Last updated: April 2026

The Bay of Kotor is one of the most beautiful places I've been in Europe. The aquamarine water, the slightly hazy blue-green mountains, the picture-perfect stone towns with their faded orange-red roofs. It's magical.

Kotor and surrounding towns are a great place to spend a relaxing week by the water that won’t break the bank (as much as other Mediterranean locations anyway). But many people only visit Kotor for a short time so I want to share the best parts. Here are the must do things when you’re in Kotor for 2-3 days.

Although one word of warning: many cruise ships visit Kotor and during the days that they’re docked, the town can be extremely busy. If you can, check the cruise ships dates and try to avoid them. If you can’t avoid them, make sure you stay for a few days so you’ll at least have the mornings and evenings to yourself.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book through one of my links I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend experiences I genuinely believe are worth your time and money.

The top things to do in Kotor

1. Visit Perast and the Our Lady of the Rocks church

While many websites will tell you the first thing you should do in Kotor is climb up to the top of the old fort, I’m going to be different and tell you that in my opinion, the number one thing you shouldn’t miss on a trip to Kotor isn’t even actually in Kotor at all.

Drive, catch a cab or take the bus for 15-20 minutes outside Kotor to the small town of Perast to see a church and monastery that are built on two small islands in the middle of the bay. The unique view of two beautiful buildings floating in the middle of such a vast bay is unforgettable. The photos I took in Perast are some of the ones I share most frequently when people ask me to show them the best part of Europe they’ve never heard about.

For the best views and photos, head up the bell tower in the Church of Saint Nicholas. You can also take a boat out to Our Lady of the Rocks island - the tickets are cheap and you'll spend 30 minutes to an hour out there. There isn't masses to do once you're on the island, but if it's a nice day I'd go for it.

Make a day of it: have lunch at one of the restaurants in Perast before heading back. We got a cab there and took the bus home - buses run roughly every hour so check the timetable before you go. Alternatively, you can book a boat tour from Kotor to Perast here.

2. Climb up to the top of the old fort

Okay, so while it’s not my number one thing to do in Kotor, climbing up to the top of the old fort is still a must do for stunning views of the bay. The walk will take about an hour and isn’t particularly difficult, however if you’re going in summer, I’d recommend going early, otherwise the heat, cruise ships and crowds might ruin the experience. We headed up at about 7am in the morning and were able to take photos along the way in peace, but even at the time of day once we were at the top it started to get busy.

3. Go swimming in the bay

I loved swimming in Kotor Bay - it’s salty sea water but without the waves so you can just float around. From our Airbnb in Muo we could run straight outside and jump into the bay with the locals. No touristy beaches, just us (and okay maybe a giant cruise ship on the other side of the bay). So make sure your pack you bathers!

4. Wander the old town

Kotor’s old town is gorgeously quaint. It’s extremely well preserved, full of beautiful stone buildings, churches and alleyways - and lots of cute cats. Make sure you spend some time wandering around, including walking along the city walls which can be accessed near the north entrance of the old town or to the left of the southern gate.

If you'd rather have some context and history as you explore, this guided walking tour is a great option.

5. Go on a tour to see inland Montenegro

While we were in Kotor, we went on a day tour to see inland Montenegro and learn about its history. Our trip was meant to be a relaxing one, so we hadn’t hired a car but after speaking to some people that had been inland in Montenegro, I got FOMO so I found this amazing tour which took us around Montenegro in just one day, seeing the highlights from a road with 25 hairpin turns (!), the world’s highest mausoleum, the old capital, Crnojević River, Skadar Lake, Sveti Stefan and more. It was the best day we had in Montenegro. Book a similar tour here.

A few practical notes

Kotor works well as a standalone trip (you can fly into Tivat airport which is a short drive from Kotor bay) or as an add-on to Croatia - Dubrovnik is about 2.5 hours away by bus.

Two to three nights gives you enough time to do everything above without rushing. If you're visiting in summer, May, early June, or September are the sweet spots - July and August are stunning but the cruise ship crowds are real.