Kotor 7-day itinerary

Climb to the fortress at dawn — 1,350 steps to 280m above the bay. Pass the Church of Our Lady of Remedy halfway, then push to the summit for the Bay of Kotor panorama. The Venetian walls continue along the ridge above for those with extra energy.

Explore the medieval Old Town — Cathedral of St. Tryphon, Maritime Museum, the Cat Museum, and the labyrinth of stone lanes. Every square has a café, a church, and a handful of cats.

Eat njeguški steak and fresh mussels at a waterfront restaurant. The still bay reflects the mountains in the evening light. Order Vranac red wine — Montenegro's signature grape — for less than you would pay for a glass in Western Europe.

Bus to Perast (15 minutes) — a Baroque waterfront town of 350 people with 16 churches and 17 palazzos. Climb the St. Nicholas bell tower for views of the two island churches offshore. Walk the single waterfront street past crumbling Venetian palaces.

Taxi boat to the artificial island built by sailors dropping rocks around a sacred image. The church has 2,500 silver votive plates, maritime paintings, and the remarkable story of centuries of devotion.

Eat at a Perast waterfront restaurant — the food is excellent and cheaper than Kotor. The tiny town is magical at sunset when the day-trippers have left and the bay turns golden. Take the last bus back to Kotor.

Rent a car or join a tour to Lovćen. The serpentine road from Kotor has 25 hairpin bends with vertiginous views. At the summit, the Njegoš Mausoleum — black granite and gold mosaic — is reached through a tunnel of 461 steps.

Descend to Cetinje — Montenegro's former royal capital at 670m. Visit the monastery (claimed relic of John the Baptist's hand), the National Museum, and the faded grandeur of a tiny kingdom's capital.

Drive back to Kotor along the bay. Stop at viewpoints on the descent for the blue-hour panorama of the bay and Old Town. Dinner in the Old Town lanes.

Join a morning kayaking tour on the Bay of Kotor — paddle from the Old Town along the base of the city walls, past the maritime gateway, and across the still water towards the inner bay. The perspective from sea level — looking up at the mountains rising vertically from the water — makes the fjord feel even more dramatic than from above.

Walk or bus along the bay to Dobrota — a village of stone captain's houses strung along the waterfront north of Kotor. Swim from the concrete platforms and small pebble beaches that line the waterfront. The water in the bay is warm, calm, and clean — perfect for a relaxed afternoon swim with mountain views.

The Old Town has a growing bar scene with jazz nights and cocktail bars in medieval stone buildings. The contrast of modern mixology inside 800-year-old walls is part of Kotor's charm. Try the bars around the Arms Square and the lanes behind the cathedral.

Take the bus (30 minutes) to Budva — Montenegro's main beach town with a compact old town on a peninsula, long sandy beaches, and a lively atmosphere. The Budva Stari Grad (Old Town) is similar to Kotor's but smaller and more beachy, with city walls you can walk, tiny churches, and lanes opening onto the sea.

Continue by bus or taxi to Sveti Stefan — the iconic island village connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The island itself is a luxury hotel (Aman resort) and not accessible to non-guests, but the view from the mainland is one of the most photographed in the Mediterranean. Swim at the free public beach on the north side of the isthmus or the longer Miločer beach nearby.

Return to Budva for the evening — it has the best nightlife on the Montenegrin coast with beach bars, clubs, and the Top Hill open-air club on the hill above the city. Alternatively, take the early evening bus back to Kotor for a quieter night in the Old Town.

Take a boat tour from Kotor or Herceg Novi to the Blue Cave (Plava Špilja) on the outer bay — a sea cave where the light refracts through the underwater entrance to turn the water an electric blue. Swimming inside the cave surrounded by the blue glow is a surreal experience. The boat trip follows the dramatic coastline of the outer bay.

Continue around the Luštica Peninsula to the beaches of Žanjice and Mirišta — pebble beaches with crystal-clear water backed by olive groves. These are some of the best swimming spots in the bay area, less crowded than Budva's beaches and more beautiful. A seafood lunch at a beachside restaurant rounds out the afternoon.

If time allows, stop in Herceg Novi at the bay's entrance — a town of fortresses, monasteries, and steps (known as the "city of stairs and sunshine"). The Kanli Tower fortress and the waterfront Šetalište promenade are worth a brief visit. Take the ferry across the bay narrows and bus back to Kotor.

Visit the small green market outside the Old Town walls for fresh produce, local cheese, honey, and rakija (fruit brandy). Walk the Old Town lanes one final time to say goodbye to the cats — they congregate at specific feeding points and are well cared for by the Cats of Kotor organisation. Buy a cat-themed souvenir from one of the old town shops.

If you did not climb to the fortress on Day 1, this is your last chance — the view is unmissable. If you have already been, walk along the waterfront to the town of Prčanj for a quieter perspective of the bay and mountains from across the water.

End your Kotor week with dinner overlooking the bay — fresh mussels, njeguški prosciutto, and Vranac wine. The Old Town at night, with the fortress glowing on the mountain above, is an image that stays with every visitor. Tivat Airport is just 8km away; buses connect to Dubrovnik, Podgorica, and Sarajevo.