Velika Plaža Beach

Beaches make up almost 70 km of Montenegro’s coastline. The coast itself is mostly rocky so the beaches are found in bays amongst the hills. Most beaches in Montenegro pebbly. For the most part the pebbles are rather small (locals call it ‘stony sand’). Some are just a rocky shore with walkways or stairs. Only a few beaches are sandy.

The largest sand beach in Montenegro is the Velika Plaža. It literally translates as ‘large beach’. It spans 13 km and is covered in black volcanic sand.

Along the shore runs a single asphalt road which is easy to find. At the entrance to Ulcinj, follow the signs to Velika Plaža. You will need to take two or three turns to get onto the coastal road. There are a lot of ways of accessing the beach along the way.

Summary

Velika Plaža begins right after Ulcinj and runs to the Albanian border, up to the nudist Ada Bojana beach. There are about a dozen well-maintained beaches at this 13 km stretch. Each has 100-200 beds (€7-15 for 2 beds and an umbrella), restaurants, toilets, showers, changing rooms and car parks. Many of them also have playgrounds. There are a few water sports.

The shoreline is flat so the seafloor is shallow with no significant drops. Even 70 m from the coast, the sea is no more than 1.5m deep. Velika Plaža has no bays so the sea is calmer and it is always windy. The wind creates waves up to 1m high. The sand is constantly churned by the waves, so the water is not as clear as at Budva or the Bay of Kotor.

There are no large residential areas near Velika Plaža, just small villages. One of them is Štoj. There are a few shops selling beach essentials, food and several modest restaurants. Tourists often rent apartments in this village.

Kite surfing

In the southern part of Velika Plaža there are several kite surfing stations. A couple of them have Russian-speaking staff KitePlaza and Miracle Beach. Both beginner and experienced surfers come here. Each station offers rental equipment (from water suits to various kites), instructors and has a small restaurant.

The only potential issue is getting there from the road. There is an asphalt turning with a Copacabana Beach road sign. You need to take this turning, stop 100 m from the beach, and then turn right onto a dirt road, this road will lead you to the stations. The Russian-speaking ones are first. The road is made of compressed sand, so if you are not used to driving on this surface it is probably better not to risk it as it is very easy to get stuck. You can leave the car at the Copacabana Beach car park and walk along the seashore.

The wind along with other factors for kitesurfing in Montenegro cannot be compared to Egypt or Bali. It is windy 2-5 hours a day, it can be gusty but it always is always in one direction, at 30 degrees off the coast. For this reason, Montenegro is a good place to start kitesurfing. The surfing season starts from the end of June and ends in mid-August.

Bojana river restaurants

One point of note in southern Montenegro are the fish restaurants on the Bojana river. The river flows from Lake Skadar into the sea, so you can order both freshwater and saltwater fish here. The food is not sophisticated but it is traditional food, mostly fresh grilled fish and this is what the tourists come for.

There no accommodation on at the river bank, just wall to wall restaurants. Behind them you will see a bridge that leads to Europe’s largest nudist beach, Ada Bojana. During the Yugoslav era, there already was a large, sophisticated hotel on an island in the Bojana estuary. If you decide to visit the resort, note that the visitors are mostly elderly people.

After an enjoyable meal at the river restaurant you can take a boat trip around the island or along the river.

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