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One Day in Kotor, Montenegro: Four Sensational Ways to Spend Your Day

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BY SARAH PAVLOVIC 

Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor Montenegro. Here are four itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!

Find your perfect way to spend 1 day in Kotor Montenegro. Choose from 4 itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor, Montenegro. Image: Deposit Photos

Have you got just one day in Kotor?

Not sure how to spend it and get the most out of your time?

Read on because I’ve got four different and unique ways to spend your day in Kotor.

Whether you want to see the highlights, get off the beaten path, consider yourself an adventure lover or are fascinated by history, there’s a perfect day in Kotor to suit you.

These four itineraries include some of the best experiences to be had in Kotor. They’ll also take you to see some of the most beautiful and fascinating sights around Montenegro. 

You’ll discover must-see sights and hidden gems inside Kotor’s ancient walls. You’ll also find authentic experiences and fun ways to explore the town.

The hardest part will be choosing just one!

One Day in Kotor, Montenegro Itinerary 1:
Classic Kotor Experience

Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor Montenegro. Here are four itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!One Day in Kotor, Montenegro: Classic Kotor Experience. Image: Deposit Photos

Itinerary includes: Kotor old town, Our Lady of the Rocks, Perast, San Giovanni Fortress, traditional cuisine.

Start your day in Kotor by exploring the old town’s nooks and crannies. Take a walking tour or self-guided walking tour around the old town. 

Visit Saint Tryphon’s Cathedral, built in 1166 on the site of a 9th century church to house the relics of Saint Tryphon, which were brought from Constantinople. Find out about the importance of the Bay of Kotor’s seafaring history in the Maritime Museum. And see the palaces and gates that show Kotor’s best architecture through the ages.

After exploring the old town, wander across the road to the shore and take a boat tour to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks. You’ll speed across the calm waters of Kotor Bay and along the way you can see the villages with their traditional stone houses and ornate palaces on both sides. 

Our Lady of the Rocks is an important cultural monument in the Bay of Kotor. It was founded by two brothers who found an icon on a rock in this very spot in 1452. Over time, the people of Perast built an island and church here, and today you can take a tour through the church and museum.

After visiting Our Lady of the Rocks, hop back in the boat and take the short trip to Perast. Perast is an idyllic seaside town lined with Baroque palaces. You can walk the 1km-long shoreline, explore the museum in Bujović Palace and climb the belfry of Saint Nicholas’ Church. Or you can grab a seat at Conte Restaurant and watch the boats sail by over a glass of Montenegrin wine or a plate of seafood risotto.

After whizzing back to Kotor in the boat, go back into Kotor via the River Gate and take the walk up San Giovanni Fortress.

Kotor’s fortifications are thought to be the most expensive in Europe and Kotor is one of the few towns left in the Mediterranean with its fortifications intact. The walls are 4.5km (2.7mi) long, and up to 20m 65ft) high and 16m (52ft) thick in places. You can walk up part of the wall to San Giovanni Fortress and from there you’ll get stunning views of Kotor and Kotor Bay.

After enjoy the panoramic views, head back down and into the old town. Wander over to Konoba Skala Santa, the oldest restaurant in Kotor for a traditional seafood buzara (seafood stew), a glass of red wine made with Vranac grapes and finish your Classic Kotor Experience with a slice of Kotorska pašta, traditional Kotor cream pie.

Useful resources to plan your Classic Kotor Experience:

One Day in Kotor, Montenegro Itinerary 2:
Kotor Adventure

Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor Montenegro. Here are four itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!One Day in Kotor, Montenegro: Kotor Adventure

Itinerary includes: The Blue Cave, via ferrata Kotor and traditional cuisine.

While Kotor’s historic old town might seem like an odd place to find adventure, there’s something for thrill seekers in Kotor too.

Start your day with a kayak tour to the Blue Cave. You’ll head over to Luštica Peninsula, about 25 minutes from Kotor where you’ll jump in your kayak.

You paddle along the wild and rocky coast to the Blue Cave, a cave that’s known for its iridescent blue colour and is only accessible from the sea. Pop on a snorkel and mask and you can explore the cave from the water too.

After you paddle back to the start, you’ll be driven back to Kotor where you can stop for pizza and a cold Nikšičko beer.

After refuelling it’s time to have an exhilarating experience on Kotor’s via ferrata. If you haven’t tried via ferrata before, the best way to describe it is a cross between rock climbing and hiking.

On a via ferrata you wear a harness that you clip onto a steel cable. The steel cable runs up a path along a cliff and you use natural hand- and footholds, ladders and steps to make your way up the path. It doesn’t require a lot of strength like rock-climbing does and you’ll get fantastic views from the top.

After all that activity it’s time to have a breather. Head along Kotor’s waterfront until you get to Tanjga, where you’ll find hearty Balkan grill meals. Try a plate of čevapi (sausages) with a fresh šopska salad or pljeskavica (meat pattie) with kajmak (clotted cream).

It's a lot of calories but you’ve earned them!

Useful resources to help you plan your Kotor Adventure:

One Day in Kotor, Montenegro Itinerary 3:
Kotor Quizzing

Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor Montenegro. Here are four itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!One Day in Kotor, Montenegro: Kotor Quizzing

Itinerary includes: Kotor Secret Trail, Blue Cave and nightlife.

Undoubtedly the most fun way to see Kotor, the Kotor Secret Trail gets your feet and brain working! On the Secret Kotor Trail you follow cryptic clues to find your next destination. When you get there you’ll solve a riddle to unlock a fascinating story about Kotor. 

You’ll discover Kotor’s most beautiful sights, its most enthralling secrets and some hidden gems while giving your brain a work out… this one is for any crossword, puzzle or quiz lovers!

After your discovery walk it’s time to jump aboard a speed boat for some more fun. The Blue Cave speed boat tour whizzes you through the Bay of Kotor to Our Lady of the Rocks in front of Perast. After a visit to the island church and museum, you continue through the bay and out into the Adriatic Sea. 

Along the way you’ll pass Mamula Island, the former island prison and see the wild and beautiful Luštica Peninsula. The boat takes you into the cave where you can jump out and have a swim. On the way back you’ll visit the submarine caves that used to hide submarines during World War II before making your way back to Kotor.

Back in Kotor, take a stroll along the seafront to Ladovina’s for an al fresco dinner on the terrace. This chilled out garden restaurant serves a mix of modern and traditional cuisine in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere.

Party the rest of your night away in Letrika. Just watch out for the rakija (brandy) shots… they’re very potent!

Useful resources to help you plan your Kotor Quizzing Experience:

One Day in Kotor, Montenegro Itinerary 4:
Historical Kotor Trail

Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor Montenegro. Here are four itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!One Day in Kotor, Montenegro: Historical Kotor Trail. Image: Deposit Photos

Itinerary includes: Kotor old town, Njeguši village, Cetinje and traditional cuisine.

Founded in the Špiljari Canyon somewhere between the 6th and 3rd centuries B.C., there’s a lot of history to discover in Kotor. Explore Kotor old town, which was founded by the Romans around the first century AD, with the help of my guide to Kotor or a local guide. 

Along the way you can see how Kotor developed through the centuries and see beautiful examples of Gothic and Baroque architecture. Kotor is often called a Venetian town because most of its building was done during the reign of the Venetian Republic, which ruled Kotor from 1420 to 1797.

After exploring the Venetian-style old town it’s time to head into Old Montenegro. Take a drive up the ‘serpentine road’ with its 25 switchbacks to the village of Njeguši. Along the way you’ll get fabulous views of the Bay of Kotor. 

Njeguši is part of old Montenegro, which was often at war with the Venetian Republic and it’s here that Montenegro’s rulers hailed from. You can visit the birthplace of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, who was bishop prince of Montenegro from 1830 to 1851. You can also try Njeguši’s other claim to fame – prosciutto and cheese at Montenegro’s oldest restaurant, Kod Pera na Bukoviću in the village.

From Njeguši, take the road to the Petar II Petrović Njegoš Mausoleum, a beautiful and interesting tribute to one of Montenegro’s favourite sons in Lovćen National Park.

After a wander to the mausoleum make the short trip to Cetinje, Montenegro’s old royal capital. In Cetinje you can visit King Nikola’s Court, the national museum, Cetinje Monastery, the Blue Palace, the Bilijarda and the Ćipur and Vlaška churches.

Head back to Kotor via Budva, and then enjoy a candlelit dinner at Galion, overlooking the lights of Kotor’s fortress walls.

Useful resources to help you plan your Historical Kotor Trail:

More Great Ways to Spend One Day in Kotor, Montenegro

Here are some more ideas of things to do in and near Kotor:

Kotor Winery Tour – explore Kotor, Perast and Herceg Novi, and visit a winery with the best views in the Bay of Kotor.

Olives and Donkeys Tour – experience authentic Montenegrin cuisine and lifestyle on this tour to a 300 year old olive mill.

Epic 25 Turns Bike Descent Tour – drive up to Njeguši village, then bike down the Serpentine Road’s 25 switchbacks to Kotor. 

Full Day Tours From Kotor

Find your perfect way to spend one day in Kotor Montenegro. Here are four itineraries that include top sights, activities, traditional cuisine and hidden gems!Rafting in the Tara Canyon. Image: Deposit Photos

These are full-day tours from Kotor that take around 12 hours. They're best done if you're staying in Kotor and they're a great way to see the best of Montenegro in a short amount of time.

Full-Day Montenegro Tour - this 12 hour tour helps you experience the variety of Montenegro's beauty and culture in just one day. On the tour you'll experience the serpentine road, traditional prosciutto, cheese and brandy with a smokehouse tour in Montenegro's oldest restaurant, Lovćen National Park, the Petar II Petrović Njegoš Mausoleum, Cetinje, Pavlova Strana, Skadar Lake National Park, Sveti Stefan and Budva.

North Montenegro Tour - this tour takes you to see the best of Montenegro's mountainous northern region. On the tour you visit the Black Lake in Durmitor National Park, the Đurđevića Tara Bridge and Ostrog Monastery.

Rafting in Tara Canyon - the Tara River Canyon is a spectacular place in Montenegro. The canyon is the second-deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon and it's part of Durmitor National Park. You can raft through the lush canyon on the crystal clear Tara River, stand under waterfalls and see some of Montenegro's best scenery.

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