12 Best Things to Do in Perast, Montenegro (2026)

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The best things to do in Perast are taking the five-minute boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, climbing the St Nicholas bell tower for the view over both islands, visiting the Perast Museum in Bujović Palace, and swimming off the waterfront before an evening meal by the water. Perast is one street long, so these fit comfortably into half a day; stay for sunset if you can, when the day-trippers leave and the town goes quiet.

Below are the 12 things genuinely worth your time, with what each costs, how long it takes and how to combine them. Prices for local sights are in euros; tour prices are GetYourGuide “from” prices in US dollars as listed in October 2026.

Perast at a glance: the top things to do

#	Activity	Time needed	Typical cost
1	Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks	45–60 min	Taxi boat a few euros + small church fee, cash
2	Climb St Nicholas bell tower	20–30 min	about €2
3	Perast Museum (Bujović Palace)	30–45 min	€8 adults, €5 under-12s
4	Walk the waterfront palaces	45 min	Free
5	Swim from the waterfront	As long as you like	Free
6	Sunset boat tour	about 2 h	from about $40 (Oct 2026)
7	Blue Cave combination tour	3–4 h	from about $36–56 (Oct 2026)
8	Kayak or paddleboard	1–2 h	Rental, varies
9	Seafood dinner on the water	1.5 h	Varies
10	Fašinada procession (22 July)	Evening	Free
11	Roman mosaics in nearby Risan	1 h + transfer	€6
12	Day trip to Kotor old town	Half day	Bus about €2

1. Take the boat to Our Lady of the Rocks

This is the reason most people come. Local boatmen run small taxi boats from the waterfront to the man-made island throughout the day in season; the crossing takes about five minutes. Agree the return price and waiting time before you board and pay in cash. On the island, the Baroque church holds 68 paintings by the 17th-century Perast artist Tripo Kokolja, walls of silver votive plates left by sailors, and a small museum whose highlight is the embroidery Jacinta Kunić-Mijović worked on for 25 years, famously stitched with strands of her own hair.

Allow 30–45 minutes on the island. Everything you need to know about the visit itself is in our complete Our Lady of the Rocks guide, and the route options are in how to get to Our Lady of the Rocks.

Island churchFrom €68

2. Climb the St Nicholas bell tower

The bell tower of St Nicholas Church rises about 55 metres over the waterfront and is the tallest structure in Perast. The climb is short but narrow and steep, and the reward is the best overhead view in town: both islands, the red roofs of Perast and the Verige strait beyond. Entry is about €2, cash. Young children may not be allowed up, and the stairs are unsuitable if you are uneasy with heights.

3. Visit the Perast Museum in Bujović Palace

Housed in a 17th-century Baroque palace on the waterfront, the town museum tells the story of Perast as a seafaring community: ship portraits, weapons, navigation instruments, portraits of captain families and material on the town’s famous maritime school. Admission is €8 for adults and €5 for children under 12 (fees published by the Kotor museums authority, which runs it). Allow 30–45 minutes. Pair it with our history of Our Lady of the Rocks for the bigger picture.

4. Walk the waterfront palaces and churches

Perast is essentially one long promenade lined with stone palaces built by captains and merchants during the Venetian era, plus a surprising number of small churches for a village of its size. The waterfront is closed to through traffic, so it is a pleasant, flat walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes, longer with photo stops. Look up at the coats of arms over the doorways and the overgrown ruins tucked behind the main row.

5. Swim from the waterfront

There is no sandy beach in Perast, but the water off the promenade is deep, clean and usually calm. Locals and visitors swim from the concrete platforms and small piers along the front, and several restaurants and bars put out sunbeds in summer. Water shoes help on the rocky edges. Swimming here in the late afternoon, with the islands in front of you, is one of the best simple pleasures in the bay.

6. Go out on a sunset boat tour

Evening light turns the islands and the mountains gold, and the bay empties out after the big tour groups leave. The Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks sunset tour runs from about $40 (Oct 2026) and is rated 4.8/5 from 36 reviews. If you are staying in Kotor, the relaxing 3-hour tour to Lady of the Rocks and Perast (from about $46 (Oct 2026), 4.7/5 from 326 reviews) is a slower-paced alternative.

SpeedboatFrom €32

7. Combine Perast with the Blue Cave

If you want a swim with a difference, the half-day speedboat tours that start in Kotor or Perast combine Our Lady of the Rocks with the Blue Cave on the Luštica peninsula, the Cold War submarine tunnels and Mamula island. The most reviewed is the Blue Cave, Submarine Base and Lady of the Rocks tour (from about $43 (Oct 2026), 4.8/5 from 5,104 reviews). Tours that actually depart from Perast include the 3-hour Kotor Bay, Blue Cave and Lady of the Rocks tour (from about $44 (Oct 2026)) and the 4-Hour Boka Bay Tour (from about $45 (Oct 2026), a new listing without reviews yet).

The cave is brightest around midday, so morning departures usually reach it at the right time. Our Blue Cave tour guide compares the options in depth.

8. Kayak or paddleboard to the islands

In summer, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are usually available to rent along the waterfront. Paddling out towards the islands gives you a quiet, close view of St George, the natural island with an old abbey and cypress trees that is generally not open to visitors. Keep well clear of the taxi-boat lanes, start early before the afternoon breeze picks up, and do not try to land on St George.

KayakingFrom €50

Out on the water, the only sounds are your paddle dipping in and the slap of small waves against the hull. Along the shore toward Prčanj, old captains’ houses line the water and the great church on the hillside watches you glide past. The 2.5-hour Bay of Kotor kayak tour lets you find that rhythm with a guide.

9. Eat seafood on the water

Perast’s restaurants line the promenade, many with tables right above the water. Fresh fish sold by weight, black risotto, mussels from the bay and Njeguši ham are typical. Prices are higher than in less famous villages, so check the price per kilo for fish before ordering. Booking ahead for sunset tables is wise in July and August.

10. Watch the Fašinada on 22 July

Every year at sunset on 22 July, the anniversary of the legendary finding of the icon in 1452, Perast’s boats sail out to Our Lady of the Rocks and people throw stones into the sea around the island, continuing the custom that created it. It is the town’s biggest day: festive, crowded and very local. If your dates are flexible, our best time to visit guide explains how to plan around it.

The two isletsFrom €68

11. See the Roman mosaics in Risan

A few kilometres north along the bay, Risan is the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor and has the remains of a Roman villa with well-preserved floor mosaics, including a famous image of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Admission is €6 (also covered by combined tickets with the Perast Museum). It is a short taxi or bus ride, or a stop on the Kotor–Perast–Risan hop-on hop-off speedboat (from about $43 (Oct 2026)).

12. Spend half a day in Kotor

Kotor is about 14 km away, roughly 15 minutes by car or about 35 minutes on the Blue Line bus (around €2). Walk the old town, then climb the 1,350 steps to San Giovanni fortress (€15 from March to November) for the view down the bay. If you would rather not drive at all, the Bay of Kotor and Perast electric car tour (from about $67 (Oct 2026), 4.9/5 from 166 reviews) links the two by road with a guide. Not sure which to base yourself in? Read Kotor vs Perast.

How to plan a day in Perast

• Arrive early: before about 10:00 the waterfront is calm and parking is easier. The paid lots at both ends of the village fill by late morning in summer.
• Do the island first, then the bell tower, museum and lunch.
• Swim in the afternoon and stay for sunset and dinner.
• Bring cash: boatmen, the bell tower and parking are cash only.
• Check cruise days: when several ships are in Kotor, shore excursions crowd Perast from late morning.

More practical answers are in the Perast travel FAQ.

Browse Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks tours

Island churchFrom €25

Time your crossing for early morning or late afternoon, when fewer boats are tied up at the islet and the blue dome glows against the mountains. Inside, the church is cool and dim; outside, the water around the jetty is clear enough to see the stones below. From the Perast waterfront, the short boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks and back is all it takes.

Frequently asked questions

How much time do you need in Perast?

Half a day covers the island, the bell tower, the museum and lunch. Stay into the evening if you can, because Perast is at its best after the tour groups leave.

Is there a beach in Perast?

Not a sandy one. People swim from concrete platforms and small piers along the waterfront, where the water is deep and clear. Some restaurants rent sunbeds in summer.

Can you visit Perast without a car?

Yes. The Blue Line bus from Kotor costs about €2 and takes around 35 minutes, and taxis cost about €15–20 one way. Many boat tours from Kotor also stop in Perast.

What is the best free thing to do in Perast?

Walk the waterfront from end to end and swim off the promenade. The view of the two islands from the water’s edge costs nothing.

Is Perast worth visiting if I only have one day in the Bay of Kotor?

Yes. A half-day boat tour from Kotor that stops at Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks, followed by an afternoon in Kotor old town, is the classic one-day plan.