Budva Old Town

What is this place

Budva Old Town is a walled medieval settlement on a low peninsula (originally an island later linked to the mainland), encircled by stone ramparts and bastions. It remains a lived-in quarter with churches, a museum and the Citadel, fully restored after the 1979 earthquake.

Key features

• Continuous curtain walls with gates and the Citadel – a textbook fortified Adriatic town.
• Core fabric of narrow lanes, small squares and stone houses; active churches: St John, Holy Trinity, Santa Maria in Punta.
• City Museum holding antiquities and medieval finds – artifacts from the 5th c. BC to modern times.
• The southern Citadel preserves St Mary’s remains, sea-facing ramparts and terraces with bay views.
• Major post-quake restoration after 1979 retained the historic layout and appearance.

What to see

• The Citadel and sea walls with viewpoints.
• Churches: St John (former cathedral), Holy Trinity, Santa Maria in Punta.
• Budva City Museum with ancient helmets, pottery and daily-life items.

History

Antique Butua is attested early; under Rome it grew as a fortified oppidum. In the Middle Ages it belonged to Byzantium, later to Serbian realms, and from the 15th century to Venice, when the wall circuit and towers took shape.

Severe earthquakes in 1667 and 1979 caused heavy damage; after 1979 the Old Town was comprehensively restored, conserving masonry and façades. Today it is a lived-in historic quarter with museums and churches.

Practical information

Location: south Budva by the marina, on the Old Town peninsula.

Getting there: walk from the town gate; paid parking by the marina and outside the walls; inside is pedestrian-only.

Access: Old Town is free to enter; Citadel and the museum are ticketed.

Visiting hours: year-round by day; individual sites have their own hours.

Visit duration: 1–2 hours for a stroll; up to 3 hours with museum and Citadel.

Best time: morning/golden hour for softer light; expect summer crowds.

Notes: modest dress for churches; cobbles can be slippery after rain; paid parking zones near the port.