Review of Kotor, Montenegro - Climb to the Fortress

One of my favorite ports in our 22-day Mediterranean/Adriatic cruise. The sail-in was great with many photo ops of the sun shining on the small villages and reflections in the water. We took the short tender ride into Kotor (around 8:30am). No lines for the tenders that early. Easy walk from the tenders to the main gate (Sea Gate). There was a tourist information center near the main gate with information on a tourist bus ride. We just asked for directions to the wall as we wanted to climb to the fortress first thing in the morning.

Kotor is very compact and it was a short walk to the River Gate (but it did include some steps to get to the gate). Cost was 3 Euros…and we started the walk. The entire walk to the top to St. John’s Fortress took us about 1-1/2 hours, with many stops for photos. There were 3 places to buy water (or take some with you). We stopped at the first person sitting by the side selling bottled water. You can also buy some at the small church about half-way up, or there was one additional person a bit further up selling water. You really need it! Many steps were steep or you could walk on cobblestones. You had to be careful walking as some steps were taller than others and some missing. This walk was much more strenuous than walking the walls in Dubrovnik, but what views! Flowers were in profusion everywhere. Just beautiful. Great views overlooking Kotor and the ship. Since we were early, there were only a few others walking up. Later in the day when we walked down, there were quite a few more people, so go early. There are about 1,350 steps so be prepared. The walk down took about 40 to 45 minutes at a slow pace, letting people pass us as they walked up.

Pictures of some of the steps (but not all 1,350) and views:

Thanks for posting this information and the video.

We'll be in Kotor at the end of July and plan to "do the climb."

Nice job ! I remember doing that very well, and can almost feel the heat from here :)

Yes it is a beautiful place, we were there last year. Climbing all the way up the stairs is no small feat!

We climbed just as far as the church and the views were very good from there.

Kotor is a cute little town to explore.

Thanks for your comments and also video.

Keith

Thanks for the review but I couldn't access the video on my iPad :( because of video owner settings.

Thanks for the review but I couldn't access the video on my iPad :( because of video owner settings.

That's probably because of the music used (Chariots of Fire by Vangelis). Have a look at it on a PC or desktop computer.

Just returned from our 17 day Seabourn Adriatic cruise. We also hiked up to the fortress. The only bad part was that since we did not dock until 11 and it was 90degrees we fried. In Arizona we always hike early in the morning. We were helped by the fact that we wore wicking shorts and tops and brought a bag with 4 bottles of water from the ship. I very much enjoyed the climb and the views down we're amazing --- it reminded me of the Norwegian fjords.

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Two friends of mine got married down the road from Kotor and we did the fortress. It really is impressive to see the entire Montenegrin coastline in one place. The tops of the red roofed houses are beautiful. It's not to be missed if you're docked in Kotor for the day.

We climbed up 610 steps to just above the church. Views were quite good.

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My favorite part was the view of the hillside and the church off in the distance when you climb through the "window" hole. We saw goats grazing and you could walk to a local house to buy their freshly made goat cheese. Such a beautiful hike! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for that! We are going to Kotor next fall, and I will be looking around for things to do and see. I'm not sure I'm up for that many steps, but maybe I'll at least try as far as the church!

Kotor is a cute little town to explore.

Appreciate this nice review, video, sharing! YES, Kotor is wonderful. Also, there are some great nearby options. For us, one of the highlights was getting up, UP above the town and seeing the overall area, etc. See more visuals and options to consider with the below linked postings. Below are just a few of my visual sample to get people excited about Kotor and these great areas of Montenegro.

Don't miss the spectacular sail-in and sail-out views when doing Kotor.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 21,289 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

Here’s our bus driver going to up, back and forth, through twenty-seven serpentine twists and turns to rise up the 4000’ high mountain above Kotor as we headed to the old Royal Capital of Cetinje. You can see our cruise ship down below tendered in the scenic harbor.:

This is a close up of the mountain fortress that overlooks Kotor and the fjord bay.:

This high and wide view of Kotor shows the overall area, including the Bay of Kotor. It is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. This bay is sometimes called the southern-most fjord in Europe. It is actually a submerged river canyon. Kotor has seen a significant increase in tourism, attracted by the Gulf’s natural beauty and the old town of Kotor that is a World Heritage Site.:

Appreciate this nice review, video, sharing! YES, Kotor is wonderful. Also, there are some great nearby options. For us, one of the highlights was getting up, UP above the town and seeing the overall area, etc. See more visuals and options to consider with the below linked postings. Below are just a few of my visual sample to get people excited about Kotor and these great areas of Montenegro.

 

Don't miss the spectacular sail-in and sail-out views when doing Kotor.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 21,289 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

 

 

Here’s our bus driver going to up, back and forth, through twenty-seven serpentine twists and turns to rise up the 4000’ high mountain above Kotor as we headed to the old Royal Capital of Cetinje. You can see our cruise ship down below tendered in the scenic harbor.:

 

 

 

This is a close up of the mountain fortress that overlooks Kotor and the fjord bay.:

 

 

 

This high and wide view of Kotor shows the overall area, including the Bay of Kotor. It is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. This bay is sometimes called the southern-most fjord in Europe. It is actually a submerged river canyon. Kotor has seen a significant increase in tourism, attracted by the Gulf’s natural beauty and the old town of Kotor that is a World Heritage Site.:

 

Thanks for the beautiful pictures! Makes me so excited to do the hike!

Is the last picture from the fortress? It is an awesome view!

We also were just in Montenegro and had a wonderful tour with monttraveler. Diko was a great guide and we were really impressed with

the country and Diko's knowledge of the country. We loved Montenagro

you will not be disappointed.:)

Thanks for the great photos! We did the climb late last November... when the problem was not heat, but a pretty big thunder storm & cold!

Amazing views, & completely worth the time & effort.

I climbed it all the way to the fort this month. It was great! Do not attempt if you have mobility problems.

We did this in the morning and we were in the shade the whole way up. On the way down the sun came out to that side of the mountain. You could see the heat starting to affect those we passed climbing up!

If you do go I suggest heading strait to the stairs first thing in the morning. You can always explore the town later on.

July 2012

[YOUTUBE]fUzQl8KA2Uk[/YOUTUBE]

We walked up to the fort last week, luckily we were in the shade all the way up. I walk with sticks but managed to go all the way up having originally planned to stop at the church. So glad I did the views were fabulous.

Coming down was slow, I found it more difficult than going up. I constantly had to let people pass.

Thank you for posting your reviews of Kotor, the video and the pictures. Great job everyone! We are looking at a 2016 cruise that will include Kotor as one of the ports of call. The itinerary is offered in May and August. What can we expect the temperature to be in those months?

We are looking at a 2016 cruise that will include Kotor as one of the ports of call. The itinerary is offered in May and August. What can we expect the temperature to be in those months?

We traveled to Kotor in early September and it was pretty warm even in the morning! I love the video of pictures. The climb up the steps was one of the highlights of our trip!

I have a few pictures from the fortress in my trip review (part 1, part 2, part 3).

@jrmint427,

Beautiful pics! Thanks for whetting my appetite.

I know it's many months later, but I'm going to Kotor this year and trying to figure out where the hole in the wall is where you can walk to the ruins of a church. I'm not talking about the church halfway up the mountain, but a little, ruined one. If anyone reading this has any information, please see my recent post on Kotor if you can help me!

I know it's many months later, but I'm going to Kotor this year and trying to figure out where the hole in the wall is where you can walk to the ruins of a church. I'm not talking about the church halfway up the mountain, but a little, ruined one. If anyone reading this has any information, please see my recent post on Kotor if you can help me!

Someone correct me if I am wrong...but, I think the church halfway up that everyone is referring to is the little ruined one. If you re read the this thread the person referring to the hole in the wall, it seems as if the hole in the wall allows a view of one of the town churches.