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Kotor
From Wikitravel
Contents
Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro with a population of 23,500. It is well-known for its stunning architecture and amazing natural setting.
[edit] Understand
Kotor is situated in a most secluded part of Boka Kotorska bay, in the northern part of the Montenegro coast. It has developed around Stari Grad, the city's old town and best known landmark, which is listed with UNESCO World heritage sites. The bay is the deepest natural fjord in the Mediterranean Sea, and the scenery around it (including the steep mountains which come almost to the waterfront) is spectacular.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Tivat Airport [1] is 8km away. The following airlines operate to/from Tivat Airport: Air Moldova (Chiṣinǎu, seasonal), Jat Airways (Belgrade), KrasAir (Moscow-Domodedovo), Montenegro Airlines (Belgrade, Copenhagen, London-Gatwick, Moscow-Domodedovo, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pristina, Rome-Fiumicino, Skopje, St Petersburg), Moskovia Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo) Rossiya (St Petersburg), S7 Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo), Transaero Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo) There are also Charter flights to Moscow, Helsinki and other cities.
Podgorica airport [2] is 90km away, and has flights throughout the year to Belgrade, Budapest, Zurich, Frankfurt, Ljubljana, Paris, Rome, Vienna and , London-Gatwick. Buses run from Podgorica to Kotor year round.
Dubrovnik airport [3] in Croatia is 73 km away from Kotor, and maintains flights to many European destinations throughout the year, providing a good alternative to the Montenegrin airports. A taxi to Kotor will cost €80.[4].
[edit] By bus
Kotor is fairly well connected with neighboring countries by bus. The main bus station is 1km from old town, on the road towards Budva (look for the old tall chimney!).
Bus times and frequency varies greatly seasonly. As of summer 2009 there is no accurate source of the varying schedule available online. Kotor bus station telphone number: +382 32 325 809
From Budva, during the summer 2009, buses run to Herceg Novi, stopping in Kotor, almost every 30 minutes from 7:00 to 23:00. Buses also run between Kotor and the following cities: Podgorica (hourly),Dubrovnik and Mostar (3 per day, 3 hours), Split (3 times a week, 7 hours), Sarajevo (1x daily), Belgrade (10 hours), Skopje (night bus, 12 hours, twice a week on Friday and Saturday at 7 pm). During the week you can go to Skopje via Nis, Serbia (bus from Kotor to Tivat at 3.50 pm, fromt Tivat to Nis 5.30 pm).
[edit] By car
All roads in Montenegro are two-lanes only, and mostly are curvy mountainous roads, so speeds over 70 km/h (43 mph) are rarely legal, and rarely safe.
The Vrmac tunnel has recently been completed, which significantly shortens the journey from Budva to Kotor. Road traffic was formerly diverted to alternative road over Trojica hill above Kotor. It is still possible to travel via this very curvy mountain road, so you might travel from Budva to Kotor a bit longer. From this hill you can enjoy beautiful views not only of the tiny countryside villages, but also of Podgorica (when approaching from Cetinje), and also Kotor bay.
Be aware that when driving in Montenegro that the locals drive very aggressively and think nothing of overtaking across white lines on steep bends. Be careful. There is also a great deal of road building underway and the safety considerations are a little less onerous than those in more developed countries. Don't panic.
- Car rental in Kotor [5] , Car Hire and airport transfer shuttle service from Kotor to Airports Tivat, Podgorica and Dubrovnik.
Be careful if you rent a car in Croatia and drive it to Kotor, sketchy tow operators are targeting Croatian rental cars.
[edit] Get around
Kotor itself is a small town, so pretty much everything is within walking distance. Parking space in the city center is very hard to find, so use your car only when you have to. Be careful where you park, sketchy tow operators target tourists around the old city.
There are no sandy beaches in Kotor, and water is not of premium quality for swimming. The best solution is driving to the Jaz or Trsteno beaches on the Budva riviera, some 20 km from Kotor. Those are very beautiful beaches, and you should make the effort of going there.
[edit][add listing] See
- St Triphon's Cathedral, (Old Town). First built in the 11th century, reconstructed after earthquakes. Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Chapel holds the remains of St. Tryphon, the patron saint of Kotor. edit
- St Nicolas Church. Plain and unadorned, built in 1909.Eerie atosphere. edit
- Maritime Museum, (Old Town), ☎ 304720. M-F: 8am-2pm; Weekends: 9am-1pm. 3 floors of photographs, uniforms, weapons, paintings, and model ships. €1.50. edit
[edit][add listing] Do
- Climb the Walls of the Ancient Fort. Stretching some 4.5 km directly above the city, on almost vertical cliffs. Climbing up the walls will be rewarded by an excellent view of Kotor and the bay. Only advisable for physically fit people, furthermore only the beginning of the ascent is safe the further you come to the fortress the more holes there are in the steps and the railing. €2. edit
- Boat Trips. In the middle of the bay there are two islands, Sveti Djordje and Gospa od Skrpijela, which are very worth seeing. You can get there with tourist boats. edit
[edit][add listing] Buy
Old town has many boutiques, but beware of counterfeited variants of world famous brands. There is an open market just outside the old town; there you can buy almost anything from fresh vegetables to sunglasses.
[edit][add listing] Eat
There is a wide choice of places to eat in Kotor. In old town you can find almost anything - from classy restaurants offering fresh seafood and national cuisine to fast food offering pizzas, barbecue, etc. There is a large produce market outside the city walls. Hamburgers there cost €1.
- Bastion Restaurant, (Near St. Mary's church), ☎ 322116. Busy lunchtime venue. Great fish. €6 to €30. edit
- Cesarica, (close to Hotel Marja in the Old Town). Serves excellent and cheap Dalmatian food. Try the cuttlefish risotto, it's amazing! main dishes from €5 to €15. edit
- La Pasteria, (directly opposite St Tryphons Cathedral). You'll find great sandwiches and fine pizzas with original njegos-ham. Probably the best Italian food in Kotor! edit
[edit][add listing] Drink
Again, old town is the hotspot for relaxed drinking espresso in the shade of the medieval walls. There are many cafes in the old town, but still it's hard to find a place to sit in the sunny day.
Espresso will cost from €1.00. Coke and other soft drinks and juices will cost from €1.00 up to €2.00.
You should also try out famous Montenegrin wines, "Vranac", "Pro Corde", "Krstac", "Cabernet", "Chardonnay" and "Nikšićko" beer. Montenegrin brandy, called "rakija" is good choice to "warm up" before going out in the evening, especially grape brandy "Montenegrin loza", "Prvijenac" or "Kruna".
[edit] Nightlife
A night out in Kotor usually begins in some of the many open bars within the walls of old town. As they are not allowed to play music after 1:00AM - the action then moves to some of the night clubs. The best club, without a doubt, is Maximus, located in the old town.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
Accommodation is cheap and plentiful in Kotor.
[edit] Private Rooms
During summer you can expect to pay about €10 per person for accommodation at a private residence in the old town, and €7-15 outside the old town and closer to beaches.
[edit] Hostels
- Youth Hostel Spasic-Masera, Dobrota bb (1km away from the centre and 20m off the main road). Many people have had problems here. edit
[edit] Hotels
- Amfora Hotel Kotor (Kotor Bay Orahovac), (Located 6 km from Perast), ☎ +382 (0) 32 305 857 (fax: +382 (0) 32 305 852), [7]. checkin: 24h; checkout: 12h. Hotel has 4 Star with private beach, sauna and fish resturant. Open 24 hours and all 365 days a year. The hotel is located direct at the beach in Kotor-Orahovac. Very quite room with seaview overlooking Fjord of Kotor €30 to €99. edit
- Hotel Marija, (Old City), ☎ 325062. Boutique hotel. Single: €44; Double: €63. edit
- Hotel Vardar, [10]. Old Yugoslavian design. Recently upgraded and very expensive. Single: €100; Double: €200. edit
[edit] Contact
Wifi is available in the town center.
[edit] News
- City Calendar in English Kotor City News 365 Days
[edit] Get out
- Prčanj - A small hamlet 4km away.
- Budva
- Bar
- Herceg Novi
- Cetinje
- Take one-day trip to some of the small magical towns in the bay, like Perast (18km away) or Risan.
- Go to some of the beaches in half hour's drive from Kotor (Jaz, Trsteno, Plavi horizonti).
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