5 Best Things to do in Kotor: Kotor Montenegro Travel Guide
Looking for things to do in Kotor, Montenegro?
In our Kotor guide, you will get all the information to help you plan your 24-hour trip to one of Montenegro’s most popular destinations.
Check out our Kotor travel guide for all of Kotor’s best sights. We cover location, main attractions, where to eat, and other tips to have the best time in Kotor. Plus, we include information for Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is only about 2 hours away from Kotor.
From visiting a tiny church on an island in the Adriatic to hiking up to admire the Bay of Kotor, Kotor has plenty of things to do. Kotor makes for a perfect day trip.
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Check out our Kotor Vlog, where we visit the places mentioned in this post: Kotor Montenegro Travel Guide.
Kotor Montenegro Travel Guide
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Where is Kotor?
Kotor is a city along the coast of Montenegro. Kotor is known for the Bay of Kotor, a winding bay in the Adriatic Sea, and the medieval Old Town of Kotor.
Kotor is only a two-hour drive from Dubrovnik, Croatia, so it makes a perfect day trip.
Looking for hotels in Kotor?
What should you do in Kotor, Montenegro?
These are Kotor’s best sights and restaurants. We recommend following our 1-Day Kotor itinerary to have an incredible day visiting Montenegro’s popular destination.
Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa Od Skrpjela)
Old Town of Kotor (Sea Gate and Alleyways)
Cesarica (Lunch)
Castle of San Giovanni (hike)
Moritz Ice (gelato)
Interested in a guided tour of Kotor?
1. Our Lady of the Rocks
After driving from Dubrovnik, we arrived in Perast.
Perast is only a short distance from Kotor and is famous for Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa Od Skrpjela). Perast has two islets, one that is closed to tourists and another that you can visit.
Our Lady of the Rocks is the islet that you can visit. To get to the islet, you can take a five-minute boat ride from Perast. If you walk along the promenade, look for a white boat named Dado. The boat ride runs every ten minutes.
Once you get onto the islet, you can wander around for about 30 minutes, and then Dado will come back to bring you back to the dock.
Located in the Bay of Kotor, Our Lady of the Rocks has a church and a museum that you can visit. The church entrance is free, but the museum is a few euros.
Our Lady of the Rocks gets its name because legend has it that sailors saw an icon of the Virgin Mary and a child resting on the rock. They decided to leave stones at the site because they thought it was good luck. Leaving rocks became a tradition, and then an island was formed.
The boat trip to Our Lady of the Rocks is €5 ($5.26).
2. Old Town of Kotor
After leaving Perast, we visited the Old Town of Kotor.
We walked through the Kotor Farmers market and the Sea Gate to reach the Old Town. The Sea Gate is one of the three entrances to the Old Town.
One of the best things to do in the Old Town is to wander around and get lost in the alleyways.
In the Old Town, you will find cafes, shops, museums, and churches. Walking around will keep you busy for a few hours.
Near the clock tower, you will find several ATMs. We had to take out money here to pay for parking.
The Old Town of Kotor is considered one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the Mediterranean.
3. Cesarica
After wandering around the cobblestone streets, you’ll probably be ready for lunch. Before visiting Kotor, we did some research and found that Cesarica was a highly recommended restaurant.
We sat on the outdoor terrace and ate lunch with several cats. There are so many cats in Kotor that the cats are a symbol of the city.
We recommend the stuffed squid and fried squid at Cesarica. The stuffed squid has a mix of cheese and herbs.
The seafood was fresh and delicious!
While at Cesarica, you can also try the local beer from Montenegro called Nikšićko.
Lunch at Cesarica was €35 ($36.77).
4. Castle of San Giovanni
After lunch, we hiked up to the Castle of San Giovanni. Hiking to the castle was our favorite thing to do in Kotor.
There is a ticket counter shortly after starting the hike where you will pay for a ticket to do the hiking.
During the hike, you will come upon several viewpoints. The views of Kotor’s Old Town and the Bay of Kotor are possible without hiking all the way to the castle, so if you are short on time, you can still get great views without completing the entire hike.
Be prepared to climb up a ton of stairs during the hike. Vendors are selling drinks along the route, so do not worry about running out of water.
When you reach San Giovanni Fortress (St. John's Fortress), spend some time admiring the views of Kotor Bay.
The hike is €8 ($8.41).
5. Moritz Ice
After the hike to the castle, be sure to visit Moritz Ice for gelato.
You will be tired from the hike, so this will be the perfect way to cool day and enjoy a delicious treat.
One scoop of gelato is €2.80 ($2.94).
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Looking for things to do in Dubrovnik, Croatia?
Dubrovnik is a little under a two-hour drive from Kotor.
In our Dubrovnik vlog, we go on a walking tour and show you how to spend 24 hours exploring the best sights.
Dubrovnik Old Town is one of Europe's best-preserved medieval towns. It is easy to see why Dubrovnik is called the Pearl of the Adriatic. In our vlog, we explore the main attractions in the Old Town of Dubrovnik.
Are you looking for places to eat in the Old Town of Dubrovnik?
In our Dubrovnik food guide, you will get all the information to help you plan your meals while visiting the Old Town of Dubrovnik.
Check out our Dubrovnik food guide for all of Dubrovnik’s must-eat foods. We cover must-try foods and restaurants for coffee, breakfast, lunch, gelato, dinner, and wine. In addition, we include other tips to have the best time in Dubrovnik.
In the Dubrovnik Old Town, there are many fantastic restaurants from which to choose.
Interested in visiting Lokrum Island?
Lokrum Island is a place that you should not miss while in Dubrovnik.
It is only a 15-minute boat ride from the Old Town of Dubrovnik, so if you want to experience a peaceful nature reserve close to the walled city, visit the island of Lokrum.
Want to know how we captured our photos and videos?
Check out our Vlogging Gear Blog or Vlog to find out what cameras and equipment we use.
*The links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy something using the links, we will receive a commission. Using the link is at NO extra cost to you. We appreciate it when you buy through one of our affiliate links. It is a great way to show your support for us. It will allow us to continue to bring you valuable, free content.
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Have you been to Kotor? What was your favorite thing to do in Kotor? We’d love to hear about your experience. Let us know in the comments.
