What To Do In Kotor: Your 2-Day Guide
Need help figuring out what to do in Kotor, Montenegro? We've got you covered with an epic two-day itinerary that you can customize to fit your vacation goals and length, as well as all the best day trips to add on if you've got more time.
Kotor is a beautiful historical town located on a fjord off the Adriatic Sea. A relatively “undiscovered” tourist destination, it is one of our favorite places we have traveled to and we cannot recommend it enough.  In this post, we’ll share with you our ideal two-day itinerary for what to do in Kotor, including where to stay, the top sites, and the best places to eat. Note – these are two very full days, so likely you’ll need to pare back if you’re only staying one night, but there were just too many great activities to choose from! If you’ve got the time, we highly encourage you to rent a car and make a road trip of your time in Montenegro – check the bottom of this post for all the best day trips to add to your journey! Look out for bolded items as the can’t miss priorities.
Looking for all the best places to eat and drink while you’re here? Check out our posts The 10 Best Restaurants in Kotor and Kotor Nightlife: The Best Bars in Old Town.
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Activities At A Glance
(Click each Day to jump down for more information)
Itinerary
- Walking tour of Old Town
- Lunch at BBQ Tanjga
- Take the Kotor Cable Car to Lovcen National Park
- Visit the Mausoleum of Petar II
- Sunset drink at Monte 1350
- Dinner at La Catedral Pasta Bar
- After hours at Old Town Pub & Letrika Caffe Bar
- Breakfast at Marenda Steak House
- Boat tour of Our Lady of the Rocks & the Blue Cave
- Lunch at Restobar Taraca
- Sunbathe at Kotor Beach
- Sunset hike to St. John Fortress
- Dinner at Konoba Scala Santa
Day Trips & Vacation Extenders (click each for our city guide, where applicable!):
- Quick hitters:
- Longer journeys:
- Herceg Novi
- Podgorica
- Niksic
- Kolasin
- Durmitor National Park
- Prokletije National Park
- Lake Skadar National Park
Why Visit Kotor?
When friends and family ask us where they should travel next, our number one answer is decidedly Montenegro.  While it’s cheesy to call it a hidden gem, it’s true.  This is a country that offers incredible natural landscapes, UNESCO heritage sites, beautiful beaches, vibrant nightlife, and the modern conveniences you expect from a European nation, all at a noticeable discount from more popular destinations like Italy or Spain. There is existing – and rapidly growing – tourism here, but it’s still early days, and the perfect time to visit is now.
Kotor, in particular, is stunningly beautiful. Seated on a fjord surrounded by mountains, the landscape is breathtaking. The bay is crystal clear and makes for excellent swimming, and a jog along the waterfront is a perfect 5K. On top of that, the entire city is a UNESCO heritage site, with a beautiful old town that dates back to the 12th century. Adding to the charm are the famous cats of Kotor, which historically were important for pest control, and now roam free as a beloved institution of the city. The people are friendly, the price is right, and there are innumerable epic day trips and vacation extenders you can add to your trip. It’s no Paris, so don’t expect the food to rock your world, but there are some tasty spots if you know where to look, and plenty of rakija (the local digestive, brandy) to wash it down with.Â
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Where to Stay?
Kotor Apartments
3 Guests - 1 Bedroom - 2 Beds - 1 Bath - Pet Friendly
We stayed at this Airbnb in Skaljari, just a ten minute walk from Old Town. This unit was perfect for both short and-long term stays, and excellent for those traveling with pets. Not only did it have a full kitchen, washing machine, and a yard for Cali, it also had a large private terrace with beautiful views of the city and the stars and access to a gym, albeit a nostalgia-inducing “Rocky”-era garage gym. The hosts were incredibly friendly and helpful, and we thoroughly enjoyed our one-month stay there. We preferred Skaljari over staying in Old Town proper, as the unit was more quiet and spacious, while still being super conveniently located.
If you prefer to stay in Old Town, there are a number of great options. Everything in Old Town is walkable, so you can choose your stay based on aesthetics and amenities, without worrying too much about location – though, I would recommend avoiding units near late night hot spot, Letrika Caffe Bar. Personally, we recommend Boutique Hotel Hippocampus, which features our favorite rooftop venue in town, or Boutique Hotel Astoria, which serves up the best desserts in town. KAŽIN supreme is also an ideal choice for a more rustic, romantic stay.
Alternatively, if you’re ok with a bit of a walk, you can stay north of Old Town in Dobrota, where you can get really affordable rentals with beautiful sea views. Top choices here include Apartmani F&M and BMB Apartments Kotor, which feature full kitchens and stunning terrace views of the Bay of Kotor. Be aware though, Dobrota’s uphill from town and the beach, so it could be a bit of a workout getting home.
How to Get There?
Most people first discover Kotor as a port stop on a cruise ship, but you can also reach it by plane and ground transport. The most direct option is to fly into Tivat Airport (TIV) and then take a taxi to Kotor. TIV is quite close (about 20 minutes by taxi), but it’s also a smaller regional airport, so prices can run a bit higher. If you’re willing to spend a little more time to save a few bucks, you can instead fly into Podgorica Airport (TGD) or Dubrovnik Airport (DBV).
Both TGD and DBV are about 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Kotor. Upon arrival in either of these airports, you can choose to rent a car, take a taxi, or grab a bus to Kotor. We flew into Podgorica and took a taxi to downtown for the night, which cost 15 EUR. Montenegro is very well-connected by bus, but since we had the dog and lots of luggage, we decided to take a taxi to Kotor the following day. Surprisingly, the nearly two hour drive cost only 50 EUR. If you opt for the bus instead, it will run you about 8 EUR, plus 1 EUR per piece of undercarriage luggage. BUT, you’ll still need to get a taxi from the airport to the bus station first, which should run you between 10 and 15 EUR.Â
Pro-tip: Montenegro has an excellent website detailing its bus routes called BusTicket4.me. You can purchase tickets online or in person, however, if you buy online you’ll need to pay the ticket counter to print the tickets for you before you can get on the bus. Generally, we found it easiest to use this site for planning but purchase our tickets in person. Undercarriage luggage costs 1 EUR per bag.
Be Prepared - Cash is King
Note that ALL of the above-mentioned travel options will require you to pay cash. While you typically won’t have any issue paying with card at a restaurant, Montenegro is still otherwise a largely cash-driven economy. Throughout our time in Montenegro, we paid for transportation (taxis, buses), personal services (haircuts, nail salons, massages), activities (tours, tips) and even some hotels through Booking.com with cash. All that to say, you’ll want to plan to have plenty on hand during your trip.  Montenegro uses the Euro, so it’s fairly easy to get some in advance of your trip, otherwise you can always use an ATM in Kotor. ATMs are readily available in Old Town, but, if you’re not paying attention, they’ll hit you with a hefty fee! Make sure to follow this tip:
Pro-tip: When offered an exchange rate by an ATM, you can – and should – always decline the rate displayed. This rate often includes a heavy markup. In Montenegro, they add a standard 10%! on top of the market exchange rate. This means you are paying an extra $30 on a draw of 300 EUR, a fee that really adds up in a cash-based economy like this one. Declining the rate will not stop your transaction, but rather allow your personal bank to set the rate instead.
Day 1 - Take History to New Heights
- 10:00-12:00 – Take a free walking tour with GuruWalk – don’t forget to tip!
- 12:30-1:30 – Lunch at BBQ Tanjga. Try Montenegro’s famous cevapi at this excellent grilled meat spot just outside the city walls.
- 2:00-4:00 – Take a taxi to the Kotor Cable Car and ride up to Lovcen National Park. Enjoy the Alpine Coaster, dining options, and incredible views from 1,300 meters up.
- 4:00-6:00 – Walk to the Funivia transfer station and take a shuttle to the Mausoleum of Petar II at the top of Mount Lovcen. See the tomb of Montenegro’s most famous ruler and poet and enjoy 360 degree views that extend all the way from the sea to Podgorica!
- 6:30-7:00 – After shuttling back, enjoy a cocktail at Monte 1350 for more jaw-dropping views of the bay while lounging in an aesthetically pleasing cabana chair. Then, take the cable car back down and grab a taxi back to Kotor.
- 8:00-9:30 – Enjoy an intimate but comfortable dinner at La Catedral Pasta Bar, tucked into an alley of Old Town. They have excellent pasta and the friendliest wait staff in the city.
- 10:00-late – If you’re looking for some nightlife, head to Pub “Old Town” Kotor, and Letrika Caffe Bar, in that order. Pub “Old Town” will pick up around 10:00 with more of a classic rock and throwbacks style, while Letrika is a caffe that turns into a DJ-run party in cobblestone alleys in the evening. Check out our post Kotor Nightlife: The Best Bars in Old Town for more nightlife suggestions.
The Details
Walking Tour
Our favorite way to start off any new city is with a walking tour. It’s the best way to get familiar with the area, learn some fascinating tidbits about the city’s history, and pique your interest on which sites or museums you would like to add to your itinerary. With Kotor in particular, there is so much interesting history, as the city has existed since Roman times and changed hands more than ten(!) times since then. Throughout the centuries, Kotor has served as a strategic port and fortress for many of history’s greatest empires. On your walking tour, you’ll learn all about it, and also see all the key sites of Old Town in just a couple of hours.Â
We reserve our tours through GuruWalk, which is an app that offers free – yes, free – walking tours in over 800 cities in 100 countries (and counting!). Guides are only paid through tips, so make sure to give what you can if you’re happy with the tour. Check out GuruWalk’s most popular Kotor tours below:
Kotor Cable Car and Lovcen National Park
In the afternoon, take advantage of everything that the Kotor Cable Car has to offer. You can taxi or park for free on the road or in the paid lot out front. The cable car costs 23 EUR in peak season (15 EUR in off season) for round trip tickets, and kids up to 12 years old ride for free. Once onboard, you’ll take an 11 minute ride up over 1,300 meters, enjoying amazing views of the bay and surrounding mountains through the panoramic windows. Â
At the top, there are a variety of activities to entertain both kids and adults, including a bar and restaurant, ice cream shop, hiking trails, pump track and bike rentals, and an alpine coaster, with more to come! We highly enjoyed the alpine coaster – it was short, but fast enough to give a bit of adrenaline. There’s also a section that goes right to the edge of the cliff, giving you a “top of the world” feeling with incredible views, and the best part is the coaster slows itself for you, so you won’t miss it even if you’ve been fulfilling your need for speed the rest of the way! Well worth the 8 EUR to ride. You can also ride double with small children. Â
The Mausoleum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš
One of the best parts of the Kotor Cable Car, though, is the Funivia transfer service offered right from the main plaza. This shuttle service is probably the easiest way to visit the Mausoleum of Petar II, Njegusi, or Cetinje if you don’t have a rental car. For just 30 EUR, paid by card, this service took Colby and I (and Cali!) round trip to the Mausoleum (about 15-20 min) in a nice, new, air conditioned shuttle. Once we were done at the mausoleum, we shot them a message on Whatsapp and they returned to pick us up within 15 minutes.
The Mausoleum of Petar II is a highly recommended side quest. It will cost you 3 EUR to enter Lovcen National Park, and another 8 EUR for the mausoleum, but it’s well worth it. The mausoleum is perched on top of Mount Lovcen, a holy mountain for Montenegrins, and is the highest mausoleum in the world at 1,657 m (5,436 ft). After climbing 461 stairs, you’ll reach the entrance. Inside is an impressive, giant marble statue of Petar II, and a second room with his tomb behind and to the left. Take a moment to feel the weight of history, then proceed out back to a 360 degree viewing platform. On a clear day, you can see not only a large swath of Montenegro, but all the way to Croatia and Albania! We had fun identifying the other places we would be visiting, like Budva, Herceg Novi, and Lake Skadar.
Monte 1350
After the mausoleum, grab the shuttle back to the Funivia transfer station, but stop by Monte 1350bar before grabbing the cable car back down to sea level. This bar at the cliff’s edge provides gorgeous views of the Bay of Kotor in an upscale aesthetic and is the perfect place to enjoy golden hour or sunset. Make sure to check the Kotor Cable Car website for the timing of the last shuttle back down, as it varies throughout the year.
Day 2 - Sunbathing and Sunset
- 08:00-08:45 – Grab a classic Montenegrin breakfast at Marenda Steak House – eggs, sausage, sir (local cheese), and ajvar (a popular sauce made from bell peppers).
- 09:00-12:00 – Speed through the Bay of Kotor on a small-group boat tour, Kotor’s most popular tourist activity.
- 12:30-1:30 – Enjoy a riverfront lunch at Restobar Taraca. It’s got a lovely ambiance and is also an excellent spot for vegan and vegetarian dishes, a rarity in this region. Not your thing? Check out our post The 10 Best Restaurants in Kotor for more options.
- 2:00-5:30 – Soak up the sun at Kotor Beach. If you’re visiting during off season, the entire beach is free, while in peak season (June-August) you will also have the option of renting two sunbeds and umbrellas for 25 EUR (cash only). It’s a rocky beach, so make sure to bring sandals! On the bright side, that also means the water is crystal clear, and no sand in your unmentionables 😉
Pro-tip: If you need a towel, head to Ping Pong 3, a “locals” general store not shown on Google Maps. You can get a nice thick one here without getting ripped off at tourist traps.
- 7:00-9:00 – Change into your athletic gear, grab a bottle of wine from the store, and hike up to St. John Fortress for sunset.
- 9:00-10:30 – Finish your romantic evening with dinner at Konoba Scala Santa, a lovely seafood restaurant near the south entrance/exit to the St. John Fortress hike.
The Details
Boat Tours
Speed boat tours are by far the most popular activity in Kotor. When walking along the waterfront, you will see what feels like hundreds of signs and people passing out flyers for these tours. Don’t worry – it’s not a scam! It’s just one of the primary ways for people to make money in the summer.
There are many tour operators available, and for the most part, all of them offer the same tours: a 90 minute tour to Our Lady of the Rocks and Perast for about 20 EUR, a 3 hour tour to Our Lady of the Rocks, the retired Yugoslavian submarine tunnels, and the Blue Cave for about 40 EUR, and private tours starting around 70 EUR. These prices are negotiable, so we highly encourage you to try and bargain.
We opted for the 3 hour tour with Sea Magic Speed Boat Tours and smiled ear-to-ear the whole time. Each of the sites was unique and interesting, and cruising on the bay was a blast, our tour guide cracking jokes and DJing throughout the ride. This is also a great way to get Capri’s Blue Grotto experience without the hours-long line and hefty entrance fee. We were able to stop and swim inside for a bit as well as outside in a nearby cove. Afterwards, we each got a free – albeit, not the coldest – beer and headed back to Kotor.
Due to the large number of tour operators available, you’re very likely to be able to book on the spot if you’ve got a small group (head to the park for maximum options). This is nice for flexibility, but if you prefer to plan ahead, you can reserve seats by contacting tour providers directly on Instagram or Whatsapp, or you can book tickets through Get Your Guide.
St John Fortress Hike
If you’ve done any previously googling on hiking in Kotor, you’ve probably learned that there are two main hiking trails – the St John Fortress/Kotor Fortress hike and the Ladder of Kotor. We hiked both, and had a far better experience with the Kotor Fortress hike, which is why we’ve included it on this itinerary. Yes, it’s true the city of Kotor recently raised the price of this hike to 15 EUR. And yes, we know the Ladder of Kotor offers similar views, and is free. But we still recommend hiking the St. John Fortress trail. So, why pay 15 EUR to hike a trail when there’s a free trail nearby? Let’s get into it.
First, is trail length and difficulty. The St. John Fortress is a much more accessible hike. It is predominantly stairs with much of it along a fortress wall you can lean against or use as a handrail if needed. It’s also shorter – at approximately 2 miles long (3.2 km) with 841 ft (256 m) of elevation gain (according to my Apple watch), it will take you about an hour and a half to hike out and back. Meanwhile, the Ladder of Kotor is 70 switchbacks of dry, loose rock, for 6.3 miles (10.1 km) and nearly 2,000 ft (600 m) of elevation gain, with not one square foot of shade – this took us over 4 hours.
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Second, is the interest and enjoyment level of the trail itself. While the Ladder of Kotor is nothing but the same gravel path with an increasingly broad view of the Bay of Kotor, the Kotor Fortress hike takes you through several ancient ruins. This isn’t Rome or Athens either, where the ruins are heavily protected behind fences and security. Here, you can get up close and personal, walking through the ruins and touching history with your own two hands.
Finally, is the view from the top. While the Ladder of Kotor ends at a much higher altitude, it’s also much further away from Old Town. St John Fortress, on the other hand, is right on top of it, providing excellent views not just of the Bay of Kotor, but of Kotor itself. And, if you hike it at sunset, like we recommend, you can watch the city light up at night. To top it off, you’re ending in the fortress itself, so you get to watch this view while perched on an old wall or fortress roof, rather than a patch of dirt or rock. Colby and I brought two mini bottles of wine up and sat for about an hour taking photos, drinking our wine, and watching the sun dip below the Vrmac mountain. Well worth the 15 EUR admission in our opinion.
Pro-tip: Really determined to do this hike for free? If you ascend and descend prior to opening hours, the ticket booth will be unmanned. If you start before opening and descend afterwards, however, the ticket booth operator will ask to see your ticket and make you pay on the way out.
Quick note here that there are two entrances to this hike. We recommend the south entrance, right next to Caffe bar Perper, but the north entrance will arrive at the same destination.
Day Trips & Vacation Extenders
One of the best things about visiting Montenegro is just how jam packed with sights the country is, while still being small enough to see it all! Though just about the size of Connecticut, Montenegro has five incredible national parks and a steadily growing tourism industry. In our three months in Montenegro, we saw almost all of it, so if this sounds like your cup of tea, you can look forward to more posts to come! Below we’ve listed out some of the best day trips and vacation extenders from Kotor, separated into “Quick Hitters” (less than 1 hour away) and “Longer Journeys” (1 to 4 hours -the furthest you can drive before you’re in another country!). Click each title to access our travel guide for that city (where applicable).
Quick Hitters (Less than 1 hour away)
Perast is a popular day trip from Kotor, with a lovely and romantic little old town. Its most popular site is Our Lady of the Rocks, which we saw on our boat tour from Kotor, so we decided to skip the town itself, but it always comes highly recommended, especially for couples and older travelers.
The new playground (*cough* tax haven *cough*) of the wealthy, Tivat is a place to park your yacht and enjoy the lifestyles of the rich and famous. With plenty of luxury shopping, clean and beautiful boardwalks, and bougie restaurants, Tivat felt like if Beverly Hills were a whole city, and also oceanfront. We had a great day sightseeing here, and will absolutely be back to experience Buddha-Bar Beach next time.
After Kotor, Budva is Montenegro’s most popular tourist destination. Known for its beach clubs and nightlife, Budva is a place to party. However, that’s not all it has to offer. Budva also has a really lovely Old Town, quality restaurants, and several wonderful beaches. It’s also got a lot more everyday amenities than Kotor, so it’s a better option for longer-term stays and digital nomads.
The historical capital of Montenegro, Cetinje is a great place to go to truly experience life as the locals live it. The city also serves as host for several cultural events and festivals throughout the year. While we were in Montenegro, we went to Cetinje for their big Independence Day celebrations (May 21), and they also held a beer festival in July.
Another historically and culturally important town is Njegusi, located within Lovcen National Park. This is where they make the country’s famous njeguski prsut and njeguski sir (prosciutto and cheese from Njegusi), which you’ll see on appetizer menus all across the country. It’s a great place to experience a small mountain village and buy some local produce.
Longer Journeys (1-4 hours away)
Herceg Novi was one of our favorite places. It’s got a long coastline and a great “beach vacation” vibe. Though, it’s worth noting that most of the “beaches” are more like concrete slabs with chairs on them. The prices here are more reasonable, the food and drink are great, and there are two really cool fortresses, including Kanli Kula, which hosts events in addition to daily tours. We were lucky enough to go to an epic EDM festival held here, which was one of our favorite experiences in Montenegro.
Podgorica is a city that doesn’t get enough credit. While the capital city doesn’t have a ton in the way of sightseeing, it does have a super fun and lively downtown area with a great collection of bars and restaurants, as well as some of the only concentrated shopping districts in the country. While I wouldn’t recommend it for more than a couple of weeks, it’s a great place as a digital nomad to put your head down and work for a bit, while still having fun places to go out at night.
A rather unknown choice for tourists, Niksic is Montenegro’s second largest city and actually has some cool stuff to offer. We visited their fortress ruins, walked through the full-on forest in the middle of town, and had a great night in their lively main square and the bars and restaurants that surround it. A hidden gem waiting to be discovered!
Kolasin is an adorable mountain town with two nearby ski resorts. While an obvious choice in the winter, it’s also a great stop in the summer. Here you can stay in a cabin, go hiking and mountain biking, and even take the ski chair lifts to the top of the mountain for exceptional views of Biogradska National Park with minimal effort!
Just outside of Podgorica sits Lake Skadar, a huge lake that straddles the border with Albania. The lake is not only a national park, but actually Europe’s largest bird preserve. It’s an excellent place for kayaking, but you can also take a powered boat tour through the lake and channels to soak up some nature without working up a sweat. Â
One of my all-time favorite national parks (of any country), Durmitor is stunning. The mountainous landscape is rugged and dramatic, and driving through the winding turns of the park will leave you speechless. Durmitor is Montenegro’s hub for adventure sports, so this is a great place to go if you’re interested in white water rafting, ziplining, paragliding, or mountaineering.
Home of the famous Accursed Mountains, Prokletije is the place to go in Montenegro if you’re interested in epic trekking and multi-day backpacking, but there are also some excellent day hikes. Though not far from Durmitor, these mountains have a completely different, darker feel that will leave you impressed, and probably a little intimidated. Never fear! The day hikes are completely conquerable and totally worth it.
We hope this post helps you decide what to do in Kotor. Stay tuned for more on Montenegro’s other incredible vacation destinations!
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The Comments
Eileen Cotter Wright
Great tip about the cash! This is such a massive, wonderful guide. I haven’t the chance to go yet myself, but definitely saving this for next time!
Meredith
Eileen Cotter WrightThanks for your kind words! Nothing like personal experience to pick up the most random, helpful tips from our own mistakes!
Travelling Teacher Shenanigans
Great itinerary and information. Montenegro hasn’t made it onto my travel list just yet, but this will be really helpful when it does. Thanks for sharing.
Meredith
Travelling Teacher ShenanigansIt’s definitely worth a visit! Hope you find time to fit it into your travel plans one day.
Casey
his is such a helpful guide! Kotor looks absolutely stunning, especially with the mountains surrounding the bay and the historic old town. I love how you structured the itinerary with a mix of exploring Old Town, taking the boat tour to Our Lady of the Rocks, and hiking up to St. John Fortress for sunset, that sounds like the perfect way to experience the city in just two days. The restaurant suggestions are great too. Montenegro has been high on my travel list and I am actually going there this fall. This post definitely makes me want to plan a trip even sooner!
Meredith
CaseyThat’s so great! We absolutely loved Montenegro. Make sure to check out our other guides before you start planning! We’ve got travel guides for nearly every major destination – and some hidden gems – in the country. We’ll be writing a roundup post in the next couple of months as well to help you see everything at once, stay tuned!
Agnes
Kotor looks absolutely stunning, and this itinerary is packed with great ideas. The mix of history, viewpoints, and boat trips sounds like the perfect way to experience the area in just a couple of days. I especially love the idea of taking the cable car to Lovćen and hiking up to St. John Fortress for sunset — those views must be incredible. Montenegro has been on my travel list for a while, and guides like this make planning so much easier. Great and very helpful itinerary!
Meredith
AgnesThanks so much Agnes! I hope you are able to visit – Montenegro is an incredibly beautiful country, we loved our time there.
Georgina
I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Kotar before this post, but it’s now on my ‘must visit soon’ list. Thank you for such a great guide.
Meredith
GeorginaGlad we could inspire you Georgina! It’s definitely worth a visit, such a hidden gem!