A Brummie in Montenegro: 7 Days in Kotor (and beyond!)

During our 2016 Croatia roadtrip we took a day out from exploring Dubrovnik to visit Montenegro on a guided tour. It was a drizzly day but I was enchanted by this small Balkan country. I knew I wanted to return. With a 2025 travel resolution of at least one chilled out holiday, my eye kept returning to Montenegro. And when I realised that Jet2 now flew to Tivat from Birmingham it was just a matter of time til I was pressing that Book Now button.

In a change from our usual multi-base trips, we decided to make Kotor our home for the entire week. We were eager to get to know one area well rather than constantly moving around. And also, to actually unpack properly and not live out of a suitcase. We did hire a car, knowing that we’re incapable of lying by a pool and doing nothing for a whole week. So here’s a guide to our favourite spots from 7 days in Kotor and beyond!

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Where we stayed

Accommodation for 7 days in Kotor can be expensive, especially in the Old Town. Instead, we opted for an apartment in Muo, directly across the bay. It was quiet and spacious, with a lovely elevated pool area for lazy days in the sunshine. From our terrace we had beautiful views across the bay to Kotor Old Town. It was particularly breathtaking in the evening when the lights start to twinkle. Even better with a bottle of local wine 😉

Exploring Kotor

Many visitors to Montenegro visit Kotor for a day or two at most. Indeed, the highlights of this waterfront town don’t take long to explore. But with a whole week in Muo, a 20 minute stroll from the Old Town, we enjoyed having plenty of time to explore. We struck a balance between tourist sights and living like a local. 

Weekday evenings were peaceful once the day-tripper crowds had dissipated. Weekend evenings were lively as locals come out to play. And by play, I mean drink. The pubs were spilling out onto the streets on the Friday and Saturday evening.

Kotor is a popular destination for day-trippers from Dubrovnik and also as a cruise ship port. In summer, the arrival of cruise ships swell the population of Kotor. If you’re staying locally I recommend exploring the town once the passengers have returned and are on the way to their next destination. It’s best to give Kotor a swerve on busy ship days and head out into the local area or simply relax at your accommodation.

If you have 7 days in Kotor – or even just a day or two! – these are my top recommendations:

Discover the charming Old Town

Medieval walls encircle this UNESCO World Heritage site, from the waterfront to the steep mountain which serves as a dramatic backdrop to the Bay. You can access the city walls at various points for wonderful views inside and outside of the Old Town. The impressive Sea Gate takes you right into the main square but we preferred to enter by the Gurdić Gate and wind our way along the back of the town.

Cats stroll around as if they own the place, basking in sunlight and seeking shade. They are a symbol of Kotor, of good luck and prosperity – whilst also keeping rodents and snakes at bay. It must work. I didn’t see one rodent or snake. Mr Fletche fell in love one particular cat, a nonchalant white blue-eyed beauty that he christened Tina. He now has a photo of her on his desk. Yes, a random Montenegrin cat. Not me, his wife.

The 12th century St Tryphon Cathedral has managed to survive invasions and earthquakes, although it has been reconstructed. On one of the evenings, the square in front of the cathedral was transformed into an outdoor auditorium, and we were entertained by a local orchestra.

Just outside the city walls is the Kotor Farmers Market, selling local produce, fresh fruit, Montenegrin wine, cheese and some handcrafted souvenirs. This is where we stocked up on juicy berries for our breakfast. The market is open every day from 9am-5pm running between the Corner Bastion and the Sea Gate.

Hike up to St John’s Fortress

Sitting 260 metres above sea level on San Giovanni hill is the 14th century fortress, which formed part of Kotor’s fortification system along with the city walls and bastions. It’ll cost you €15 to access the ruins, via a steep zigzag path of 1350 steps. You will be rewarded with killer views though for your effort, overlooking the terracotta rooftops, maze of winding lanes and church spires of the Old Town. It’s a popular activity so you might want to start early before you have to share the trail with a herd of daytrippers.

Access to the trailhead is via an archway through the rear wall of the Old Town, close to the North (River) Gate. There isn’t actually anything AT St John’s Fortress; the view is your only reward.

An alternative route to St John’s Fortress is via the so-called “Ladder of Kotor” hike. This is even more challenging, but you’re likely to encounter fewer crowds. And maybe some goats. You’ll be following the route of the infamous Kotor Serpentine, and you can even hike all the way up to the Upper Cable Car Station

Full disclaimer: we didn’t do the hike. The soaring summer temperatures made this endeavour a little risky as there’s little shade on the route. Instead we took the lazy route to panoramic views.

Enjoying Kotor from above (without a hot and sweaty hike)

We decided to get our panoramic views the easy way. The Kotor Cable Car is located a short drive out of the town, and is a perfect way to check out the spectacular Kotor scenery from above. The cable car takes visitors 1300 meters above sea level and there are breathtaking views both on the 11-minute ascent and from the upper station.

We decided to visit late afternoon, taking the cable car back down around sunset. Mr Fletche and I had a gondola all to ourselves on the ascent. At the upper station we took a little time to enjoy the breathtaking vista. From here there’s access to Lovcen National Park, with a multitude of hiking trails. We decided to keep it a little more relaxed though with a cocktail stop on the terrace of Monte 1360. It’s certainly one of the more stunning backdrops for an Aperol Spritz.

Not content with the cable car ride, i’m in the mood for something a little more thrilling And the Kotor Mountain Coaster delivers it in spades. I wrote all about the Cable Car and the Mountain Coaster here!

Getting out on the water

The Bay of Kotor is often referred to as Europe’s southernmost fjord. Indeed, it has many similarities with the scenery on our Norwegian Fjords Cruise, not least glistening turquoise waters with a dramatic craggy backdrop of limestone cliffs. So it makes sense to get out on the water. One of the most popular excursions is to the Blue Cave, with many tours also taking in Perast and an old abandoned submarine bunker.

Which is why we booked this boat trip for our final day. And which was subsequently cancelled due to high winds and choppy waters. Readers, never book a tour for your final day, leaving you no time to reschedule if things go tits up. With 7 days in Kotor, I really should have planned this better!

Montenegro Travel Blogs and Tips from A Brummie Home and Abroad
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Eating and drinking in Kotor

Basing ourselves in Kotor for 7 days meant that for once we were able to work through a list of recommended places to eat and drink, and leave no stone unturned. My top three eateries were:

• Konoba Scala Santa – a very popular family run restaurant on Trg od Salate (Salad Square) – make sure you book!
• BBQ Tanjga – a casual smokehouse and grill, perfect for meat eaters, large portions!
• Mondo – a waterfront restaurant in Dobrota, good for fresh seafood

As for drinks, we tended to head for either Authentic Pub Bandiera or Old Town Pub. The Nitrox is also excellent for a fancy – and strong – cocktail or craft beer, but it is quite pricey so definitely not an every night haunt.

On the days that we took a leisurely morning stroll we would often pick up a takeaway lunch from Senso, a bakery and coffee shop tucked away in the heart of the Old Town. Holiday maths means a cheap lunch leaves more in the budget for those pricey cocktails 😉

Further afield

To make the most of having a car we decided to take one day trip out a little further afield. We headed to the sprawling Lake Skadar – via the slightly challenging Kotor Serpentine – for a spectacular boat trip departing from Virpazar. I definitely recommend this if you’re planning on spending 7 days in Kotor.

🛶 You can read more about our trip to the breathtaking Lake Skadar here 🛶

We considered adding a few more trips into the itinerary, but as Ella Fitzgerald once sang, it was just “too darn hot”. Lazing by the pool, relaxing on our terrace and then strolling into town for a cocktail or two was much more appealing than being stuck in traffic getting in and out of Kotor.

I can definitely see us returning to Montenegro and spending a few days in the north, exploring the spectacular mountains, canyons, waterfalls and rivers of Durmitor National Park.

Is Kotor a good base for exploring further afield?

We loved Kotor as our base but if your plan for a week in Montenegro includes travelling north to Durmitor or Biogradska Gora National Parks you may be better placed staying in Budva or Bar. Bar has a railway station which connects with the capital Podgorica and the second largest city Nikšić.

It can be a struggle driving in and out of Kotor due to the sheer amount of traffic on the single road entering the town from the south and running around the bay. We found there were often tailbacks through Kotor; it took us an hour to get to the airport on our departure day, a mere 8.5km.

You can find out more on the art of driving in Montenegro according to Mr Fletche 🚗

Getting to Montenegro

Jet2 have recently started flying direct to Tivat Airport from Birmingham; previously we would have had to fly into either Podgorica, the country’s capital, or into Dubrovnik, transferring across the Croatian/Montenegrin border. The flight time from Birmingham is around 3 hours.

Tivat doesn’t feel quite up to the job of handling mass numbers of tourists just yet. Although our arrival was pretty smooth, our departure was a little chaotic. There’s a small, narrow duty free store and some vending machines after security but that’s your lot. There certainly wasn’t sufficient seating for all the passengers.

Our flight were £248pp, including guaranteed cabin luggage. We didn’t bother with checked luggage; packing a cabin case and under-seat bag to their capacity.

Getting around Kotor and beyond

If you’re planning on staying in the Kotor region, you can probably get around without a car. In fact, it can double your journey time just travelling in and out of the town. There are plenty of taxis around and the BLUE LINE BUS travels around the bay (although I never quite understood the route or the timetable) from Kotor to Risan via Perast. Buses from Kotor Bus Station travel to many of the main towns and cities in Montenegro – use BusTicket4.Me to check out fares and timetables.. And then of course, there are boat trips which will allow you to discover the area from the water.

However, if you plan to travel out further then definitely look at hiring a car, at least for part of your trip. Montenegro is pretty safe for motorists, & you can drive across the entire country in less than 3 hours! You can book cars from all the usual suspects with pick-up and drop-off at Tivat airport; or look at smaller companies such as LocalRent or DiscoverCars. Something useful to know before booking – that we learned the hard way – is that the name on the driving licence and credit card used to secure the booking MUST match, with full first and last name.

From airport to Kotor

There’s no reliable public transport option from Tivat Airport to Kotor. Tivat Bus Station is around 1.5km from the airport along a busy road, and it’s possible to get a bus from here to Kotor for around €3. Not an option we fancied to be honest.

*The Blue Line bus DOES apparently pick up outside Tivat airport, near where the rental cars exit. I haven’t been able to find too much about the service though so I probably wouldn’t suggest it as a reliable way of getting from the airport.

There are plenty of taxis available, prices start at €30. But instead we decided to pick up our rental car straight away from the airport. In theory its a 15 minute journey from Tivat Airport to Kotor but traffic can be very heavy around Kotor. It took us around an hour to drive from Kotor to the airport on departure day, and we were glad we’d heeded the advice of our Airbnb host and left in plenty of time.

Final thoughts: 7 days in Kotor

Montenegro is a beautiful country, with spectacular lakes, stunning mountains and a beautiful coastline with beaches and dramatic cliffs. On this occasion we chose to relax with Kotor as our base, but we could have easily taken a road trip to sample some of Montenegro’s other delights: Durmitor National Park, the Lustica Peninsula, Biogradska Gora National Park. But it was also an opportunity to get to know Kotor, to find our favourite places to eat and drink, and to simply relax without the pressure of exploring somewhere new every day.

I keep on seeing articles that state that Kotor – and Montenegro as a whole – is a “hidden gem” and “undiscovered by tourists”. Well readers, sadly that is no longer true, and we noticed a lot more crowds compared to our last visit in 2016. Which has also resulted in inflated prices in terms of eating and drinking. But it is still cheaper than neighbouring Croatia. And I would say that Montenegro is more “underrated” than “undiscovered”.

Have you been to Montenegro? Where should we explore next? And if you haven’t visited, maybe I’ve whetted your appetite!