Bay of Kotor Day Trip

The Bay of Kotor, an hour and a half or more south of Dubrovnik across the Montenegrin border, is one of the most dramatic landscapes on the Adriatic: a winding, many-armed bay pushed deep into the mountains, often described as the southernmost fjord in Europe, though it is really a drowned river canyon. Steep limestone walls drop straight to the water, and along the shore lie small stone towns built by the sea captains and shipowners who made the bay rich under Venetian rule. The day-trip highlights are Perast, a tiny Baroque town of palaces and bell towers, and the little island church of Our Lady of the Rocks just offshore, built on an artificial island and reached by a short boat ride; inside, among the votive paintings, is a famous tapestry embroidered over many years by a local woman, using threads of her own hair, while she waited for her sailor husband to come home. At the head of the bay is Kotor itself, a walled medieval town of squares, churches and cats, protected as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, with a zigzag of ramparts climbing the mountain behind it to the fortress of St John, a steep climb rewarded by a sweeping view of the bay. Organised tours from Dubrovnik usually follow the coast road through Herceg Novi and either drive round the bay or take the short ferry across the narrows at Kamenari, and some add the resort of Budva. Montenegro is outside the EU and Schengen, so bring your passport, and expect slow border crossings in summer; the local currency is the euro.

The border is the defining factor of this trip. The main crossing south of Dubrovnik, between Karasovići on the Croatian side and Debeli Brijeg on the Montenegrin side, is quick in winter and can be painfully slow in July and August, with waits of an hour or more in the middle of the day. Since the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational in April 2026, non-EU visitors are fingerprinted and photographed on their first exit and entry, which adds time. The best tours leave early in the morning to beat the queues, and in high summer some operators combine road and boat to save time. Allow a full day of ten to twelve hours.

In Perast, take the small boat out to Our Lady of the Rocks, where a tiny museum displays the tapestry and the maritime offerings of the town's sailors, and look across to the natural island of St George with its Benedictine abbey, which cannot usually be visited. In Kotor, walk through the Sea Gate into the Old Town and explore its squares, the Romanesque Cathedral of St Tryphon and the small Cat Museum. Fit walkers can climb the ramparts to the fortress of St John: there are many hundreds of uneven steps, an entrance fee is charged in season, and it is best done early or late in the day. Cruise ships also call at Kotor, so the Old Town can be very busy in the middle of the day in summer.

Choosing a tour: small-group tours that include Perast, the boat to Our Lady of the Rocks and free time in Kotor are the classic option. Private drivers give flexibility to stop at viewpoints above the bay or to add lunch on the water. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with comfortable temperatures and shorter border waits. If you have extra time, consider spending a night on the bay rather than doing it in a single rushed day; the light on the water in the early morning is unforgettable.