Kotor really stole our hearts. The atmosphere, the people, the view from the mountains…. everything is wonderful here. A real hidden gem in Europe. Therefore, we will soon take you through the 5 things to do in Kotor and why we fell in love with this town.
Content of this blog:
First of all, it is good to know that accommodation prices are fairly high in Kotor compared to the rest of Montenegro. Especially in the high season, you easily pay above 70 euros per night for a double room.
We thought that was too expensive, so we looked at cheaper alternatives and finally chose Bit Accomodation Kotor. For a double room with a shared bathroom in high season, we paid 42 euros per night here. Before that we really did stay right in the center, within the city walls. Walking out of the hotel you are immediately in the charming streets and among the restaurants. Thus, the ideal location and therefore I definitely recommend this hotel for those who do not want to spend an extreme amount of money on accommodation. Lets talk about the things to do in Kotor below.
1. The view from the Fortress of Kotor
This speaks for itself, doesn’t it? We could linger here for hours because a beautiful view never bores. Two tips beforehand: bring plenty of water and possibly a piece of fruit or snack, and if you’re in Kotor in the summer, make sure you start before 9 a.m., and preferably even earlier, because then the sun is not yet shining all the way on this side and it’s a bit more manageable.
The start of the hike up is in the town, inside the castle walls. First of all, you have to pay 5 euros per person in cash to climb to the top. Then begins the climb of about 1,350 steps. Climbing requires a fairly normal level of fitness. You really don’t have to be in top shape to get to the top, just maybe take a few more breaks, but of course that depends on everyone personally.
After about 45 minutes of stair climbing (again, personal, you can take longer or shorter), you will arrive at the viewpoint as shown in the photos. After that, don’t descend down immediately, because the fort is still a little higher than this vantage point. Inside the fortress, you can walk around some ancient ruins and see many relics from medieval times. After walking around here, it’s time to head back down and spend the rest of the day relaxing at the little beach.
In the photo you can see a cruise ship lying there. In the summer months, 1 or 2 cruise ships pass by here every day, staying in the bay for a while. Tourists usually get a tour inside the city walls around 11/12 or so, after which they grab a bite to eat and often leave for the cruise ship again in the afternoon. So in the afternoon, the center can be very crowded, but you’re usually not really bothered by that.
2. The beach of Kotor
Who doesn’t love the beach? Okay maybe annoyance number one is sand anyway, but fortunately there is none in Kotor. There are only stones here, as in most Eastern European countries. So it is important to put on water shoes if you want to go swimming. Only we didn’t have those with us, on our bare feet it went reasonably well too. On the beach you can rent a bed for 10 euros per person and an umbrella for 5 euros. This sounds like a fair amount (it is) but we thought it was well worth it because we spent whole days here and preferred not to spend so long on the rock-hard stones.
Because Kotor is in the bay, from the beach you also have a nice view of the mountain opposite, with its own cute little houses.
Next to this beach there is a small burger joint where you can get lunch and eat it on the beach. There is also a supermarket nearby, where you can also get something tasty if necessary.
3. The cute streets in the old part of Kotor
When we first walked with our backpack through the city wall, right into the old part, we said to each other: oh wow, this looks like Venice with all those narrow streets, or Lisbon. We were immediately SO excited about how it looked, and still are! We slept in a hostel in the middle of the center, so in one of those narrow streets, and that was really recommended.
Inside the walls are not so big that you can get lost in them, but big enough that after a few days you can still discover a new street somewhere with a nice restaurant or store. For example, on the last day we found out that there is a special pasta bar, which of course we had to try out (and then it was 100% approved!). Somewhere in the middle there is a big square with all the restaurants, where there is often live music in the evening.
4. The sweet cats lying everywhere
Okay, first confession: we are both huge huge cat lovers. We prefer to cuddle and cuddle with every cat we meet. That’s why we couldn’t believe our luck when we found out that there are countless cats roaming around in Kotor. They prefer not to be bothered by the tourists, but most are up for an extended cuddling session. In almost every little street you come to, you can see them laid out nicely. Plus point: the cats are also well cared for. These are not stray cats covered in fleas. They are fed every morning and evening and monitored when they are not doing well.
There is also a veritable cat museum downtown. Here (of course) we also went inside. In the museum, you will find mainly many paintings made in the last century. There is little information about the cats themselves, or exactly how Kotor deals with them. The entrance fee is only a few euros, but that amount is used to maintain the cats from. You can also buy nice souvenirs here. So it’s fun to visit the museum but certainly don’t expect too much from it. We were gone within 15 minutes, having cuddled extensively with two 8-week-old kittens!
5. The most romantic dinner with the most beautiful view
Already on the very first day we saw a kind of large terrace, on top of the city walls. When we wanted a bite to eat in the evening, we thought this would be the perfect place to celebrate our first evening, and we were right. The prices of the dishes were a lot higher than in the rest of Kotor because it was an upscale restaurant, but it is totally worth it when you have this beautiful view while eating. You fall completely in love with the view and with each other. In addition, they serve delicious cocktails here and it is the perfect place to have a few more drinks.
We are both still tremendously excited about Kotor and would love to go back again. From Kotor you can travel further on your tour of Eastern Europe. For example, to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.
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