Quick Trip through Kotor, Montenegro
Visiting the Bay of Kotor, exploring another Old Town, and hiking into the surrounding mountains to see the fortress (and to eat cheese, of course).
November 11th-13th, 2022
With garlic bread in hand, we left Dubrovnik in the late afternoon and caught a bus to Kotor, Montenegro for about 28 euros. While not a staple food of Croatia, we ended up with this fantastic garlic bread because we had to use a restaurant’s bathroom before embarking on the 2+ hour journey to Montenegro. At least in Dubrovnik, there are no public bathrooms (or toilets, as they are referred to here) that you can use for free. This isn’t the first time we had to do this but it usually results in the consumption of something delicious so it could be worse.
Arriving in Kotor at night, we walked from the bus stop into the Old Town of Kotor which sits at the base of a mountain with a fortress towering over it and encircled by stone walls. It even has a moat. Because it was dark, it was at first difficult to make out the vastness of the fortress above except for the warm lights lining the stone walls.
While not the ideal time to see a city for the first time, the best part about arriving at night is the wonderful surprise you wake up to in the morning. Sometimes it even looks almost unrecognizable and truly emphasizes the differences between the spirit of a city at night versus in the daylight. This was certainly the case in Kotor, not only because we could see the true magnitude of the fortress towering above the walls of the Old Town but also the gleaming bay of Kotor.
We stayed at a hostel inside the fortified walls of the Old Town and each spent 13.75 euros per night. Overall, the shared hostel room itself was nice and provided curtains for added privacy and a locked drawer for valuables. However, the building in which our room was located only had one bathroom for about 14 people because one of the bathrooms was out of order. Thankfully, we didn’t run into any problems with this setup since we were only there for two nights.
Compared to Dubrovnik’s Old Town, Caroline pointed out that the condition of Kotor’s Old Town was much more typical. It was a bit less maintained, the stone was more weathered, and there was more trash lying around on the streets. Built using a dark grey stone as opposed to Dubrovnik’s light, champaign-colored stones, the Old Town of Kotor had a more serious, medieval vibe. Because of this, and the presence of more locals living in the area, it felt more like a historical place that still had local residents instead of like a replica-esque tourist town like Dubrovnik.
On our first night, we met and befriended two other travelers. One of whom was from Turkey, where Caroline had just spent two months living, and the other was from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It’s always fun to meet other people from the Midwest! They gave us some good recommendations for what we should do with our limited time in Montenegro.
The next morning, Caroline and I woke up early and ventured out of the Old Town in search of the alternate trail up to the fortress that didn’t have an entrance fee, as recommended by one of our fellow travelers. If you opt to walk up the 1,350 stairs to the Kotor Fortress from inside the Old Town, it will cost you a few euros plus an extra fee: the pain and monotony of walking up that many steps. Plus, we heard that there was a cheese shop located on the side of the mountain along the trail. Honestly, we did it mainly for the cheese. What else can you expect from two Wisconinsites?
Our experience at said cheese shop was nothing short of iconic. To start, the shop itself was located inside a local family’s house close to the top of a mountain that overlooks the Bay of Kotor. Obviously, the view was stunning. It’s also located at about the same height as the Kotor Fortress, so we could admire both the magnitude of the fortress alongside the bay and the city below.
The older man who ran the cheese shop spoke very little English but that did not stop any of us from enjoying the other’s company. First, we ordered coffee that appeared to be Turkish coffee from what Caroline has shown me in pictures. I remarked on this similarity and the old man did not hesitate to correct me saying that it was “Montenegrin coffee”. It was funny to all of us at the time, but this reaction stems from national pride. Consequently, I realized that I should be more careful with comparing the traditions and delicacies of countries (even if they are very similar)– at least in front of the locals.
Next, came the best part: the cheese! The owner served it to us with fresh tomatoes from his garden, olives from a nearby tree, and homemade bread. This spread was simple but extremely satisfying after the hike up. After we finished all the food and complimented the owner on his creations, he brought out a bottle of Raki (traditional, medicinal alcohol) and asked us if we wanted some. Caroline had previously told me about the cultural significance of Raki in this region, so I couldn’t resist trying it myself even though we were mid-hike.
We drank Raki, laughed, and learned how to say cheers in Montenegrin. We hardly understood each other’s words, but we were still able to connect with the owner nonetheless. There were fly swatters on all the tables and the owner even taught us that he uses them not for flies, but actually for the cats when they start to beg for cheese. Thankfully, for both us and the cats, we didn’t have to use them.
After sharing where we were from, he brought us one last shot of Raki and proceeded to ask us our opinions of random U.S. presidents. That one was entertaining for all of us. It’s too bad we didn’t know enough about the Montenegrin government so we couldn’t ask the same–Or maybe it was a good thing, depending on how you look at it.
What really made my day was when he brought out a younger woman who seemed to be his daughter and appeared not entirely thrilled to be brought outside of the house at the time. She translated for him thanking us for coming and telling us that we are welcome there any time we are in Montenegro. We had been sitting there for a couple of hours and hadn’t yet witnessed this with any other customers, so it felt pretty special and was very endearing. These are some of my favorite moments while traveling.
Before continuing onwards to explore the fortress, we said our goodbyes and paid only 18 euros for everything. We later found out this was a great price for all that we got, perhaps because he seemed to like us.
With warmed hearts and feeling a little buzzed from the three shots of Raki we couldn’t refuse, we got back on the trail and continued down the trail for about 5 minutes. We walked through the ruins of some old houses until we made it to the outside of the fortress.
For the record, this trail is well-used and we saw several other hikers. Coming from this direction, there is even a ladder secured to the outside of the fortress wall leading up to a window that you can climb through to get into the fortress itself. This leads me to believe that it is not a secret kept from the city. This way presumably takes longer than by way of the paid stairway path–it surely did for us, but that was partially because of the two-hour cheese shop excursion.
Either way, I would recommend taking this path for several reasons: This way is free, it is less crowded so you can take your time and stop for as many pictures as you’d like (a necessity with the views offered by this trail), the hike itself is enjoyable, and last but certainly not least, the cheese shop is only accessible from this trail.
Though there is some debate over the exact dates, Kotor’s Fortress (formally known as St. John’s Fortress or San Giovanni’s Fortress) is incredibly old and some accounts say that it dates back to the 9th century or earlier. For being this old, it is in surprisingly good condition. Atop the fortress about 900 feet above the bay, you will be treated to a spectacular view of the city surrounding the Bay of Kotor.
Once we were done exploring the fortress, we made our way back down using the stairs from the paid entrance this time. It is much faster to get back down this way and leads you right back into the Old Town. After passing all the people walking up the stairs to the fortress, I was even happier about the path we took to get there… They did not seem to be having as much fun as we had on the way up. No matter which way you choose to go, visiting the fortress and seeing its view of Kotor is definitely worth the time and energy.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a walking tour for the days that we were in Kotor, so I don’t feel as though I have as adequate of an understanding of Kotor’s history as I would have liked. Given the little amount of time that we had in Montenegro, I feel very grateful that we were able to have a relatively lengthy experience with the old Montenegrin man from the cheese shop. This really enhanced my experience and a general understanding of the culture.
Aside from doing the hike and seeing the fortress, we spent a good bit of time walking around the Old Town, but it was much more confusing to learn than Dubrovnik’s easy-to-learn grid-like pedestrian streets. If I could do it again, I would have liked to stay a bit longer to learn more about Montenegro’s history. But I am happy and satisfied with the short and sweet introduction that I did get. I don’t feel like there was much more that we could have done in Kotor, except for learning more about the culture and history and interacting with more locals.