When to travel to Montenegro: weather and seasons

Montenegro really has a Mediterranean climate on the coast, with alpine conditions in the mountains.

In the north, there's a continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall).

The central portion of the country encompassing the Zeta plain and the Bjelopavlici plain has a mixed continental and Mediterranean climate.

The highest mountain area, Karst, consists of plains of around 1,700m rising to peaks at around 2,000m. The climate is sub-alpine with cold snowy winters (up to 5m of snow in the mountains), and moderate summers averaging 270 hours of sunshine per month.

It's a different story on the Dalmatian coast. The coastal belt stretches narrowly along the Adriatic Sea from Herceg Novi on the west to the mouth of the river Bojana on the east. Here there's an Adriatic climate with hot, dry summers (up 40°C) and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland.

Summer on the coast begins in April and finishes at the end of October. It tends to be hot and dry with azure blue skies; usually a welcome sea breeze, the Maestral, cools the land during mornings and afternoons. The average summer coastal temperature is 27°C (81°F). Bora weather situations are frequent and sailors keep an eye on the mountains as cap clouds indicate an imminent Bora event.

Weather can change rapidly in the mountain regions where the climate is sub alpine and even during the summer months there is frequently a fresh, even chilly climate, a direct contrast to the stifling heat that is often prevalent on the Montenegrin Adriatic coastal area.
Winter in the mountains are cold and snowy with averages of 3°C and lows of -8°C while summer averages between 23 and 9°C.

Montenegro’s capital Podgorica, located in the southwest portion of the country, is the warmest city, with an average July temperature of 26°C (80°F) and an average January temperature of 5°C (41°F). Cetinje, in the Karst region and at an elevation of 2,200 ft (670 m), has an average temperature that is 10°F (5°C) lower. In central Montenegro, in the regions of Zetska and Bjelopavlicka plains, July temperatures are 26°C.

Average January temperatures range from 8°C (46°F) at Bar on the southern coast to -3°C (27°F) in the northern mountains.

Climate in Montenegro

Fahrenheit and centigrade, inches and millimetres, average values.

top of page>>

Our other Montenegro pages:

Useful facts, dates and links to help you plan your tour of Montenegro

Map of Montenegro

Book your hotel in Montenegro online