Montenegro Property:
Albania Property:
Montenegro facts and figures:
Montenegro or Crna Gora, to use its local name is situated on the warm and crystal clear Adriatic sea south of Croatia, north of Albania and west across the water from Italy. Its name means Black Mountain, a reference to the wild and beautiful pine-clad mountains which dominate the landscape. Newly independent, this tiny country has over 270 km of unspoilt coastline and around 260 sunny days a year. In fact Montenegro really does have something for everyone - ski-ing, mountain hiking,, white river rafting, water sports, ancient towns to explore, and some of Europe's finest beaches.
Current status: Newly independent country following a referendum in May 2006. EU membership is expected by 2014.
Population: Approx 670,000
Capital: Podgorica (pronounced Podgoritza)
Other major towns: Herceg Novi, Budva, Bar, Tivat & Cetinje.
Language: Serbian, using either Latin or Cyrillic alphabets. English is now taught in schools and so generally spoken by younger people, especially in coastal resorts..
Main religion: Eastern Orthodox,
Climate: The coastal regions benefits from a mild climate all year. Summer temperatures range from 18 – 28 degrees Celsius with over 30 not uncommon in July and August. Winter ranges from 4 – 15 degrees Celsius. Heavy rain and strong winds are common in November & December.
Currency: Euro (yes the Euro).Montenegro joined the Deutschmark in 1999 to combat spiraling inflation under the Milosovic controlled Dinar. The Deutschmark then became part of the Euro at the start of 2002.
Banking: Money changer kiosks are rare, but banks and major post offices will exchange money. Credit cards are not widely accepted in shops but can be used to withdraw cash at ATMs although there will be a commission charge. Bank accounts can be opened with a valid passport..
Electricity: 220 volt. Round pin Euro plugs. Costs are around 15 – 20 euros per month..
Water: Supply is metered and typically costs less than 5 euros a month. Supply is subject to interruptions during the summer, but bottled water is available everywhere and is a safer bet for drinking anyway.
Food and Drink: Eating out is fairly cheap. Pizzas are available everywhere and cost approx 1 euro for a takeaway slice or 3-5 euros for a whole one in a pizzeria. Tea/coffee is around 0.60 per cup. Cafes and restaurants rarely have menus in English but many have handy photo-style menus so you can point to what you want. Tasty locally made burgers and hot dogs are available from cafes and kiosks for around 1-1.5 euros. There are no Macdonald's, KFC or Burger Kings though! Most processed supermarket food is imported, mainly from Germany, Italy and Croatia, and as such, quite expensive. Locally produced fresh fruit & veg and bottled spring waters are very good buys as are Serbian produced fruit juices and jams. A 1 ltr bottle of locally produced vodka cost about 5 euros. Major resorts have plenty of bars and good nightlife facilities.
Health Matters. Bring your E111 form as Montenegro has a reciprocal health care agreement with the UK, although private clinics are a popular choice. Bring any branded medicines you need as these if available at all will be imported so expensive. Chemists are located in all main towns. Local mosquitoes seems to like the taste of pale-skinned Brits so bring plenty of repellant. Suntan lotion is available everywhere. There are no inoculations required for Montenegro.
Time: GMT +1, BST + 1 in summer.
TV: Depending on your location there are 8 or 9 TV channels in Montenegro. They all broadcast a similar mix of local news, quiz shows & music videos and Italian/Spanish soaps. Imported light entertainment, dramas and movies are broadcast in their original language, with Serbian subtitles. It is usually possible to pick up at least one program in English, especially in the late evening, when British crime series and US movies are often shown. For sports fans MBC shows live Premiership football every weekend. From Herceg Novi with a good aerial it is possible to receive 2 or 3 extra channels from Croatia. These tend to have a better choice of English language content. Satellite TV is popular and an 80cm satellite dish is sufficient to pick up several channels in English including BBC World and Eurosport.
Radio: BBC World Service can be picked up on both FM & SW bands. There are many commercial FM stations, all in Serbian.
Newspapers. English newspapers and magazines are not generally available in Montenegro.
Telephones: Country code is +382. Your UK mobile phone may not operate but we can help with local SIM cards if required. There are 3 mobile networks, Promonte T Com & M-Tel. Reception coverage is almost 100% and 80% of the population own a handset.
Internet: Major towns all have Internet cafes. Charges are around 1 euro per hour. Home Internet services are available in all major towns. with ASDL costing around 25 euros per month
Entry Formalities: A valid UK 10-year passport is sufficient for a tourist visit of up to 90 days. This can be extended for one further period of 90 days locally upon payment of the current fee (approx 100 euros.), providing you have a valid reason for extension
Getting there: Main airports are Podgorica,or Tivat on the coast. JAT airlines operate direct flights from London Heathrow to Tivat throughout the Summer. From May 2008 Montenegro Airlines will operate direct flights from London Stansted to Podgorica every Wednesday and Sunday. Flight connections also operate from Belgrade. BA fly into Dubrovnik airport in Croatia which is only 18 miles across the border.
Driving: Car Hire is easily arranged. A valid UK license is all that is required. It is also possible to drive to Montenegro from the UK if time is not an issue (we did!). If your insurance is not valid for Montenegro you can purchase 3rd party cover at the border. There is no charge to bring your own vehicle into the Country for a temporary visit. Petrol is just over 1 euro per ltr, diesel about 10 cents cheaper.