Kotor, Montenegro

Old Town

In the Old Town area, a series of narrow streets, churches, cathedrals, and squares is tightly packed into a small space. The city’s main square is crowned by St. Tryphon’s Cathedral, which is an astonishing example of Romanesque architecture; mighty city walls rise to 20 meters. Here, too, wandering through a confusing maze of alleyways, you can find yourself on the narrowest street in the world, which locals affectionately call “Let me pass” - two people can barely pass each other on it. Thanks to its incomparable atmosphere of antiquity, Kotor has become a venue for many vibrant festivals. The best known of these is the Kotor International Summer Carnival in August.

St. Tryphon Cathedral

This cathedral is an important architectural landmark with a rich history. Saint Trifon, in whose honor the church was built, was the patron of seafarers of the Bay of Kotor. Legend has it that, while returning from a campaign to Asia Minor in 809, the sailors decided to transport his relics, but a fierce storm prevented them from leaving the bay. Then the townspeople decided to buy the remains of the saint from the sailors. A temple was built specifically to house the relics. Today, the temple belongs to the Catholic community, yet Orthodox Christians are freely allowed to go up to the second floor, where the relics are kept. Inside the temple, an enormous number of antique items have been preserved, guarded by the cathedral’s clergy.

Fortress Walls of the City

All the old, historic part of the city of Kotor is still surrounded by powerful fortress walls that protected the city from attacks. They have been well preserved to this day and attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. The walls are built from large, dressed stones. Several fortress towers are located at the corners of the city, and the gates lead into the city. The total length of the defensive walls around Kotor is about 4 kilometers, and the height of the walls reaches 20 meters. All buildings located within the fortress walls are part of the world historical heritage and are protected by UNESCO. Visitors can climb onto the ancient walls, take a walk along them, and view ancient Kotor from above.

St. Luke’s Church

The oldest church in Montenegro is the Church of St. Luke. The church was built in the 12th century; elements of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture predominated in its construction. You can see this amazing church right in the very center of the city of Kotor. The temple came into being thanks to the efforts of Prince Maura Kațefaranghi in 1157; at first, it was purely a Catholic church. But during the Turkish invasion, many Orthodox people took refuge in Kotor, including in the Church of St. Luke. And since then, the church has had two altars-one Orthodox and one Catholic. Today, the church is Orthodox.

Sea Museum

The Maritime Museum is one of the most interesting museums in Montenegro. It is located in the historic center of the city of Kotor and is dedicated to the rich history of the Bay of Kotor and the entire Montenegrin coastline. The Maritime Museum in Kotor was opened to the public in 1900. The museum building is a medieval baroque palace, and in front of the entrance there are two real 18th-century cannons-installed in memory of the port’s defense against pirates. The unique museum collection is full of unusual exhibits. The museum features old ship logs, detailed models of sailing ships, the remains of sunken ships brought up from the sea floor, various maritime equipment, navigation instruments, shipboard furniture and household items, as well as flags and portraits of famous captains and pirates.

Beaches of Kotor

The beaches of Kotor are, above all, the unique beauty of the Bay of Kotor and the unforgettable southern fjords of Europe. Cruises along the bay by speedboat or boat are very popular: this way you can fully enjoy the scenic places. But beaches in their usual sense-sandy or pebbly-are quite limited in the Bay of Kotor. At many of them (especially within the city limits), access to the sea is via pontoons or piers. The most popular include: Orahovac-pebble beach, surrounded by lush vegetation, popular with local residents, with clear water near its shores; Baeva Kula-one of the most popular, pebbly, with clean water, surrounded by laurel groves; Morinj-a sand-and-pebble beach, and nearby in buildings of old mills you’ll find restaurants.

Enchanting Perast

In half an hour of unhurried drive from the bustling streets of Kotor, a small stone town appears to have blended into the rock itself-Perast, a town that for more than one century has guarded the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. A tiny, cozy town today has only a little over three hundred permanent residents, and throughout its long history it has managed to serve both as a pirate hideout and as a stronghold of brave seafarers. Most of Perast’s notable sights are concentrated along the waterfront: palaces and Baroque-style houses, including the magnificent Buovici Palace. On the hill above Perast, the half-ruined bastions of Saint Cross Fortress rise up. Another attraction in Perast is the Venetian clock, by which the town has been living for the past four centuries. From Perast you can take a short boat trip to two tiny islands-Saint George’s Island with its ancient Benedictine abbey, and the small man-made reef of Our Lady of Škrpela, where the calling card of the Bay of Kotor is located-the Church of Our Lady on the Rock.

Kotor Bay for cruise ship passengers

The Bay of Kotor is a jewel of the Montenegrin coastline, and perhaps of the entire Adriatic! Threaded into the mountains by a narrow, winding ribbon, it conceals countless secrets. For many centuries, the rugged shores and secluded harbors of this southern fjord attracted great empires: the Venetians and the Turks, whose vivid imprint can be seen in the region’s culture and architecture. The Bay of Kotor is an ancient fortress of Kotor with many mountain trails, the most beautiful Perast, scattered fishing villages with houses made of white stone, luxurious modern hotels and marinas that can accommodate huge yachts and ocean liners, ancient fortresses and monasteries, and much, much more.

For a more detailed list of excursions and their prices, you can view them after booking your cruise in your “Customer Personal Account”.