Montenegro · Bay of Kotor
Kotor
Venetian walls zigzagging up a cliff above the most fjord-like bay in the Mediterranean, which is not actually a fjord at all.
Kotor is a walled Venetian town tucked into the innermost corner of the Bay of Kotor, where grey limestone mountains drop straight into still water. Its UNESCO-listed old town is a car-free maze of squares, palaces and churches, and its walls zigzag up the cliff behind it to St John's Fortress, high above the bay. A short ride along the shore, the baroque village of Perast faces Our Lady of the Rocks, a church built on a man-made islet. Above it all, an old mule track and a hairpin road climb towards Lovćen.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Montenegrin
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Kotor
The walls ramps and steps climb the fortifications from the old town to St John's Fortress, with the whole inner bay laid out below
The old town a tight Venetian maze of flagstone squares, captains' palaces, Catholic and Orthodox churches and the town's famous cats
The bay mountains plunge into calm water, with stone villages like Perast and Dobrota strung along the shore
Up the mountain an old mule track and a road of hairpin bends lead to Lovćen's peaks and the ham-curing village of Njeguši
Best time to visit
Jun-Aug
28-32° days
42.425° N, 18.771° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Podgorica
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Weather & when to go to Kotor
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Hiking prime Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Kotor
June to August has the best weather and the heaviest cruise traffic: on multi-ship days the old town is packed from mid-morning to late afternoon, so walk it early or in the evening. Winter is very wet, as the mountains above the bay are among the rainiest places in Europe, and many boats and seasonal places close.
Top things to do in Kotor
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Kotor Old Town - wander the walled Venetian maze
history culture arts 👍 PopularEnter through the Sea Gate onto the Square of Arms and its clock tower, then get lost in lanes that open onto small squares, palaces with family crests and churches of both faiths, including tiny St Luke's, which long kept a Catholic and an Orthodox altar side by side.
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St John's Fortress - climb the city walls
history scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedA path of worn steps and ramps climbs inside the walls past the little Church of Our Lady of Remedy to the fortress ruins on the summit, with the old town's rooftops and the inner bay far below. Go at first light or late afternoon; the rock holds the heat.
-
Our Lady of the Rocks - boat to Perast's island church
history culture arts 👍 PopularSailors built this islet off Perast over centuries by sinking ships and dropping stones on a reef where an icon of the Virgin was said to be found. The blue-domed church is lined with votive paintings and silver plaques left by grateful seafarers. Small boats shuttle across from Perast's waterfront.
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Ladder of Kotor - hike the old mule track
hiking adventure scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedThe zigzag caravan path that once carried goods between Kotor and Njeguši climbs dozens of switchbacks up the mountain behind the walls, with the fortress shrinking below and the whole bay opening out. Rough stone and little shade: a stiff half day out and back, best started early.
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Bay of Kotor by boat - Perast, the Verige narrows and the Blue Cave
scenic 👍 PopularBoats from the old town quay run the length of the bay, past Perast and its two islands, through the Verige strait at its narrowest point and out to the Blue Cave on the Luštica peninsula, where sunlight turns the water vivid blue, and the island fortress of Mamula at the bay mouth.
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Cathedral of St Tryphon - Kotor's Romanesque cathedral
history culture artsConsecrated in 1166 and patched after centuries of earthquakes, the cathedral's twin bell towers front a square in the old town. Inside are fragments of medieval frescoes, a carved stone canopy over the altar and a treasury of reliquaries for the town's patron saint.
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Maritime Museum of Montenegro - the bay's seafaring past
historyA baroque palace in the old town filled with ship models, portraits of Boka sea captains, navigation instruments and weapons from the centuries when the bay's sailors crewed the fleets of Venice and Austria.
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Kotor's cats - the town's unofficial mascot
culture artsCats lounge on church steps, walls and cafe chairs across the old town, fed and looked after by residents, and the town has adopted them as its emblem. A small museum devoted to cats in art and postcards adds a quirky stop.
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Boka seafood and Njeguši ham
foodWaterfront kitchens around the bay grill the day's fish and serve black cuttlefish risotto and mussels cooked buzara-style in wine, garlic and breadcrumbs. Up the mountain, smoked Njeguši prosciutto and cheese are the classic pairing.
Best areas to stay in Kotor
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Kotor Old Town
First-time visitors $$Car-free walled maze below the fortress
Explore hotels in Kotor Old Town →
Dobrota
Sea-view stays $$Waterfront captains' houses north of town
Explore hotels in Dobrota →
Perast
Romantic hideaway $$$Baroque village facing the island churches
Explore hotels in Perast →
Tivat
Marina comfort $$$Palm-lined marina town near the airport
Explore hotels in Tivat →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Kotor
Getting to & around Kotor
Getting there
Fly into Tivat (TIV), a short taxi ride through the tunnel to Kotor; Dubrovnik and Podgorica airports are the alternatives
Flight
Tivat Airport (TIV)
From Tivat, taxis reach Kotor's old town in about 15-20 min through the tunnel under Mount Vrmac. Many travellers fly into Dubrovnik or Podgorica instead, each around 2 hr away by road.
Coach
Kotor bus station
Intercity coaches link Kotor with Budva, Herceg Novi, Podgorica and Dubrovnik; the station is a short walk south of the old town.
Cruise
Old Town quay
Cruise ships berth or anchor right beside the old town, and tenders land passengers at the quay by the Sea Gate.
Drive
From Croatia the coast road runs in past Herceg Novi; the short car ferry across the Verige strait between Kamenari and Lepetane saves the long drive around the inner bay.
Getting around
Walking
The car-free old town takes minutes to cross, and the flat waterfront path runs north to Dobrota.
Free
Local bus
Buses run around the bay to Dobrota, Perast and Risan and through the tunnel to Tivat; pay on board.
TBC
Taxi
Waiting at the old town and the bus station; handy for Perast in the evening and the airport.
TBC
Boat
Water taxis and tour boats leave the old town quay for Perast, the island churches and the bay mouth.
TBC
Car hire
Worth it for the Lovćen serpentine and the far side of the bay; parking near the old town is scarce in summer.
TBC
Day trips from Kotor
Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks
Half dayBaroque bay village
A one-street village of baroque captains' palaces and a tall campanile, facing two islands: the church of Our Lady of the Rocks, reached by small boat, and the cypress-covered monastery islet of St George.
Getting there
bus | car | tour
About 20 min by bus or car, or by boat from Kotor
Lovćen, Njeguši and Cetinje
Full dayMountain park and old capital
Climb the famous hairpin road above the bay, stop in Njeguši for smoked ham and cheese, walk up to the Njegoš Mausoleum on its Lovćen summit, then drop down to Cetinje, Montenegro's old royal capital.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1 hr up the serpentine road by car or tour to Njeguši
Lake Skadar
Full dayLake and wetlands
The Balkans' largest lake, shared with Albania: take a boat from Virpazar through water-lily channels and reed beds full of birdlife, with island monasteries and vineyards on the surrounding slopes.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5-2 hr by car or tour to Virpazar
Dubrovnik
Full dayWalled Adriatic city
Cross into Croatia for the marble streets and city walls of Dubrovnik. Border queues in summer can stretch the day, so leave early.
Getting there
bus | car | tour
About 2 hr by bus, car or tour, plus the border crossing
Ostrog Monastery
Full dayCliffside monastery
Montenegro's most revered Orthodox pilgrimage site, a white monastery built into a sheer cliff face high above the Bjelopavlići plain. Dress modestly; it is an active place of worship.
Getting there
car | tour
About 2.5 hr by car or tour
A little history of Kotor
Kotor has been a fortified port since antiquity, a Roman and then Byzantine town at the safest anchorage on this stretch of the Adriatic. In the Middle Ages it came under the Serbian Nemanjić rulers and grew rich on trade with the Balkan interior, then in 1420 placed itself under Venice, which held it for almost four centuries and built most of the walls and palaces seen today.
The bay's towns produced generations of sea captains who sailed for Venice and later Austria, and Perast's palaces were built on that wealth. After Venice fell, Kotor passed to Austria, became a major naval base, and joined Yugoslavia after the First World War. Earthquakes have repeatedly damaged the old town, most recently in 1979, the year it was inscribed by UNESCO.
The Cathedral of St Tryphon is consecrated
Kotor places itself under Venetian rule
An Ottoman fleet under Hayreddin Barbarossa besieges Kotor and fails to take it
A great earthquake devastates Kotor and the southern Adriatic coast
Venice falls and the bay passes to Austria
Sailors of the Austro-Hungarian fleet mutiny in the bay; at war's end Kotor joins the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
An earthquake damages the old town, and the Kotor region is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Montenegro becomes an independent state
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+382
FAQs about Kotor
▸ When is the best time to visit Kotor?
June to August is the best-weather window, warm and settled with the bay warm enough to swim, and it is also the peak of the cruise season. The months either side are cooler and quieter with more chance of rain, which suits the walls and the Ladder better than the beach. Winter is wet, and much of the boat traffic stops.
▸ How hard is the climb to St John's Fortress?
It is a steady climb up well over a thousand uneven stone steps and ramps, so allow one to two hours up and back with stops. Wear proper shoes, carry water, and avoid the middle of a summer day, when the exposed rock gets very hot.
▸ How do I avoid the cruise crowds?
Stay overnight. Cruise passengers fill the old town from mid-morning to late afternoon on busy days, and it empties by evening. Check the port's ship schedule, then do the old town early or late and spend the middle of the day on the bay, the Ladder or in Perast.
▸ Is the Bay of Kotor really a fjord?
Not geologically. It is often called the southernmost fjord in Europe, but it is a drowned river canyon rather than a glacier-carved valley. The effect is similar: steep mountains rising straight out of deep, sheltered water.
▸ Can you swim in Kotor?
Yes, but from small pebble beaches, rocks and concrete swimming platforms along Dobrota and around the bay rather than long sandy beaches. The water is calm and clear in summer; for open-sea beaches, head out to the coast beyond the bay.
▸ Do I need a car in Kotor?
Not for the old town or the shore villages, which buses, taxis and boats cover. A car makes the Lovćen serpentine, Njeguši and Cetinje easy, but the hairpins are narrow and parking near the old town is hard to find in summer.
More in Montenegro
Budva
Montenegro's beach capital: a walled Venetian old town on the sea, with the Riviera's sand and Sveti Stefan just down the coast.
✓ best May-AugHerceg Novi
The town of stairs at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, with a fortress for every empire that held it.
✓ best Jun-AugUlcinj
The Adriatic's longest sand beach, ending at a river island, below a former corsair stronghold.
✓ best May-Aug