Things to Do in Kotor From a Cruise Ship

How the port works

The Port of Kotor has two cruise berths and three anchorages. Large ships tie up at the quay and small ships anchor in the bay and use tenders. If your ship anchors, allow an extra 15 to 20 minutes to get ashore.

Tenders drop you at the same small port area. From the berth it is a flat, signed walk of about 100 m to the Old Town walls. No shuttle or excursion ticket is needed to reach town.

The climb itself

The path up the walls to San Giovanni Fortress takes 45 to 90 minutes going up. Start within an hour of leaving the ship, ideally around 7am on an early port call. There is no shade and no water for sale on the route, so carry a bottle.

Wear real shoes, not sandals. The walls of Kotor run 4.5 km in total, the second longest town walls in Europe, and the fortress is their high point.

Walking the Old Town

The old historic part of Kotor is pedestrian only, so once you pass the gate you walk everywhere. The town gets extremely busy on days cruise ships dock, so go early if you want quiet lanes. St Tryphon's Cathedral is the main church.

Entry is a small fee paid in cash at the door. Kotor is famous for its free-roaming cats, which even have their own museum and shop.

Getting there and what you see

Once there, you visit the small stone town and take a short boat ride across to Our Lady of the Rocks, the church on an island in the bay. The easiest way to fit both into limited time is a guided option such as the Bay of Kotor and Perast Electric Car Tour, which covers the bay and Perast in 2.5 hours.

Boats, caves and swimming

The Bay of Kotor is a ria, a drowned river valley, and boat tours of the bay include the Blue Cave, where the water glows blue in summer. Boats leave from the small jetties right beside the port, so you can decide once you are ashore. Bring swimwear if you want the swim stop, and euros in cash for tickets bought on the quay.

Competitors also list inland options such as the road with 25 hairpin turns, the world's highest mausoleum, the old capital, Skadar Lake and Sveti Stefan. Those fill a full day and only work with a long port call.

What costs nothing

Walking into the Old Town is free, and so is wandering the lanes between the Sea Gate and the river side. The free-roaming cats are a sight in themselves. Everything else on a short visit, from the market stalls to the small squares, can be done for the price of a coffee.

Bring euros in cash. Montenegro uses the euro, the walls are cash only, and small vendors do not take cards.

A schedule you can adapt

Step 1, ashore: allow 15 to 20 minutes extra if your ship tendsers. Start the fortress within an hour of leaving the ship, before heat and crowds. Budget 45 to 90 minutes up and less coming down.

Step 2, late morning: walk the Old Town, visit St Tryphon's Cathedral and the cat spots. Keep euros in cash for the cathedral ticket. Step 3, afternoon: if you have four or more hours left, take a taxi or bus to Perast, 15 to 20 minutes each way, and see Our Lady of the Rocks.

With less time, do a bay boat instead, or book a short guided option. Step 4, buffer: get back inside the port gate at least an hour before all aboard.

Two that suit a port day

The Bay of Kotor and Perast Electric Car Tour covers the bay drive and Perast in one 2.5 hour outing, at $77 per person, with a 4.9 rating from 185 reviews and free cancellation 24 hours ahead. The Jeep Tour to Hidden Stone Village & Food Tasting gets you inland to a mountain village with a food stop, also 2.5 hours, at $95 per person, rated 4.8 from 80 reviews. Both are timed for cruise passengers and leave close to the port.

Browse all kotor shore excursions to compare against your ship's schedule.

Cash, crowds and timing

Montenegro uses the euro. Kotor is the third cruise destination in the Adriatic after Venice and Dubrovnik, and the port says about 500 cruise ships with about half a million passengers call each year. On ship days the lanes fill fast, so the early start matters.

The ship enters the bay through a 12.8 nautical mile channel, which is why the approach is part of the experience. Watch it from deck before you go ashore.