Budva is 2,500 years old, that makes it one of the oldest settlements on the coast of the Adriatic sea.
The Old Town in Budva has many different tales and stories of its origin. Scholars and Historians believe it to be originally an island, which later joined the shore to form a sand isthmus. The Old Town, along with the city of Budva was said to have been discovered by a Greek sailor by the name of Boutoua. Eventually the Roman Empire took over the whole Montenegrin coast influencing it greatly.
Much of the architecture in the Old Town is of Venetian origin. Doors, hinges, windows, balconies and many other small but noticeable things seem to hold Roman style. There are also three main churches in the old town. The first is St. Ivan's which was built in the 7th century AD, second St. Mary's of Punta dating from 840 and the third, The Holy Trinity, which was built in 1804.
The Old Town is also famous for the earthquakes in suffered in 1979, where the whole town had to be rebuilt; it took 8 years (until 1987) for it to be completely finished.
Budva is a capital of Montenegrin tourism. With over 250,000 guests in 2005 summer season, which made over 1,600,000 overnight stays, it is by far most popular tourist destination in Montenegro.
A view of Budva as you arrive.Either because of 11,310 m of sandy beaches in and around Budva, or for its vast cultural heritage and beautiful architecture, Budva is attracting more and more foreign tourists every year. Coupled with vibrant nightlife, it makes Budva attractive destination for everyone.
Budva is popular among youth for its nightlife. Most visited places are open air clubs lined along the main pedestrian promenade, and few closed clubs that are opened after 01.00 AM (open air clubs are not allowed to play music after that time, because of the sound pollution regulations.)
Budva's most famous beach is Mogren. Nestled in-between several large cliffs it is accessed by a 500m pathway from Budva's Old town. Other beaches within official city limits include Ričardova glava (Richard's Head), Pizana, Slovenska (Slav Beach), Guvance. Many other beaches are located just outside of Budva in smaller adjacent towns and villages such as Becici, Jaz, Trsteno, Maestral, Miločer, Sveti Stefan, Pržno and Kamenovo.
Many would say that Budva is "colourful" because of the majority of buildings that have a distinct variety of colours. Since Budva is a city that is more focused toward new age architecture, much like Miami, the city outside its old town, does not hold many historical sights.
In the near vicinity of the town of Budva there are exclusive resorts such as town-hotel Sveti Stefan and Miločer, places frequented by various celebrities as well as local businessmen and politicians.
