When's The Best Time of Year To Visit Montenegro?

The weather isn’t particularly fantastic throughout Montenegro in the first month of the year, but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided entirely. The ski season kicks off, as enthusiasts from all over the region descend upon Žabljak and the rest. Orthodox Christmas takes place on January 7, and is traditionally accompanied by no small amount of revelling and celebrating. The seaside is well and truly on vacation at this point, so don’t expect much in the way of coastal bars, parties and hotels.
Rainfall: 11 days

Temperature: 53.6ºF (12ºC)

It is easy to look at high seaside temperatures in February and shrug one’s shoulders, but the biting wind that the Adriatic brings means the numbers can’t entirely be trusted. The northern part of the country comes into its own at the beginning of the year, and those willing to deal with the difficult weather conditions will be treated to some truly magnificent views. The seaside begins to wake up, with Venetian-style carnivals taking place in many of the main centres.
Rainfall: 10 days

Temperature: 55.4ºF (13ºC)

March can be a bit of a springtime red herring in neighbouring Serbia, but that isn’t the case down south. Montenegro explodes with life in March, with temperatures rising and parties sparking into life on the coast. The tranquility of the mountains becomes more accessible, and the winding down of the ski season guarantees lower prices and quieter pistes.
Rainfall: 13 days

Temperature: 60.8ºF (16ºC)

Now we’re talking. Any tentativeness spring may display is well and truly gone, as colour and warmth return to marvellous Montenegro. The ski season comes to a halt and is replaced by the beginning of the rafting equivalent, wine in the mountains replaced by hurtling down Montenegro’s stunning waterways. The summer crowds are yet to arrive in town, so you’ll have much of the country to yourself and plenty of space in your wallet to enjoy it.
Rainfall: 11 days

Temperature: 66.2ºF (19ºC)

May is the best time to visit Montenegro for weather that’s neither too hot nor too cold, unless you are specifically visiting for skiing or molten temperatures. The weather is at its most magnificently appealing and partaking in extreme sports in the country’s national parks hits its adrenaline-shuddering best. The snow of the mountains melts and is replaced by intense colour, with the many lakes of Durmitor exploding into life. If you’re looking for the best of the country, May is the time to come.
Rainfall: 12 days

Temperature: 75.2ºF (24ºC)

Summer is when Montenegro is at its busiest, and June is an excellent option for those looking for the benefits of the busy season at slightly lower prices. The beaches of the Adriatic Coast begin to fill with visitors and locals alike, and the nightlife scene well and truly picks up. Festival season kicks into high gear and not a week seems to pass without some sort of major event on the coast. The cooler temperatures of the mountains offer something different as well.
Rainfall: 9 days

Temperature: 82.4ºF (28ºC)

Times have definitely changed, and they will continue to change. July is the beginning of the high tourist season in Montenegro, as the temperatures move into the 30s and and the prices go up with them. Almost overnight the beaches run out of space and it can seem as though you’re sharing your holiday with everyone in the Balkans. But that will change in the coming decades as more visitors seek out less busy times of year. Perast’s Fašinada festival takes place in July, another reason to visit what might be the region’s prettiest town. Hiking conditions are near perfect in July (although the flies can be a little frustrating). History buffs should make a beeline for Cetinje at this time, as the Royal Capital embraces its storied past.
Rainfall: 4 days

Temperature: 87.8ºF (31ºC)

If you think July in Montenegro is hot, then we’ve got some bad news for you when it comes to August. Podgorica can be nigh on unbearable during August, with temperatures known to ambitiously nip into the 40s and beyond. The concrete of the capital doesn’t help, making for a truly uncomfortable brew. The breeze of the sea offers plenty, but the mixture of heat and crowds could be too much for some. Head to the mountains and lakes to make the most of the cooling genius of nature.
Rainfall: 6 days

Temperature: 87.8ºF (31ºC)

If May is the best time to visit Montenegro, September isn’t far behind. The weather returns to something approaching manageable, and the crowds seemingly dissipate into thin air. It can sometimes appear as though the tourist season was just a noisy, sweaty dream, but the majesty of Montenegro remains. The old towns become more navigable, space on the beaches reappears, and the colours of autumn begin to make themselves known.
Rainfall: 7 days

Temperature: 78.8ºF (26ºC)

Autumn is arguably the prettiest of all seasons and nowhere is that more apparent than in Montenegro. Red, yellow, orange, green and the rest abound, as the national parks doll themselves up in their Sunday best and pose majestically for the cameras. The weather remains excellent throughout the country, although the higher peaks of the mountains start to get rather chilly. This is the end of the rafting season in the country, as the rivers get a little bit too excitable throughout the rest of the year.
Rainfall: 14 days

Temperature: 71.6ºF (22ºC)

Anyone hoping to head into the mountains of Montenegro in November should probably make other plans, unless freezing temperatures and inhospitable terrain are your sort of thing. Rainfall fans will have a field day as the sky turns from blue to grey ahead of the wettest time of year. There is some beauty to a seaside storm, so consider this an alternative time to visit the coast.
Rainfall: 12 days

Temperature: 62.6ºF (17ºC)

If the world is lazing to its climax in December, Montenegro is undoubtedly at the front of that queue. The seaside shuts its doors, and prices fall to their lowest point. The mountains are all but out of service, although the ski season hints at something approaching life towards the end of the month. Montenegro is a gorgeous part of the planet, but winter might not be its finest side.
Rainfall: 14 days

Temperature: 55.4ºF (13ºC)