The back story
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The back story
Bay of Kotor & the Budva Riviera: the back story
Naval arsenals turned marinas, Ottoman towers and pirate legends along Montenegro’s coast.
Area guide · Montenegro
The Bay of Kotor & Budva: Our Favourites
Kotor and Perast on the bay, Porto Montenegro at Tivat, and the beaches of the Budva Riviera. For Podgorica itself, see our Podgorica guide.
Superyacht marinaPorto MontenegroTivat
Superyacht marinaPorto MontenegroTivat
Seafront promenadePine promenade & Porto Montenegro waterfrontTivat
Botanical parkTivat City ParkTivat
Wetland reserveSolila nature reserveKrtole Bay
Old-town hotelHotel CattaroKotor
Resort hotelOne&Only PortonoviKumbor, Herceg Novi
Five-star hotelThe Chedi Luštica BayLuštica peninsula
Hotel & marinaLazure Hotel & MarinaMeljine, Herceg Novi
Five-star resortDukley Hotel & ResortBudva
Show 19 places on a map
What to see and do
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3 photosBujović Palace
Perast Museum
Perast’s seafaring past in the 17th-century Bujović Palace, right on the waterfront.
Obala Marka Martinovića, PerastExplore View on map
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Video 3 photosTivat’s yachting heart
Porto Montenegro
Tivat’s former naval arsenal, reborn as a superyacht marina lined with cafés, boutiques and homes.
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3 photosBudva’s seaward bastion
Budva Citadel & the churches of the old town
The fortress at the sea end of Budva’s old town, with a cluster of churches in the square below.
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2 photosHerceg Novi’s high point
Kanli kula
An Ottoman fortress of 1539 crowning the top of Herceg Novi’s old town, with views over the bay.
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Video 3 photosA city among olives
Stari Bar
The ruins of medieval Bar on a sheer rock, 4 km inland, surrounded by ancient olive groves.
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3 photosA royal seaside palace
King Nikola’s Palace, Bar
King Nikola’s seaside palace of 1885, now Bar’s Homeland Museum, set in a botanical garden.
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3 photosThe southern headland
Ulcinj Old Town
Montenegro’s southernmost old town, on a headland above the sea, steeped in tales of corsairs.
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Video 3 photosHigh above Sutomore
Haj-Nehaj fortress
The ruins of a 15th-century Venetian fortress on a hilltop above the sea near Sutomore.
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3 photosUNESCO World Heritage
Kotor Old Town
Stone lanes, small squares and Venetian-era palaces inside the walls at the head of the bay.
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3 photosAn island made by hand
Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks
A small baroque town on the bay, with boats out to the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks.
Nature, lakes and beaches
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3 photosPink-sand beaches
Sveti Stefan Beach
Two pink-hued beaches either side of the causeway to the island of Sveti Stefan.
Sveti Stefan, BudvaExplore View on map
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3 photosPine-shaded cove
Miločer Beach (King’s Beach)
A fine-sand beach before the former royal residence of Miločer, framed by exotic trees.
Miločer, BudvaExplore View on map
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Video 2 photosTivat’s evening stroll
Pine promenade & Porto Montenegro waterfront
Tivat’s palm-shaded promenade by the water, flowing straight on into the Porto Montenegro quays.
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Video 2 photosSailors’ garden of 1892
Tivat City Park
A shaded town park of exotic trees, grown from plants Tivat’s seafarers carried home from abroad.
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Video 2 photosRamsar-listed salt pans
Solila nature reserve
Old salt pans in Krtole Bay, now a protected wetland where migrating birds pause and winter.
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3 photosMountains above the sea
Orjen Nature Park
The limestone mountain behind Herceg Novi, a nature park of forest and karst far above the coast.
Eat and drink
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Mill by the sea
Konoba Ćatovića Mlini
Bay of Kotor seafood at a two-century-old mill by the water and mountain streams of Morinj.
Polje bb, 85338 MorinjExplore View on map
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Fish by the walls
Jadran kod Krsta
A seafood restaurant of long standing on Budva’s waterfront, a few steps from the old town walls.
Slovenska obala 10, 85310 BudvaExplore View on map
Where to stay
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3 photosInside the walls
Hotel Monte Cristo
A boutique hotel in Kotor Old Town, in a restored 13th-century bishop’s residence.
Old Town 424, 85330 KotorExplore View on map
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3 photos13th-century palace
Hotel Astoria Kotor
Nine individually designed rooms in the 13th-century Buća family palace, Kotor Old Town.
Old Town, KotorExplore View on map
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Video 6 photosNapoleonic theatre walls
Hotel Cattaro
A four-star stay on Kotor’s main square, set partly in the town’s former Napoleonic-era theatre.
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VideoOne&Only’s European debut
One&Only Portonovi
One&Only’s first European resort, on the water at Kumbor with a spa, private beach and fine dining.
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6 photosThe islet reborn
Aman Sveti Stefan
Aman’s return to Sveti Stefan: a 15th-century island village and a former royal villa on the shore.
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Video 3 photosOn the marina
The Chedi Luštica Bay
The first hotel of Luštica Bay’s new resort town, a five-star address on the marina promenade.
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Video 2 photosRestored lazaretto
Lazure Hotel & Marina
A five-star hotel at Meljine, set partly in the bay’s old quarantine station, and its own marina.
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Video 4 photosAcross from Budva
Dukley Hotel & Resort
A five-star resort on the Zavala peninsula, gazing back across the water at Budva’s old town.
Jadranski put bb, Zavala Peninsula, Budva 85310Explore WatchView on map
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3 photosAt the old gate
Hotel Stara Čaršija
A small hotel in the old bazaar of Stari Bar, right below the walls of the ruined city.
Starobarska čaršija 243, 85000 BarExplore View on map
Getting there and around
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2 photosAcross the Adriatic
Ferries from Bar to Italy
Car ferries from Bar, Montenegro’s main port, across the Adriatic to Italy.
Where to go next
Questions and answers
Can I take a ferry to Italy?
Yes. Montenegro Lines sails car ferries from Bar, Montenegro’s main port, across the Adriatic to Italy; check routes and seasons with the operator.
Where should I walk at sunset?
Along Tivat’s Pine promenade, then on along the Porto Montenegro waterfront.
Share your The Bay of Kotor & Budva tips
Been there? Share your experience and tips with other visitors.
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