Bay of Kotor 3-day itinerary

Enter through the Sea Gate into Kotor's UNESCO-listed old town. The medieval walled city was Venetian for 400 years and it shows — marble squares, baroque churches, and elegant palaces squeezed between mountains and fjord. Visit St. Tryphon Cathedral (1166, €3.50), the Maritime Museum (€4), and the Church of St. Luke (both Catholic and Orthodox altars). The alleys are full of cats — Kotor's unofficial mascots have their own museum.

Tackle the San Giovanni Fortress hike — 1,350 stone steps climbing 280m up the mountain wall behind the old town (€8 entry in summer, free off-season). The fortifications were built by the Venetians, Austrians, and Byzantines over a thousand years. The climb takes 45–90 minutes depending on fitness and heat. At the top: the ruined fortress, a church, and one of the most extraordinary panoramas in the Mediterranean — the entire bay spread below.

Dinner in the old town — Galion restaurant on the waterfront for grilled fish and risotto (mains €12–20), or the more budget-friendly Bokun for Montenegrin classics: njeguški steak, ćevapi, and grilled vegetables. Post-dinner, walk the city walls at night — sections are illuminated and the reflections on the bay water are magical. Try the local Nikšićko beer (€2–3) at a bar on Trg od Oružja (Arms Square).

Bus or drive to Perast (20 min, €1 bus). This tiny baroque village has 16 churches and 17 palaces for barely 300 residents — a legacy of its Venetian maritime glory. Walk the waterfront promenade past crumbling palazzo facades with wrought-iron balconies. Visit the Perast Museum (€2.50) in the Bujović Palace for maritime history, model ships, and views from the terrace. The village is car-free and silent except for church bells.

Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks (€5 return) — the artificial island church built over centuries by sailors dropping stones and sinking old ships. Inside: 68 paintings by Tripo Kokolja and 2,500 silver votive tablets. Back on shore, swim at one of the bay's swimming platforms — the water is deep, calm, and warm (24–26°C in summer). Lunch at Conte on Perast's waterfront for seafood pasta and local wine (mains €10–16).

Drive the bay road through Risan — the oldest settlement on the bay (3rd century BC). Visit the Roman mosaics (€2) — remarkably preserved floor mosaics depicting Hypnos, the god of sleep, from a 2nd-century villa. Continue around the inner bay through Stoliv and Prčanj — villages with Venetian architecture slowly being restored. Return to Kotor for dinner at Bastion on the city walls with panoramic views (mains €14–22).

Drive the legendary Kotor Serpentine — 25 hairpin bends climbing 1,000m above the bay with increasingly insane views at every turn. Continue into Lovćen National Park (€3 entry) to the Njeguš Mausoleum at 1,657m — a dramatic tomb of Montenegro's poet-prince Petar II Petrović-Njeguš, carved into the mountain peak. The 461-step tunnel from the parking lot leads to panoramic views over all of Montenegro.

Stop in Njeguši village — birthplace of the Petrović dynasty and home to Montenegro's finest prosciutto and cheese. Sample njeguški pršut (smoked ham) and sir (cheese) at a roadside producer — a tasting platter costs €5–8 and the quality rivals Italian prosciutto. Continue down to the coast and Budva Old Town — a compact walled peninsula with Venetian architecture, narrow lanes, and the dramatic Mogren Beach reached through a cliffside tunnel.

Walk to Mogren Beach through the tunnel along the cliffs — two connected beaches with dramatic rock formations and clear water. Watch sunset from the Budva citadel walls (€3.50) overlooking Sveti Nikola island. Or continue to Sveti Stefan for the iconic view of the island-hotel connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Return to Kotor through the Sozina tunnel (30 min) for a final old town dinner.