star town, the centre of which is the marina, are only now becoming apparent. A luxurious harbour town of this size, completely rebuilt in the Mediterranean style from hewn stone, cannot be found anywhere else in the Mediterranean. The centre of the town is the piazza at the harbour with shops and restaurants for every budget. You won't see a car anywhere because access to the houses and parking is underground.

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The exclusive marina with 238 berths for yachts up to 120 metres in length leaves nothing to be desired. These include a helicopter landing pad, petrol station, 24/7 dock assistance and check-in point.

Airport Marina

In Krtole Bay, the south-easternmost tip of the Bay of Tivat, just 750 metres from Tivat Airport as the crow flies, the new Airport Marinawhich is currently still being expanded. The moorings on floating pontoons are already equipped with moorings, electricity and water. The sanitary facilities are located in a container during the construction phase. Once completed, the Airport Marina will offer 99 berths for boats up to 25 metres in length.

As the marina is located to the side of the runway and there is a wooded hill in between, there is little aircraft noise. The proximity to the airport is a major advantage when changing crews.

Velebit coast: Klenovica

The new building, which was erected in 2008 Luxury marina Porto Montenegro has been considered the showpiece of the "Monaco of the Balkans" from the very beginning. The demand for berths for larger yachts has increased so much in the meantime that the marina has increased its original capacity from 300 to 426 berths by expanding to the west. In addition, there are currently 20 berths for yachts over 100 metres in length.

The largest ship that can currently dock in Porto Montenegro can be up to 250 metres long"

The infrastructure leaves nothing to be desired: Everything is available, from the check-in point and petrol station to the heliport. The waterfront offers catering, hotels and shopping to meet the highest demands. The marina and the town of Tivat are currently growing together due to the further expansion of the landside infrastructure.

The demand for berths, especially for mega yachts, is currently increasing rapidly. Porto Montenegro will therefore continue to grow over the next few years. In the near future, the marina plans to have 850 berths available, 300 of which will be for superyachts.


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