Country Guide

The republic of Montenegro (formerly a constituent republic of the republic of Serbia and Montenegro) has a varied climate and geography. It is bordered on the east by Serbia, on the south by Albania, and on the west by Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina. The part best known and most visited by tourists is the Dalmatian coast.

This region, on the Adriatic, has a Mediterranean type of climate with mild winters and sunny, warm summers. The coast is backed by mountains. Winter rainfall here is heavy and parts of Montenegro are among the wettest places in Europe. There is also a karst region in the southwest, and forests and grasslands in the east.

The table for Podgorica shows weather typical of southwestern Montenegro near the coast. For conditions typical of the coast itself see the table for Dubrovnik in southern Croatia.

The one unpleasant feature of the winter weather is a cold gusty wind, the bora, which brings cold air from central and eastern Europe down to the coast for a few days at a time. Summers on the coast are not entirely rainless, and the fine, sunny weather is often interrupted by thunderstorms. Sunshine averages some four hours a day in winter and from ten to twelve hours a day in summer.