Budva Private Monastery Tour – Coastal Views & Hidden History
Description
The uniqueness of this tour lies in the perspective you gain and the stories shared by your local guide. You will visit monasteries that have held great importance for coastal tribes for centuries. These places remain largely untouched by mass tourism, preserving their charm, peaceful surroundings, and deep historical value. Our first stop is Praskvica Monastery, located above Sveti Stefan, the most luxurious resort in Montenegro. This monastery represents the spiritual center of the Paštrovići tribe, with origins dating back to 1051. After exploring the site, we continue towards Rustovo Monastery, a serene women’s monastery of the Orthodox Church dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. Here, you will have a unique opportunity to meet the nuns, discover handmade local products and authentic souvenirs, and experience the tranquility of monastery life. To complete the visit, you will be offered traditional homemade rahat lokum, adding a special and memorable local touch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Praskvica Monastery - one of the oldest and most important monasteries on the Montenegrin coast. Interestingly, the monastery was named after a nearby spring whose water has the smell of peach, a local peach variety, once common in this area. The treasury of the monastery is very rich and has huge value. Here we will visit the church, the graveyard of the tribe ancestries and enjoy the view of Sveti Stefan islet.
Rustovo Monastery - located in "Pashtrovska Gora" in the green forest pool, 370 meters above sea level and luxury resort of Aman Sveti Stefan. This is a woman monastery that is still young, but with a great story of a Virgin Mary icon that is believed to helps couples who have problem to have childrens.
The amazing view point from which the view reach the whole bay of Budva. From this site, you will have the amazing view of Sveti Stefan, the most famous hotel resort in Montenegro that people like to call "The pearl of Montenegrin coast". The sunsets from this spot will leave you breathless.
In the end of the tour, we will drive to the most famous view spot of Sveti Stefan island. We will enjoy the view, take some prhotos and finish the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We could agree on the pick up location.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(39)
We had wonderful time visiting two monasteries near Becici. Petar is a very knowledgeable historian of this area of Montenegro and answered the many questions we had. Monasteries we visited were amazing. Highly recommend!!
Such a lovely way to spend an afternoon, absorbing the wonderful colours, culture and character of Montenegro with Petar. It was really fascinating to learn of the real history of this area, away from the usual tourist trail attractions. The views were breath taking and the Monastery and Nunnery were moving, spiritual and totally tranquil locations, as well as being extremely beautiful. Petar is a very cool guy and excellent guide...and to have a private tour, with an individualised pick up point, was wonderful, especially as it was our anniversary. On that note, Petar went way above and beyond. He booked a meal for us at a sensational nearby hotel and when we got there they had put on Anniversary surprises for us, which was so unexpected and special. A perfect day. Thank you so much, Petar.
If I could give this tour more stars I would. The guide was fantastic, really knowledgeable and such a nice guy. A great opportunity to see some of the sites which are a bit off the beaten track.
The overall tour was a good cross section of Montenegro- lots of variety. Guide spoke fast with a lot of good information but it wasn’t always easy to hear it all. However he as very pleasant and knowledgeable- nice personality.
My mother and I found Petar through Viator and booked him as a guide for a visit to two monasteries near Sveti Stefan. Our family has ancestral roots in the area, and when we mentioned this to Petar, he was genuinely enthusiastic and immediately engaged in helping us explore that connection more deeply. The first monastery, Praskvica, he brought us to was especially meaningful—it’s where our ancestor’s family grave site is located. We had only seen it in a picture before. Petar spoke with the monks on our behalf, and through his translation we were able to sit down with one of them and learn more about our family’s history. Afterward, the monk offered us some very nice homemade raki. We also visited a second monastery, Rustovo, higher in the mountains, opened around 2006 and dedicated to the Romanov family of Russia. It is known as a place of healing, particularly for women experiencing difficulties with pregnancy. Both monasteries are not accessible by tour buses due to very narrow mountain roads. A small vehicle and local knowledge are essential. Petar clearly has strong relationships with the monks and nuns, which made access to these places possible. Without him, we would have missed not only my family’s gravesite, but also a truly unique cultural experience shared over homemade raki in a monastery setting. In addition, the views from the monasteries and the mountain roads were amazing. If you’re looking for something beyond standard sightseeing—personal, culturally meaningful, and off the beaten path—I highly recommend booking a tour with Petar. He’s also open to customizing the experience, which makes it even more valuable for travelers with specific interests or connections to the region.
Well this time the tour was indeed an experience for myself as well as we were discovering the background and history of your family and on that road I found out much details about certain families from Paštrovići area. So interesting and insightful. Tnx and I wish you all the best! 🥃
We always love to see the local culture and scenery wherever we visit a new country and this trip in montenegro didn't dissapoint , Peter contacted me via whattsapp to arrange the pick up time prior to our booking date and picked us up promptly from our hotel!(we always prefer to book a trip where you are collected from where you are staying rather than searching for pick up in an area that you aren't familiar with!) It was a complety private tour with just me and my husband. We were in an air conditioned car and given cold bottled water, much needed in the heat. Petar told us all about the local history and area and points of interest as we travelled through some rather steep winding roads as we travelled up the mountains, we held our breathe on a couple of occasions, rather him than me!!We travelled to a couple of lovely points of interest, a monastery and a convent, which was a particular highlight. The nuns help people who are having fertility issues. We were shown round by a nun whilst Peter translated, the scenery was absolutely stunning and the area was so peaceful. There was a lovely gift shop which sold hand made items made by the nuns from olive oil to soap and magnets! We then travelled to an amazing view point of Sveti Stefan which was stunning , we got the best photos of our holiday on this trip! We wouldn't have seen any of these beautiful places if we hadn't gone on this trip, would highly recommend, especially if you prefer a shorter trip, long days sitting on a coach are not good on the back! This was just right with a perfect mix of culture and scenery, petar also gave us some tips on places to visit and to eat in the area!! Thank you Petar. Great trip.
This was a fab tour, Petar was so knowledgeable, happy to answer all questions throughout, took you to a little convent you would never have stumbled upon yourself, which was one of the prettiest places I’ve seen. It was all so interesting, he’s a very good driver and you can hear the passion about the area. Fab tour to do! Highly recommend!
The trip to the 2 Monasteries with our guide Petar was really enjoyable he made it so interesting we learnt not only about their history and the life of the monks and nuns but also about the history and people of Montenegro . We had plenty of time at each stop and were made to feel so welcome by the nun that showed us around , we enjoyed the home made Turkish delight she gave us and it was as so relaxing sitting in the garden talking to Petar and the other guest on the trip . The final stop to a viewpoint above Sveti Stefan was amazing at sunset with views to the island and Budva Bay . We thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it .
If you are up for something different, this is a must. It was an amazing day out, with a knowledgeable and passionate guide. We visited 3 monasteries, including the only female monastery, learnt about the history whilst soaking amazing views from the mountain side, and eventually we had a cuppa with an opportunity to buy amazing handicrafts made by female monastery dwellers. The views, including Sv. Stefan, were just stunning, and the guide was the best photographer ever!
A small but nice tour. Petar gave us a lot of interesting facts about Montenegro, as well as about the Balkans. Nice tour.... far from mass tourism. Highly recommended 👍
Es war mir eine Freude, Sie zu bewirten und Ihr Reiseführer zu sein. Ich freue mich besonders, dass ihr die ersten Deutschen wart, die an meiner Tour teilgenommen haben :) Mir fiel die fast vergessene deutsche Sprache ein, die ich in der High School gelernt hatte. Vielen Dank!
