On our final day in Montenegro, Kelsy and I traveled to the charming town of Kotor, another city by the sea with an extensive Old Town! We hiked up to a fortress with an incredible panoramic view of the bay to end the trip!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 1:03pm
It’s a beautiful day in Kotor! Exploring these old towns in Montenegro feels like traveling back to Italy. Kotor has all of the narrow alleys, cobblestone streets, and shuttered windows with half of the tourists (though sadly with many of the same high prices), and I’m totally charmed.
Traveling from Budva
After the late night, we packed up our things around 8:00am and were out the door into the hot, hot sun around 8:30am. Preferring to take our time rather than rush to the bus station, we stopped for coffee on our long walk, ignoring taxi drivers and curious stares along the way. You’d think people would be more immune to tourists I a beach town, but the Balkans continue to surprise me.
The road to Kotor had views of the sea as we climbed into the mountains and views of the suburbs as we turned inland.
Finally arriving at the bus station, we got tickets for the 10:20am bus, which was absolutely packed. It had departed from Bar, and most of the seats were already claimed by the time we made our way into the bus, which meant Kelsy had to sit on the stairs by the driver while I stood almost the entire time. Luckily, it wasn’t a long ride, and I was engrossed in my book.
The road to Kotor was somewhat scenic with views of the sea as we climbed into the mountains and views of the suburbs as we turned inland. We traveled through tunnels and farmland, finally arriving at the edge of Kotor around 11:00am. Unfortunately, we were caught up in traffic, which delayed our arrival by at least twenty minutes.
Exploring the Old City
Finally in Kotor, we made our way into the Old City where our hostel, Montenegro Hostel B&B Kotor, was located. We turned down alleyway after alleyway before entering into a large piazza filled with restaurants and outdoor seating. The entire area was bustling with tourists and activity, and we wasted little time finding our hostel and dropping off our things. I was eager to explore, but Kelsy was feeling unwell after the bus ride, so she stayed behind to nap while I got lost in the city.
In the historic center of Kotor, I walked aimlessly for nearly an hour and never encountered the same buildings twice.
The historic center of Kotor is much more expansive than the Old Town in Budva. I walked aimlessly for nearly an hour and never encountered the same buildings twice. I peeked down picturesque alleyways with walls covered in ivy, admired the stone buildings with colorful shutters, and climbed the cobblestone staircases to hidden corners of the city. It truly reminded me of my experience in Venice, minus the canals and hordes of tourists.
I carried my camera with me and snapped pictures of the light filtering through the hazy afternoon air. I also tried to get photos of some of Kotor’s famous cats to no avail. I stopped in one of the larger piazzas and sketched a quick drawing of a clock tower. Eventually, I wound my way back towards the hostel with the help of my trusty map app, Maps.Me.
The Cat Museum
For lunch, Kelsy and I split a delicious vegetarian pizza at Ombra Caffe & Lounge Bar that was both affordable and tasty. After our meal, we crossed the courtyard and paid 1 euro to enter the Kotor cat museum, which I couldn’t help but poke a bit of fun of as we entered. It was as if the crazy cat lady next door collected cat-related paraphernalia and charged a fee for people to come and look through her collection of postcards, newspaper clippings, and funny paintings.
The cat museum was as if the crazy cat lady next door collected cat-related paraphernalia and charged a fee for entry.
There were images of cats rowing gondolas in Venice, a collection of children’s artwork, and a mix of stamps and other collectibles. There was also a real live cat napping in the windowsill. Truly, it was a little kitschy for my taste, but Kelsy got a kick out of it, so our trip was worth it in the end.
Afterwords, I took Kelsy around some of the side streets I’d explored earlier, and we had a chance to do some souvenir shopping. We found a cat-themed shop that she liked with a kitten frolicking inside, and out in a piazza, we discovered dozens of cats relaxing in the shade. It was adorable and honestly a little overwhelming.
Hiking the City Walls
After our xhiro around the old town, Kelsy and I finally checked into the hostel, and as we entered the room, we ran into two girls, one from Brazil and one from Croatia, who were also staying with us. As we got to talking, the girl from Brazil, told us that she was taking the free route up to the fortress overlooking the city, and she invited us to join her at 5:00pm.
The higher we climbed, the more beautiful the scenery became.
Setting out for the hike, I was full of energy and zest for life as we wound our way across bridges and up the mountainside on a zig-zagging gravel road overlooking the city. The higher we climbed, the more beautiful the scenery became. The elevation revealed red tiled roofs, blue sea waves, and white sailing boats in the distance.
We made really good time up to the fortress, which marked the end of the hike. After about forty five minutes of easy walking, we were surprised to find that we’d reached the fortress walls! We followed the path up steep rocks and through a small window to find a gorgeous panoramic view of the bay and surrounding mountains awaiting us on the other side.
We quickly scrambled up the remaining steps to the fortress, wasting no time climbing up to the highest point possible to admire the stunning view. The charming town of Kotor was laid out below us, and though we were tired and hot, we couldn’t help but smile at our accomplishment.
The charming town of Kotor was laid out below us, and we couldn’t help but smile at our accomplishment.
The fortress was a little crowded, but we found a nice perch to sit and enjoy the sunset. We shared snacks between ourselves and the curious cats who passed by, chatting about life and travel and watching the sun slowly sink down behind the mountain. Once the sun faded from view, we took that as a cue to begin our photography.
As the light began to fade, we took photos along the castle walls, an overlook point, and the stairways that stretched down the mountain. Beginning our descent back into the city, we decided to take the stairs all the way down rather than the gravel path. Because we stopped for pictures, the road took longer down than up. I also found it steeper and more meandering, and I was more than grateful that we’d had the nice, free gravel road experience coming to the fortress. The stairs all the way up would have been absolutely killer.
We stopped at some of the more scenic points to watch the sky turn from blue to shades of purple, yellow, and pink. As the street lights began to illuminate the old town, the city came alive in a new way. Setting out for the hike two hours before sundown was definitely the perfect time to depart. Finally, we reached the old town around 7:30pm, throughly tired and more than ready for dinner and ice cream.
We stopped at some of the more scenic points to watch the sky turn from blue to shades of purple, yellow, and pink.
At the recommendation of the hostel worker, Kelsy and I tried Tanjga Grill, a local restaurant that served delicious and cheap meat platters and sandwiches. We had a long wait, but my pork sandwich was huge, and I got to choose three toppings for it (I selected coleslaw, onions, and a red sauce). The meat was delicious, and the bun was soft and pillowy. So good.
Afterwords, we got ice cream (I tried a triple chocolate flavor, a combination of milk, dark, and white chocolate, which was good) and shopped for more souvenirs for Kelsy’s family. Now we’re back at the hostel ready for bed!
BONUS: Check out my other pictures from Kotor!
Uprooted Abroad 
So it cost money to walk on the stairs?
I love the arched ceiling of the shop.
I love narrow cobblestone streets as long as I don’t have to drive a car down them!
Looks so scenic. I love old Europe.
Yep, the stairs had an entrance fee, which is pretty ridiculous considering the other route was much nicer! Old Europe was definitely incredibly scenic and beautiful! I could have spent a lot more time there!