Experience the best of Herceg Novi

Herceg Novi stands at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor on Montenegro's Adriatic coast, near the Croatian border, its old town stacked on a steep slope above the sea. It was founded in 1382 by the Bosnian king Tvrtko I and passed through Ottoman, Venetian and Austrian hands, leaving a mixture of stone gateways, a clock tower and fortresses such as the Spanish fort Španjola and the sea fort Forte Mare.

A long seafront promenade, Pet Danica, runs along the coast to the spa district of Igalo, and the Savina Monastery, an Orthodox complex among cypresses and old trees, stands on a hill above the town. The island fortress of Mamula guards the bay entrance, and the Luštica peninsula lies opposite. Mount Orjen rises behind the town, and Dubrovnik is across the border to the north-west.

Seafood, Montenegrin smoked ham and cheeses fill the local table, with Vranac, the country's best-known red wine, to go with them. Each winter, mimosa trees flower yellow along the coast, and the town celebrates them with a festival in late winter. Summers are warm and dry, and the sea is busy with swimmers.