If you only have one day in Kotor, Montenegro, you can still experience many of the city’s highlights. Whether you’re stopping in the city by cruise, or only staying a night or two on your way to another destinations in the Balkans, one day in Kotor is enough to explore the Old Town and enjoy the beauty of the Bay. It’s a relatively small city with its main attractions all located close together.

During my solo trip to Kotor, I followed this exact One Day in Kotor itinerary, focusing on the best experiences that I could realistically fit into a single day, including hiking above the city for panoramic views, wandering through the charming Old Town, and exploring the bay by boat. It’s a perfect plan if you’re visiting Kotor on a cruise stop or passing through Montenegro for a short time!

Is Kotor Good for Solo Travelers?

Yes, Kotor is a great destination for solo travelers! The city is small, walkable, and full of visitors from all over the world, making it easy to explore on your own while still meeting people along the way.

Here are a few reasons why Kotor is great for solo travel:

• It’s very safe: I felt comfortable walking alone throughout Kotor, including at night in the Old Town. The area is well-lit and filled with travelers and locals enjoying restaurants and cafes.
• The Old Town is compact and walkable: Most of Kotor’s main attractions are located within or just outside the Old Town walls, making it easy to explore without taxis or public transit
• There’s lots of solo-friendly activities: Hiking the Ladder of Kotor, taking boat tours, and visiting nearby towns are all experiences that are safe, easy and enjoyable to do on your own.
• It’s easy to meet other travelers: Kotor is a popular stop for backpackers travelling through the Balkans, so you’ll can easily meet people on hikes, tours, or in hostels.

What Do to with One Day in Kotor, Montenegro

Morning: Hike to Kotor Fortress

Start your day early with one of the most popular experiences in Kotor: hiking above the city for incredible views of the bay.

The most popular option for this hike is climbing up to Kotor Fortress, which sits high above the Old Town along a series of medieval defensive walls built during the Venetian period. The official path begins just outside the Old Town and involves climbing over 1,300 stone steps to reach the top. Entry to the fortress costs €15, but the views overlooking the red rooftops of Kotor and the winding Bay of Kotor are absolutely worth it.

If you want to avoid the entrance fee but still see an amazing view of the Bay of Kotor, there’s an alternative trail called the Ladder of Kotor. This trail begins just outside the Old Town walls and climbs the mountainside through a long series of switchbacks, revealing more dramatic views of the bay as you go higher.

Optional Breakfast Stop! If you’re doing the Ladder of Kotor Hike and want to stop for breakfast before, there’s a great restaurant just a block away from the start called Resto Bar Taraca. Stop here to fuel up and caffeinate before your hike!

The trail gets its name from a ladder that used to allow hikers to climb through a window in the fortress walls without paying the entrance fee. When I visited, the ladder was no longer there, and the window was far too high for me to safely reach by myself.

So instead of attempting to climb in, I hiked the trail in the other direction toward a popular cheese shop overlooking the bay. They served soda, beer, fresh pomegranate juice, and local cheese, perfect for a mid-hike snack.

Both of these hikes are clearly marked and very popular, so you’ll likely encounter other hikers along the way. For more information about the hikes, check out my guide on the best things to do in Kotor.

Midday: Kotor’s Old Town

After your hike, head back down to the Old Town for a well-earned lunch. Kotor’s Old Town is filled with small restaurants and cafes tucked between narrow stone streets and historic squares. For a quick and affordable lunch, I went to Primo Pizza, which serves giant slices for a just a couple euros each.

After lunch, spend a couple of hours wandering through the Old Town and taking in its historic architecture. Kotor’s Old Town is small but incredibly charming, and surrounded medieval stone walls. You can walk along the walls for a small fee (although when I visited in the afternoon, I was able to walk on for free).

Besides walking around the walls, the best way to explore the Old Town is simply walking around without a plan, wandering through the narrow alleyways and squares throughout the city. You’ll come across beautiful churches, hidden courtyards, and historic stone buildings that date back centuries. I especially enjoyed browsing the small souvenir shops around the Old Town, which sell lots of unique handcrafted items. I found pottery, embroidered fabrics, hand painted magnets, and lots of cat themed things.

Kotor is known for is its large population of stray cats, hence all of the cat souvenirs. You’ll see them lounging in sunny corners throughout the Old Town. There’s even a small Cat Park with a vending machine that sells cat food for visitors who want to feed them. If you’re a cat lover, it’s a fun stop to make while wandering through the city.

If you’re interested in learning more about the history and architecture of the city, you should book a guided walking tour of Kotor’s Old Town.

Afternoon: Boat Tour Around the Bay of Kotor

In the afternoon, venture beyond the Old Town and take a boat tour around the Bay of Kotor. It’s a great way to see more of the dramatic scenery that makes this region so beautiful.

This tour that I did was around three hours and was offered during multiples times throughout the day, including the afternoon, making it perfect for this itinerary. It included several stops around the bay. One of the main highlights was visiting Our Lady of the Rocks, a tiny island church located just off the coast of the town of Perast. According to local legend, sailors created the island by dropping rocks into the bay after discovering an icon of the Virgin Mary at that spot. The island is very small, so about 20 minutes is enough time to explore the church and take photos.

Then the tour continued to a hidden submarine tunnel, which was built during the Yugoslav military period and carved directly into the mountainside. It’s a fascinating historical site that you can only experience from the water.

The final stop was the Blue Cave, located near the entrance to the bay. The cave gets its name from the way sunlight reflects off the water, creating a glowing blue color inside the cave. Many tours allow time for a quick swim here if the weather is warm enough. I jumped in for a minute, even though it was early summer and the water was freezing!

Although I really enjoyed this tour, I felt like the boat rides between stops were very long, and we only spent about 20 minutes off the boat during the three hour tour. If you want a tour that includes more time exploring on land, I would recommend this boat tour that stops in Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks. The boat ride to Perast is only about 20 minutes, and then you’ll get a 30 minutes to explore the charming town, and 20 minutes at Our Lady of the Rocks. Whichever tour you choose, you’ll get to experience the incredible scenery and mountains around the Bay of Kotor!

For more information about visiting Perast, check out my other blog post about how to do a day trip from Kotor to Perast.

More time in Kotor?

Spending more than one day in Kotor? There’s a lot more to do, from relaxing at one of the beautiful swimming spots along the bay to taking a day trip to Perast. Check out my post Top 5 Things to Do in Kotor for all the best activities. Or try one of these highly rated tours!