Kotor

Kotor today: the walled town on the Bay of Kotor

Kotor's old town is a medieval settlement enclosed by walls extending 4.5 km. The walls measure 2 to 16 m in thickness and rise to 20 m in height, while the old town itself lies at sea level. Above it, the Fortress of Sveti Ivan stands at about 280 m, reached by around 1,300 steps.

The Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. It covers 14,600 ha, with a buffer zone of 36,491 ha, and identifies Kotor and Perast as principal components. Kotor is also one of six components in the 2017 UNESCO inscription of the Venetian Works of Defence, shared with Italy and Croatia.

What to see and do in Kotor, Perast and Risan

Within Kotor, the Romanesque Cathedral of Saint Tryphon was built in 1166 and serves as the seat of the Diocese of Kotor. The fortress retains Illyrian foundations, a Byzantine reconstruction from the 6th century and Venetian additions made after 1420. In Škaljari, the Austro-Hungarian Fortress of Vrmac dates from 1894 to 1897, while the Vrmac trail runs from Škaljari towards the fortress and the summit of Sveti Ilija in spring to autumn.

Perast brings together the Church of Our Lady of the Rocks, on an artificial island with a museum, and the Perast Museum in the 17th-century Bujović Palace. The museum holds around 2,000 objects in maritime, historical-artistic and ethnographic collections. At Risan, the Roman mosaics preserve remains of a 2nd-century villa urbana, including a mosaic of the god Hypnos, across a complex of about 790 m2. Waterfront promenades follow the bay through Dobrota and Prčanj.

Marina Kotor stands beside the walls of the old town, and sailing is available throughout the year, with a principal season from April to September. Private boat tours to Our Lady of the Rocks and Perast operate year-round, with their peak from May to October. In Ljuti, Dobrota, Stari Mlini is a family restaurant of more than 40 years, with its own garden and seasonal cuisine.

Getting to Kotor

Tivat Airport is the nearest airport, 7 km from Kotor. Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia is 71 km from Kotor by road, while Podgorica Airport is 87 km away by road. The Adriatic Highway links Budva, Tivat, Kotor and Herceg Novi, and the road through the Vrmac Tunnel leads towards Tivat.

The Kamenari-Lepetane ferry links the two shores of the bay; in season, from 1 May to 1 October, departures are every 20 minutes by day and every 30 minutes at night.

When to visit Kotor

May, June, September and the first half of October offer mild heat and fewer crowds. July and August bring a full old town, cruise ships, KotorArt, Fasinada and Boka Night. From November to March, the programme turns towards local content, the winter carnival in February and the Tripundanske festivities in February.

The Winter Kotor Carnival fills February, with a masked ball and a procession. KotorArt runs from July into August, Fasinada is held every 22 July at Our Lady of the Rocks near Perast, and Boka Night follows in August with an illuminated boat procession, concerts and fireworks. The Festival of Light, "Zasjace palaci", takes place in September.