Day 39: Herceg Novi to Budva

July 12, 2026

Day 39: Herceg Novi to Budva

This morning, I woke up at 4:45 and got on the road at 5:30.

The first part of the route was easy as I cycled along the coast on the promenade. Then I took the free ferry, at least it’s free for cyclists, from Kamenari to Lepetani so I didn’t have cycle around the inner Bay of Kotor. For the rest of the way to Budva I was on the E80, which is the only road to Budva. Luckily, the road has two lanes going each direction despite the fact that the right lane is being worked on. I felt safe for the most part even though the road felt like a highway.

When I turned off E80 I saw a cafe called Caffe Firma and I decided to get something to eat. As soon as I parked my bike it started to rain out of nowhere. I was glad of my decision and spent about an hour at the cafe eating an omelette along with a cup of coffee and avoided the rain.

There was a Syrian guy who saw me and immediately started speaking Mandarin to me. I was so shocked that he spoke fluent Chinese. He had lived in China for 15 years and seemed to like it there very much. It was a delight for me to practice my Mandarin with him in a small cafe in Montenegro, of all places.

When the rain died down, I cycled up one big hill. On the way down I had to be extra careful and not to go too fast since the road was wet and there were some hairpin turns. I heard my back wheel slid on one of the sharp turns but I didn’t crash. I really hate going downhills with sharp turns when the ground is wet. When I reached the bottom of the hill I arrived at the Newborn Hostel after riding 25 miles from Herceg Novi.

While waiting to check in, I chatted with some travelers. There were three guys who were hitchhiking to Dubrovnik. They are definitely the freewheeling type of guys who don’t even know where to spend the night and letting the journey decide for them.

I also met a traveler named Adrian. He’s from Poland and is 29 years old. After checking in, we decided to walk to the old town together. We visited Church of Saint John the Baptist, Citadela Budva, and the Budva ballerina sculpture.

I feel like I was talking to myself because Adrian and I have so much in common. We have similar beliefs about life, money, and freedom. Adrian works as a freelance logistics manager and wants to be financially independent by the age of 35. I recommended the book that I’m currently reading, The Art of Spending Money, since he also read The Psychology of Money by the same author.

There weren’t much to see in Budva after visiting the old town so we came back to the hostel. Adrian and I might meet up again for dinner. After that I will get some sleep. Tomorrow there will be more hills, but only 23 miles to Bar. I plan on doing the same thing, waking up around sunrise and start my ride early.