Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor is a lovely, ancient walled city on the coast of Montenegro near the border of Croatia. It sits on the Bay of Kotor, nestled among the surrounding mountains, making a beautiful backdrop to the city. While less well-known than its Croatian counter-part of Dubrovnik, it is also a wonderful place to explore the old-world feel of a walled fortress city. It is fast becoming a must-see stop on the backpacker trail, and with good reason. Beautiful views, history, unique hostels, lively bars, and friendly locals, its a great place to chill out for a couple of days.

I arrived in Kotor by bus after spending two days in Dubrovnik, and was surprised at how much more relaxed the city felt. The old town is fairly small, encircled by a moat outside the city wall, but is gorgeous with its cobblestone streets and twisting alleys. I stayed in Old Town Hostel in the heart of the city –  it was actually an old monastery that had been converted to a hostel – so cool! It felt like staying inside an old castle with the stone walls and heavy wood slat door.

One of the main attractions in Kotor is the old fortress up on the hill. It’s quite a climb up, but it’s really interesting to see the ruins of the old fortress and there’s beautiful, sweeping views of the city and the bay from the top. The hike can be accessed through the Old Town. During the day, there’s typically someone at the start of the hike charging 3 euros for tickets, but if it’s late in the day or if its raining (as it was when I started the hike), there may be no one there. The hike takes anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on your pace and how many stops/detours you make. I took my time hiking up and enjoying the views. I took a detour trail on the way back that led to an old stone church in the mountains and also brought me to a goatherd’s hut where I was able to buy some fresh goat cheese and pomegranate juice and converse with the man who lived there about the changes in Kotor after the Yugoslav Wars (I say converse but it was really a mix of his few words of English and a lot of gestures). It was wonderful to get to meet someone who had lived there so long and had seen the impact of the new government in recent decades.

The old town of Kotor is worth spending a couple of hours walking through and visiting the churches on the main square. There is a maritime museum as well, though I didn’t make it there. There are plenty of activities you can do in the surrounding area, like sailing on the bay, taking a day trip to Perast, or going out to see Our Lady of the Rocks, a church built on a very small island in the bay. The nightlife in Kotor is vibrant as well, with several bars and clubs in the old town if you’re looking for a night out. The city feels extremely safe to walk through, even at night, and I found the locals to be very welcoming and happy to chat with tourists. One of the best conversations I had was with my taxi driver on the way to the airport in the morning who told me the entire history of the city from ancient to modern times and had some great anecdotes about growing up there to add in as well. Kotor ended up being one of my favorite places I visited on the whole trip, definitely would recommend it if you’re headed to Montenegro!