Adriatic seaside, sun, pretty old buildings and tourists. Bay of Kotor is one of the little Gems of the Balkan. Besides Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and my beloved Albania, we did a quick stop in Montenegro as well.
I have been to Kotor many years ago and that was July! You can imagine the crowd of people strolling along the bay and in the settlements. Surprisingly I still enjoyed it. That was the reason I wanted to show this place to Karol as well and luckily it was almost on our way 🙂
The Bay of Kotor
Kotor Bay is a spectacular spot to swim or just take photos. A lot of them.
The water is hot! Okay, now in May it was just simply warm. It was very pleasant to swim in it. Even though it was the weekend, not so many people were in the water. Am I attracted too much to every water?!
Luckily Kotor is somewhat protected from mass tourism, unlike the nearby Croatian city, Dubrovnik, where multiple cruise ships arrive day by day. However, a huge amount of visitors arrive at the bay by car as well, and these once upon a time quiet villages host more tourists than locals during the summer season.
Kotor sightseeing
Its center is UNESCO world heritage as parts of the bay and looks pretty. We liked it much more than Dubrovnik, probably because we could walk without a crowd and I could take pictures with almost no people on them. Yay!
If you are in good shape, you must climb up on the city walls to the chapel and Saint John’s fortress. Of course, we did it in the biggest heat, but still survived :)The view is great not only to the city but also to the bay. And take enough water with you, the sellers keep trying to sell you 0.5l for 2.5€…
The restaurants are quite expensive in the old town (as always) compared to the rest of the country, but we decided to have some seafood and beer (at least me, as Karol was driving still a bit after the sightseeing). The waitress was a bit surprised who ordered which drink 🙂
Kotor Photo Spots: The road to Lovćen National Park
Let’s not forget about nature! If you have time, you should walk/hike/drive up to some of the hills around the bay. I can guarantee that you will have a stunning view of the sunset. The Lovćen National Park can be one of the convenient choices. It is very close to Kotor town as well. A spectacular car road leads up there from the town, through houses of poorer people. First, we almost stayed there, but we realized it may not be the best place to stay the night. Luckily we were by car, so we could easily drive further (higher) to find a better place for the night.
That was our quick one day in the bay. If you have more time, you can visit more old towns, have a cruise or just swim the whole day!
About the Author
Katalin
Katalin is a Lapland-based outdoor enthusiast who loves hiking, road-tripping, and traveling with her family. She spends her free time far away from civilization in one of the national parks around the world, explores off-the-beaten-path places, or hops on a road trip with her kids in an RV.
Read more about her adventures and the blog.
