Kotor City Guide, the Pearl of Montenegro

1 September 2020

Kotor City Guide, the Pearl of Montenegro

Balkan highlight: Kotor city guide, the pearl of montenegro

Half-way our 6-week Balkan Trip (read all about it HERE) we settled down in Kotor for 6 days. The plan was to use Kotor as a fall-out base for Montenegro, do some hiking and overall, relax a little bit longer at the same location instead of packing your bags every second day. We indeed managed to see some different bits of Montenegro and discover other beach towns such as Tivat and Budva. However, from those places, Kotor is definitely most beautiful. I’ll share my recommendations in this Kotor City Guide, also referred to as the Pearl of Montenegro.

Do & See

Eat & Drink

Stay

- DO & SEE -

1. Hike up the Kotor Fortress / castle of san giovanni

The first sight to mention is definitely the Kotor Fortress, which is the main sight of Kotor anyways. The view is stunning! It is quite a climb, which means it is best to take this hike early in the morning or when the sun is starting to set as it can be hot. Don’t forget decent shoes (make sure they are not slippery), a bottle of water and your photo camera. Entry fees have been introduced and have been rising due to the increased popularity of the hike – latest status is that this ‘adventure’ will cost you €8. A small indication, the way up contains over 1300 steps. Therefore, don’t take the hike too lightly and feel prepared. If you want to, you can combine this with hiking the Ladder of Kotor. We didn’t do that, but personally I do regret that now. Let’s move on to some pictures to show the beauty I’m talking about!

2. discover the bay of kotor

During our time in Kotor, our guesthouse was located near the water and I could definitely recommend that! I loved sitting at one of the restaurants at the bay, since you get a summer and holiday vibe straight away. Thereby, I had the feeling drinks and food where slightly cheaper in this part of Kotor. Either way, definitely have a stroll along the water and discover the bay itself.

3. kotor old town

I saw Kotor as two different parts, the bay and the old town. The old town is known by the squares, old buildings, little alleys and green window shields. Take your time to stroll around and discover every corner of the old town including the nice bars and restaurants. There are also walking tours running that can show you all the different sights in the old town. A perfect starting point to make your way through Kotor is the Clock Tower on the square, where also most shops are located.

4. hike the vrmac ridge towards tivat

If you’re ready for some adventure and you feel like a hike, take a day to hike the Vrmac Ridge towards Tivat. You’ll read a full hiking report and everything you need to know in this Kotor to Tivat Hiking Guide.

5. Take a day tour to explore montenegro / visit lady of the rocks

One of the main sights around Kotor are Perast and the Lady of the Rocks. From the bay, there are several boats you can arrange to visit the places – but prepare for them to be touristic. What we did during our stay in Kotor is book a one day Montenegro tour to experience different stunning locations in Montenegro – where one of the stops rewarded us with a view on the before mentioned places. (More about this 1-day tour later!)

- EAT & DRINK -

Part of this Kotor City Guide should of course cover the food and drinks you can have while visiting the Pearl of Montenegro. I’ll share some of the places we’ve visited and I would recommend.

Letrika Caffe bar

Stories about the place are mixed, but in the end it is one of the only bars in Kotor suitable for drinks later during the evening. It is slightly hidden in the old town.

City restaurant

The name probably gives part of it away, but this place is located in the city center (old town). They serve some international food such as pizzas but also cover a range of local specialties.

cafe del mare

This place at the bay is great for sea food. We went here for lunch to eat loads of mussels (you’ll find them quite a bit around Kotor!). Definitely a recommendation when you are looking for a sea food place.

che nova

Another location at the bay, where I did like the vibe best from the different bars and restaurant located in this area. We spend a full day here, having drinks and reading a book, but we also settled down a couple of times when heading back from the old town in the evening or when wanting to go for a drink in the evening.

Search for some vranac wines

First thing we heard about entering our guest house was “Pro Corde” – a wine made of Vranac grapes and something they are proud of. If you are looking for some good wine while in Montenegro – look out for this grape. There are different places in Kotor where they do focus on wine, such as the “Old Winery”, “Mon Ami” (located in the same street) or Bokun.

- STAY -

urosevic seaside apartments

As we were staying in Kotor for 6 days and we saw it as our time to wind down a little, we decided to go with a bigger location. We found this apartment that just popped up online when we were searching for places. It had a kitchen and a little outside area, which made it a perfect location for us. The host received us really nicely and even though it might not be the fanciest place, I would say it gives you value for money.

We paid 50 euros a night for our room, which is a good price for a popular city like Kotor. The place is located at the bay and walking towards the all town takes 20 minutes. You can book it here.