Petrovac

Where to shoot

• Sveti Stefan — a fortified islet village connected to the mainland by a sandbar causeway, first recorded in 1441 and now a private luxury resort.
• Petrovac's town beach — a 600-meter arc of reddish pebbles below the ruins of a 16th-century Venetian fortress.
• Sveta Neđelja islet — a tiny offshore islet topped by a chapel, rebuilt after the 1979 earthquake destroyed the original.
• Kastel fortress ruins — the 16th-century Venetian fortification that anchors Petrovac's beach promenade.

When to go

Late afternoon into sunset, when the light on the water and on Sveti Stefan's rooftops is at its best and the day-trip crowds have thinned out.

What to eat

Order fresh grilled fish or black risotto (crni rižot) at a konoba along the beach promenade, ideally with a view of the islets.

Where to stay

Stay in Petrovac itself for a quieter, cheaper base than Budva, still within a 15-minute drive of Sveti Stefan.