Buljarica
The longest beach on the Budva riviera — 2,250 metres of sand, gravel and stone backed by a protected wetland, with almost nothing built on it.
Our verdict
Buljarica is the space the rest of the riviera lacks: a 2.25 km strand that starts sandy at the Petrovac end and turns to gravel and stone as it runs south-east, with a brackish marsh full of reed warblers behind it and olive groves beyond. One small organised sector, a campsite and a few seasonal bars are the sum of the development; the rest is yours. The wetland has been a Natural Monument since 1968, part of the Katič Nature Park since 2021 and a BirdLife Important Bird Area since 2023 — and the development proposals that resurface every few years are the reason to see it now.
Buljarica, in facts
The shore
Facilities
Access
Rules and character
Facts verified September 28, 2026 · Length: Budva Tourist Organisation and the Katič Nature Park plan give 2,250 m (72,850 m²); our 25-best list rounds up to 2.5 km · 10 more still to check on the ground
Buljarica in pictures
Some of these are ours, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0; the rest are licensed and are not.
Map
The shaded water is the official bathing zone for station Buljarica 03 — the stretch JP Morsko dobro actually samples, not an outline of the beach.
Getting there
15 km
Budva
16 km
Bar
30 km
Kotor
Straight-line distances — Montenegro's roads are mountain roads, so the drive is longer.
- On the The Roman Road walkThe Roman Road
- By carAbout 2 km south-east of Petrovac towards Bar; a signed parking area at the western end near the campsite, small and unmanaged
- 40 min on footsteep — The Roman Road walk continues from Lučice over the headland and drops to the western end of the beach
Today at Buljarica
Which way the beach faces is computed from the OpenStreetMap coastline, so onshore and offshore mean this shore and not the region. Forecast by Open-Meteo
Water and awards
Excellent
Latest official sample September 29, 2026: Excellent
Sea 21.9 °C when the sample was taken
10 of 10 samples Excellent across the 2026 season
Official result from JP Morsko dobro, station Buljarica 03
Open to the south-west: clear in calm weather, stirred by swell, and the wetland channels drain onto the beach after heavy rain
No award we can cite for this beach. Absence is information too.
Know before you swim
- Fully exposed to the south-west: waves and undertow build in any jugo and there is no lifeguard outside the small organised sector
- The reed beds behind the beach hide channels and soft ground — stay on the tracks
- Gravel and stone under the waterline away from the Petrovac end, rearranged by every winter storm
- The far eastern end is 2 km from the nearest bar with no shade or water — carry both
When the water is warm
Buljarica was at its warmest, 28.6 °C, on September 1, 2026, and at its coldest, 20.4 °C, on May 26, 2026. Every point is a real sampling visit with the temperature read on the spot, not a monthly average copied from somewhere else.
See all 10 samplings
| Sampled | Sea | Result |
|---|---|---|
| September 29, 2026 | 21.9 °C | Excellent |
| September 15, 2026 | 25.3 °C | Excellent |
| September 1, 2026 | 28.6 °C | Excellent |
| August 21, 2026 | 26.4 °C | Excellent |
| August 4, 2026 | 25.9 °C | Excellent |
| July 21, 2026 | 25.5 °C | Excellent |
| July 7, 2026 | 20.8 °C | Excellent |
| June 23, 2026 | 22.0 °C | Excellent |
| June 9, 2026 | 22.8 °C | Excellent |
| May 26, 2026 | 20.4 °C | Excellent |
Season by season
Buljarica has been sampled 30 times since 2024, and the water came back Excellent every single time.
| Season | Samplings | Excellent | Below | Jul–Aug mean | Warmest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | — | 24.1 °C | 27.7 °C |
| 2025 | 10 | 10 | — | 23.5 °C | 26.1 °C |
| 2026in progress | 10 | 10 | — | 24.7 °C | 28.6 °C |
Licensed as
The state leases this coast lot by lot. Buljarica is tendered as 19 lots covering about 1,416 m of shore, each with an official category.
| Category | Lots | Shore |
|---|---|---|
| Family bathing | 19 | 1,416 m |
About 29,140 m² in total. This is what has been licensed, not what we saw: the number of sunbeds, toilets and showers on a lot is fixed in the signed lease, which is not published. JP Morsko dobro tenders
Nearby beaches
Buljarica and its neighbours
The same nine measures for the beaches you could reach the same day. Bold means it differs from this one.
| Measure | Buljaricathis beach |  Lučice1.5 km |  Petrovac2.5 km |  Čanj4.6 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | sand and fine pebble | sand and fine pebble | sand and fine pebble | sand and fine pebble |
| Entry | moderate | gentle — differs | gentle — differs | moderate |
| Depth | shallow | shallow | shallow | shallow |
| Shade | umbrellas for hire | trees and umbrellas — differs | umbrellas for hire | umbrellas for hire |
| Character | organised and free sections | organised — differs | organised — differs | organised — differs |
| Length | 2.2–2.5 km | 0.2–0.3 km — differs | 0.6 km — differs | 1.1–1.2 km — differs |
| Latest water | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Crowd | quiet | quiet | busy in season — differs | quiet |
| Getting there | by road | by road | by road | by boat — differs |
Stay near Buljarica
All stays in Petrovac →
The full guide
Read the Buljarica guide
Everything above is the short form. The guide has the sources, the sector codes, the sampling dates and the things that change within a season.
Questions
- How long is Buljarica really?
- The Budva Tourist Organisation and the Katič Nature Park management plan both give 2,250 m and 72,850 m²; our list rounds it to 2.5 km. Either way it is the longest beach on the Budva riviera and the second-longest on the coast after Velika plaža at Ulcinj.
- Can I camp at Buljarica?
- There is a campground behind the beach, listed by the Budva Tourist Organisation; wild camping on the beach or in the wetland is not allowed — it is a protected area.
- Is the wetland protected?
- Yes, in layers: the beach was declared a Natural Monument in 1968, the marine and coastal area became the Katič Nature Park in 2021, and BirdLife listed the marsh as Important Bird Area ME006 (205 ha) in 2023 for its moustached warblers. It is not a Ramsar site, and development tenders were contested in 2025.
- How do I get there without a car?
- Walk the Roman Road from Petrovac via Lučice — the whole circuit is about 8 km — or take the Budva–Petrovac bus to Petrovac and walk the 2 km road. We have not confirmed a bus stop at the beach itself.
Sources
- montenegro.com — Buljarica beach guide (/cities/petrovac/buljarice) and Buljarica wetland guide (/cities/petrovac/buljarica-wetland)
- Budva Tourist Organisation (budva.travel) — attraction 31 (Buljarica)
- Katič Nature Park management plan 2023–2027 and BirdLife IBA ME006 (2023), as cited in our guides
- montenegro.com — Petrovac city hub and “25 Best Beaches in Montenegro” (2026 list)
- OpenStreetMap — beach ways 156809749 (Plaža Buljarica, centre used) and 156809745 (south-eastern section)