Things to do in Kotor, Montenegro
Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro, located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. Wedged between towering mountains, the port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. The old town is a maze of museums, churches, and café’s. Kotor also has a large population of cats that have become a symbol of the city. The city has several cat stores and even a cat museum, there are literally cats roaming everywhere! Kotor is a beautiful place and old town is a place where past and present coexist. The city is filled with old cobblestone walkways and stone buildings but some have been converted to bars buzzing with live music. There is even castle top clubbing! Kotor has some remarkable scenic views too, all built between the 12th and 14th centuries. Extending over 4km, the city walls have protected Kotor for centuries. While most visitors come as a stop on a cruise from nearby Dubrovnik, Croatia, there is more then enough compelling things to do in Kotor that will make you want to stay! If you’re only visiting for a few hours you’re going to wish you could stay longer. I had the opportunity to spend a week in Kotor but could have easily stayed a month!
This is my short guide to Kotor, Montenegro!
Best Time to go
Given the small size of Montenegro as a whole, i’d say the best time to go is before or after the summer months. During the summer months Kotor can become very crowded with tourists on arriving cruise ships. I went in March and I found it perfect. There was plenty of room to explore the town without feeling overwhelmed, restaurants were all open, private boat trips were just starting up, and the temperature was not too hot/cold. In saying this though, a lot of the night clubs in Old Town were closed for the season. If clubbing if what you’re after or want to experience then coming during the summer months will be best!
Lodging
As far as lodging goes there are a lot of options and it really just depends on your budget and what kind of sleeping situation and experience you would like. Hostels provide cheap accommodations and give you the opportunity to easily meet a lot of new people and build great relationships. Whereas hotels provide you with the benefit of having your own room or apartment and you don’t have to worry about roommates or partying/noise issues.
Hostel Pupa
When I was in Kotor, I stayed at Hostel Pupa. This was a beautiful Hostel located right on the water and about a 5-minute walk from the core of old town. I stayed in a 4-bedroom shared room and it cost me around $25 a night. This is the quieter of the hostels, it’s outside of old town so you don’t get any of the noise from the bars. There was far less partying at this hostel but it’s close enough to old town that you can easily walk to find that if you’re looking for it. Security is great, The Hostel is locked at night and only residents with a key fob can get in. In each room everyone gets their own locking drawer to keep your personal belongings safe.
Old Town Hostel
If you’re looking for more of a community experience, then the Old Town Hostel might be for you. The prices are very similar to Hostel Pupa, maybe even a bit cheaper and it offers a very different experience. I found this hostel to be very popular, especially for people looking to meet new friends and be exposed to a variety of hostel led events. This hostel puts a big focus on their guest experience and hire people to organize events and outings for the guests. They want to push people to break out of their comfort zone and have a great time doing it! They have great guides that can show you all the great things to do in Kotor while you’re there!
Hotels
If you’re not one to stay in the communal living situations that Hostels provide there are a lot of Hotels and AirBnB’s in Old Town that provide amazing sleeping arrangements. Obviously, the prices per night can range from $50-$300 but you will have the option to have your own room or apartment and some provide some stunning balcony views of the bay! You miss out on the opportunity to meet new people easily, but if you’re an outgoing person and have no problem talking to strangers at restaurants/bars then you will be fine!
Things to do
Explore Old Town
I spent a lot of my time exploring Old Town. There are three main entrances into old town, River Gate, South Gate, and Sea Gate. Chances are you will enter through the main Sea Gate. From there, choose a direction and start walking! Spend your time getting lost down the maze of streets and alleys, stopping at the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Kotor Cathedral built in 1166) and the Church of Saint Nicholas (Built on the site of a church built in the 17th century) two main tourist attractions. The Old Town is actually pretty small so if you do get lost just keep walking and you will eventually run into one of the landmarks.
If you’re tight on time there are plenty of walking tours provided, jump onto one of those and they will take you to the main tourist points!
Hike up to St.Johns fortress
High above Kotor there are a mix of ramparts, gates, churches, and a St.Johns fortress. Construction started in the 9th century and by the 15th century they finally had completed a full loop up into the hillside.
During the daytime it is not easy to see the difference between the grey stones of the walls and the greyish rocks of the surrounding mountains, but at night the walls are illuminated and then Kotor looks magical! Seeing the lights along the mountain are amazing. It’s astonishing to think about what they had to do to build these walls up and over the hillside!
To get to the fortress most people weave their way through Old Town to the start of the trail head. There, there is a group of individuals who claim there is an eight Euro fee to walk up the stairs to the fortress. As I found out early on, this was just set up by a couple of locals who wanted to take advantage of the tourists heading up to the fortress.
My recommendation is the good and free alternative to Saint John’s Fortress which is the Ladder of Kotor. This is a trail that takes you along a series of switchbacks up the hill that begins just north of the Old Town. The hike is free to enter and better yet, free of crowds! On top of that, you get some beautiful views of the mountains towering over the trail as you climb higher.
The trail is not difficult either! It’s a slow steady incline which I’d gladly take over the 1,300+ stairs of the other trail. It would feel as if you’re spending an hour on the stair master!
This trail connects to the Kotor Fortress around the back and even gives you access to a beautiful old catholic church built over 1,000 years ago and the remains of quarters where families and possibly fortress defenders lived!
This was one of the best experiences and enjoyable experiences. I’d recommend going up for either sunrise or sunset. If you’re going to climb 1,300+ stairs mid day, make sure you bring lots of water with you and take breaks to cool down!
Once you get up to the fortress you’re rewarded with the most stunning view of the bay. Grab some water, take in the view, and spend some time wandering the ruins of what was St.Johns Fortress. When you decide to come down you can either go back down the Ladder of Kotor or go down the steps. If you go down the steps, you can stop at the Church of Our Lady Remedy along the way. Built in 1518 by the survivors of the 14th century plague, this place became a site for people to make pilgrimages to.
Blue Caves
If you have a free day you can arrange a boat ride around Boka Bay making stops at swimming spots like the Blue Caves which are famous for the iridescent blue hue reflected throughout. Located on Lustica Peninsula, it’s one of the most popular tourist spots and this is one of the largest sea caves on the Peninsula.
It’s called the Blue Cave because the way the light hits the sandy bottom and reflects up through the water and makes the whole cave look blue. The water is about 5 meters deep and the roof is about 9m high, which gives plenty of room for smaller boats to enter.
Island of Mamula
You can make a trip around the island of Mamula, a former Austro-Hungarian prison island which is like Montenegro’s version of Alcatraz. Known as Rondina during the Venetian Republic Rule, this was a fort built in 1853. Originally built to prevent the enemy’s entrance into the Bay of Kotor, it was later converted into a concentration camp in 1942 during WWII. You use to be able to stop on the island and look around but plans were approved in 2016 to turn this Island into a luxury Beach resort with a nightclub, spa, and restaurants. Since then the island has been closed to visitors.
Submarine Caves
While on the way back to Kotor from the Blue Caves, you can stop at these old WWII submarine caves.
The submarine caves were used to hide submarines during World War II. Built by the Yugoslavia army, these tunnels cut into the rock of the steep coast. The tunnels run about 100m into the rock, are about 10m deep, and the outsides of the opening are designed and covered by fake rocks so they would not be visible to satellites or spy planes!
There are three tunnels in total, one out towards the open sea and two others about 1-2km toward Tivat, in the Bay of Kotor. There are also a few abandoned Yugoslav Navy ships around. The runnels are dead ends, but you can drive a boat right in or swim in if you want! There are also side tunnels that run through the mountain. At one time they connected all the submarine tunnels.
Even if you don’t think it will be fun to see, I found it really amazing! From the outside it doesn’t seem like much but once you get inside the tunnels you really see how much work it took to build them and the size of the submarines they once housed!
Our Lady of the Rocks
While visiting the city of Perast, you can take a quick boat ride out to Our Lady of the Rocks, a church situated on a nearby manmade island. As legend has it, the Villagers built this island and church on the same spot two fishermen claimed to have seen a small light on a small ridge. When they got closer to inspect they saw an icon of Madonna. They brought it back to their church however, in the morning the icon was gone. When they went back to the water, they saw the icon was once again sitting on the ridge they had taken it from. From that point on when a ship would sail out of Perast, each sailor would throw a rock at the ridge to ensure safe passage.
Day Trips
Budva
Budva is one of the most popular cities on the coast of Montenegro. Beach lovers flock to Budva in the summer to hit the beach and party. We decided to rent a car and drive to find spot on Skadar Lake, near Budva to swim. During our trip we were using physical maps to avoid using our cellphone data. After driving for hours down tiny roads that were only wide enough for one car on the side of hills, we came to a very remote village on Skadar Lake. We were lost. There wasn’t much in this village and whatever there was it was closed. We had a good laugh as we realized there was no beach or swimming spots anywhere near here. We turned around and headed to Budva. Luckily Budva has a lot of beaches and we were quick to find one!
Perast
Up the coast, only 25km from Kotor is the tiny charming baroque town of Perast. Small in area, yet huge in historic importance. Perast has just one main street that runs along the shore. A bunch of small cafes and restaurants are located along the street. Chances are, if you’ve seen a postcard from Montenegro, It’s Perast. It’s famous for its maritime history during a period when it repeatedly held back Turkish attacks while the rest of the bay had fallen. You can visit either the Perast Town Museum or the Museum of Perast to get a glimpse into the towns history.