Overview
Kotor and the surround areas of Budva and Tivat are places that NEED to be visited on your trip to the Balkans. The small country of Montenegro has been making tons of new Eurotrip headlines boasting beautiful bays, beaches and cheap lodging. Since separating from Serbia in 2006, Montenegro is gaining international acclaim for its tourism industry. If you are headed to Montenegro, skip Podgorica and go to the bay; it’s not recommended, it’s necessary.
Kotor is the perfect place for kicking back for a few days, having some excellent beer and taking in the sun, or a place to absolutely rage your face off like all good Serbian and Russian tourists in Montenegro do.
While the city is small, the old town has tons of charm and the area itself is unparalleled by any other spot in the region, with gorgeous rolling hills and valleys all set on the mediterranean. If you are headed south from Croatia to Albania or Greece definitely take a few days and enjoy the Montenegrin coast.
Is it Cheap?
Yes. Although Montenegro is on the Euro, everything except brand name imported items are cheap. You can grab breakfast for a Euro and dinner for 8. Beer is relatively cheap and a hostel bed should only set you back around 20 Euros. As far as beauty for value, it’s hard to beat Kotor.
Landscape of Kotor
Kotor Orthodox Cathedral
Montenegro 4U Hostel
What do Do and Where to Eat
Normally in this section we go through our different ideas of how to spend your time in Kotor, but since the city is tourable within a day, we thought we would just give you a highlight of how to spend a perfect 24 hours.
Morning: Wake up and head to the golden sand beaches. Normally around 10 am it’s already 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny in the summer so tons of people will be ready to soak it up. Get out early and catch some rays, go for a swim in the turquoise, crystal clear water and maybe grab a morning brew and a snack.
Lunch: Traditionally in Montenegro they eat a ton of seafood and meat as the country has a rich coastline and open land for raising animals. Head over to Tanjga Family Restaraunt just a bit south of the old town, located near the bus station and the only super market in town. They serve traditional grilled meat plates for a really reasonable price. It gets crowded so you might have to wait a bit! Another idea, if you are not in the mood for grilled meat would be to go in front of the walls of the old town and buy some fresh veggies and fruit from the local produce vendors. A organic tomato the size of your head will set you back around 85 cents.
Afternoon: In the afternoon, wander around the cute cobblestoned streets of the old town. Visit the ancient Orthodox Church at the center, walk up the fortified walls, get lost in the small alleys. Slow down, take in the views and maybe grab a cup of coffee while you wait for the heat to dissipate.
Sunset: For sunset, the best place to get the most majestic experience is at the Kotor Fortress, located high above the city. This requires a bit of a hike but it’s worth it, as the entire bay opens up in front of you, a scene characterizing the pure natural beauty of the Balkans. Definitely do not attempt to climb up during the day as the summer sun could spike temperatures as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
While staying at a hostel in the city center, one of the staff members gave us a tip to avoid paying the 5 Euros to go to the fortress. She suggested, that there was a parallel path outside of the “paid” walled path and that at about 60% of the way up, far past the guard, you can duck under a hole in the wall and join the normal path. Now we can’t verify that this is the truth, but the legend remains.
Evening: For dinner, there are plenty of awesome spots in and around the old town where you can buy a lavish meal for around 8-10 Euros. We recommend trying some risotto or pasta featuring fresh local fish or squid. Many of their dishes have a heavy Italian influence and may be the best way to try European delicacies for an affordable price.
As far as hostel life goes, Kotor has an awesome party hostel that runs a pub crawl for 4 Euros and often times does group pre drinking and even a hostel dinner featuring grilled meats, veggies, rice and salad. Hostel Montenegro 4U sits just a 5 minute walk from the old town, steps away from the best beach in the city. We definitely would recommend checking it out! If clubbing is more your style, Kotor does have one club that gets busy around 11 pm called Club Maximus. It’s an 8 Euro entry fee and is about as standard a club as you will find anywhere.
Transportation
To get to Kotor, you can take a bus from Dubrovnik, Mostar or up from Albania. Since all the Balkan countries have been at war with each other at some point and tensions with Albania are always at a high, you will certainly be spending sometime waiting at the border. If you are coming from Albania, chances are you will actually have to get out of your bus and change to a Montenegrin bus on the other side of the border.
There is really no need for transportation in the city itself as you can walk entire city in less that 20 minutes. If you want to rent a boat, or possibly a jetski for watersporting, Kotor is one of the most affordable places in the world to do it!
My Travel Essentials For A European Backpacking Trip
Below you'll find a list of my must bring backpacking items. I have gotten this list down to my essentials through trial and error over 4 years of living in a backpack. I hope you'll find these items helpful on your journey!
►Main Backpacking Backpack: https://amzn.to/3vUHdik [Amazon]
►Great Front Facing Duffle-bag : https://amzn.to/3SjK6Ra [Amazon]
►Quick Dry Towel : https://amzn.to/3uarxH8 [Amazon]
►Multi Country Charger Adapter : https://amzn.to/3Ul37p0 [Amazon]
►Refillable Water Bottle : https://amzn.to/48SnG0n [Amazon]
►Padlock : https://amzn.to/3SdyYp7 [Amazon]
►Earplugs : https://amzn.to/498xTpl [Amazon]
►Power Bank : https://amzn.to/3SyXP8e [Amazon]
Travel Photography & Video Favorites
If you're interested in creating your own video content on your trip, these are some of my favorite items I've had. They work, they're effective and besides the Sony Aa7C, they aren't going to break the bank either!
►On the Go Video | Go Pro Hero 12 : https://amzn.to/3u38oHh [Amazon]
►Photography | Sony A7C : https://amzn.to/3u1Y6ap [Amazon]
►Portable Tripod | https://amzn.to/42ojHqc [Amazon]
►Lavalier Microphone | https://amzn.to/3SbL41U [Amazon]
►Drone | https://amzn.to/47TCwSY [Amazon]
►Portable Monitor | https://amzn.to/3Hzv2dg [Amazon]
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