December – February

Winter in Montenegro

Ski slopes in the north, a mild and quiet coast – December to February

Overview

From December to February the coast is mild and quiet – around 12–14 °C by day, with the sea at 13–15 °C – while the mountains of the north become ski country. Come for New Year on the town squares, skiing on Bjelasica and Durmitor, the Mimosa Festival in Herceg Novi and Kotor's St Tryphon feast; expect rain on the coast and snow that varies a lot from one winter to the next.

Winter splits Montenegro in two. On the coast it is the quietest time of year: in January 2026 hotels across the country counted about 87% fewer guests than in August, days reach 12–14 °C and the towns belong to the people who live there. In the north the season runs the other way – in January Kolašin's hotels had more guests than in August, as skiers head for Bjelasica and Durmitor.

The calendar is full: New Year concerts on the squares of Budva, Kotor and Podgorica, Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, then St Tryphon's feast and the carnival in Kotor and the Mimosa Festival in Herceg Novi in February.

Plan around two things. Snow is not guaranteed – none of the resorts makes artificial snow, and in 2023/24 Kolašin 1600 and Savin Kuk did not open at all. And the coast is wet, with rain on about 14 days a month in Kotor in December and January.

Month by month

How the season changes from one month to the next, with average temperatures on the coast and in the mountains.

December

Festive lights, rain and the first snow

Kotor: 14° / 8°
Sea: 15°
Žabljak: 2° / -4°
Rainy days: 14

The coast stays green and mild, around 14 °C by day, but December is one of the wettest months, with rain on about 14 days in Kotor. Kotor Winter Fest, Podgorica's New Year market on Independence Square and the concerts outside Budva's Old Town fill the second half of the month. The ski resorts aim to open in mid-December, though in 2025 Kolašin 1600 started its season without snow.

Best for: New Year in the towns, city breaks, birds on Skadar Lake
Crowds: very low (hotel guests −85% vs August)

January

Peak ski season

Kotor: 12° / 6°
Sea: 14°
Žabljak: 0° / -7°
Rainy days: 14

The coldest month, with average highs around 0 °C in Žabljak and 12 °C on the coast, and the best chance of snow in the mountains. It is Kolašin's busiest month – in January 2026 the town's hotels had more guests than in August. Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January; on Christmas Eve the badnjak, a young oak branch, is blessed in front of churches, and Orthodox New Year follows on the night of 13 January.

Best for: skiing, snowshoeing, Orthodox Christmas
Crowds: lowest on the coast (hotel guests −87% vs August); Kolašin busier than in August

February

Mimosa, carnival and St Tryphon

Kotor: 13° / 7°
Sea: 13°
Žabljak: 2° / -5°
Rainy days: 9

Mimosa turns the Herceg Novi Riviera yellow, and the Mimosa Festival runs for about two weeks – in 2026 from 13 to 28 February. Kotor honours its patron St Tryphon on 3 February and holds its winter carnival later in the month; the 2026 procession was postponed by a week because of bad weather. In the mountains it is still ski season: in 2026 Kolašin 1600 kept skiing into April.

Best for: festivals on the coast, skiing, the first spring days
Crowds: very low (hotel guests −83% vs August)

Experiences

Signature experiences

Skiing on Bjelasica and Durmitor

Kolašin 1600, operated by the state-owned company Ski Resorts of Montenegro, has a six-seater lift up to 2,035 m and about 21 km of slopes, and right next to it is the private Kolašin 1450. In the 2025/26 season, an adult day pass cost €25 at Kolašin 1600 and €15 at Kolašin 1450. Savin kuk above Žabljak has 4.6 km of slopes and lifts up to 2,213 m. Neither ski resort has artificial snowmaking, so conditions depend on the winter.

New Year on the town squares

Montenegro sees in the New Year outdoors. Budva has held a public celebration on the square outside its Old Town for more than two decades, with several nights of free concerts; Kotor Winter Fest ran from late November to the end of January in 2025/26, and Podgorica holds its New Year market on Independence Square. Christmas comes twice: Catholics celebrate on 25 December, Orthodox believers on 7 January.

St Tryphon's feast in Kotor

Kotor's patron saint is honoured on 3 February, at the end of festivities that UNESCO dates from 13 January. On the following Sunday the Boka Navy dances its kolo in the Old Town before a procession carries St Tryphon's relics through the Old Town – in 2026 this was on 8 February. Later in the month the town holds its winter carnival.

The Mimosa Festival in Herceg Novi

Held since 1969, it is one of the longest-running festivals in the region. For about two weeks in February Herceg Novi has concerts, masked balls, carnival parades and a fish-and-wine feast along Kumbor, Đenović and Baošići that the tourist board says draws around 20,000 guests. The 2026 edition, the 57th, ran from 13 to 28 February.

Pelicans on Skadar Lake

The Dalmatian pelicans of Skadar Lake start nesting at the beginning of December, according to BirdLife; in January 2025 the national park counted 49 pelicans preparing nests. The winter waterbird census has been carried out in the park since 1991. Keep your distance from nesting islands; park entry is €5 a day.

Snowshoes and the frozen Black Lake

The Black Lake below Međed, 3 km from Žabljak, is frozen for about 70 days a year. The national parks rent snowshoes for €4 a day in Durmitor, Biogradska gora and Lovćen, and walks to the lake start from Žabljak, at 1,456 m the highest town in the Balkans.

Where to go

Durmitor, north

Žabljak and Savin Kuk

The highest town in the Balkans, at 1,456 m, with the Savin Kuk ski area about 3 km away: 4.6 km of runs, lifts up to 2,213 m and a floodlit lift for night skiing. Walks lead to the frozen Black Lake; Durmitor park entry is €5 a day.

Kolašin, north

Kolašin and Bjelasica

Montenegro's main ski town, 12 km below Kolašin 1600 and close to Kolašin 1450. From Podgorica take the motorway to Mateševo or the train – five a day in the 2026 timetable, about 1 h 20 min.

Bay of Kotor

Kotor

Winter is the quiet season in the Old Town: in January 2026 Kotor's hotels had about 6% of their August guests. Kotor Winter Fest in December and January, St Tryphon's feast on 3 February and the carnival later in the month.

Bay of Kotor, west

Herceg Novi

The town of mimosa. The Mimosa Festival fills February with concerts, parades and a fish-and-wine feast along the riviera; in February 2026 hotel arrivals were three times higher than in January.

Budva Riviera

Budva

The biggest New Year's Eve on the coast, with free concerts on the square outside the Old Town. The town keeps going all winter – its hotels still counted about 9,000 to 11,500 guests a month in winter 2025/26.

Virpazar, Crmnica

Skadar Lake and Virpazar

Wintering waterbirds and nesting Dalmatian pelicans on the largest lake in the Balkans, whose surface varies between 370 and 530 km². Virpazar hosts the Wine and Bleak Festival at the turn of February and March.

Cetinje, Njeguši

Lovćen and Njeguši

Snow on the mountain above the Bay of Kotor, snowshoes for hire (€4 a day) and a €3 park ticket. Njeguši is the home of Njeguški pršut: under its protected-origin rules, the meat is only taken in between 15 November and 15 February.

Where to stay

Where to stay this winter

Winter means Kolašin and Žabljak for the snow, and the coast for mild days.

Žabljak