Travel to Kotor

KOTOR

There is no better way to get more acquaintance with this outstanding and one of the most preserved fortified medieval cities worldwide than to take our walking tour. Hidden beneath the mountain of  Lovćen, in the heart of the breathtaking Boka bay, this jewel of Adriatic sea is unmatched in its beauty that is represented through assimilation of different culture influences whose signatures are more than visible even now.Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro with a population of about 13,500. It is well-known for its World heritage medieval structures (including churches and fortifications) and its stunning natural setting at the very edge of the mountain-rimmed Kotor Bay.

Kotor is situated in a most secluded tip of boka kotorsk bay, in the northern part of the Montenegro coast on the Adriatic Sea. Kotor has developed around Stari Grad (local language for "old town"), the city's old town and best known landmark, which is listed with UNESCO World heritage sites. Kotor Bay is the deepest natural fjord-like bay in the Mediterranean Sea, and the scenery around it (including the steep mountains which come almost straight down to the water’s edge) is spectacular.

Kotor is also unique because it is the only town on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea to be located by name in historic and strategic maps. Old Kotor was built like a maze for protective purposes and it is very easy to get lost here. In fact, even the locals get lost. Take a wrong turn and you will wind up far from your destination. This can happen even with a town map in hand. However, looking for landmarks, such as the 12th century St. Tryphon Cathedral, will help—and these landmarks are listed on nearly every tourist map.

The population of Kotor is multiethnic: less than half are Montenegrins, less than a third are Serbians, and a tenth are Croatians. Kotor is still the seat of the Catholic Bishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire area surrounding the gulf of Kotor.

History-:

It is currently not known when Kotor was exactly founded, but archaeologists do know it was before the time of Homer and that the city was Greek (IV-VII century BCE) and was home to them as well as the Illyrains and the Romans. It was destroyed by the Visigoths in V century CE, but following that it was ruled by many foreigners. First in 476 CE by the Byzantines, Boka in the VII century, Slovenians in the X and XI centuries, then by the Serbians in 1185 to 1371, the Venetians from 1420 to 1797, Austrians in 1797, Russians in 1806, France in 1808 to 1813 then Austria again. In the beginning of the 20th century they became part of Yugoslavia and then Serbia, but they finally became independent country in 2006.

How to reach-:

By Air-:

Tivat Airport is 8km away. airlines operate to/from Tivat Airport:

Jet Airways (Belgrade),

 KrasAir (Moscow-Domodedovo), 

Montenegro Airlines (Belgrade, Copenhagen, London-

Gatwick, Moscow-Domodedovo,

Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pristine, Rome-Fiumicino, Skopje, St Petersburg,Moskovia Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo) Rossiya (St Petersburg),

S7 Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo),

Transaero Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo),

 in 2016 Easy Jet will commence flights to Tivat from Manchester and London-Gatwick. There are also Charter flights to Moscow, Helsinki and other cities.Podgorica airport is 90km away, and has flights throughout the year to Belgrade, Istanbul, Budapest, Zurich, Frankfurt, Ljubljana, Paris, Rome, Vienna and, London-Gatwick.

Dubrovnik airport in Croatia is 73 km away from Kotor, and maintains flights to many European destinations throughout the year, providing a good alternative to the Montenegrin airports. Taxi drivers at the airport use a approximately price. There is a large border crossing and a small border crossing, the small crossing is a 7 km detour but less busy and may prevent waiting up to two hours.

By Bus-:

Kotor is fairly well connected with neighboring countries by bus. The main bus station is about a 10-minute walk south of the Old Town.Bus times and frequency varies greatly seasonally. As of summer 2009 there is no accurate source of the varying schedule available online.

By Car-:

All roads in Montenegro are two-lanes only, and mostly are curvy mountainous roads, so speeds over 70 km/h (43 mph) are rarely legal, and rarely safe.The Vrmac tunnel has recently been completed, which significantly shortens the journey from Budva to Kotor. Road traffic was formerly diverted to alternative road over Trojica hill above Kotor. It is still possible to travel via this very curvy mountain road, so you might travel from Budva to Kotor a bit longer. From this hill you can enjoy beautiful views not only of the tiny countryside villages, but also of Podgorica (when approaching from Cetinje), and also Kotor bay.

By Boat-:

There aren't any scheduled ferries traveling to Kotor but there are services between Bar and Bari, Italy most days. Cruise ships plying the Adriatic Sea call regularly on the port of Kotor during the tourist season, with a total of about 350,000 passengers in 2014. Both the sail in and sail away offers not-to-be-missed views of the spectacular. The ships either dock at or tender to the long pier that juts out directly in front of the Old Town. Passengers are funneled out of the same port gate, with the Old Town just five minutes away.

Main entrance to Old Town-: 

The medieval walled Old Town is shaped roughly like a triangle. The side facing Kotor Bay and the north side fronting the Skoda River are both heavily fortified with a thick wall. The third (east) side backs into the cliff face with a meandering defensive upper town wall climbing the mountainside. There are three entrances to the Old Town, including the western Sea Gate of 1555, which serves as the main door. The southern gate is at the south apex of the triangle, on the road to Budva. The northern gate leads to a bridge that crosses the Skurda River. The best way to get around is on foot inside the compact old town, especially since cars cannot get into the old town. There are some golf carts that are used as taxis and/or city tour.

Where to Travel-:

Old Town-:

Old Town is the most famous part of Kotor, where the Kotor history, culture, and tradition are being preserved. The old town of Kotor has a great number of monuments of the medieval architecture: churches, cathedrals, palaces, and museums. They are complemented with the multitude of narrow streets, squares, and markets. there are some significant cultural monuments like: Tower watch (VIII century), Cathedral of Sveti Tripun (XIII century), Church of Sveti Luka (XIII century), Prince’s palace (XVII century), Church of Sveta Marija (XII century), Church of Our Lady of Health (Gospe od Zdravlja) (XV century),The old town of Kotor today is considered to be the best preserved medieval urban entity in the Mediterranean.

Tryphon's Cathedral -: 

(Old Town). First built in the 11th century, reconstructed after earthquakes. Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Chapel holds the remains of St.

St Nicolas Church-: 

The biggest orthobox church in the Old Town.

Maritime Museum-: 

(Old Town),  The memories on those long gone sailing days and years, the successes of the famous Kotor seaman, artists, ship builders, crafts man, states man, and diplomats, intermediaries between west and east, are kept in the Maritime museum, which is housed in the baroque palace Grgurin. In the museum, one can find three floors of portraits of the famous captains, models of old galleys and sail boats, navigational instruments, photographs, uniforms.

Island Gospa od Skrpjela-: 

(Our Lady of the Rock). The Island Gospa od Skrpjela is one of two gorgeous islands in Kotor Bay, which are situated .The other island, which also should be visited, is the Island Sveti Djordje (St. George). That island is also called "the island of the dead captains", because according to a legend one French soldier, by shooting from cannon towards Perast, hit a house of his beloved girl and killed her. That legend was a motive for the master piece "The Island of the Dead" by the Switzerland painter Beklin. According to stories, fisherman from Perast, after a shipwreck near the island, found an icon of the Holy Mother of God with the Christ on a sea rock, so they vowed to build a church on the island. They built the church in 1630.

MUST GO-:

Rafting on Tara River-:

looks a little like a short version of the Great Wall. Climbing up the 1350 steps will be rewarded by an excellent view of Kotor and the bay from the Church of Our Lady of Health (half way up) and the St John's fortress on top. Only advisable for physically fit people, furthermore on some sections the steps are broken up.. If you walk early in the morning, the steps and Fortress is less crowded and you will be walking in the shadow.

Visit the Austro-Hungarain Fortresses-:

Tara canyon and most of the rafting camps are located aprox. 5 hours drive from Coastal area of Montenegro. Montenegro Travel Service organizes one day rafting tour from May until September/October almost every day from Kotor area. All equipment is provided and security briefing given. All skippers and guides are specially trained and are licensed. In addition, Montenegro Travel service rafting partners have grown up next to Tara, or they are long-time fans, and they will tell you interesting stories and legends about people.

HIKE TO KRSTAC-:

From the north gate of the old city and walk right until you see the path. If you continue straight, the path takes you to a small waterfall with crystal-clear water. If you veer right, the path takes you past mountain goats and up rocky switchbacks with commanding views over the old fort and the bay. After you reach the top the hike takes you through dense forest where you eventually reach krstac.

The Austro- hungarain Fortresses-:

There are many stunning old fortresses lying abandoned in the hills and mountains within 2-5 kms of the Bay of Kotor. Everyone is worth visiting and makes a wonderful hike. Fort Vrmac is particularly interesting and the start of the hiking trail is easily accessible from the old town.

FOOD & DRINKs-:

There is a wide choice of places to eat in Kotor. In old town you can find almost anything - from classy restaurants offering fresh seafood and national cuisine to fast food offering pizzas, barbecue, etc. There is a large produce market outside the city walls. There are also a few restaurants offering fresh, authentic food outside the city walls that cost less than those in the tourist hub.

Bastion restaurant-:

A bit expensive than most restaurants, but definitely worth it. According to our accommodation owner, the prime minister eats here when he is in town.

Restoran Erak-: It's worth venturing a few minutes outside of old town to sit in the garden of this local restaurant for authentic food, including excellent fish and calamari, for prices much less than in the old town.

Forza-: 

The most popular pastry shop in kotor. Again, old town is the hotspot for relaxed drinking espresso in the shade of the medieval walls. There are many cafes in the old town, but still it's hard to find a place to sit in the sunny day.

At Night -:

A night out in Kotor usually begins in some of the many open bars within the walls of old town. As they are not allowed to play music after 1:00AM - the action then moves to some of the night clubs. The best club, without a doubt, is Maximums located in the old town.

Maximums, a largest club, have reportedly suffered fire damage and are not open. Second Porto, the other club notable on travel websites, is also closed; reportedly being bought out by a restaurant. For now, the best options seem to be drinking in the old town's bars, which seem to play a mix of chart and traditional local music. Accommodation is cheap and plentiful in Kotor. A lot of the cheaper hostel rooms and guest houses have a shared bathroom. 

Hostels-:

Villa dragan-:

Range of clean and comfortable options including single room or self-contained apartment with en-suite and kitchen facilities. Friendly family and Dragan can collect you from bus station.Old town kotor hostel-: once owned by a local noble family Bisanti, now redecorated as Old Town Hostel Kotor. By careful restoration and design the owners have managed to offer the feeling of kotor as it once was.

At the end-: 

When you taking a taxi to Podgorica, some of taxi drivers may not drive by the meter, instead preferring to settle for a fixed fee. Although relatively inexpensive by neighboring Croatia's standards, you will still end up paying much more than the metered fee. Furthermore, one taxi driver brought this writer all the way till the outskirts of Podgorica and dropped me there, claiming that there are taxi cartels in the city that prohibit outside taxis from entering the capital. Take the bus from Kotor bus terminal instead, it's cheaper and guaranteed. Be aware that traffic in the high season can be devastating. Calculate an extra hour or more for all bus journeys.

A small hamlet (4km away by bus) across the gulf of Kotor with a view of Kotor.Take day trip to some of the small magical towns on the bay, Go to some of the beaches in half hour's drive from Kotor. & Budva a beach town on the Adriatic sea.

Awesome stories are everywhere you look, all over the globe.

HAPPY JOURNEY