In the past few years, Montenegro has gained quite some popularity as a travel destination. Because compared to Croatia, it’s still less crowded and cheaper. And did you know that Montenegro, although not an EU member yet, uses Euros as their national currency? Anyway, while there are several great places to visit around Montenegro, the Bay of Kotor is probably the most well-known. Lined with majestic mountain ranges, it’s often also called the southernmost fjord in Europe. Perast and Kotor in the inner bay are even UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making it an equally popular destination for cruises and backpackers. At least, that’s what I experienced when I visited this summer. 

Since Brigid and I started our trip already with a night in Dubrovnik, getting to Kotor by bus was quite easy. You only need to get off at the Croatian and Montenegrin border for a passport inspection. However, be prepared for some longer lines and waiting time at the border crossing. Alternatively, you can also fly to Tivat Airport and head to Kotor or other nearby places from there.

If you’re looking for places to eat and drink, I recommend checking out one of the many traditional restaurants called Kanoba, where you’ll get great authentic and local food at affordable prices.

Kotor

In Kotor, we stayed in a private room at Old Town Hostel in the heart of the city, where they offered different daily activities, making it easy to meet other people. The historic town is not only home to main attractions such as Trg od Oružja, St. Tryphon’s Cathedral, and Kampana Tower but also to hundreds of cats, which are looked after and adored by locals and visitors alike. Yet, if you don’t like cats, this is probably not your place to be.

Since it was very hot during the day, for only 10 Euros an hour, we rented a kayak near Mandrać beach bar for an afternoon and glided around the bay and later grabbed a drink there and relaxed in one of their beach beds.

Kotor truly comes alive in the golden light of the evening. One of the most magical moments of my trip was watching the sunset from Fortress Gorazda which offers panoramic views of the Bay of Kotor. Although I skipped this, for an even more breathtaking lookout, hike up to the ancient fortifications — there are both free and paid routes depending on your vibe.

Perast and Tivat

Despite exploring Kotor on our own and joining the hostel’s sunset BBQ and party cruise, one afternoon, we took the local bus — which is cheap but not very reliable — to Perast. From there, you can op on a boat trip to Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpjela, which is cheaper than leaving directly from Kotor, or simply stroll through pretty streets of town and visit a few museums and churches.

As I was flying back home from Trivat, we went by cab to Tivat and spent our last night there. We walked around Porto Montenegro with its luxurious superyachts and luxury restaurants and shops and visited Buddha-Bar Beach, a restaurant and beach club within the marina’s yacht club.