Zelenika

Zelenika is a coastal village just east of Herceg Novi, on the northern shore of the Bay of Kotor. It is around 4 km from the Herceg Novi old town and lies between Kumbor and Meljine along the coastal road and promenade.

Zelenika was the Adriatic terminus of the narrow-gauge railway from Bosnia, which reached the coast here in 1901 and closed in the 1960s. The line brought the area its first tourists, and the village keeps a green, faintly Austro-Hungarian character.

The name comes from the local word for greenery, and it fits: the village is unusually lush even by the standards of this coast, with subtropical planting introduced during the Austro-Hungarian period still shading the streets and gardens.

Yes, quiet pebble beaches and concrete bathing platforms along the shore, backed by pines and greenery. The water is sheltered bay water — calm and clear — and the beaches stay far less crowded than those in Herceg Novi and Igalo.

It suits a calm, green base within easy reach of Herceg Novi. Accommodation is mostly private apartments and small guesthouses, there is little nightlife, and the promenade and frequent buses make the old town and Igalo simple to reach.

Swim and walk the shoreline promenade, look for traces of the old railway, visit the nearby Savina monastery and Herceg Novi's fortresses, and take boat trips into the bay or out to the Blue Cave and Mamula.