While the historical town of Kotor has plenty of things to do, seeing a few surrounding areas is well worth the short drive -- albeit for just a couple hours. Once you have checked the things to do in Kotor, try the local cuisine in one of the restaurants located around the Old Town. To get the most out of your visit, the best places to stay in Kotor’s historic city are either inside the charming Old Town, or on the nearby seaside.

Kotor, one of the most popular destinations in Montenegro, is famous for its UNESCO-listed Old Town. Stari Grad and its ancient city walls rise on the side of St. Johns Hill towards Lovcen (1749m). St. Johns Hill has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, but it was only in the 2000s that Kotor started to gain popularity as a tourist destination. Known as St. Johns Castle or St. Johns Keep, the fortress in Kotor makes the perfect viewing point of Kotor’s historic town and gorgeous bay below. Climb up to San Giovanni Fortress (also known as St. Johns Fortress and St. Ivan’s Fort) and the stunning views over the old city of Kotor and Boka Bay will really take your breath away.

The hilltop fortress, sitting tall on the hilltop overlooking the Old City of Kotor, looks down on the town -- just like it has done since the sixth century. A slightly shorter hike starting right outside The Old Town leads up to St. Johns fortress, which was once part of an extensive Venetian defence system surrounding Kotor. Stretching about 4.5km, the walls of the Old Town continue impressively upwards into the mountainsides, seemingly defying gravity, all the way up to the St. Johns Fortress, which stands tall high above Kotor, Montenegro.

One of the major attractions of Kotor, and the distinguishing feature, The Old Towns walls are something you cannot miss out on while visiting the city. The Old Towns walls are a true attraction for small towns, which is why exploring its many cobbled streets is an absolute must-do while visiting. We listed a few of the best things to do in the walled old city below, but between the highlights, there are plenty of pretty plazas and little lanes that you can discover as you explore the city by foot, getting lost amongst the myriad streets. When visiting the fascinating old city, do not overlook the walls of the old city, since they are not given nearly as much attention as they deserve (except, of course, the Kotor Fortress).

One of the best ways to witness great architecture designs and influences of the Old Town Kotor is by visiting a few churches in Old Town Kotor. If you like visiting historic places and are wondering what you can do in Kotor other than seeing churches and walking through the historical streets, visit one of Kotor’s stunning mansions.

One of the best places to visit during the boat trip from Kotor is the Lady of the Rocks, an historic island just 10 minutes away from Kotor off the coast of Perast. You can reach Our Lady of the Rocks very quickly with a boat tour leaving from Kotor city, which is absolutely one of the best activities in Kotor Bay.

Just outside the city, you can see the two tiny islands halfway across the Kotor Bay -- visiting either one, complete with the Church of Our Lady of the Rocks, is really the primary reason why most travellers visit Perast. To get to Our Lady of the Rocks, you can go on a boat trip from the historical city of Kotor, which will take you also to Blue cave, and several islands in the beautiful bay. With 30--40 minutes to explore Perast, there are a few attractions worth checking out, like St. Nicholas church and the Perast museum. In Kotor Bay alone, you will find famous sites like Gospa od Szkrpela (or Our Lady of the rocks in English) and the islands Mamula, the Blue Cavern, as well as Perast, an exceptionally picturesque city that you can visit while kayaking independently.

The Kotor Bay, a bay inlet off the Adriatic Sea, is striking on its own, with turquoise-blue waters, dramatic green mountains, and an array of picturesque seaside towns that beckon exploration. Located at the extreme south-east of Kotor Bay, Kotor is one of the true jewels of the Balkans as a whole and is among the best places in eastern Europe to visit during the spring. Visitors can browse for goods in Kotor’s local market, located outside of the sea gate; while this is where the locals purchase their food, it is also one of Kotor’s historical tourist attractions. It is almost incredible that its city walls are still standing proudly out there, bearing in mind all the quakes that hit the region in the past; so, we would like to say they are a wonderful reminder of the long history of Kotor, and of the incredible achievements made by its citizens.