Plavi Horizonti beach (Lustica)

A rare sandy bay

In a stretch of Adriatic coast that runs mostly to pebble and shingle, Plavi Horizonti is a genuine sandy bay — and that alone makes it stand out. Set about 12km south of Tivat on the Lustica peninsula, it’s a sheltered horseshoe where the water shelves slowly and stays shallow and calm, backed by a stand of pines that throws welcome shade onto the sand. The combination — soft sand, gentle warm water, natural shade — makes it the best swimming beach within easy reach of Tivat, and notably gentler than the busy, often packed strips down at Budva.

The beach is free to use. You pay only if you hire a sunbed and parasol (roughly €5–10 for the day) or eat at one of the couple of seasonal cafes behind the sand. Facilities are deliberately limited, so this is a swim-and-laze beach rather than a resort.

Getting there, and when

There’s no easy bus, so the practical way in is a short drive or taxi from Tivat — about a quarter of an hour. A car park sits behind the beach, but it fills on summer weekends, so come earlier in the day in peak season to be sure of a space and a decent patch of sand.

Treat it as a half-day: the swim, a long laze under the pines, lunch at a beach cafe, and the short hop back. Families and weaker swimmers will especially like the shallow, sheltered water. Don’t come expecting nightlife or a long parade of bars — that’s Budva’s job, and this is the calm antidote to it. Bring water and a little cash for the sunbeds, check that the cafes are running if you’re visiting out of high season, and you’ve an easy, pretty Adriatic beach day a short drive from town.