What to bring back from Montenegro: the best souvenirs as keepsakes and gifts

What to bring back from Montenegro? What souvenirs can you take home as a memento? These questions are often asked by those who come here on vacation or to visit. To be honest, the choice is not so obvious due to a number of features of this country. In this article, I want to tell you about what would be a really good and authentic memento or gift from the Land of Black Mountains.

What is the problem with choosing a souvenir from Montenegro?

When people first arrive here on vacation, as is traditional for resort towns, they are greeted by souvenir shops that accompany them throughout their trip. However, here more than anywhere else, most of the souvenirs are ordinary Chinese consumer goods.

Montenegro has virtually no manufacturing industry; its economy is based on the service sector ^[1]. Goods are imported from other countries, including wet wipes from Kosovo. As a result, the souvenir market is dominated by goods that you can easily order on AliExpress at 10 to 30 times cheaper prices. At best, you will be able to buy something from Serbia, which is considered a high-quality product here.

Therefore, if you are not keen on bringing back a magnet made in China from another country, it is worth taking a thorough approach to finding and choosing a souvenir.

In most cases, it will be something homemade or produced in small batches. But this will significantly increase the value of such a gift, as a knowledgeable person will immediately understand that you have gone to a lot of trouble.

Foods

Olive oil

Olive trees grow exceptionally well on the coast of Montenegro. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will be able to visit here without encountering a couple of olive groves. You may even decide to see the oldest olive trees in Europe, one of which is located near Budva on the road to Ivanovici Cave.

Olive oil production is highly regarded here, but you will hardly find anything locally produced on store shelves. For this, it is better to go to a fair, market, or ask the owners of an olive grove.

When traveling around the country by car, you will see advertisements by local residents, sometimes written on a piece of cardboard or a board, indicating that they are selling various homemade products.

If you are lucky enough to be in Montenegro in the fall, you simply must visit the Maslinada festival. It traditionally takes place in Old Bar at the end of November.

Take a bottle of freshly pressed oil as a gift, and at the same time you can see how olives grow and learn more about how oil is produced from them.

In stores, I found Barsko zlato oil produced in Bar and Odiva (a Podgorica-based company).

Pršut

A traditional local dish consisting of pork ham dried in the wind and sun or smoked, then sliced thinly. It originated from Italian prosciutto, but differs significantly in taste. ^[2].

To my untrained eye, it looks very tasty. Locals serve it with sheep’s cheese, olives, and sometimes melon. I prefer to eat it simply with bread.

Be extremely careful when buying from local residents. It is not uncommon to find spoiled and even worm-eaten products.

My advice is to buy it in a store. In large supermarkets such as Voli, IDEA, and HDL, you can easily find various types of prosciutto, both whole legs and sliced in packages.

Alcoholic beverages

Wine

Montenegro has an entire region that traditionally engages in viticulture and, as a result, produces wine. It is located between Podgorica and the Sutorman Pass, in the Skadar Lake area. The climate here is favorable for growing grapes, which is why both private and commercial plantations have filled these lands. The most popular grape variety is Vranac.

The main wine producer in Montenegro is Plantaže. Its vineyards near Niagara Falls, close to Podgorica, can be seen from the airplane window as you approach the city. Their best wine (here and below, according to Wine-Researcher) ^[3] ) — Plantaze Reserve Vranac (costs around €28 for a 0.75L bottle). Among the more affordable options is Plantaze Crnogorski Vranac (≈ €8). If you prefer something other than Vranac, you may consider the Plantaze Crnogorski Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

Rakia

In Montenegro, as in other countries of the Balkan Peninsula, rakia has become particularly popular. It is a strong drink (40 to 60% alcohol) made by distilling fermented fruit. It is the local equivalent of moonshine or brandy. Plums are most often used for its production, but any fruit is suitable, including grapes, peaches, apricots, apples, pears, and many others.

Tourists usually prefer to buy homemade rakia. I am not a fan of this drink, but I can say that it is better to buy it from people you trust. The easiest way is if you are staying in a hotel or an apartment with locals. Ask them where to buy rakia, and they will surely have a relative who makes this drink.

In another case, you can try to buy it at a local fair or market.

The store offers quality rakia from Plantaže and Malesia ^[4]. (Biotehnički fakultet Podgorica)/ All these products are made in Montenegro from ingredients grown right here.

The selection on supermarket shelves is much richer, but mainly features manufacturers from Serbia. If this is not important to you, you can also consider their products.

Ideas for souvenirs from Montenegro

Postcard

I really love receiving and sending postcards. There’s something about them that reminds me of the past, when you could touch a letter, read it, and look at the picture.

A postcard as a souvenir is a good idea, whether you send it to yourself or to friends or loved ones. Go to any Montenegrin post office, buy a postcard and a stamp for it (a stamp for a postcard to other countries costs €1). ^[5] ). Sign it and drop it in the mailbox.

It could be the nearest mailbox to your home, or perhaps one in a landmark location. For example, a mailbox in the historic center of Kotor.

Also, if you’re already at the post office, see if there are any interesting stamps for friends who are into philately.

Coins and banknotes

Since Montenegro does not have its own national currency and uses the euro without the right to issue money, bringing back interesting coins from vacation may seem like a difficult task. However, over the past 100 years, Montenegro has used the following currencies: Perpers, various issues of Yugoslav dinars, Reichsmarks of the Third Reich, and German marks of the Federal Republic of Germany. These may be of interest to collectors or simply make for a nice souvenir from your trip.

The easiest way to find old coins and banknotes in Montenegro is to visit the flea market in Podgorica. And if you are interested in learning more about the history of money in this small country, be sure to visit the Money Museum in Cetinje!

Back in Kotor, in the central square, there was a machine for producing souvenir elongated coins, which, as far as I know, is the only one in the country.

This article is currently being written and will be updated.

1. Montenegro economy. The World Factbook – CIA [онлайн]. 25
   ноября 2024 [дата обращения 10
   декабря 2024]. Режим доступа:
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2. MARTYNOVA, Marina. Pršut as an Element of Cultural Convergence in the Food Habits of Croats, Montenegrins, and Serbs.  Etnograficheskoe obozrenie [онлайн]. 2020, (4), 42–56 [дата обращения 10 декабря 2024]. ISSN 0869-5415. Режим доступа: doi:10.31857/s086954150010832-5[↩]
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   https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-montenegro[↩]
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   апреля 2024 [дата обращения 10
   декабря 2024]. Режим доступа: https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-montenegro[↩]
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   https://www.postacg.me/wp-content/uploads/cjenovnik-22.pdf[↩]