Bay of Kotor

View of the bay, above the town of Kotor

The Bay of Kotor (Montenegrin: Boka Kotorska) is a region of Montenegro. The bay, the city of Kotor and the surrounding territory are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cities

• 1 Herceg Novi – Founded in 1382 and located at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, very close to the Croatian border.
• 2 Kotor – An ancient fortified town located deep down the bay, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 3 Perast – A well preserved, beautiful small village, built entirely in baroque style, and a UNESCO World Natural and Historical Heritage Site, most famous for its two islands.
• 4 Prčanj – A small family-friendly place with a great view of the bay.
• 5 Tivat – A small town, quickly emerging into a major touristic, business and transport centre with its own international airport. Tivat is also home to the luxury yacht marina called Porto Montenegro.

Understand

The bay is composed of 4 smaller gulfs: gulf of Herceg Novi, gulf of Tivat, gulf of Risan and gulf of Kotor. The first 2 are connected via the Kumbor strait, while the Verige strait connects the gulf of Tivat with the gulfs of Risan and Kotor. The total area equals 88 square kilometres.

Due to its unusual look, the bay is often called Europe's southernmost fjord, but in fact it's a submerged river canyon.

The territory of the bay of Boka Kotorska is divided into 3 municipalities: Kotor, Herceg Novi and Tivat. It's a multiethnic region, with a Serb majority in the municipalities of Herceg Novi and Tivat, a Montenegrin majority in Kotor, and a sizeable Croat minority in Kotor and Tivat.

Talk

The Montenegrins', Serbs' and Croats' languages are all mutually intelligible varieties of Serbo-Croatian. The dialect and the vocabulary of the local people are heavily influenced by Italian. Locals usually speak and understand Italian, Russian and English.

Get in

Tivat, airport and marina

By plane

• Tivat Airport (TIV ^IATA) – Many international and budget flights.

By bus

Buses are very frequent in the area, and are the most popular terms of transport, being usually very cheap and very comfortable.

By boat

Boka Kotorska has 2 international passenger sea ports: in Kotor and in Zelenika. Port of Kotor hosts cruisers on a daily basis during the summer.

Get around

By bus

There's a plenty of local bus lines, both inter- and intra-municipal.

By taxi

Taxi service is fairly safe and comfortable, but on the other side also quite expensive.

By boat

Tourist boats operate on several destinations in the area, they vary from luxury Bateau Mouche-styled boats that offer excursions through the whole bay to small fishing boats that transport tourists from coastal towns to some near, but hardly reachable places (for example: Perast - the island of Gospa od Škrpjela; Herceg Novi - Žanjice beach etc.).

A ferry line operates between the villages of Lepetane and Kamenari in the narrowest part of the bay, the Verige strait. A one-way ticket for an automobile is €4, but pedestrians can cross the strait free of charge.

See

• Visit the Old Town of Kotor and the surrounding walls.

Herceg Novi during winter

• Take a walk on the 6 km-long 5 Danica's esplanade in Herceg Novi and meet with the rich and diverse history of the town.
• The oldest settlement in the bay, Risan, and the historical capital of the Illyrian kingdom.

Do

• 1 Beach activities at Plavi Horizonti. (updated Apr 2023)
• 2 Guided tours to the Blue Cave. (updated Apr 2023)

Eat

Boka Kotorska offers a wide variety of restaurants serving both local and international food. For some great Mediterranean cuisine, visit Ćatovića Mlini in Morinj, or Stari Mlini in Ljuta, near Kotor. As far as international cuisine is concerned, the old towns of Kotor and Herceg Novi are packed with Italian restaurants. There are also restaurants serving Dalmatian, Russian, Greek food... Herceg Novi even has a Georgian restaurant. Dishes from Eastern Asia are hard to find in this area.

Drink

You have got a wide choice between open summer bars along the coast or cafés at the old towns' squares. Prices vary greatly, but usually a bottle of water is around €1, an espresso or a cup of cold Nescafé cost €1-1.50, Coca-Cola and similar non-alcoholic juices cost €1.50-2.

Nightlife

All open bars have to close at 1AM, and that's when the party moves to some of the closed nightclubs and discothèques. The best clubs and discos are:

• Maximus in Kotor
• Win Night Club Tivat in Tivat
• Pandora and People's in Igalo

Stay safe

Montenegro is generally a safe country, and this region is no exception to that. Still, be aware of beggars and pickpockets in resort towns.

Go next

• Budva – The Montenegrin touristic metropolis is located some 20 km outside the bay.
• Cetinje – The historical capital of Montenegro is located just under Mt Lovćen, the mountain overlooking the bay of Kotor.
• Dubrovnik – The hub of Croatian tourism can be reached from Herceg Novi in less than 40 minutes.