Kotor in Montenegro
Here’s some photos from a recent trip in mid May to Kotor in Montenegro. I’d never been to any parts of the former Yugoslavia before, although I have been to the heel of southern Italy of which there are a few similarities.
The city of Kotor itself sits at the end of the Bay of Kotor (or Boka Bay) which is at the end of a wiggly inlet off the Adriatic Sea with a series of other towns dotted around the perimeter.
Tourism is the main driver in Kotor. It’s a place that’s still kind of getting the tourism part properly nailed down and there’s clearly a lot of infrastructure being frantically built.
Two boys fishing in the early evening in Boka Bay, Kotor.
The sea in Kotor Bay
The sea is obviously centrally important to Kotor. It’s where the bulk of the traffic is as boats tours travel out every few hours and one or two cruise ships a day either stop just outside the old city or anchor at the far end of Kotor (cruise ships are a big issue in Montenegro due to the amount of tourists they bring in and the lack of taxes they pay).
Kotor itself has been part of several empires, most notably the Venetians and Austrians. This is reflected in the Old City’s architecture and you can read all about this at the Maritime museum which is stuffed with history - there’s oodles of the stuff.
The mountains above Kotor
Kotor Bay is surrounded by steep mountains that shoot up round the sides of the sea. Because of this there’s lots of zig zag roads and pathways leading up out of the valley. One in particular near the side of the old fortress has a cheese shop and beyond that the abandoned village of Spiljari. On our visit to the cheese shop, they were butchering a goat in front of some alarmed looking American tourists.
The old city of Kotor
The old Kotor itself is a very compact walled city with lots of little steps and staircases leading into little nooks and crannies. In some places it’s so narrow you can hold your arms out and touch each side of the street.
It’s also rammed with tour groups in the centre so pick your time carefully - early morning is very good if you want some quiet exploration doing. The further back you go in the city towards the mountain, the more it becomes a place people live rather than selling knick knacks.
