A small country sitting between Croatia, Serbia, and Albania on the Adriatic Sea, Montenegro has grown popular in recent years thanks to its charming city walls, elegant Riviera atmosphere, and incredible views of the sea and the mountains. It packs a LOT into a small geographic space.
This was our starting point to our adventures in Montenegro and Albania — we flew into Tivat, picked up the rental car, and stayed two nights in Kotor.
Where We Stayed — Hotel Jokovic
If you have access to a car and want to stay a bit outside the busy part of the town, where cruise ship traffic can be a bit overwhelming, check out your guesthouse options in Dobrota. It’s just one town over from the main part of Kotor, and could be walkable if you wanted it to be. You’re still on the water, but just in a much calmer part of the bay. Hotel Jokovic was a great stop, a family-run apartment with guest suites, a shared kitchen space, and parking spots. The family who owns the property were super friendly and helpful, and we had a nice time staying here.
Top Things To Do in Kotor
Kotor is a perfect stop for 1-2 days of exploring, and is great if you love wandering around during your travels. Here are some of the top things we did that I’d recommend to anyone visiting Kotor, Montenegro.
Hike the Ladder of Kotor & Visit Cheese Shop
The stunning mountains that encase the bay in Kotor are ideal for hiking and exploring if you want incredible views and some exercise during your vacation. There are several routes to choose from, and on one you do need to pay a small entrance fee if you enter from within the city walls, otherwise there is a switchback route that I believe is free and unmonitored. It’s a relatively easy hike on a well-maintained path, while there is certainly an incline it isn’t dangerous nor super steep at any point. I’d highly recommend packing a large water bottle and snacks — but if you are underprepared, fear not, there is a stop along the way!
Check out “Cheese Shop,” that will show up on Google maps. To get here, you’ll veer off a main trail and climb through a “window” and down a ladder to another trail. Cheese shop is a small trailside cafe serving up beer, wine, soft drinks, and basic charcuterie boards with local cheeses and meats. The owner is quite a character, but friendly enough to get you what you need. Bring some cash to enjoy a stop here, it’s an amazing view and a great resting point.
Bay of Kotor Boat Tour
This is a top-rated activity in Kotor and it’s easy to understand why. For €40 each, you’ll enjoy a three hour tour of cruising around the Bay of Kotor, making stops at some iconic spots and learning more about the history of Montenegro.
Our Lady of the Rocks
This is a Catholic Church sitting on a man-made island that was created from sinking old ships that were full of rocks, plus additional rocks that create a bulwark for the church to sit on. It’s a charming little island that you’ll stop at for a short break to wander around and take some stunning photos.
Blue Cave
While I am sure the cave is a big draw for tourists to select this boat tour, I found it to be a bit, meh. It was very busy, packed with other boats cruising in and out, people attempting to swim (our captain wouldn’t let us, as he said it’s too dangerous) as it’s a cramped space with heavy boat traffic. We cruised through, it was cool to see, but then he took us to a quieter cove area that had the same stunning blue waters but no other boats for our swim stop, which was much better.
Submarine Tunnels from James Bond
This was a cool stop on the tour that was totally unexpected to me — these tunnels are leftover from when Montenegro was a part of Yugoslavia and they were used as spaces for the military to hide ships, submarines, and other vessels from enemy combatants. They are a filming location for the Casino Royale installment of James Bond, and are a fascinating piece of history you’ll cruise in and out of during the Bay of Kotor boat tour.
Wander the Old City
Kotor is a great little walled city where inside you’ll find loads of cafes, restaurants, bars, museums, churchs, and shops. It’s definitely a tourist trap in a way; the city is inundated with cruise ship visitors who stop off daily and explore from the port on their visit, but thankfully we visiting in late September, which is the off-season and it wasn’t too bad.
You could easily spend several hours wandering about, stopping for a coffee or a drink on a terrace, going for dinner, and enjoying the ancient city within the walls. There are loads of stray cats that appear to be well looked-after, and cats seem to be a part of the cultural fabric of the city.
Restaurants in Kotor & Dobrota
Konoba Bonaca
This seaside stop in Dobrota near our accommodation was lovely for a light afternoon meal before our boat tour. I had an amazing bruschetta with the freshest mozzarella on crusty baguette, and the “iced coffee” was served European style with chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. It was delicious.
Marenda Steak House
This place was a fantastic spot for a dinner, especially if you love steak or other meat-based dishes. They had an impressive menu of options; I went with the Ćevapi, a regional dish of the Balkans made of grilled minced meat, served with chopped raw onions and fries. It was delicious, and the service here was great. Marenda Steak House is just outside the old city walls, easy to wander to if you’re exploring around Kotor in the evening.
It’s also super affordable — far cheaper than a steakhouse in the United States would be, so I’d highly recommend enjoying a nice meal here during an evening in Kotor.
Pepe Nero
This meal saved us! After a long day of hiking (way, way longer than we anticipated), we were starving and stumbling our way back into the historic city center of Kotor, looking for a delicious meal. Pepe Nero was the perfect place to stop for an early dinner to refuel. I enjoyed a salmon entree with grilled vegetables, and for dessert we had both options — an apple cake and a chocolate cake slice. It was so good and the service was fantastic, definitely a charming spot that delivers flavor right in the heart of the touristy part of town.
Breakfast in Kotor Old City
Before we embarked on our day of hiking up the mountain that encapsulates the city of Kotor, we opted for a coffee on the terrace at Jazz Club Evergreen, a swanky spot that is known for live jazz performances. If we would’ve had more time I am sure we would come back to enjoy an evening drink and some music, but nevertheless the morning coffee was great. I also stopped to grab a chocolate croissant at Patisserie by Wine House before we headed off, and it was so good I scarfed down most of it before remembering to take a picture (see below, oops!).
Budva Highlights
Breakfast at Bermuda Cafe
After checking out of Hotel Jokovic in Kotor and starting our journey to Albania, we stopped in Budva for a few hours to have breakfast and explore a bit of the city. It’s super charming, and well-worth a visit! We ate breakfast at Bermuda Cafe, which was right on the water and served a delicious menu. I had a croissant breakfast sandwich while Emma had their French Toast, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our coffees with a view of the city walls of Budva and the beach.
While Montenegro might be a small country, it has a ton to offer. I would love to go back someday to visit Durmitor National Park and explore more inland from the coast. If you want a Riviera-esque vacation experience with stunning views of the sea and ample hiking opportunities, don’t skip Montenegro when exploring the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
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