In my mission to visit every country in the world, when a long weekend shows up in the calendar, it always gets my brain whirring to see which new place I might be able to check off my list.
In hindsight, a long weekend in Montenegro was nowhere near enough - we want to come back and explore it properly for weeks! I can wholeheartedly say Montenegro has already taken a firm spot on my list of favourite countries in Europe.
We drove down from Salzburg in Austria where I live through to Slovenia (another favourite!) before crossing the border into Croatia to make the more than 1000km drive along the coast.
→ Check out my guide to roadtripping Croatia's coast!
From Dubrovnik, we then finally crossed over the border into Montenegro and immediately loved the vibe. This time around, we only had time to explore the Bay of Kotor and even that we didn't do well enough - we have so much more we want to see in the town of Kotor itself!
However, we did enjoy a late summer weekend exploring this delightful bay. Here is everything we got up to:
By flight: Tivat Airport is in the Bay of Kotor, making it the ideal route to visit the area. From Tivat, the city of Kotor is less than ten minutes by car, so a taxi is your best bet.
However, you might find that there are more flights available to nearby Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, or even Dubrovnik, across the border in Croatia. There is no direct transport from Podgorica Airport to Kotor; you'll need to take a taxi into the city and then from there you can catch a public bus down to Kotor.
Honestly, the best way to explore the Bay of Kotor is with your own wheels anyway, so I'd recommend picking up a rental car at whichever airport you fly into.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Montenegro or Croatia.
By car: We traveled to the Bay of Kotor by car through three other countries in Europe (from home in Austria via Slovenia and Croatia). The best way to explore the Bay of Kotor is by car so this is a great option if you live within driving distance or want to make a roadtrip out of it. Parking is not hugely readily available; the Bay is very popular and under strain from the number of cars trying to drive on single-lane, one-way roads, so bring some patience along!
Reminder that Montenegro is not in the EU, so there is a border crossing between it and Croatia.
By train: You can reach Podgorica by train, Montenegro's capital, but then you would need to carry on to Kotor by bus.
By bus: FlixBus services Kotor with direct connections from 32 cities.
Crossing from Croatia into Montenegro
First view of the Bay of Kotor
New passport stamp!
Leaving via the mountain pass towards Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Bay of Kotor reaches from the Croatian border about 90km along the Montenegrin coast at the Adriatic Sea. It is dotted with small towns, beautiful harbours, amazing swimming spots and ethereal views. The moment we crossed the border and began our winding drive along the coast, we loved it.
The main city of the Bay of Kotor is Kotor itself, which can be an ideal base for exploring the bay.
The Bay of Kotor
By car: Hands down the best way of exploring the Bay of Kotor is with your own car, giving you the ultimate freedom and flexibility to drive wherever whenever you want. The Bay of Kotor stretches 90km around the Adriatic Sea and with lots of towns, beaches and viewpoints to visit, a car is your best bet.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Kotor.
By public transport: We didn't use any public transport in the Bay of Kotor but I researched and found the only bus line in the area is the Blue Line, connecting Kotor with the towns and villages along the bay. Apparently, there is no set schedule so your best bet is probably to ask your accommodation for the latest information and guidance on using the bus.
By tour: There are loads of brilliant options for tours around the Bay of Kotor, most popularly from Dubrovnik in neighbouring Croatia. This means you don't need to drive yourself and you'll get to see all of the main highlights of the bay.
Driving around the Bay of Kotor
Sunset over the Bay
Driving the mountain road towards Bosnia and Herzegovina
We had just a long weekend in the Bay of Kotor - and already plan to come back for much longer, we loved it so much.
There are a number of places you can base yourself in the bay, with Kotor of course being the most central and logical base. However, if you're after something a bit more away from the tourist hustle and bustle, take a look at hotels in Perast and Tivat. We spent one night first in Luštica Bay right on the beach and then our second night right in the old town of Kotor; the best of both worlds!
Our first night we splurged a little and booked into the Chedi Luštica Bay. The Chedi is a luxury hotel chain based across Europe and the Middle East. I stayed in the Chedi in the UAE and absolutely loved it so it was a joy to visit another of their properties.
Situated right on the Adriatic Sea in the luxurious Luštica Bay, we spent an entire day lounging at the private beach and enjoying a late summer getaway. Private boat transfers are provided to a few other beaches around the bay, but we found the beaches to be lacking and not worth the trip, although the boat trip itself was fun!
The view from our room at the Chedi
Our second night we wanted to be based right in the old town of Kotor and chose the bright and delightful Nest. The location was unbeatable, we had a view straight onto the famous UNESCO Kotor Fortress and the room felt more like an apartment, it was so spacious and airy.
View of Kotor Fortress from the Nest
We had just a long weekend in the Bay of Kotor - and already plan to come back for much longer, we loved it so much.
During our weekend, we went to two fantastic dinner spots that I can highly recommend! On our first night, we dined at the mouthwatering Moments Restaurant serving up a fantastic menu catering to all options right on the waterfront. Reservation recommended!
Moments Restaurant
Bay of Kotor
On our second night, we had dinner inside the old town at the La Catedral Pasta Bar, the best pasta in Kotor in the cobblestoned streets under warm summer air. No reservations allowed!
La Catedral Pasta Bar
We had just a long weekend in the Bay of Kotor - and already plan to come back for much longer, we loved it so much. Here is everything we managed to squeeze in for our first trip to the Bay:
Drive around the Bay of Kotor
This is an obvious one, but I really encourage just spending time driving some or all of the ~90km that make up the Bay of Kotor, stopping whenever and wherever to take photos of the incredible bay.
Watch the sunset over the Bay of Kotor
The sun sets on the western horizon so you'll find many spots in the Bay of Kotor, facing west over the Adriatic Sea, that will give amazing sunset views. We caught the sunset as we drove around the bay but our favourite spot was from the drive between Kotor and Luštica Bay in Radovići.
From Radovići
Get out on the water
The waters of the Bay of Kotor are beautiful; think clear azure-coloured water that is so delightfully warm to jump into. There are plenty of swimming spots around the Bay, but I can also really recommend a boat trip to get further out!
We did a small boat trip around Luštica Bay while staying at the Chedi, but you can also book a boat trip through Get Your Guide.
Spend a day at the beach
The waters of the Bay of Kotor are beautiful; think clear azure-coloured water that is so delightfully warm to jump into. There are plenty of swimming spots around the Bay; we drove past countless.
We chose to spend one day relaxing on the private beach at the Chedi in Luštica Bay, having a proper summer beach day, with reading, suntanning, snoozing and swimming the only things on our to-do list for the day.
Walk around the old town of Kotor
The gem of the Bay of Kotor is of course Kotor itself, framed by the UNESCO Kotor Fortress. The delightful old town, which reminded me of nearby Dubrovnik, is a medieval haven full of churches, cobblestoned streets, a beautiful bay and viewpoints.
Still high on the bucket list is to hike up to the Kotor Fortress, something we just didn't have time for this time around, but absolutely plan to come back to do.
See the Bay of Kotor from above
The mountain road that heads towards Bosnia and Herzegovina provides the most spectacular panoramic views overlooking the entire Bay. Even if you don't plan to head towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, at least do some of the drive to enjoy the views.
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