Budva Citadel
Castio Svete Marije (Citadela)
Fortress at the Old Town’s southern tip with views over the bay.
The citadel forms the southern section of the defences connected to town walls and towers. Stone terraces lead to viewpoints over the sea and Sveti Nikola Island.
How to Get There
On foot from Budva center ~15-22 min.
From TIV airport (Tivat) by taxi/transfer ~26 min.
From TGD airport (Podgorica) by taxi/transfer ~52 min.
Description
What this place is
Budva Citadel is the southern stronghold of the Old Town, crowning a rocky headland above the sea. Shaped from the Middle Ages onward, it closes the town walls into a defensive loop and dominates the maritime approaches.
Key features
- Sea-facing ramparts ~160 m long – the main coastal curtain tied into the town walls.
- Remains of Santa Maria de Castello – traces of the early sacred core removed during 19th-century Austrian works.
- Austro-Hungarian stone barracks – the citadel’s most prominent interior mass.
- Library and small museum – collections of Balkan maps and Budva history within the fortress.
- Active cultural venue – summer concerts and theatre in the courtyard.
What to see
- Wall-walks and lookouts over the Adriatic and the Old Town.
- Ruins of Santa Maria de Castello and masonry details in casemates.
- Rooms with maps and rare books, plus the open-air stage.
History
First recorded in 1425, the stronghold was known as the Castle of St Mary and grew through the Venetian era (15th–18th c.). For a time after leaving Prevlaka, the Zeta Metropolitan had his seat here.
In the 19th century, Austrian authorities refashioned the citadel, erecting barracks and demolishing the small church of Santa Maria de Castello. After the 1979 earthquake, the yard was adapted as an open-air venue. Long state-owned, the site is now privately managed, combining museum and hospitality uses.
