On the Road in Montenegro – (1) Kotor and Thereabouts

At the moment of the creation of our planet, the most beautiful merging of land and sea occurred at the Montenegrin seaside.

So declared Lord Byron in the early 19th century and, whilst I might debate its being THE most beautiful piece of coastline I’ve ever encountered, I’m happy to acknowledge that the country is stunning.

We’ll start our tour in the country’s showpiece – the lovely UNESCO-protected old town of Kotor. Boasting over 2,000 years of history, a blend of Roman, Byzantine, Serbian, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian influences, not forgetting periodic earthquakes, helped create the tourist destination it is today.

Approaching the town from above, we get our first glimpse of the famous Bay of Kotor. Popularly referred to as ‘Europe’s southernmost fjord’ it’s not a fjord at all but a drowned river valley, or ria (true fjords are carved out by glaciers). With the mountains plummeting directly into the Adriatic, we can see how little land there is available for development.

The triangular-shaped Old Town offers up the usual maze of narrow cobbled streets, squares and courtyards. There are churches, shops and museums aplenty to enjoy but the best part is just wandering the alleyways….

You’d want to be a cat fan – or at least not an ailurophobe! The official mascot of the city is given pride of place – everywhere! Locals believe felines protected the city from the Black Plague by keeping the rat population in check – some believe the cats’ wailing warned residents to evacuate before the devastating earthquake of 1979. They enjoy food and water stations throughout Kotor – and every shady spot is occupied!

The fortifications are truly impressive. Some original sections of the Old Town walls date back to the 9th century under Byzantine rule – 1000 years later, the Austrians completed the final additions!

But the defensive walls go on and on, way above the town – stretching some 4.5kms up the mountainside…..

And, of course, one of the must do activities is climbing the 1350+ steps to San Giovanni Fortress….

My first rest break – after about 8 steps!!!

Almost immediately, one is rewarded with the maze of red roofs below…..

The triangular shape reveals itself as we climb…

The little Church of Our Lady of Remedy – so we know we’re half way up!

Up and up and up…..

The castle itself is in ruins after several earthquakes – the most devastating being as recently as 1979. But one climbs for the views of the town and the bay and the promise of a cold, cold pint!!!…

Back down the hill and a short walk brings one to Kotor ‘beach’. Forget about long stretches of sand – at best you’ve pebbles or concrete walkways.

Nearby Mt Lovcen offers up great views of the Bay. The 7km Serpentine Road to the top includes 25 hairpin bends. (We thought this was a challenge until we headed inland – but that’s for another day!). Since 2023, a cable car takes one up in 11 minutes. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Kotor to the lower station but a shuttle runs from town and you can buy a combo ticket (€30).

The entire bay is ringed with mountains so every drive is going to be spectacular.

This is Perast – one of the most popular villages on the bay. It has a single main street but boasts 16 churches and 17 formerly palaces!

From here, it’s a short boat ride out to the manmade islet – Our Lady of the Rocks….

On July 22, 1452, while passing by a small rock in the Bay of Kotor, near the town of Perast, two fishermen brothers noticed something shining and realised it was an image of Our Lady, holding Jesus in her arms. At that very moment, one of the brothers was healed from a long debilitating illness.

When news of the miracle spread, local fishermen began the tradition of laying rocks at the site upon returning from each successful voyage. Over time, the the islet gradually emerged from the sea. The custom has continued and every year on July 22nd, local residents take to their boats and throw rocks into the sea.

Close by is Sveti Dorde (St. George) which, unlike its neighbour, is a natural island. It houses a Benedictine monastery and is not open to visitors.

Further around the bay, Herceg Novi boasts an medieval centre and a long waterfront promenade.

If you need a break from medieval walls and natural beauty then these two diversions might appeal…

In the town of Risan, a Roman mansion was uncovered in 1930 and the floors of seven rooms are adorned with mosaics. The site is protected under a large shelter (so you’ll think you’re in the wrong place!)

A few kms away – but trickier to find – are some prehistoric rock drawings on a cliff face… There are stags and symbols if you can spot them. The sign posting is awful and apologies for the photo…. I blame the sunlight and the snake that was hovering nearby!!!

Small Stuff

Getting There

Kotor is located about 90 km from the capital, Podgorica and the same distance from Dubrovnik.

The nearest airport is Tivat but it may not be the most affordable. From Podgorica airport, it’s about a 1hr 45 min drive. There is no direct bus from the airport. Another option is to fly to Dubrovnik but there may be delays at the border and a surcharge if you rent a car.

What we did – We’d two main options – fly from Dublin to Dubrovnik and rent a car or fly to Podgorica via England and get a car there upon arrival. There wasn’t a huge difference pricewise for us. We actually opted to go Dublin – Stansted – Podgorica because we were unsure about border crossing delays. It wouldn’t matter going over but we didn’t want to be panicking when returning to Dubrovnik airport at the end of the trip.

When to Go

I thought there’d be nobody there in Mid June!!! OK – it wasn’t high season – but still surprisingly busy. There were queues for a few of the most popular restaurants but otherwise you’d easily get a table. I wouldn’t fancy it in August! Temperatures around high 20’s.

Getting Around

The town centre is small and very doable on foot. The walk up to the fortress is a bit of a challenge but you can go at your own pace- there’s plenty of room for others to pass you out. It will take at least 45 minutes to get to the top.

There is a bus and water taxi service around the bay and lots of tour options.

Driving /Parking

Driving is OK around the bay but traffic builds up through the towns – you just need patience.

Parking is another matter! Kotor Old Town is vehicle free – there are paid parking lots and a few free roadside options a bit further out.

The one drivable road in Perast is only accessible to residents. There is free parking at both ends of town out along the main road. In season, local ‘parking attendants‘ offer ‘free‘ parking if you book your boat trip with them!

In Perash, we went over and back the main road a few times searching for a free spot before succumbing to the ‘lock-hards’ as we call them at home (because they always say that when you’re trying to maneuver onto a postage stamp at the side of the road!!!) It was that or forget about the boat trip…. We knew the boat was about €5 each and the same onto the island. We were charged €40 so we paid double (but it was mid afternoon and we were beyond caring!). It is suggested that in high season, if you have the time, you’d be better off taking the public bus from Kotor to Perast and alleviating the stress!

Cruise Ships

Kotor is a very popular stop for cruise ships – the bay is deep enough for them to come right up as far as the town. There isn’t a boat every day but sometimes there may be 2 or 3 in the bay. You can just imagine the crowds in the confined space of the Old Town when a ship docks!

The constant weaving between guided tour groups can become rather tiresome so it’s worth while actually staying a night or two here (rather than a day trip) just to enjoy the relative stillness in evening time when the passengers return to their ships for dinner.

If you really can’t bear the thoughts of sharing the town with such an influx of visitors, the likes of cruisedig.com lists visiting liners and passenger numbers so you can plan accordingly.

Cruise Ships and traffic – not everyone’s idea of fun !

Where we Stayed

We booked Portobello Old Town apartment for 3 nights through Booking.Com (total €320). The location was great (except there’s no parking of course). It was close to everything so we could come and go instead of heading out for the full day. There’s a supermarket about 5 mins walk for breakfast supplies. The apartment is well equipped – even has a washing machine. The only negative is that it’s 3rd floor which won’t suit everyone.

There are plenty of accommodation options out along the beach direction which is still close enough to all facilities.

Money Matters

The official currency is the EURO.

Cards are accepted in most (but not all) restaurants and bigger stores. You will need cash for entrance fees, etc. We had to pay cash for our apartment.

It’s not a cheap place. Dining costs were just a bit less than home. What surprised us most were entrance fees – €15 each to climb up to St Giovanni Fortress / €6 each for the mosaics, etc….

Dining Out

You can expect lots of seafood options. There is a big Italian influence so plenty of Italian style eateries. Restaurants in the Old Town are not particularly budget friendly – you can expect to pay around €18 – 20 for a pasta dish (the helpings are generous). Beer €4-6. Some places take reservations – otherwise, be prepared to queue for the most popular venues.

Language

The official language is Montenegrin which is similar to the languages of the neighboring countries. English is spoken in restaurants and tourist shops..

How Long?

We had 2 days / 3 nights and it wasn’t really enough – I’d have liked another day at least to visit Mt Lorcen National Park. Having said that, I was never going to battle my way onto the ‘beach’ here and we were moving further along the coast within a few days anyway. if Kotor was one’s only destination in Montenegro then there’d be no problem in filling a week here with day trips and beach time.

What we did –

Day 1. Arrived around 6pm so had nice evening getting our bearings (i.e. getting lost!) in the Old Town before dinner and another stroll and nightcap.

Day 2. Did the climb in the morning. In the afternoon we explored the Old Town properly and walked out along the beach.

Day 3. We were gone most of the day – Intended stopping at Perast first but couldn’t find a parking place. Went hunting the Mosaics and then the Cliff Drawings and got to Herceg Novi around lunchtime. Lots of lunch options along seafront. We got back to Perast about 3.30 and did the boat trip out to the islet. We enjoyed a lovely waterside drink in town before heading back to Kotor.

Day 4. Left Kotor after breakfast.

Moving on – next time……

We’re heading into the mountains…….

Bye for now……