Petrovac town beach
Sheltered arc of reddish pebble running the length of the bay, with a promenade behind it
The water shelves gently and stays calm, which is why families have come here for generations.
Petrovac BayBeach CovesPromenade
Petrovac, Montenegro
Ideal: 2–3 daysBest: Jun–SepPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Petrovac in 60 seconds
Petrovac keeps the scale the rest of the Budva riviera has lost. A six-hundred-metre arc of reddish pebble sits between two wooded headlands, with the small Venetian fortress of Kastio on the rocks at one end and the islets of Katič and Sveta Nedjelja a short way offshore. Venice knew the place as Kastel Lastva and built the fort against pirates in the sixteenth century; in an olive grove behind the town, mosaics from a Roman building of about the fourth century were uncovered in 1902 and still lie under glass. South over the headland is the cove at Lučice, and beyond it Buljarica, two and a half kilometres of almost undeveloped beach and marsh.
Beach CovesVenetian FortressRoman MosaicsBudva RivieraCoastal Path
Best for
Known for
- The town beach, a sheltered six-hundred-metre arc of reddish pebble between two headlands
- Kastio, the small Venetian sea fortress built in the 16th century against pirate raids
- Lučice, a small pine-backed cove over the southern headland, reached on foot in minutes
- Buljarica, some two and a half kilometres of barely developed beach and wetland further south
- Roman mosaics of about the 4th century, found in an olive grove in 1902 and kept under glass
Skip if
You want nightlife or a sand beach; Petrovac is pebble, early to bed, and proud of both.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Petrovac fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Kastio fortress
Small Venetian sea fort of the 16th century on the rocks at the end of the town beach
Fifteen minutes is enough: two old cannon, a partisan memorial and the best view along the bay.
Petrovac Bay16th CenturySea view
Lučice beach
Small pine-backed cove over the southern headland, with clear deep water
Ten minutes on the coastal path and markedly clearer water than the town beach; go early in August.
LučiceBeach CovesPine Forest
Katič & Sveta Nedjelja
Two rock islets off the bay, the smaller carrying a tiny chapel
Reachable by kayak or a tourist boat from the beach; the chapel on the islet is barely bigger than a room.
Petrovac BayChapelIslets
The Roman mosaics
Floor mosaics of about the 4th century from a Roman building, found in 1902 in an olive grove
The shelter is usually locked, so you look in through the glass; ask near Saint Thomas's church for the path.
PetrovacExcavationsOlive grove
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Promenade konobas
ModerateTerraces along the seafront walk, cooking grilled fish, buzara and Adriatic shellfish
Ask what was landed that morning and have it grilled whole; the shellfish buzara is the other order.
Petrovac BayBuzaraGrilled Fish
Lučice cove terraces
ModerateA couple of seasonal restaurants above the cove, open through the warm months
Lunch straight off the beach; they close out of season, so check before walking over.
LučiceBeach CovesGrilled Fish
Seafront cafés
InexpensiveCafés along the promenade between the beach and the old village lanes
Early morning, before the beach fills, is the best hour on the whole promenade.
Petrovac BayCoffeePromenade
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Buljarica
Long shingle beach and wetland south of Petrovac, almost entirely undeveloped
Two and a half kilometres with scarcely a building on it; the marsh behind is good for birds at dawn.
BuljaricaBirdwatchingLong Beach
The coastal health path
Shoreline walkway north from the bay through cut rock tunnels towards Perazića Do
Walk it at dusk; the tunnels are cut straight through the headland and open onto empty coves.
Petrovac BayCoastal PathRock Tunnels
Reževići Monastery
Clifftop monastery at Katun Reževići, with two churches above the sea
The older church is attributed to Stefan the First-Crowned in the 1220s; the terrace alone is worth the drive.
Katun ReževićiClifftopFrescoes
Gradište Monastery
Monastery a few kilometres south of the town with three painted churches and a sea prospect
Three small frescoed churches on one terrace, and almost nobody there outside service times.
BuljaricaFrescoesMonastery
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Petrovac Bay
The bay itself: beach, promenade, the fort at one end and the old lanes behind
Small enough to cross in ten minutes, which is most of the appeal.
Beach CovesPromenade
Lučice & Buljarica
The coves and long beach south of the headland, pine-backed and much quieter
Where to spend the middle of the day once the town beach has filled up.
Beach CovesPine Forest
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Around the bay
Hotels and apartments set back from the promenade, many family-run and long established
Everything is within a few minutes of the water; book well ahead for July and August.
CentralFamily run
Buljarica
Apartments and campsites behind the long beach south of the town
Much quieter and cheaper, and far enough out that you will want a car or the local bus.
CampsitesLong Beach
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting There
- Petrovac is 25 min south of Budva and about 50 min from Tivat airport; coaches on the coast road stop in the town.
- Getting Around
- The bay is walked. Lučice is a short coastal path; Buljarica and the monasteries need the local bus or a car.
- Currency
- Euro (EUR). Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants; carry cash for boats, sunbeds and the market.
- Beaches
- The beaches are reddish pebble, not sand, and the water shelves gently in the bay and steeply at Lučice.
- Seasons
- A summer town: most restaurants and boats run from June to September and much of it closes outside that.
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- Roman period
A Roman building stood behind the bay; its mosaic floors, of about the 4th century, were uncovered in an olive grove in 1902.
- 1220s
The older church at Reževići, on the cliffs north of the bay, is attributed by tradition to Stefan the First-Crowned.
- 15th–18th century
Under Venetian rule the settlement was Kastel Lastva, and the fort of Kastio was built in the 16th century against pirate raids.
- 19th century
The town took the name Petrovac, and the olive terraces behind the bay remained its main living.
- 20th century onward
Petrovac became a quiet family resort on the Budva riviera, and has kept its scale while its neighbours grew.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Sveti Stefan
Fortified islet village joined to the shore by a causeway, north along the riviera
Seen from the road above rather than entered; the view down onto the causeway is the thing.
15 min drive northBudva RivieraCauseway
Budva
Walled old town on a promontory, with the riviera's beaches and its nightlife
Go for the old town walls in the evening, and come back to Petrovac to sleep.
25 min drive northBudva RivieraNightlife
Lake Skadar & Virpazar
The Balkans' largest lake, with boat trips through lily fields from the village of Virpazar
An easy inland day from the coast, and the best birdwatching within reach of the riviera.
45 min drive eastBirdwatchingBoat trip
Go further
Routes through Petrovac
Multi-city trips that stop here, with the transport between them.