The beautiful seaside town of Budva in Montenegro offers a lesser-known alternative to tourist-filled destinations such as Dubrovnik in Croatia.
The historic town, built by the Venetians and shaped by the Byzantine Empire, has evolved from a port town on the Adriatic Sea to a bustling destination with stunning restaurants and lively nightlife.
More recently, the town has gained a unique reputation as the place where Ukrainians and Russians head to in order to forget the ongoing war between the two nations.
There are also many Russians and Ukrainians in Budva who have fled their home country for various reasons and are working hard to make it their home.
Montenegro has granted Ukrainians temporary protection status, with the most recent figures from September last year showing more than 10,000 people had benefited from the scheme, while many people have arrived also from Russia and Belarus.
The war, currently in its third year, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and has disrupted those of millions more as people become displaced, injured or forced to fight.
Aside from the lure of work and welcome, Budva is an enticing destination, appealing to those looking for permanent residence or temporary respite.
Steve Hanson, whose travel blog Senior Travel Expert offers ideas, tips and offers to older travellers, said Budva has a different atmosphere to the capital of Croatia.
He told Express.co.uk: “Although Budva is only a short distance down the Dalmatian Coast from the bustling Croatia tourist resort area of Dubrovnik, it is a world apart.
“You still have the dazzling Adriatic Sea with fine beaches amid a backdrop of dramatic rocky cliffs, but the whole atmosphere is much more relaxed and laid-back.
“The nearby unique, fjord-like Bay of Kotor area is a picturesque bonus feature.”
Just 56 miles south of Dubrovnik, Budva has been hailed as a stand-out attraction on the Montenegrin coastline, with its Medieval Old Town, lively nightlife and sun-kissed beaches.
The town is hot and sunny from June to August, with some afternoon thunderstorms and a few rainy days more likely in June. Although there’s a sea breeze, there can be very hot and sultry periods in summer, with highs of 34C to 35C or more.
As people from two warring nations mingle together, there has been little in the way of trouble as one might reasonably expect.
Local Savo Dobrovic told the BBC: “Our people respect the Russian and Ukrainian people; I simply haven’t noticed any bad relations.”
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