Picture-perfect Kotor clings to the southern side of the hammer-shaped Gulf of Kotor, one of the most dramatic coastal formations of the eastern Adriatic coast. Shrouded by looming limestone cliffs, draped in Mediterranean greenery, and rising in a sea of red-tiled roofs and marble harbourside architecture, this ancient port town is one of Montenegro’s premier attractions.
Why not start your trip with an ascent to soaring Castle of San Giovanni, where sweeping vistas of the mountain-backed fjord and the cobblestone roadways of the town below interspersed with centuries-old cathedrals and church towers to boot are rounded off by strong fortress walls. Then head back into the city to explore the St Tryphon’s Square, checking off the Romanesque cathedral there, the religious frontispieces of small St Luka’s and the various palaces that coalesce on the corners—from the baroque Grgurina, to the gothic rises of Drago. Finally, kick-back for a spot of lunch at one of your Kotor tour guide’s favourite Italo-style trattorias. Afterwards, perhaps there will be time to take a boat trip out into the bay, to the magnificent Gospa od Skrpjela or the Sveti Djordje island, where a 12th century Benedictine monastery still sits overshadowed by the peaks of Orjen all around.