Budva weather in January
January in Budva: cool, soaked, with clean air — not the time — 12 rainy days.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#12 of 12 months in Budva · #1206 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 46/100 (tier F)
- Days
- 12°C
- Nights
- 6°C
- Wet days
- 12
- Sun
- 5.9 h
- Humidity
- 76%
- Daylight
- 10 h

Traveller notes on Budva in January
Forum posters describe January as genuinely cold by local standards and notably wetter than the shoulder or peak season, with a jacket needed to feel comfortable in the roughly 5-15C range and indoor heating a must. Posters are direct that it rains a lot this time of year, and the old town's cobblestone streets get slippery underfoot when wet. Posters note this is deep off-season - few foreign visitors, many businesses closed - and that boat trips typically aren't running, but day trips to nearby Kotor old town, Perast and Tivat remain fully open and workable regardless of the weather.
Other months in Budva
Regulars are specific this remains the liveliest place in the entire country through the first half of the month, keeping that pace right through to the end of October in years when the weather cooperates. Our row backs that mild, genuinely wet read, 22.6C over 15.1C nights, with a substantial 167.1mm of rain across 8.5 days and humidity at 77 percent. Regulars are consistent a sunny day here can feel pleasantly warm while a rainy or windy one turns distinctly cool, layers - trousers, a t-shirt or light long sleeve, a fleece and a light waterproof jacket - the standard advice rather than packing for one extreme or the other. The sea sits at a warm 23.2C, holding up well this late in the season. The record: 8.4 hours of sun, a 9.8 kph wind and AQI 37.
Regulars describe May here as warm and comfortable for everything except the one thing beach towns are usually for: the sea stays chilly, around 18.8C on average, and even the record May reading only reached 22C. Our column agrees closely at 19.3C, matching the board's temperature of about 25C by day and 15 to 18C at night almost exactly to our 23.4C over 15.2C. Rain is real at 129.9mm across 10 days. The town itself is the quiet compensation - many seasonal bars and restaurants do not open until the last week of the month, so early May is crowd-free even by this coast's modest standards, and a second-half visit is the better bet for both a swim and a livelier evening. The record: humidity 75 percent, 11.4 hours of sun, a 9.9 kph wind and AQI 44.
September here is a month with a start date attached. Regulars advise against arriving before the 10th, some say the 15th, because until then the heat and the crowds are still August's; after that the party crowd has gone, the beaches are usable all day because the sun has lost its edge, and the sea is still 23 to 25C. Our row gives 24.3C, so the swimming holds. The figure they never mention is rain: 163.4mm, which falls across only 8.2 days at twenty millimetres apiece. That is the heaviest per-day rainfall in this batch and it means storms rather than showers - on the days it rains here, it rains properly. The record: 27C over 19.3C nights, 10.3 hours of sun and a 9.8 kph wind.
Late July into early August is peak on this coast in both senses, and regulars are blunt about the heat being inevitable and the beaches as occupied as Italy's. Our row gives 31.4C reading as 35C, and the reason it feels like that is the stillness - 9.5 kph is among the lightest winds anywhere in this collection, so there is nothing to take the edge off. The Adriatic is the compensation at 26.6C, tame and warm enough to be in for hours, and rain is a formality at 46.5mm across 5.2 precipitation days. For space rather than scenery they point along to Jaz; for the same coast quieter, June or September. The record: 23C nights, humidity 68 percent, 12.4 hours of sun and AQI 46.
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Budva climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Budva in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyOrthodox Christmas, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Budva's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Toughest weatherBudva's weather peaks June–August, best around July.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Budva in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Holiday
Orthodox Christmas
6–7 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresOn the evening of 6 January oak branches, the badnjak, are carried to church squares and burned before crowds, with church bells and sometimes gunfire at midnight; 7 January is a public holiday and many businesses close. Source ↗
- Season
Out of season
1 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosuresThe beach bars come down, the big hotels along the strip close and the old town keeps a few places open for locals. It rains a great deal and there is very little to do.
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Budva — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Budva?
Budva in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Budva?
- January in Budva: cool, soaked, with clean air — not the time — 12 rainy days. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Budva on SeasonMap's comfort score (46/100).
- What is the weather like in Budva in January?
- In January, Budva averages a daily high of 12.3°C and a low of 5.9°C, with about 176.3 mm of rain over roughly 11.7 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Budva in January?
- Budva has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 29 in January.
- Does it snow in Budva in January?
- Budva sees roughly 3.2 cm of snowfall in January.
Within 300 km: Dubrovnik's Advent in the old town on 28 Nov – 6 Jan, and Matera's Living nativity in the caves around 20 Dec – 6 Jan.