Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Kotor. Kotor is probably the most famous and touristic town in Montenegro. Its location on the Bay of Kotor, with the mountains as its backdrop does make it a stunning town. The old town is only small though, and many people visit Kotor year round, with a peak in high season. Many cruise ships pass by Kotor as well. Sometimes as many as 3 are loading off their passengers to visit Kotor, or perhaps go on a little tour of Montenegro squeezing in as many sights as possible in a day.
So, should this stop you from visiting Kotor? No, it should not! Kotor is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. It just means you have to plan your stay a little to avoid the crowds as much as possible to make the most out of your trip. This ultimate guide to Kotor will help you to do exactly that, with a suggested itinerary for 3 days in Kotor, which is the perfect amount of time to spend here in my opinion.
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Table of Contents - The Ultimate Guide to Kotor - A 3-day Itinerary
How to get to Kotor
Kotor is well connected by both buses and planes. The international airport of Tivat is located right next to Kotor. It’s a short and easy bus ride from there to the old town of Kotor, or you can take a taxi. If flights to Tivat are very expensive, check out flights to nearby Dubrovnik. It’s only a couple of hours from Dubrovnik to Kotor by bus. Kotor is also very well connected with other places in the Balkan Countries, so if you’re traveling here from a nearby destination, check busticket4.me as this is the most reliable platform for information regarding buses in Montenegro.
Where to stay in Kotor
I recommend staying outside of the Old Town itself, as it gets super busy and it’s more expensive too. The best place, in my opinion, is right across the bay. This way you can enjoy views over Kotor from your accommodation. If you can’t find anything suitable here, you can pick another town in the bay too. We stayed at Tomici, which was nice. A quiet town with a beach, supermarket, and within walking distance of Kotor (about 40 minutes). The Blue Line bus passes by too if you don’t feel like walking.
What to do in Kotor - A 3-day Itinerary
Day 1 - Arriving, Perast, and Sunset Across the Bay
Drop your bags at your accommodation and let’s get started exploring! Perast is close to Kotor and only small, so perfect for this afternoon. You can take the Blue Line bus, which starts close to the bus terminal in Kotor and passes by the old town. The journey takes about half an hour (depending on traffic). Perast is only about 13k from Kotor Old Town, so if you’re feeling sporty you can walk there and/or back too.
The most famous part of Perast are the two islands with churches in front of it. One is a natural island, with the Orthodox church on it. This is now a cemetery and tourists are no longer allowed to set foot on the island. Right next to it is an artificial island Catholics build, to put a Catholic church on. Tourists are allowed on this island. If you want to visit, you can rent a kayak or use a boat transfer. But you can of course also just enjoy the views from Perast. The old town is only small, so you don’t need much time to explore. Just take it easy, grab lunch if you haven’t eaten yet, or go for a beer or an ice cream.
Head back to Kotor in time for sunset, to enjoy the sunset from across the bay. You can walk all the way to the Vrmac fortress, or just head up to the main road from where the trailhead starts. You’ll have an amazing view from here as well.
Day 2 - Old Town and Njegos Mausoleum in Lovcen National Park
To really enjoy the old city of Kotor, you’ll need to get up early. Once the cruise ships arrive and/or the passengers of the ships that stayed here overnight wake up, the town gets super crowded and is quite hard to enjoy. So wake up with the sun and go for a stroll in the old town. This way you’ll get a way better feel for it. Soak in the atmosphere and history and enjoy the architecture while having the city (almost) to yourself! Really, it feels like a completely different place compared to the super crowded town it gets later in the day. Plus, you can snap some pictures without hundreds of people on them. 😉
This is why I recommend staying close to Kotor Old Town. Not right inside, so you don’t have to deal with the crowds all day, but close enough so it’s easy to get to early in the morning and enjoy it in all peace and quiet.
Once you’re getting hungry, grab some breakfast and get ready for the Mausoleum in Lovcen National Park. Unfortunately, there are no group tours going here, most people opt for a tour of Kotor Bay. If you have a car, great! If not and you’re a group it might be worth it to contract a private tour. None of the above and feeling adventurous? Hitchhike up! You could technically hike there and back as well, but it’s a really long and tiresome way. I recommend trying to hitch a ride up and walk down. The views over the bay from the road to Lovren are amazing, especially at sunset. I didn’t find the Mausoleum itself super interesting, but the views over the mountains are amazing.
Fun fact: Did you know that the Venetians who where in charge of Kotor called Lovren the ‘Black Mountain’, or ‘Monte Nigro’, and that this is where the country got its name from?
On your way down from the Mausoleum, you can take the trail that leads to the back entrance of the Kotor walls. This entrance is free! It’s marked with a trail sign and there is a ladder that leads up to a window you go through to enter the walls. So head here and enjoy the sunset/evening views over the town and bay of Kotor on your way down.
If you’re looking for somewhere not too expensive to eat in town, Pizzeria Sara has some good price-quality options, a nice location and the staff is very friendly.
Pro Tip: Entry through the main entrance is free after hours. (Meaning there won’t be anyone to charge you the entrance fee, so you can just pass.) So if you didn’t walk down from Lovcen, or just have been quick today and got there at daylight, you can still get in for free from the town itself for night views over the old town.
Day 3 - City Walls, Beach, and off to the next destination
Today it’s time to explore the famous walls of Kotor. I recommend entering before 8 am, as the main entrance is free then. If you can’t get up that early, you can take a detour, use the zigzag path next to the old town, and enter from the same back entrance as yesterday. The walk up from town and inside the walls is easier and shorter though, so I recommend using the main entrance.
Another plus of getting up early is that it’s not crowded. Plus, if you’re visiting in the summer, it’s not so hot yet. So I think it’s worth the effort.
Head back to the hotel in time for check out (if you haven’t checked out already). If you still have some time left before you’re traveling to your next destination, you can spend it on the beach. Do note that the beaches here are only small and can get quite crowded during the high season.
This was The Ultimate Guide to Kotor - A 3-day Itinerary
If you’re looking for more things to do in Montenegro, read my Ultimate Guide to Montenegro and make sure to plan some time at the beautiful Lake Skadar too! Heading to Albania next? Here you will find a guide to Albania with more travel tips!
