Things to do
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Velika Plaža
Twelve to thirteen kilometres of sand make this the longest beach in Montenegro, and one of the few wide, open shorelines on the Adriatic. The further south-east you walk, the wilder and emptier it gets, so there is always room to spread out.
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Ulcinj Old Town
Late afternoon is the time to come: the heat is off the steps and you can watch the sunset from the ramparts. The shopping is in the Čaršija below, so do not expect a bazaar up here.
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Ada Bojana
A triangle of sand and scrub built by the Bojana river, the southernmost point of Montenegro, with Albania across the water. Its three kilometres of beach include a long-established naturist section, and the seafood kitchens along the riverbank are the reason many come. A car or taxi is the easy way here.
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Balšić Tower
The highest building in the old town's upper citadel, a stone tower with three sides facing the sea and an upper floor added under the Ottomans. It now serves as a gallery and holds poetry evenings. Climb to it late in the day for the light on the water.
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Church-Mosque of Ulcinj
Inside the old town, a building that began as a church, gained a stone minaret as a mosque, and now houses the town museum. The collection is small and takes under an hour; opening hours shorten sharply out of season.
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Kulla e Balshajve
Kulla e Balshajve is a stone tower of only eight suites inside Ulcinj's old town, and when you wake here the first thing you see is the Adriatic.
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Ladies Beach
A small cove south-east of the old town, on the way to Velika Plaža, open to women only. Sulphur springs turn the water a deep green, and local legend credits it with curing infertility. Men will need another beach.
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Lake Šas
A shallow lake in the farmland north-east of town, known locally as the little Skadar for the pelicans, herons and grebes it shares with its big neighbour. The village of Šas beside it stands on the site of Svač, a medieval town whose ruined walls remain. A car is the only practical way here.
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Mala Plaža
Under the old town walls, a short curve of sand of under four hundred metres serves as the town beach, between the castle rock and the Jadran headland. In July and August it is packed shoulder to shoulder by late morning. Swim early, then watch it fill from a terrace above.
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Sailors' Mosque
Slim-minareted, the mosque stands on the waterfront at the foot of the old town, where its light once guided boats into the bay. The present building is a rebuild, completed in 2012 after the original was demolished in 1931. It is the landmark to steer by on the walk between Mala Plaža and the walls.
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Ulcinj Salina
Former salt pans south-east of town, now a protected nature park and a wetland of international importance, where more than 250 bird species have been recorded and flamingos gather in their thousands on migration. The dykes are long, flat and without shade. The birds are busiest in the morning.
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Valdanos
A crescent of round pebbles about three hundred metres long closes a quiet bay north-west of town, backed by one of the largest olive groves in Montenegro. A path through the trees leads down to it from the road. There is little in the way of facilities, so bring water and shade.
