Kotor Montenegro
Montenegro

1334 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Azamara Club Cruises (50 Cruises)

Cruise Aza Azamara Club Cruises Journey ship

Azamara Journey

1114 Passengers
30277 tons
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Azamara Onward

30277 tons
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Celestyal Cruises (29 Cruises)

Celestyal Journey1

Celestyal Journey

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Costa Cruises (39 Cruises)

Costa Deliziosa.

Costa Deliziosa

2826 Passengers
92 tons
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CroisiEurope (25 Cruises)

Cruise CE Croisieurope MS La Belle de L\

MV La Belle de L'Adriatique

195 Passengers
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Cunard (60 Cruises)

Cruise Cunard Queen Elizabeth ship

Queen Elizabeth

2081 Passengers
90400 tons
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Emerald Waterways (40 Cruises)

Emerald Azzurra.

Emerald Azzurra

164 Passengers
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Explora Journeys (33 Cruises)

Explora II

Explora II

63900 tons
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Holland America Line (35 Cruises)

Cruise HAL Holland America Line ms Oosterdam ship

ms Oosterdam

2024 Passengers
82820 tons
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MSC Cruises (282 Cruises)

MSC Cruises Armonia Ship Thumbnail

MSC Armonia

2679 Passengers
65542 tons
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msc lirica cruise ship

MSC Lirica

1984 Passengers
65591 tons
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Norwegian Cruise Line (41 Cruises)

Norwegian Gem Cruise Ship

Norwegian Gem

2394 Passengers
93530 tons
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Oceania Cruises (59 Cruises)

Oceania Allura.

Oceania Allura

1200 Passengers
68000 tons
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Princess Cruises (107 Cruises)

Enchanted Princess.

Enchanted Princess

3660 Passengers
145000 tons
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises (38 Cruises)

Seabourn Cruise Line (144 Cruises)

Seabourn Ovation.

Seabourn Ovation

40350 tons
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Silversea Cruises (34 Cruises)

Viking Ocean Cruises (213 Cruises)

Viking Jupiter1

Viking Jupiter

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Viking Mars.

Viking Mars

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Viking Neptune1

Viking Neptune

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Viking Star

Viking Star

47800 tons
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Viking Vela.

Viking Vela

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Windstar Cruises (18 Cruises)

Wind Spirit

Wind Spirit

249 Passengers
5736 tons
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Port of Kotor, Montenegro | Cruise Port Guide

Early risers are rewarded in Kotor. Sailing into the Bay of Kotor at daybreak is one of the most beautiful approaches in the entire Mediterranean: the ship glides between grey mountains that drop into glassy water, passes through the Verige Strait, just a few hundred metres wide, sails past two islets each crowned with a church, and finally reveals, at the far end of this fjord-like landscape, a small triangular city tucked within its walls. This is Montenegro's treasure, and it can be explored on foot straight from the gangway.

Landing at the City Gates

The main pier is a two-minute walk from the Sea Gate, the main entrance to the old town; an underpass even spares you from crossing the road. On busy days, some ships anchor in the bay and tender their passengers ashore, just as close to the ramparts. No transportation is needed: the entire port call can take place within a one-kilometre radius, leaving you completely free to set your own pace.

Inside the Triangle of Lanes

Past the Sea Gate, the Square of Arms opens onto a maze shaped by four centuries of Venetian presence. The lanes of polished limestone lead from one little square to the next, each with its church, its palace with stone balconies and its café set up in the shade. St. Tryphon's Cathedral, consecrated in 1166 and rebuilt after every earthquake, keeps a Romanesque ciborium and a treasury of silverwork behind its two bell towers. The Maritime Museum, in a baroque palace, tells of the era when the bay's captains sailed for every power on the Adriatic. And everywhere, cats: well fed, endlessly photographed, they have become the town's unofficial mascots, to the point of having their own museum and shops.

The Ramparts and St. John's Fortress

Behind the town, the wall climbs the mountain for more than four kilometres, a defensive feat begun as early as the 9th century. The trail up to St. John's Fortress has about 1,350 steps; allow about 45 minutes for the climb, along with water and good shoes. The reward is well earned and grows at every landing: the Church of Our Lady of Remedy halfway up, then, from the summit, the old town in a perfect triangle beneath its orange roofs, the ship resting on the green water and the bay winding between the mountains until it disappears. In hot weather, it's best to go up at opening time; most of the panorama can be enjoyed from the first half of the climb anyway.

Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks

With half a day to spare, the bay itself is well worth the trip. Boats leave from the pier for Perast, a former town of sea captains with weathered palaces, about twenty minutes away by water. Off its shore float the two islets glimpsed on arrival: St. George, with its cypress trees, closed to visitors, and Our Lady of the Rocks, an artificial island that Perast's sailors built stone by stone over the centuries, each crew returning safely adding its load of rocks. The church that covers it houses hundreds of silver votive offerings and a moving embroidery by a local woman who devoted twenty-five years to it, even weaving in her own hair. The tradition lives on every July 22, when boats laden with stones repeat the ancestors' gesture.

A Montenegrin Break

Back in town, the old town patios serve the specialties of the bay: mussels buzara-style, grilled fish, Njeguši smoked ham and mountain cheese, paired with a local red wine, vranac. Prices remain gentle for the Adriatic, and no one rushes you. Montenegro cultivates an art of slowness that suits the end of a port call perfectly.

Sailing Out Through the Strait

Departure replays the arrival in reverse, often in the evening light. The mountains close in behind the ship, the two islets glide past the hull, and the little town disappears at the far end of its bay like a secret put back in its place. Of all the Adriatic port calls, Kotor is perhaps the one whose memory depends least on a monument: it's the whole landscape that stays with you, along with the feeling of having sailed inland, into the heart of another era.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main pier is a two-minute walk from the Sea Gate, the old town's main entrance; an underpass even spares you crossing the road. On busy days, some ships anchor in the bay and tender passengers ashore, just as close to the walls.
No, the entire call can be done on foot: the old town starts at the pier gates and fits within a one-kilometre radius. It is one of the simplest arrivals in the Mediterranean.
St. Tryphon's Cathedral, consecrated in 1166, the maritime museum in a baroque palace, and a maze of Venetian squares in polished limestone. And everywhere, Kotor's famous cats, the town's unofficial mascots, complete with their own museum.
It takes real effort: about 1,350 steps to St. John's Fortress, roughly forty-five minutes up, with water and good shoes. Good news: most of the panorama is earned in the first half of the climb, and you can turn back at any point.
Yes, if your call lasts at least half a day: boats leave from the pier and reach Perast in about twenty minutes. There you visit Our Lady of the Rocks, an artificial island built stone by stone by sailors, with a church filled with silver votive offerings.
The old town rewards two hours of wandering, a partial climb up the walls adds another, and there is still time for a café terrace or a boat trip to Perast. No need to rush: everything is concentrated around the pier.
The euro, even though Montenegro is not part of the European Union. Cards are widely accepted, but some cash is handy for small cafés and the boats to Perast.
Montenegrin, but English is common throughout the tourist trade, and Italian often helps. Staff on the old town terraces are used to cruise passengers.
May, June, September and October offer the best balance of mild weather and manageable crowds. In July and August the heat makes the wall climb demanding: start right at opening time, early in the morning.