Day trips from Kotor
Lovćen up twenty-five hairpins, Budva in half an hour, Lake Skadar in an hour and twenty — and one trip that is better by boat.
- Lovćen and Njegoš's mausoleum
- By car, about 1 h
- Budva
- By car half an hour
- Lake Skadar
- By car to Virpazar, about 1 h 20
There are two directions out of Kotor: up the serpentine towards Lovćen and Cetinje, or along the water to Budva and round the bay. Everything except Lake Skadar fits into half a day, and the bus is enough only for Budva — Lovćen, the lake and the bay loop need a car or an organised trip.
Lovćen and Njeguši
The road out of Kotor climbs some nine hundred metres in eight kilometres, through twenty-five numbered hairpins. At the top come first Njeguši, the village known for its prosciutto and cheese, then Lovćen National Park and the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović Njegoš on Jezerski Vrh. Four hundred and sixty-one steps lead up to it through a tunnel in the rock, and on a clear day the view runs from the Boka to Lake Skadar. Go in the morning, because cloud closes the summit without warning.
Budva — a different rhythm half an hour away
Half an hour down the coast by car, or about forty minutes by bus, with departures every thirty to forty-five minutes. The walled old town is small, and everything around it is a resort with beaches. Sveti Stefan is ten minutes further; the island is a hotel and is seen from the mainland. Budva is the trip for a day when Kotor is full of cruise passengers and you want a beach.
Lake Skadar and the loop of the bay
Lake Skadar is the largest in the Balkans and the Albanian border runs through it; Virpazar is about an hour and twenty from Kotor by car. The Pavlova Strana viewpoint looks down on the meander of the Rijeka Crnojevića, and a boat from Virpazar takes you through the reeds to the birds and the island monasteries. The loop of the Boka runs by Perast and Risan with its Roman mosaics to the Kamenari–Lepetane ferry, which closes the circle across the bay.
How long each takes
Everything returns to Kotor the same day — a car helps everywhere except Budva
What to sort out beforehand
- The serpentine and a fear of heights. It is narrow and without a barrier in places; if heights bother you, go with a driver.
- Lake Skadar without a boat. From the shore you see one point; the idea is sailing through the meanders out to the island monasteries.
- The ferry instead of the long way. The Kamenari–Lepetane ferry runs through the night too, so the bay loop can finish after sunset.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What fits into a single morning from Kotor?
Lovćen. About an hour by car up the serpentine, with Njeguši and the mausoleum at the top; go early, before cloud closes the summit.
Do I need a car for trips out of Kotor?
For Lovćen, Lake Skadar and the loop of the bay, in practice yes, or an organised trip. Buses to Budva run often and a car is unnecessary.
Is Lake Skadar worth it without a boat?
Not greatly. From the shore you see one point, and the idea is sailing from Virpazar through the meanders to the island monasteries.
Ready for Kotor?
Where to next
Where to stay in Kotor
→The old town puts the walls and the cathedral at the door; Dobrota and Prčanj hold the same bay without the…
Perast · 9 km
→Two hundred and thirty-seven residents, twenty baroque palaces and an island people built by hand
How well does Kotor suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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