Ulcinj Adriatic townhouse

Ulcinj is Montenegro's southernmost coastal town, a short drive from the Albanian border, and it has a personality all of its own — a mix of Ottoman-era stone alleys, Adriatic seafront and a fifteen-kilometre sweep of sandy beach (Velika Plaža) that is one of the longest in the eastern Mediterranean. This 70-square-metre townhouse sits within the old town walls, five minutes' walk from the small harbour.

The house is on three levels: a small ground-floor storage and utility room, a first-floor kitchen and living area with a stone-arched window over the alley, and two bedrooms on the top floor with a shared bathroom and a rooftop terrace with sea views. Stone-and-lime construction keeps it cool in summer.

Foreigners can buy freehold property in Montenegro on the same terms as citizens; agricultural land is the only real restriction. Closing takes four to eight weeks through a local notary. Montenegro uses the euro despite being outside the EU, which simplifies transactions considerably.

Ulcinj old town has a working café culture, a handful of excellent seafood restaurants, and a Sunday market that draws sellers from both Montenegro and northern Albania. Podgorica airport (TGD) is a ninety-minute drive; Tirana (TIA) is two hours south. Ada Bojana — an island beach at the mouth of the Bojana River famous for river-mouth fish restaurants — is fifteen minutes away.