Kotor Old Town and St Tryphon Cathedral
A walled medieval port of marble lanes, small squares and Romanesque churches at the head of the bay, protected by UNESCO since 1979. Free to wander, with St Tryphon Cathedral at its heart.
Half a dayDetails →
Montenegro
Kotor
Kotor is the walled town at the very end of the Bay of Kotor, where grey limestone mountains drop almost straight into still green water and a medieval Venetian port sits tucked beneath them like something kept safe.
Its Old Town is a tight knot of marble lanes, small squares, Romanesque churches and sea captains’ palaces, protected with the whole bay as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, and above it the city walls zigzag up the mountainside to the Fortress of St John, 260 metres above the rooftops. Around the bay lie the stone villages that grew rich on shipping: Baroque Perast, with its tall bell tower and the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks just offshore, and quiet harbours where locals still swim from the quays. Over the mountain is Lovćen National Park and the mausoleum of the poet-prince Njegoš; down the coast are Budva’s old town and the island village of Sveti Stefan. This guide shows you how to climb the walls without the midday heat and the cruise crowds, which boat trips are worth it, how to fit Perast, Budva and Lovćen around Kotor, and which hotel suits your trip, from palace rooms on the Old Town squares to a resort on the water.
Don't miss
Our Lady of the Rocks Island Church, Perast
A tiny blue-domed church on a man-made island off Perast, built up stone by stone by local sailors, with a museum of votive paintings and a famous embroidery stitched with human hair. A short boat ride from the Perast waterfront.
Maritime Museum of Montenegro
The story of the Bay of Kotor’s sailors, captains and shipowners, told in an early eighteenth-century Baroque palace in the Old Town: ship models, portraits, weapons, charts and family rooms.
Kotor Old Town and St Tryphon Cathedral
A walled medieval port of marble lanes, small squares and Romanesque churches at the head of the bay, protected by UNESCO since 1979. Free to wander, with St Tryphon Cathedral at its heart.
Kotor City Walls and St John Fortress
A steep stone path zigzags up the mountain behind the Old Town along the medieval ramparts to the Fortress of St John, 260 metres up, with one of the great views of the Adriatic over the bay.
Things to do in Kotor
Kotor City Walls and St John Fortress
A steep stone path zigzags up the mountain behind the Old Town along the medieval ramparts to the Fortress of St John, 260 metres up, with one of the great views of the Adriatic over the bay.
Our Lady of the Rocks Island Church, Perast
A tiny blue-domed church on a man-made island off Perast, built up stone by stone by local sailors, with a museum of votive paintings and a famous embroidery stitched with human hair. A short boat ride from the Perast waterfront.
Perast Baroque Town and St Nicholas Bell Tower
A tiny Baroque town of sea captains’ palaces and churches strung along the water about 12 kilometres from Kotor, with a 55-metre bell tower and the bay’s two islands just offshore.
Half a dayDetails →
Maritime Museum of Montenegro
The story of the Bay of Kotor’s sailors, captains and shipowners, told in an early eighteenth-century Baroque palace in the Old Town: ship models, portraits, weapons, charts and family rooms.
Ladder of Kotor Hiking Trail
The old switchback mule track that climbs from the back of Kotor towards Lovćen, passing behind St John Fortress. A steep, free, half-day hike with ever-widening views of the bay.
2 to 5 hoursDetails →
Bay of Kotor Boat Tour to the Blue Cave
The classic speedboat or small-boat day on the water: out through the bay past Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks to the open sea, the island fort of Mamula and a swim in the glowing Blue Cave.
Budva Old Town and Citadel
A walled Venetian old town on a little peninsula, with churches, a citadel and beaches on either side. Montenegro’s liveliest resort, an easy half-day trip from Kotor.
Half a dayDetails →
Sveti Stefan Island Village Viewpoint
The island village of terracotta roofs joined to the coast by a sandy causeway, now a private luxury resort. Montenegro’s most photographed view, best enjoyed from the road above and the beach.
1 to 2 hoursDetails →
Lovćen National Park and Njegoš Mausoleum
The mountain behind Kotor, reached by a famous switchback road, with the hilltop mausoleum of Montenegro’s poet-prince Njegoš at the top of 461 steps and the smoked-ham village of Njeguši on the way.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$Historic Boutique Hotel Cattaro
Old Town
A four-star hotel inside the Old Town walls, spread across a former Napoleonic-era theatre, a prince’s palace and a sixteenth-century guard tower beside the main square.
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$$$$Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort
Bay of Kotor shore
A full-scale waterfront resort on the Bay of Kotor, with pools, a spa, several restaurants including a rooftop and private access to the water. The splurge for a pool-and-bay holiday.
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$$$Boutique Hotel Hippocampus
Old Town
Seven stylish rooms in an old stone house on one of the Old Town’s narrowest lanes, with a rooftop terrace looking over the roofs to the mountains and the bay. Small, quiet and romantic.
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$$$Hotel Vardar
Old Town
A four-star hotel right on the Square of Arms, just inside the Sea Gate, with 24 rooms, a small wellness area with sauna and Turkish bath, and a terrace on the square.
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$$Hotel Marija
Old Town
A small, good-value hotel inside the Old Town walls, listed by the National Tourist Organisation as suited to families and couples. The budget-friendly way to wake up in Kotor.
Check rates →Kotor guides
First Time in Kotor: What to Book, How to Get Around & How Many Days
The practical primer for a first visit to Kotor and its bay: what is worth booking, how to dodge the cruise crowds, getting in from the airports, and how to fit Perast, Budva and Lovćen around the Old Town.
Where to Stay in Kotor: Inside the Walls, on the Bay or by the Beach
How to choose your base on the Bay of Kotor, from palace rooms and boutique hideaways inside the Old Town to a pool resort on the water, matched to the kind of trip you want.
