The mesmerising beauty of the Bay of Kotor and the wealth of cultural and historical references have led it to be named in the list of ‘the most beautiful bays in the world

This Bay of Kotor transportation guide offers you more information regarding getting to and getting around The Bay of Kotor. our Bay of Kotor tours is a excellent way to get to know this destination better. The Montenegro transportation guide offers more general information on transportation in this magnificent country.

Bay of Kotor Transportation Guide

Getting to and around Bay of Kotor

By Water

Travelling to The Bay of Kotor the port of Kotor is located in the southeast area of the Adriatic Sea, at the furthest end of the Bay of Kotor and very close to the urban area of Kotor's old town. The Bay of Kotor is the Mediterranean's only fiord and has a combination of favourable geographic location, beautiful scenery, rich history with diverse cultural traditions and pleasant meteorological marine conditions.

The mesmerising beauty of the Bay of Kotor and the wealth of cultural and historical references have led it to be named in the list of ‘the most beautiful bays in the world'.

The sheltered waters of the Gulf of Kotor have provided Kotor with a window to the world beyond its mountains. The people of Kotor have long used the water as a means of transport and boats are a customary part of living here. Most visitors will get a chance to travel by boat at some point of their trip to Kotor. Select from luxury crafts to excursions with local boatmen in small boats or maybe even take the ferry that crosses the Verige Channel day and night between the towns of Komenari and Lepetane. In whatever form you traverse the water, remember that you will only be following in the traditions of those who made Kotor stand out with its rich naval history. There are plans to convert Kotor's old naval base located at Tivat to a yachting base that would rival those at Antibes or Palma. When that happens, the Bay of Kotor will once again be full of sails.

Arrangements with boat owners can be made in Perast if you would like to visit the beautiful island churches that are just off the shore. Kotor transportation offers many companies to take care of boat trips from the quayside opposite Kotor's main gate. One such company is the Ankica Taxi Boat that offers tours and is available for hire for the full day as well.

The ferry crossing between Komenare and Leperane runs 24 hours between June 1st and September 30th and between 0500-2400 for the remainder of the year.

On Foot

When the old city of Kotor or the Stari Grad was built, there were very limited methods of transportation on land - horses for rich patrons, donkeys for those not as rich and shanks' pony for the rest. Carriages were not possible in therugged mountain areas close to the Bay of Kotor. Inside the city walls, walking is the best and only way to cover the city. Since Kotor is rather tiny, only about 500 m from one end to the other, it is easy to cover the entire city by foot. It is possible to cover the city without getting sore feet, unless you plan to tackle the 1500 steps that lead to St. John's Fortress, which could be a challenge although the spectacular views will serve as a good reward.

All squares and streets of Kotor are paved with large flat stones. There are a few steps and different levels but none too many to handle. Since the passageways between the tall buildings are narrow, there are lots ofcafés to sit and have a nice cold drink. If you walk all along the promenade and across the bridges going to the lesser gates, you will have covered only 2-3 km.

By Car

Montenegro's roads are all two laned and since most are in mountainous areas, speeds above 70 km/h or 43 mph are neither legal nor safe. With the Vrmac tunnel recently completed, the journey from Kotor to Budva has been considerably shortened. Traffic was earlier diverted via an alternative route over the Trojica hill that lies above Kotor. If you don't mind the longer route, you can still take this route for a winding mountain drive. From Trojica Hill, you can get a beautiful view, spot countryside villages, and see Podgorica if you are approaching from Cetinje, and Kotor Bay.

By Bus

Kotor transport is quite well connected with its neighbouring nations via bus routes. With most buses going from Budva to Herceg Novi going all the way around the bay, you can easily catch a bus at Kotor, instead of taking the ferry. Buses for Podgorica leave roughly every hour.

Kotor's bus station is not in a very good condition, especially when compared to neighbouring countries. Timetable information is listed only in Cyrillic for all destinations in Serbian areas.

By Air

For visiting the coast, the airport at Tivat is your best choice. Since it is only 20 km from the main tourist area of Budva and less than 10 km away from Kotor, the Tivat airport is a good all round choice as port of entry. The summer season sees lots of charter flights to major destinations in Europe and other destinations.Tivat has daily flights to Belgrade and other European destinations as well.

With only two airports in Montenegro, it is not the easiest place to reach by plane. The two airports located in Tivat and in Podgorica are both small. If you are interested in travelling to the coast and the Bay of Kotor area, then fly in to Tivat airport. Most flights coming into both airports are operated by the state run airlines, JAT and Montenegro Airlines. In most cases, you will have to connect through another city such as Belgrade in Serbia. There are direct flights available on Montenegro Airlines from major cities such as London, Frankfurt and Zurich to Tivat and from Vienna, Budapest and Rome to Podgorica. Most flights do not operate on a daily basis, except from Belgrade, which has a daily flight. For those coming in from the US, as there is no reciprocal agreement with US Airlines and Montenegro Airlines or JAT, tickets cannot be made out for local airlines. The best way to fly to Montenegro is to travel on a European carrier like Air France for the European part of your trip.

Another option is to fly to Dubrovnik, located just 30 miles across the border in Croatia, which is well connected to European capitals. Be aware that when crossing the border into Montenegro from Croatia, there are some conventions to be followed. If you're crossing the border by driving a car, it is essential to have a green card that certifies that you are insured for both Croatia and Montenegro. If crossing by bus or cab, you might need to get out and cross the quarter mile to the passport and customs station on foot and then shift to a new bus or cab on the other side, which you will have to arrange beforehand.

Tivat airport is only 8 km away from Kotor. In the summer, there are several daily flights to European destinations. Flights to Belgrade and Zurich run regularly throughout the year. It is quite easy to find transportation to Kotor from the airport. Charter flights to Helsinki, Moscow and other destinations operate from Tivat airport.

Podgorica airport is 90 km away from Kotor and operates flights to Belgrade, Zurich, Budapest, Frankfurt, Paris, Vienna, Ljubljana and Rome throughout the year.

Dubrovnik airport located in Croatia is 73 km away and is well connected to most European destinations through the course of the year, offering a good alternative to travelling to the two Montenegrin airports. Taxis can be hired to cross the border for about 50 euros.