Budva is surely one of Montenegro’s most famous and expensive holiday destinations. Known as the Queen of the Mediterranean, as well as the Monte Carlo of Montenegro, this city is rightly considered the capital of Montenegrin tourism. The city is famous for its historical district, once controlled by the Republic of Venice, but also for its modern night clubs, casinos, luxurious villas and hotels, but, most of all, it boasts the best night life experience in Montenegro. The Budva Riviera stretches over a distance of 25km, each step covered by some of the most beautiful sandy beaches Montenegro has to offer.
The long story of Budva’s history takes us back to the 5th century BC, when it was first settled by the Illyrians. The city was first named Butua, with legends saying its first inhabitants were Cadmus and Harmonia, the King and Queen of Thebes. In the 2nd century BC, the Romans took over and trade flourished under their rule. Budva’s inhabitants took up growing vineyards and olive gardens as their main source of sustenance. After the fall of Rome, Budva became a territory of the Byzantine Empire, and this period saw much uprising of the inhabitants of the city against their rulers. When the beginning of the Serbian Nemanjić dynasty’s rule in 1186, the city became free of its Byzantine rulers, reaching its most prosperous period in the 14th century, during the reign of Serbian Tzar Dušan the Mighty.
