Kotor excursions? A couple of questions

[Tudor122]

Hello everyone! I'll be boarding on Regal Princess next week. It's my first time in Kotor and I want to take a lot of photos and visit as much as possible.

Has anyone been to Kotor? It's better to take a excursion provided by princess or can you easily visit on your own? Especially being a tender port. Does anyone know   what time the ship enters the bay? Thank you so much

[Essiesmom]

It’s a spectacular sail up the fjord (and back out).  We never took a tour, just walked off and into the walled city.  Check out guidebooks…not sure if Rick Steve’s covers Kotor, but Lonely Planet does.  You will probably want to hike the path/steps up the mountain behind the walled city.  Too much exertion for me, even ten years ago.  EM

[JoRoy218]

We just walked around the walled city. Didn’t seem to need a guided tour. Lots of history and great shops. We did have some friends who did the hike up to the church, said it was rough, but enjoyed it. 
As mentioned above, the sail in through the fjord is just gorgeous. Might want to note arrival time and get on your balcony or out on deck to enjoy every moment. We had bfast delivered and sat outside while we peacefully sailed into Kotor. If memory serves, it took approx. an hour from entrance to arrival.  On departure, Capt. at the time described the ship was about to do a “pirouette” in the harbor. Very graceful! 

Edited July 30, 2022 by JoRoy218

[PescadoAmarillo]

If the HOHO bus is still operating, that’s a great deal. It takes you to Perast and used to include a walking tour of the walled city of Kotor. 
 

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2017/01/day-24-kotor-montenegro.html

[victory2020]

There is a church as you sail in called "Our Lady of the Rock' & you can take the local bus (maybe HOHO too ) then take a ferry out to the church. I missed doing it on my last trip to Kotor but it gives me a reason to go back

[GOARMY]

This worked for us at Kotor because all the Stars aligned; they may not be in that alignment for your upcoming cruise.  But--

 

Sunday, April 16, 2017.  Aboard Regent's "Explorer".  Toward end of BtB segments beginning at Miami, via Barcelona; and ending three days later at Venice. 

 

Early morning one-hour cruise up the "fjord" (not-really) to dockside.  Church bells tolling.  It was Easter Sunday.  Excursion along with about 45 others involving a 20-minute catamaran trip across the water to Prcanj.  Visited Church of Our Lady's Temple.  Ornate.  Sat in front row for a 45-minute magical concert performed by local artists--"Quartet Talia".  Flutists all, and of high quality.  Fortunately, my wife videoed the performance, which ranged from Mascagni, to Tchaikowsky, to Bizet, to Bach, and--Yes:  Abba. 

 

Not a dry eye in the Church at conclusion.  Thunderous applause which was mimicked by a thunder storm in the immediate area.  Church really rocked.  Then--off to what was described in the Excursion's synopsis as "a light seafood lunch" at a cafe near the Church.  Rain let up just enough for the transfer.   What an understatement as to the lunch!  It was a feast consisting entirely of locally grown (or caught)  produce, breads, game, and fish.  Accompanied by a surfeit of several varieties of local wines. 

 

Totally stuffed--back to the catamaran.  The excursion was scheduled for concluding with a walking tour in downtown Kotor.  But, by that time, the thunderstorms continued to roll through.  So intense, with lightning and poor visibility, that everyone in our group wished our Guide well (with Tips) at dockside; as we ran back to the ship.  Drenched upon arrival, but delighted by the experience.

 

Once in a lifetime situation.  Who knows.  The stars may align for you. 

 

GOARMY!

 

[leck57]

My favourite port to sail in/out of.

If you have only a one day stop (we did a 21 day Med trip and stopped there three times - once due to cancellation of another port) I would just walk around the walled town and if you are fit climb the stairs inside the walled town and go up the hill for amazing views. Perast is also worth a look if you have time. We took a taxi to Budva on one of our days and that is a great place to walk around and have lunch, but you wont have time unless you return and set aside a few hours.

I wouldn't do a Princess tour here. The last time we left the captain blasted the Love Boast theme from the ships horns and it echoed back from the surrounding mountains. We also had a bloke in a small boat that sang alongside us as we cruised out. He had a wonderful voice and the balconies were packed with people listening to him. It was a shame we couldn't tip him, as he gave us a great memory.

[JimmyVWine]

Check your schedule carefully. Some itineraries have very short stays in Kotor and others are longer. If your stay is longer, a private guide is well worth the cost. They are among the cheapest private tours of any place I have been. Maybe THE cheapest. It is great to get some local knowledge and a geopolitical perspective of a city and country that you likely know very little about. The guide will have a car and can take you to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks and can also drive you to view points that rival those you see on the hike up the mountain without the strenuous hike itself. The Old Town is a labyrinth of streets and alleys and while it is not essential to have a guide, for the price they charge, it is worth it. 
 

But if your stopover is a short one, a self-guided tour of the Old Town is probably the way to go. Just do some internet research in advance and get a walking guide to the city that has a map and shows you where the highlights are. 

[Tudor122]

Thank you so much everyone!

[sallywiz]

In 2019 we were in port from 9-5 and we used Montenegro M Tours. It was a great day and we covered Perast, Budva and Kotor.

 

[capriccio]

As others have said, a DIY tour of the walled city is very easy.  On our 2017 cruise 5 of our party also took a guided bike tour around the bay with https://www.kotorbaytours.com/tour-de-bay-with-bikes

 

I was only 3 months past having both hips replaced so I didn't participate but I'm jealous because everyone else still talks about how beautiful and fun it was.

Edited July 31, 2022 by capriccio

[Simon-t]

Kotor is a fantastic port. As others have said, the old town is easily walkable on your own. If you have time , the walk up the hillside behind the town to the old castle is rewarded with some amazing views back down the fjord. It is a pretty strenuous walk but well worth the effort.

[Hlitner]

I think that for a first visit to Kotor, folks are well advised to simply walk, explore, browse, and eat in the relatively compact town.  On subsequent visits there are other options.  I think it was our 4th visit when we finally rented a car and explored the region including the small village of Perast where we had a delightful lunch on the Bay or Kotor.    Like others, we strongly recommend that folks be on deck (with an unobstructed view) for a couple of hours before and after arriving at Kotor.  Cruising through the Bay of Kotor is.....simply spectacular.  It is the kind of port that reminds me of why we still love cruising after more than 45 years on ships.

 

Hank

[hpeabody]

2 hours ago, sallywiz said:

In 2019 we were in port from 9-5 and we used Montenegro M Tours. It was a great day and we covered Perast, Budva and Kotor.

 

YES!  This one

[JimmyVWine]

4 hours ago, sallywiz said:

we used Montenegro M Tours

We did as well.