Montenegro moves from mountains to sea, plains to plateaus. David Ebershoff savors the tastes and sights of a rich and varied landscape

When Montenegro declared independence from Serbia in 2006, the final union of the former Yugoslavia broke apart. Since then, Montenegro—a small country of some 630,000 people—has been working hard to establish an international identity bigger than its size. Its language (known during Yugoslav days as Serbo-Croatian, and then just Serbian) is now officially called Montenegrin. The head of the long-exiled royal family, Prince Nicholas, has established a successful international art biennial in the mountainous town of Cetinje. And the national carrier, Montenegro Airlines, has a growing network to several European capitals. On my trip, I flew to Paris and connected to Montenegro Airlines for the flight to Tivat, 20 minutes from Kotor; on the return, I departed from the capital, Podgorica. In Tivat, I rented a car from Avis for $133 a day, including insurance and taxes (800-331-1212; avis.com), dropping it off at Podgorica's efficient new airport.

The country is so small that many of the top destinations are only an hour or two apart. The roads along the coast are generally well maintained and easy to navigate. At certain points around the Bay of Kotor, the road narrows to one lane, but that's part of the charm. The mountain roads are another story: Expect hairpins and thousand-foot precipices (and don't expect guardrails). Montenegro's mountain-warrior ethic presents itself in full terror on these roads: More than once I pulled over to re-steel my nerves to face the drivers flying around the curves.

The country code for Montenegro is 382. Prices quoted are for June 2008.

Lodging

Given Kotor's robust nightlife (there's nothing like a drunk beneath your window at 2 a.m.) and the beauty of the Bay of Kotor, I stayed outside the city. In the peaceful fishing village of Prcanj, only ten minutes by car from Kotor, the Hotel Splendido is magnificently situated at the water's edge. The rooms are clean and simple, but the views across the bay to the mountains are worth every euro. The waterside pool will bring out your inner sloth (82-301-700; splendido-hotel.com; doubles, $200–$212). In Sveti Stefan, the elegant Villa Montenegro is a small contemporary hotel in the hills overlooking the famous fishing village. The excellent, thoughtful service and sunset views offset the high prices (86-468-802; villa-montenegro.com; doubles, $210–$370). As of this writing, Amanresorts has not opened its hotel in Sveti Stefan, but keep an eye on amanresorts.com for news of the debut. In the capital, the sleek, almost hip Hotel Podgorica is on the banks of the white-blue Moraca River, about a ten-minute walk from the city center. The rooms are modern and well equipped for business travelers. The lobby bar can be a scene, in both the good sense and the bad (81-402-500; doubles, $270).

Dining

Seafood dominates many menus—grilled fish skewers, brothy fish soups, and cold salads of tuna and octopus. If you want something else, try a pizzeria: The proximity to Italy makes pizza and pasta typical Montenegrin fare.

At Bastion, in Kotor, waiters will debone a whole grilled fish at your table, and pancakes with apricot jam are a fine dessert (517 Stari Grad, River Gate; 82-325-116; prix fixe, $35). On the Bay of Kotor, in the former Venetian naval outpost of Perast, the stone palaces along the waterfront have been restored—including that of Captain Martinovic, now the pleasant Hotel Conte and Restaurant. Tasty fish skewers in mushroom-and-garlic cream sauce, grilled Adriatic fish, and Njegusški (the local sheep cheese) are served on the terrace and in the vaulted dining room (82-373-687; prix fixe, $40).

About 30 minutes from Sveti Stefan, just outside the gates to the old city of Bar, Kaldrma is a humble husband-and-wife restaurant specializing in the national cuisine. Plates of sheep and goat cheese, olives, cucumber and yellow pepper salad, eggplant and tomato topped with parsley, and lamb are served with tiny copper pots of Turkish coffee (85000 Stari Bar; 85-341-744; entrées, $10–$20).

One of the best restaurants in Montenegro, Stari Most ("Old Bridge"), also has one of the most enchanting settings: at the bottom of a fertile valley, alongside a sparkling river, within sight of a triple-arched Ottoman bridge. The only catch is the terrifying mountain road you have to drive to reach it. If you make it to the restaurant with your appetite intact, try the spicy fish broth, the fried pink trout, the boiled yellow potatoes dusted with parsley, and the apple strudel with yellow raisins. Stari Most is in Rijeka Crnojevica, off the main road between Cetinje and Podgorica (86-239-505; prix fixe, $80).

Reading

Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon is arguably the best book ever written about the Balkans, and is certainly a classic of travel writing. The writer and her husband toured the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the 1930s. A few superbly observed chapters are devoted to Budva, Podgorica, and Cetinje (Penguin, $25). Robert Kaplan's Balkan Ghosts is an astute, chilling portrait of Yugoslavia on the brink of civil war (Picador, $15). Realm of the Black Mountain, by Elizabeth Roberts, is an authoritative history of Montenegro from its pre-history through independence in 2006 (Cornell, $38).

This month, Bradt releases the third edition of its thorough travel guide Montenegro ($25).