Bay of Kotor Guides

The Bay of Kotor rewards planning by water and by shore: four linked bays, towns from Kotor to Herceg Novi, two island churches off Perast and a car ferry over the Verige strait. Here is how the pieces fit together, what each town gives you and how to move between them by bus, car or boat.

Bay of Kotor history is easiest to read on foot and by boat: Venetian-era towns, seafaring palaces in Perast, the church on Our Lady of the Rocks and Austro-Hungarian defences at the bay entrance. Here is where each layer of the past sits, and how to fit the sites into a day.

A Bay of Kotor map is really four maps in one: Herceg Novi Bay, Tivat Bay, Risan Bay and Kotor Bay link in a chain around the shoreline. Here is how to read the arms of the bay, place each town on the right one, and use the roads and crossings to plan a loop.

Dobrota is the shoreline settlement about thirty minutes on foot from Kotor old town, reached by a flat promenade past Freedom Park, Kotor Beach and the Boka Aquarium. This guide follows the route south to north, names the landmarks in order and explains where the walk changes character.

A short, frequent car and passenger ferry links Kamenari on the Herceg Novi side of the Verige Strait with Lepetane on the Tivat side. Here is how long it takes, what it costs, where the slips connect, and when driving around the bay beats queueing for it.

Kostanjica is a small village in the municipality of Kotor, sitting on the Bay of Kotor close to Perast and the island of Our Lady of the Rocks. This guide sets out where it sits on the bay, how it fits a northern-bay day by car or bus, and where it works as a base against Perast or Kotor.

Lepetane is a small village on the Vrmac peninsula between Kotor and Tivat, sitting at the Verige strait where the Kamenari car ferry cuts across the Bay of Kotor. The crossing saves the drive around the bay, the village has a pebbly beach at Cape Opatovo and a walled church at Cape Gospa od Anđela, and parking at the landing is tight.

Morinj rewards a half-day stop on the Risan to Kamenari road: a karst spring below Mount Orjen feeds the Morinjska Rijeka, stone mills line the water, and Roman villa ruins sit above the bay.

Muo is a shoreline village in Kotor municipality, close enough to walk to the old town but outside its car-free streets. Here is how the walk works, what you see along the bay, and what the village does and does not give you as a base.

Prčanj is a single waterfront road of baroque palaces and fishermen's houses on the southern Bay of Kotor, with the Church of the Birth of Our Lady facing the water. It suits a short stop of an hour or two, best combined with Kotor, Tivat or Dobrota.

Risan suits a short stop on a Bay of Kotor drive: a compact waterside centre, Roman mosaics, and none of the cruise-day crush of Kotor. Budget an hour or two, park near the centre and treat it as a pause between Perast and the western bay rather than a day in itself.

Stoliv is two villages in one: Donji Stoliv on the shore road opposite Perast, and Gornji Stoliv up in the chestnut forest at around 200–240 m. Here is what sits in each, how to move between them, and how to pair the visit with the boat across to Perast and its two islets.

The Kotor Cable Car runs from Dub, inland from Kotor town, up to Kuk on Lovćen in 11 minutes. This guide covers both stations, shuttle and combination ticket prices, the season and hours, and what you actually find at the top.

Cats are the unofficial good-luck symbol of Kotor, and they cluster in the car-free lanes of Stari Grad. Here is why they are there, where you meet them, the cat-themed gift gallery at Stari Grad 490 and what the local spay-neuter charity does.

Škaljari is a residential neighbourhood on the edge of Kotor, not a sight in its own right. It earns its place in a trip as a short cut between the bus station and the old town, and as the ground you cross on the way up towards St John's Fortress.

Perast is a compact waterfront town of baroque palaces on the Bay of Kotor, best seen on foot along a 1.5 km promenade. Here is what to see, how long to allow, how the boats to Our Lady of the Rocks work, and how to reach it from Kotor or Herceg Novi.

Perast is a single waterfront street with the sea on one side and the road behind it, and the churches, palaces and boat landings all sit along that one line. This map guide walks you through the waterfront, the buildings to look for and the landings for both islands.

Perast has no driving route into its old town: you park at one of the entrance ramps and walk in. The ramps clog between about 10am and 4pm in July and August, and the bus or a boat from Kotor removes the parking problem altogether.

Perast's promenade is a single 1.5km seafront street of stone palazzi, a baroque bell tower and moored boats, with the two islets offshore. Here is how the walk runs, what to look for along it, what the boats to Our Lady of the Rocks charge, and how to time a visit around the midday groups.

Perast is small, so its best viewpoints are easy to reach on foot: the curving waterfront by Sveti Nikola, the stone stairs climbing past the Venetian churches, and the road above town looking down over the two islets. Here is where to stand, what the boat and parking cost, and how long to allow.

The Luštica peninsula is best planned as a circuit rather than a single beach stop: one narrow road serves the villages, and a boat reaches four coves, the Blue Cave and Mamula in a day. Here is how the peninsula is laid out, which coves suit which plan, and how car and boat time compare in summer.

Porto Montenegro is a waterfront marina village in Tivat, on the Bay of Kotor, built around a large yacht marina with a promenade, boutiques, restaurants and museums. Here is how the layout works, what to see, how long to allow and how it fits a day on the bay.

Donja Lastva suits an hour or two added to a Tivat day: a lived-in waterfront settlement just north of town, best reached on foot along the shore. Expect a working shoreline and a village church rather than gates, walls or ticketed sights.

Gornja Lastva is a small stone settlement on the slopes of Vrmac above Tivat, reached on foot up a steep street from Donja Lastva. Expect about 20 stone houses, a baroque church, a 19th-century olive mill and a village square with a war memorial, but no shop, café or restaurant.

The Island of Flowers sits beside Tivat in the Bay of Kotor, reached over a narrow isthmus. On it stand the ruins of the medieval monastery of St Michael the Archangel, a working monastery with a new dormitory and storehouses, and the 1833 Holy Trinity church with its mosaic gate and carved interior.

Krašići is a small Krtoli settlement on the northern shore of Luštica, in Tivat municipality, with a rocky waterfront and a published bus link to Tivat. This guide covers where the village sits, when the buses run, how the shore works and when a car-free day here stops making sense.

Luštica Bay is a purpose-built marina settlement on the Luštica peninsula near Tivat, not an old town. Plan a half day around the Marina Village promenade, the beaches and the resort's restaurants, and treat it as a base for Kotor, Perast and the olive and mussel farm experiences inland.

Rose is a small village at the tip of the Luštica peninsula, facing Herceg Novi across the bay. Plan a short waterfront wander, arrive by road or as part of an area boat trip, and treat the village as one stop on a wider peninsula day.

Two islets off Perast are the ones you can actually land on: Gospa od Škrpjela, built stone by stone from the seabed, and Sveti Đorđe beside it. Sveti Stefan, Sveti Nikola and Mamula work as views from the shore and the water, and Lake Skadar offers an inland alternative when the bay is windy.