Things to Do in Kotor (2026): 12 Sights, Fees and Hours

Our Lady of the Rocks is reader-supported. When you book through our GetYourGuide links we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

The best things to do in Kotor fit into one full day: walk the Old Town gates and squares, step into St Tryphon Cathedral, and climb the city walls to the Fortress of St John (€15 cash, Mar–Nov). Then spend a second half-day on the water, on a boat trip to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks or a Blue Cave swim tour. Start early and carry cash.

Below are 12 things worth your time, with the fees and hours we could confirm, then a day plan and a costs table. If you are still deciding where to base yourself, Kotor vs Perast compares the two.

12 things to do in Kotor

1. Walk through the Old Town gates and squares

Kotor’s walled Old Town has three gates. The Sea Gate (1555) is the main entrance, facing the harbour. The River or North Gate (1540) stands by the Bembo bastion. The Gurdić or South Gate is next to a bastion dating from 1470. Inside the Sea Gate you step straight onto the Square of Arms, with the Clock Tower built in 1602. From there, lanes lead to a string of smaller squares, many with a church or palace. The town is small enough that getting lost is half the fun.

If you want the stories behind the stones, the Kotor Old Town Walking Tour takes 70 minutes and costs from about €25 (Oct 2026), rated 4.8 from 262 reviews.

Kotor Old TownFrom €55

2. Visit St Tryphon Cathedral

The twin-towered cathedral was consecrated on 19 June 1166 and is the landmark of the Old Town. Entry is about €4. Quotes vary from €2.50 to €5. It is usually open about 09:00–19:00 in summer, with shorter hours off-season. Visits pause during services, so check the times on the door. Allow 30 minutes, and pair it with the Maritime Museum (No. 5) nearby.

Kotor Old TownFrom €25

3. Climb the city walls to the Fortress of St John

The walls run for about 4.5 km around the town. They are 2–16 m thick and up to 20 m high, and they zigzag up the mountain to the Fortress of St John (San Giovanni) at about 260–280 m above the sea. The path has roughly 1,350 steps. Allow 45–60 minutes up and about 30 minutes down. There is no water on the route, so bring your own.

About halfway up is the 15th-century Church of Our Lady of Remedy (Gospa od Zdravlja). It is the first big viewpoint and a good turnaround point. The fee is €15, cash only, at the entrance gate. It rose from €8 in 2024. The fee is charged from 1 March to 30 November, and from December to February no fee is collected. Hours:

• 1 March – 30 April: 08:00–18:00
• 1 May – 30 September: 07:00–20:00
• 1 October – 30 November: 08:00–17:00

In summer, go at opening time. The free alternative is the Ladder of Kotor (No. 4).

4. Hike the Ladder of Kotor

The Ladder of Kotor is a trail of about 70 switchbacks. It starts outside the walls on the north side, near the Kamelija shopping centre and the old power-plant area, and it costs nothing. After about 1.7 km (25–35 minutes) you reach the “window”, a gap in the wall near St George (Sv. Juraj) church that leads into the fortress. That gives you views of the bay similar to the paid route in No. 3. Fit hikers can continue to the Lovćen road at about 850 m (about 6 hours return). Carry plenty of water.

5. Learn the bay’s seafaring story at the Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum of Montenegro is in the Grgurina Palace on Trg Bokeljske mornarice (No. 391). It covers the seafaring history of the Bay of Kotor. Entry is about €4 for adults, and a visit takes around 45 minutes. In winter (1 December – 1 April) it opens 08:00–15:00 on weekdays and 09:00–13:00 on Saturdays and holidays. In summer it stays open until about 18:00 on weekdays. Good for the hottest hour or a rainy morning.

6. Meet Kotor’s cats (and their museum)

Cats are everywhere in the Old Town, on steps, in doorways and on café chairs. The small Cats Museum is on Trg Gospe od Anđela (the cinema square, by St Michael’s church). Entry is a token €1–2, and the money goes towards feeding and vet care for the street cats. It usually opens about 10:00–20:00 from May to October. A quirky 15-minute stop.

Kotor Old TownFrom €46

Night comes down on the Old Town and the lanes change character. Lanterns warm the polished stone, café chairs spill into alleys barely wider than your arms, and the mountain walls disappear into the dark above you. You hear glasses, low voices and somewhere a cat jumping down from a wall. A guide can show you the corners you would walk straight past; the 1.5-hour private walk is an easy way to start.

7. Shop the market outside the Sea Gate

Just outside the walls by the Sea Gate, the town market runs every day from about 07:00. Saturday mornings are the busiest. Stalls sell fruit, cheese, prosciutto, honey, fish and, in season, figs. It is the cheapest way to pack a picnic for the walls or a boat day.

8. Stroll the waterfront

The promenade outside the walls is where Kotor slows down, with boats along the quay and the walls climbing the mountain behind. Most boat tours (No. 9 and No. 10) leave from here, so it is also where you compare offers. Come back in the early evening, when the light softens.

Kotor Old TownFrom €55

9. Take a boat to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks

Perast is about 14 km up the bay, and from there boat taxis cross to the islet church of Our Lady of the Rocks in about five minutes. You can go on your own by bus or taxi and pay the boatmen in Perast, usually around €5–10 per person return. Or you can take a tour from Kotor’s waterfront. The Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks Speedboat Tour (2h) costs from about €29 (Oct 2026), rated 4.7 from 1,137 reviews. The shorter Perast & Lady of the Rock’s boat tour 1.5h – 2h costs from about €25 (Oct 2026), rated 4.6 from 113 reviews.

The islet church and museum usually charge about €5 per person in cash, often not included in tours. Options are in how to get to Our Lady of the Rocks.

10. Swim in the Blue Cave

The Blue Cave is a sea cave that tours reach by boat, and they stop there so you can swim in its blue water. Most 3-hour tours from Kotor combine it with the old submarine tunnels and a stop at Our Lady of the Rocks (No. 9). It is the most efficient boat day if you only have one. The Blue Cave, Submarine Base, and Lady of the Rocks Tour costs from about €36 (Oct 2026), rated 4.8 from 5,129 reviews. The Blue Cave Swim, Lady of the Rocks & Submarine Tunnels tour is also from about €36 (Oct 2026), rated 4.7 from 4,971 reviews. In rough weather the cave stop may be swapped or skipped. Our Blue Cave tour guide explains what to expect, and the boat tours comparison lines up all the tour types.

11. Kayak the inner bay

A kayak shows you the walls from the water at your own pace. The Guided Kotor Bay Kayaking Tour lasts 3.5 hours and costs from about €36 (Oct 2026), rated 4.8 from 141 reviews. The Bay of Kotor: 2.5-Hour Kayak Tour starts in Prcanj across the bay and costs from about €50 (Oct 2026), rated 4.8 from 60 reviews.

12. Day trip to Lovćen and Njeguši

Mount Lovćen rises behind Kotor. On its summit is the Njegoš Mausoleum, reached by 461 steps, with an entry fee of about €3. A circular viewpoint sits just below it. The fastest way up the mountain from town is the Kotor–Lovćen cable car: about 11 minutes to a top station at around 1,300 m, for €20 return for adults (12+) and €5 for children aged 2–12.

Organised trips combine the mountain with the village of Njeguši and the town of Cetinje. The Full-Day Tour to Lovcen National Park & More costs from about €97 (Oct 2026), rated 4.9 from 1,216 reviews, and lasts about 12 hours. The Lovcen Cable Car, Njegusi & Cetinje Day Tour costs from about €69 (Oct 2026), rated 4.4 from 68 reviews, over 7.5 hours.

LovćenFrom €97

The road climbs and the air turns cool, and the bay you left behind is suddenly a ribbon of blue far below. You step out onto the round viewpoint below the mausoleum, wind in your face, and ridge after ridge of grey mountain fades into the haze. If you would rather not organise the day yourself, the full-day Lovćen tour takes you up and back.

How to plan your day in Kotor

Kotor is usually busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon, especially on big cruise-ship days.

One day

• 07:00–09:30: Market outside the Sea Gate (No. 7), then the walls and fortress (No. 3). It opens at 07:00 from May to September (08:00 in March, April, October and November), before the heat and the crowds.
• 10:00–13:00: Old Town squares and gates (No. 1), St Tryphon Cathedral (No. 2), the Cats Museum (No. 6).
• 13:00–14:00: Lunch, then the Maritime Museum (No. 5) in the hottest hour.
• 14:30–17:30: A 3-hour Blue Cave tour (No. 10), or a 2-hour boat trip to Perast and the islet (No. 9).
• Evening: The waterfront at sunset (No. 8) and dinner in the Old Town.

Two or three days

Add the Ladder of Kotor (No. 4) on an early morning, a kayak trip (No. 11), and a full day up Lovćen (No. 12). Where to stay in the Bay of Kotor compares the bases.

Cruise passengers

On a short port call, pick one big activity (the fortress or a 2–3 hour boat trip) plus a short Old Town walk, and keep a buffer before all-aboard time.

What things cost in Kotor

Item	Typical cost	Time needed	Notes
Old Town gates and squares (No. 1)	Free	1–2 h	Guided walk from about €25 (Oct 2026)
St Tryphon Cathedral (No. 2)	About €4	30 min	Quoted €2.50–5; closed to visits during services
Walls and Fortress of St John (No. 3)	€15	1.5–2 h	Cash; charged 1 Mar – 30 Nov
Ladder of Kotor (No. 4)	Free	1–6 h	No water on the route
Maritime Museum (No. 5)	About €4	45 min	Shorter hours in winter
Cats Museum (No. 6)	About €1–2	15 min	Supports the street cats
Boat trip to Perast and the islet (No. 9)	From about €25 (Oct 2026)	1.5–2 h	Plus about €5 cash for the islet church
Blue Cave tour (No. 10)	From about €36 (Oct 2026)	3 h	Usually includes the islet stop
Kayak tour (No. 11)	From about €36 (Oct 2026)	2.5–3.5 h	From Kotor or Prcanj
Kotor–Lovćen cable car (No. 12)	€20 return (child €5)	11 min each way	Mausoleum about €3 extra
Lovćen day tour (No. 12)	From about €69 (Oct 2026)	7.5–12 h	Usually adds Njeguši and Cetinje

Local fees change by season, so treat them as a guide. The fortress and the islet church take cash only.

See all tours and activities in Kotor

Frequently asked questions

What is the number one thing to do in Kotor?

Climbing the city walls to the Fortress of St John. About 1,350 steps and 45–60 minutes up, for the classic view over the Old Town and bay. The fee is €15 in cash from March to November.

How much does the Kotor fortress climb cost?

€15 per person, paid in cash at the entrance gate. The fee is charged from 1 March to 30 November and is not collected from December to February. The Ladder of Kotor trail, which reaches the fortress through a gap in the wall near St George church, is free.

Is one day enough for Kotor?

One full day covers the Old Town, the cathedral and the fortress climb, plus a 2–3 hour boat trip if you start early. Add a day or two for the Ladder, kayaking and Lovćen.

Can you visit Our Lady of the Rocks from Kotor?

Yes. Perast is about 14 km from Kotor. Speedboat tours from the Kotor waterfront take about 2 hours and cost from about €25–29 (Oct 2026). Blue Cave tours usually stop at the islet too. Expect about €5 in cash for the islet church.

How do you get from Kotor to Lovćen?

The quickest way is the Kotor–Lovćen cable car: about 11 minutes, €20 return for adults and €5 for children aged 2–12. Day tours also drive up via Njeguši.