The only M.O. in Kotor was to hike to the fortress wall. Which worked out nicely for us as the weather on our first day there was thunder, wind and rain. Which I personally loved due to our amazing view of the bay. Our airbnb was another win in Kotor. I took a time-lapse of the storm for Instagram but didn’t save it to share here. I would have taken a photo of our view, but it was obstructed everyday by a new set of cruise ships. I was (am) bitter about it to say the least. Again, #firstworldproblems.
Needless to say, day number one was spent inside. Day two was dedicated to tourist activities – scouring the old town inside the city walls, hiking the fortress wall, and kayaking (fun story here…keep reading).
The City
The city inside the walls is small. Even smaller than Dubrovnik. If you missed our Dubrovnik recap, check out the previous post. You can find shops and restaurants but it’s pretty slim in the way of food options. The entrance to the fortress hike is at the back corner of the city. So you’ll need to enter in order to hike to the fortress.
Hike to the Fortress
Hello tourist activity of the year. I mean it makes sense. Hiking to the fortress is the most popular thing to do in Kotor. I was pleasantly surprised with how short the hike was. And the views you get of the bay are spectacular.
I hear you can hike outside the city walls for a view that is twice as high as the fortress. I low key regret not doing this. Less tourists, no payment, and probably better views. I unfortunately have no direction for you on HOW to do this. But you can see the trail clearly on the hill side next to old town. It’s just switchbacks all the way up to the hill-crest. I imagine the views are unreal.
Note for the fortress hike, wear tennis shoes with grip. The path is slippery even when it’s dry. We were very glad we were footwear that had tread and grip. This also allows you to walk on the non-groomed side of the trail rather than staying on the narrow stairs with the bulk of the tourists.
The hike is short, maybe 45 minutes to the top, but it’s not easy. You’ll be hungry for sure. Grab some beer and this assorted meat plate that we ate…THREE TIMES while in Kotor. Then maybe kayak. Or don’t. Because the cruise ships will ruin your life…
Go Kayaking…Maybe
We wanted an activity, so found some kayak rentals and set out…to a terrible, terrible, experience. The view-obstructing cruise ships have these baby boats that shuttle guests to and from the shore. These boats look both harmless and powerless from your airbnb balcony. However, from a kayak on the water, they look like massive wave-making machines…which happened to be driving parallel to us. Us, meaning 400 lbs in what might as well have been a floaty. Raging, and paddling to stay a-float, we were determined to make it to a dock around the bend. If you follow me on Instagram, you may recall my IG story play by play.
Here are two pictures from the dock. Because we were in no mood for capturing the event. I suppose I should count it as win that I am NOT soaking wet in this photo. We got a workout in, and didn’t tip. Is that #winning? I think so.
Verdict
Kotor is chill, gorgeous, lacks food options, but is 150% worth going to. You don’t need more than two days here in my opinion. If you can go when there are not five cruise ships in the bay, that would be best, but I don’t think that’s very often. We were there in early October, which I would have considered shoulder season. But I was VERY, VERY wrong it would appear. You should come here none-the-less. Hey, maybe take a cruise? If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em?
Next up, we head north for a change in scenery to Ljubljana, Slovenia, Hallstatt, Austria, and Grindelwald, Switzerland. These three locations are some of the prettiest we’ve seen in our trip around the world. Stay tuned.
