Montenegro: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

~ Annalisa Rellie (Author)
Key Phrases: ski bar, luxe category, Herceg Novi, Diners Club, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Her descriptions exude physical beauty, comfort and historical treasures bequeathed by successive civilizations . . . . One of the more comprehensible short histories of the Balkans I have seen."
--San Francisco Chronicle

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

This is the first full-length guide published in English to explore all the attractions of the little-known country of Montenegro. From natural history and mountain walks to seaside breaks and hidden monasteries and churches, this guide covers every aspect of the history of this oft-embattled republic and the wide-ranging variety of its cultural heritage. Architectural gems from medieval times vie with Venetian fortresses and churches for the attention of visitors; and along the eastern border lies Lake Skadar, a nature lover's dream with national park status. Detailed coverage of the capital, Podgorica, and the gateway city of Dubrovnik is provided. Also included is practical information on planning and preparation: from visas, flights, and accommodations to information on local culture, food, and local transport. The publication will coincide with a major relaunch of the country as a holiday vacation by the Montenegrin tourist organization.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 1st edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841620645
• ISBN-13: 978-1841620640
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,324,741 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #62 in

  Books > Travel > Europe > Serbia & Slovenia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Guidebooks ... but ..., December 17, 2005

By	Readz Alot (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Montenegro, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

Bradt should be commended for producing guidebooks to locations that few other companies (even the ubiquitous Lonely Planet) have tried to tackle.

This books is typical for the series -- exploring out of the way and little known destinations and offering a mixture of practical information and cultural background.

The one flaw of the book is one common to most guidebooks in the series. Information about opening hours for sites tends to be sketchy at best. They USUALLY give hours for museums, but not for other sites. If one is spending several months in a place, this may not be a problem, but if a traveller is trying to plan a vacation and has limited time, it can be very helpful to know when specific sites are open. Also, while the hotel information is quite detailed, complete with prices; restaurant info is also sketchy, rarely providing opening hours/days, and almost never giving more than the vaguest indication of price. ("Moderate" isn't much help, really!)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars definitive guidebook to emerging destination, July 27, 2008

By	traveler 21 "traveler 21" (washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Montenegro, 3rd (Bradt Travel Guide) (Paperback)

Annalisa Rellie has written a smart, indgithful and passionate survey of this fascinating small country. Her descriptions tend towards the poetic but her insight is strong. It's a thorough and authoritative guide which I found to be really practical and useful. Well done Mrs. Rellie, and well done Bradt.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, December 1, 2006

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Montenegro, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/06)

The Balkans are an area that the Westerners rarely dare to tackle, whether in writing or in person; and when they do attempt to do it, all too often they end up in a convoluted maze of sentiments, ideas and facts so incomprehensible to them that they either give up or leave with a totally wrong impression. Therefore it was so very refreshing to read such a well researched travel guide as this guide to the tiny country of Montenegro.

Let me start by saying that some of my family roots actually are from Montenegro and I also worked there as a tour guide many years ago. Studying the history and the people of the truly amazingly beautiful country of Montenegro made me fall in love with it even more deeply. Well, it seems that something similar happened to Annalisa Rellie. Her love for Montenegro and the desire to truly understand this magical country and its charming inhabitants shines from every page.

This is an exceptionally useful guidebook with all of the usual, expected information; but it will also give you an unprecedented insight into the reality of everyday life in Montenegro. Ms. Rellie included even such tidbits as what are the little white squares of paper pinned to roadside trees (burial notices) and what do the different color of borders on them mean (well, for that you should get the book and find out yourself...) Her descriptions of locations are extremely picturesque and very visual, down to the two dogs chained by a local inn in the mountains. She definitely took me on a trip down memory lane with her vivid portrayals of locations, events and people.

As I mentioned previously, the guidebook includes all of the usual, expected and useful sections on geography, history, economy, people, politics, and practical information on when and how to travel and what to do and not to do, as well as extensively researched guide to sights, tastes and sounds of Montenegro. (And yes, I agree with Ms. Rellie that most of Montenegrin music is an acquired taste for Westerners ears... Oh, most definitely so...)

You will even find a section with several very authentic, very tasty recipes for traditional dishes - which made me extremely hungry! If all of that is not adventurous enough for you, Ms. Rellie included information on a side trip to Albania. It does not get much more adventurous as that...

I was quite impressed by the accuracy of spelling throughout the book, especially in view of the fact that the language in Montenegro has been evolving greatly in the last couple of decades. There are some cute misspellings (wrong word for cheese in the glossary...) and some not-so-cute ones (consistent misspelling of the name of the former Yugoslav president...), but overall nothing too distracting.

Well written, well researched, with a selection of wonderful photographs showing a tiny fraction of the natural beauty of Montenegro, this guidebook, "Montenegro," will be of great help to anybody desiring to visit this jewel of a country.