What the hell is wrong with people in Montenegro? Do you actually want tourists?
I honestly have to ask: do you people actually want tourism?
I started my trip from Greece, and from the moment I entered Montenegro, I have been shocked by how rude and unwelcoming people have been. With very few exceptions, I have experienced almost zero basic human courtesy. People stare at you, give you dirty looks, mock you because you’re a tourist, and generally make you feel like you’re bothering them just by being there.
And the language situation makes it even worse. I understand that not everyone speaks English, but when you approach someone in English and they clearly understand what you’re asking, responding entirely in their own language instead of even trying to communicate is incredibly rude. In Greece, which is a country that depends heavily on tourism and is known for hospitality, we would never deliberately treat tourists like that.
Then there’s the driving.
On our very first day, we were stopped in a village and fined because we were driving 55 km/h in a 40 km/h zone. They had a radar. Fine, we were speeding, so technically we were breaking the law.
But here’s what pissed me off: locals were flying past us at ridiculous speeds. The police would signal to them and let them go, while we, the tourists, got stopped and fined.
And this isn’t just one incident. The driving here is absolutely insane. People drive aggressively and dangerously. They won’t let you merge even when you have the right of way. They will literally drive toward you and squeeze you into the side of the road, even when there is a cliff next to you. People drive extremely fast, but that doesn’t mean they are good drivers. Quite the opposite. I’ve seen so many terrible driving decisions and so many accidents during this trip.
And instead of dealing with the people driving like maniacs, the police seem much more interested in dealing with tourists.
Then, in Kotor, we were stopped again.
I had rented a scooter from a local rental company, and the person who rented it to me had failed to provide the proper vehicle documents. That was his mistake, not mine. Yet suddenly we’re the ones dealing with the police, and they were about to fine us.
The local guy who rented me the scooter was literally begging the police officer not to fine us because he knew the situation was his fault.
Then we were told that my Greek driver’s license was not considered valid for the vehicle because apparently the rules regarding international licenses had changed in the middle of the tourist season.
If that’s true, fine — laws are laws. But how the hell is a tourist supposed to know that a regulation has suddenly changed in the middle of the season? And why is the rental company allowed to give me a vehicle without making sure that I have the documents and license requirements sorted out?
So seriously: what the fuck is going on?
Do you not want tourists?
Do you not want people coming here and spending money?
Do you not realize that tourism is literally one of the main reasons people come to Montenegro in the first place?
I have traveled to a lot of countries. I’ve experienced different cultures, different languages, different levels of development, and I’ve had bad experiences in some places. That’s normal.
But I have genuinely never experienced this level of hostility and lack of basic hospitality as a tourist.
We’re coming here, spending our money, staying in your hotels, eating at your restaurants, renting your cars and scooters, visiting your attractions — and yet somehow we are treated like we’re an inconvenience.
And before someone says, “Not everyone in Montenegro is like this” — I know. I literally said that there have been a few exceptions. I’m talking about the repeated pattern I’ve experienced throughout this trip.
Maybe I’m just extremely unlucky. Maybe I happened to encounter the worst people in the country.
But based on my experience so far, I cannot recommend Montenegro to other travelers.
If you’re planning a trip here, honestly, I’d reconsider. There are plenty of other countries in the region where you can spend your money and actually feel welcome.
I came here expecting to have a great holiday.
Instead, I’ve spent a huge part of the trip wondering why people seem so determined to make tourists feel unwelcome.Police is the worst I’ve seen everyone breaks the law and you try to ticket tourists for funny reasons.Locals are acting like cave men zero civilization zero manners and you want to enter Europe?Experience 0/10 and I visited the country with open mind and hope.