How to explore the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

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The Bay of Kotor is probably the first sight of Montenegro that you will see while landing in Tivat. This beautiful fjord-like landscape with a Mediterranean climate will literally take your breath away. This bay of the Adriatic Sea, surrounded by handsome Montenegrin cliffs oozes a charm of its own. In short, the Bay of Kotor is the jewel on the crown and definitely should be on every visitor’s must to list. Without further ado, here is how you can explore the beautiful Bay of Kotor in Montenegro!

Also read, our details guide on Montenegro – The Ultimate Montenegro Road Trip

How to explore the Bay of Kotor Montenegro

How to explore the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

The first thing we would recommend is to drive around the Bay of Kotor. Trust us, it will not disappoint! There are many small villages along this 20-odd kilometer stretch which will give you a peek into raw Montenegro, its landscape, and the charming traditional stone houses.

Some of the towns to visit and things to do around the Bay of Kotor are listed below.

Kotor Old Town

Kotor Stari Grad, a UNESCO world heritage site, is one of the best well-preserved medieval towns in Montenegro. Slightly bigger than Budva Stari Grad, Kotor Old Town is complete with elaborate gates and bastions, a Venetian-style church, cobbled stone streets, and Montenegrin stone houses.

The best way to explore the old town is by getting lost in its numerous alleys. You would for sure find that perfect cafe to relax and people watch while enjoying a glass of drink or a plate of pasta. If you have time, we would highly recommend doing a walking tour.

San Giovanni Fortress Hike

We highly recommend doing the San Giovanni Fortress hike, as the view of the Bay of Kotor and the Old Town, is so worth all the climb. It’s 1350 steps climb up, so we recommend doing this early in the morning when the temperatures are a bit cooler. From 8 am-8 pm, you will need to pay €8 per person to enter the hiking trail. The hike is free if you start your climb before 8 am, as there is no one to collect the fee.

On the way up, you will cross the Church of Our Lady of Remedy. Make sure you stop and click a few photos of the iconic view of the Bay of Kotor you see all over Instagram.

The path up isn’t very well maintained and there are a lot of loose stones. We recommend wearing a good pair of trainers and carrying your own water and a hat. You will find people selling some drinks and water along the way, in case you forgot to carry one.

The easiest way to find the route is by searching for San Giovanni Fortress on google maps, and you will be directed towards the trail to climb up.

Perast

The beautiful old town of Perast is just 20 minute’s drive from Kotor Old Town. It’s a car-free village, which promises a beautiful view of the Bay of Kotor and boasts 20 palazzi (palaces), 18 churches, and a beautiful waterfront promenade.

The perfect way to spend your time in Perast would be by taking a lazy stroll on the promenade and enjoying a meal at one of the waterfront restaurants. Don’t forget to sample the pomegranate wine from one of the local stores on the promenade. It’s delicious.

Half a day in Perast is more than enough to cover almost everything. However, if you have more time at hand, we recommend climbing the bell tower of St Nicholas Church for some stunning views. The entry fee is just €1 per person, and kids under the age of 15 are not allowed.

Just a side note regarding parking. Since Perast is car-free, you can find official parking on either side of the town. However, we recommend visiting early, as the parking gets filled up quite quickly.

Our Lady of the Rocks

From the Perast waterfront promenade, you will see two islets – St George and Our Lady of the Rocks. Our Lady of the Rocks is a man-made island and is easily accessible by boat. You can get one for €5 per person, and you will have 30 minutes to explore the island and click a few photos. The boat ride on the Bay of Kotor will be nice and refreshing if you are traveling in the summer.

Tivat

Tivat is not a popular tourist site in Montenegro. It’s mostly just the entry and exit base, as the airport is located here. However, if you plan to drive along the Bay of Kotor (which you should do!), you will end up here. You can see the Bay of Kotor opening up to the Adriatic sea and the seascape looks so beautiful during sunset.

To reach Tivat while driving on the Bay of Kotor, you will need to take a ferry. It costs about €5 one way per car and the view is stunning. I would drive to Tivat just to experience this ferry ride.

Where to Eat in the Bay of Kotor

Your vacation isn’t complete without some delicious food. So, next up on our how to explore the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro list is all the amazing restaurants you could try.

Being vegetarians, we came across some really amazing restaurants & cafes complete with amazing views and food:

Verige65: This restaurant topped our dining experience in Montenegro, so we highly recommend taking out time to eat here. If you reserve ahead of time, you would get to enjoy your meal on the balcony enjoying the stunning view of the Bay of Kotor. I highly recommend going here for dinner, as the ambiance during sunset simply adds to the experience. The food was amazing, and everything we ordered was delicious. They had a good few vegetarian options. The desert blew our minds. And to add to it all, the staff are super friendly and kept an eye on our toddler while we enjoyed our meal. If you don’t experience dining here, you are missing out for sure.
Big Ben: Another very good restaurant and everything on the menu looked delicious. I would go to this restaurant just for the view during sunset. It was stunning. This restaurant was recommended to us by a local, however, the vegetarian options were almost negligible. Again, would recommend making a reservation in advance.
Restobar Taraca: Just outside of the Kotor Old Town, we found this cute little cafe along the canal. Delicious food, and loads of vegetarian options. Perfect spot to grab some lunch and drinks while cooling for the afternoon heat.
Milky: Very cute little cafe where you can grab some delicious pancakes and much-needed caffeine after hiking San Giovanni Fortress. Breakfast was absolutely delicious!
Šijavoga: This waterfront restaurant in Perast, served some nice vegetarian options. The food was decent, but for a vegetarian dish in a location that serves seafood, they did a decent job.

Where to Stay in the Bay of Kotor

We stayed in a traditional Montenegrin Stone House, and hands down, it was the highlight of our trip. Perched on top of the hill, our little villa had the most stunning view of the Bay of Kotor and Tivat. The property owners were friendly and they made our stay very comfortable. The fridge was well stocked, they left wine bottles for us to enjoy, and even brought toys and chocolates for our little kiddo.

The best part was the private pool and we spent hours cooling down and enjoying the water. We stayed here for 3 nights and explored the Bay of Kotor from there. If you don’t have the budget I would still suggest experiencing the stay in traditional style old stone houses for at least one night.