Kotor 3-day itinerary

Begin at dawn with the fortress climb. The stone steps zigzag up through the old defensive walls, past the Church of Our Lady of Remedy (a good rest stop at the halfway point), and continue to the fortress at 280m. The final approach along the crumbling walls to the summit is exhilarating — the Bay of Kotor opens up in every direction, with cruise ships tiny below and the mountains of the Orjen range towering above. This is the defining Kotor experience and should not be missed.

Explore the Old Town through its three main squares — the Arms Square (Trg od Oružja), the Flour Square (Trg od Brašna), and St. Tryphon Square. The Cathedral of St. Tryphon dates to 1166, making it one of the oldest churches on the Adriatic. The Maritime Museum tells the story of Kotor's seafaring history. Between the piazzas, the lanes are filled with cats — Kotor is one of Europe's great cat cities, and the Cat Museum and Cats of Kotor organisation celebrate and care for the population.

Walk along the waterfront promenade as the bay reflects the mountains in the still evening light. Eat njeguški steak (ham and cheese-stuffed veal), grilled squid, or fresh mussels from the bay at a waterfront restaurant. Montenegrin wine — particularly Vranac red — is excellent and remarkably affordable. End the evening at a bar inside the Old Town walls as the fortress lights up on the mountain above.

Take the local bus (15 minutes) along the bay to Perast — a tiny Baroque town of 350 people with 16 churches and 17 palazzos strung along the waterfront. Once the wealthiest town in the Bay of Kotor, Perast's Venetian architecture is magnificently preserved. The bell tower of St. Nicholas Church offers the best view of the two island churches offshore. Walk the single waterfront street past stone palaces slowly crumbling with faded elegance.

Take a taxi boat (5 minutes) from Perast harbour to the island of Our Lady of the Rocks — an artificial island built over centuries by local sailors dropping rocks into the bay around a sacred image of the Virgin Mary. The church on the island is filled with silver votive plaques from sailors, paintings including a Titian-attributed altarpiece, and 2,500 silver plates lining the walls. The story of the island — each stone placed by hand over generations as an act of faith — is one of the most remarkable in the Mediterranean.

Return to Kotor by bus and walk to the harbour for the sunset. The inner bay — Europe's southernmost fjord — reflects the surrounding mountains in the still water as the light fades. The fortress walls on the mountain above glow orange, and the Old Town becomes atmospheric and quiet as the cruise ships depart. Eat at a konoba in the lanes and savour the most beautiful natural harbour you are ever likely to see.

Take a tour or rent a car to Lovćen National Park — the sacred mountain of Montenegro, rising from the bay to 1,749m. The serpentine road from Kotor climbs 25 hairpin bends with vertiginous views back down to the bay. At the summit, the Njegoš Mausoleum is built into the rock — a dramatic black granite and gold-mosaic chapel dedicated to Montenegro's greatest poet and ruler. The final 461 steps through a tunnel to the mausoleum entrance are theatrical.

Descend from Lovćen to Cetinje — the former royal capital of Montenegro, a small town of palaces, embassies, and museums at 670m altitude. The Cetinje Monastery houses what is claimed to be the right hand of John the Baptist and a fragment of the True Cross. The National Museum of Montenegro tells the story of this tiny mountain kingdom's fierce independence. The contrast between grand Cetinje and the tiny nation it governed is fascinating.

Drive back to Kotor via the bay road. Walk the Old Town lanes one final time in the evening quiet — the cats, the stone, the mountain above. Have a farewell drink on the Arms Square and a final plate of fresh mussels from the bay. Kotor's bus station connects to Dubrovnik, Budva, and Podgorica; the nearest airports are Tivat (8km) and Podgorica (90km).