- Districts of Kotor
- Old city
- central District
- Kindness
- Shkalyari
- Muo and Prcanj
Kotor is located in the Bay of Kotor, Boka Kotorska is a large bay of the Adriatic. It is rightfully considered the most beautiful city in Montenegro. Its peculiarity is its focus on cultural and sightseeing recreation.
There are no long sandy beaches with an abundance of water activities like in Becici, Kotor is an ideal place to combine swimming with educational walks.
However, the beach season is very long here: the water in the bay warms up quickly, so you can swim and sunbathe for five months. And the rest of the time - trekking in the picturesque mountains and visiting numerous historical monuments.
The first settlements appeared here during the Neolithic period. In the III century BC. NS. the Romans came here. In the 6th century, a fortress was built on the rocks above the port, which we now know as the fortress of St. John, and later, during the Venetian rule, another fortress was built to protect the lower city. During the 19th-20th centuries, the city changed hands many times: it was part of Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, until it became part of modern Montenegro - and all these changes left their traces in it. In 1979, Kotor suffered from a strong earthquake and had to be rebuilt. Now it is a large tourist center, there are more visitors here in summer than locals.
Districts of Kotor
There are no places for a beach holiday in the city itself: Kotor is located in the center of the bay next to the port, but on both sides of the bay there are beach suburban areas, each with its own characteristics. The following districts can be distinguished in the city:
- Old city;
- Central District;
- Kindness;
- Shkalyari;
- Muo;
- Prcanj.
Old city
The old town of Kotor, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, is one of the main attractions of Montenegro. It is a powerful fortress, surrounded on three sides by water - the sea and two rivers. Three strong gates lead into it. The first fortifications arose under the Romans, then the fortress was altered to fit their needs by the Venetians, and for several centuries this fortress successfully resisted the Turks. Kotor was never captured by the Ottoman Empire, having withstood many sieges. The inner buildings of the city are most reminiscent of the times of Italian rule: the city is very beautiful, and its most pompous palaces were built in the Venetian style. The picturesque fortress of St. John - a staircase leads to her along the rock.
There are many cafes, souvenir shops and old streets in the fortress, each building is original and has its own history. There are several interesting museums here. These are the Maritime Museum, the Historical Archives, the interactive museum "Kotor in 3d". And the main hit lately has become the Cat Museum. There are a lot of cats in Kotor - according to the consonance of cats, they decided to make them a tourist "feature" and a symbol of the city. The museum was founded by the Italian Piero Paci. It houses a large collection of arts and crafts dedicated to cats, and part of the proceeds goes to the maintenance of Kotor cats.
There are now ten temples in the Old City (there were once more, but devastating earthquakes do not contribute to their preservation). There are Orthodox and Catholic churches, functioning and representing museum expositions. The main entertainment is also concentrated here - for example, the largest nightclub in Montenegro "Maximus" is located in the wall of the Old Town. And in the city itself, street musicians perform right on the squares, festivals, theatrical performances, carnivals are held.
There is no beach near the fortress; it is connected, first of all, with the port. To the nearest places where you can swim, you will need to walk from the fortress along the coast in one direction or the other. Full-fledged beaches begin about one and a half to two kilometers. The hotels here are not cheap and, since they are located in old buildings, are very beautiful, but not large. Cafes and restaurants are also quite expensive.
- Advantages of the area: historical and cultural center, everything interesting is nearby; cats.
- Disadvantages: expensive; far from the beach.
central District
The central area of the modern city, has no special name, just - Kotor. Banks, administrative buildings, offices and large shopping centers are concentrated here. Most of the coast is occupied by the port, to the north of which lies a small but very beautiful seaside park with playgrounds. From the port you can go on any boat excursions along the Bay of Kotor.
There is no private beach here, the municipal municipal beach begins to the north. In the seaside park, there are just a few entries into the water: you can swim near the port, but you cannot spend the whole day on a sun lounger. But entertainment is concentrated here, including nightlife.
Pay attention to the entertainment center and the Second Porto nightclub - it is located on the embankment just north of the fortress. Here are the best restaurants - and outside the walls of the Old City, food is cheaper than inside. Shopping can be done at the Kamelia shopping and entertainment center. This is a classic large mall with a supermarket, many shops, a food court and a children's area.
The city food market is located at the walls of the Old City near the Sea Gate towards the bus station - you can always buy fresh fruits, herbs, homemade cheeses and much more here.
- Advantages: near the Old Town and all its attractions; shopping, dining and entertainment.
- Disadvantages: there is no full-fledged beach.
Kindness
The area north of Kotor is actually a suburb. Its main advantage is the beach of Kotor Bay stretching along the entire region, starting from the small beautiful church of St. Mary, standing on the very shore. Dobrota Beach is a concrete embankment with places for sun loungers, and next to which there are either piers or small pebble islands for entering the water. Some are covered with large pebbles, some are small, the approach itself is quite smooth everywhere. The beach is free municipal, except for a few sections, fenced in for hotels located on the first line.
From here you can easily reach the beach "Bayova Kula", which is considered the best in the bay - it is located even further from Kotor. It is a small pebble beach surrounded by a picturesque laurel grove, very beautiful and quiet.
Along the entire district and the embankment there is a road, which is almost deserted during the day, but can be busy in the evening. There is little "residential" infrastructure in Dobrota: there are no large shopping centers and large supermarkets, not too many restaurants, but the area itself is very beautiful and cozy. But keep in mind that if you rent an apartment here and cook yourself, then you will have to go to Kotor for a full range of products. On the first line, as usual, there is more expensive housing, on the second - cheaper. There is also housing on the third line, it is completely budgetary, but you will also have to go to the sea across the road and urban development.
- Advantages: clean, beautiful embankment; quiet and comfortable; inexpensive.
- Disadvantages: no "beach" in the usual sense, only concrete; little infrastructure
Shkalyari
Apartment Tina
The area that is located higher in the mountains above the old town. Its advantage is the magnificent views of the entire Bay of Kotor. In addition, this area is suitable for lovers of not so much sea recreation as trekking in the mountains. It is easy to get to the fortress of St. John (and you won't have to climb the mountain along a long staircase - you can just go around the fortress from the side and get into it for free.
From this area, routes begin, leading even higher and further along the coast to the mountain monasteries. It is not far from here to the beautiful village of Njegushi, which is usually visited with excursions. There is a family estate of the former rulers of Montenegro - Petrovici-Njegosy, a museum, and many simply picturesque village houses.
In the very area of Shkalyari, you can see the picturesque church of the Mother of God of the Snow. In a word, Shkalyari is a great option if you come out of season and you are not interested in swimming, but in long walks. But if you need a beach, then you don't need it - the beach is really very far from here. Housing in Shkalyari is very versatile: there are expensive "view" villas with their own pools, terraces and gardens, there are ordinary city apartments.
- Pluses: inexpensive and quiet; ideal for trekking enthusiasts.
- Disadvantages: high and very far from the beach.
Muo and Prcanj
Villa Sun Castle
The suburbs of Kotor, located on the other side of the bay, opposite Dobrota, about one and a half kilometers from Kotor. The peculiarity of this side of the bay is that there is not much direct sun there - only in the first half of the day. In the hottest summer months, this advantage becomes a disadvantage at the beginning and at the end of the season.
The very word "Muo" is a "pier", a mooring place: once there was a fishing village. There are few historical buildings here. There is, in addition to the modest Church of the Assistant of Christians in 1864, the Church of Cosmas and Damian of the 13th century located high in the mountains.
The infrastructure here, as in Dobrota, is rather scarce - there are no large shops, not too many restaurants, and little beach entertainment. But here it is even cheaper than in Dobrota, and the views are beautiful. From here it is easy to get to the next village of the bay - Prcanj. There is something to see there - there is a beautiful church of the 18th century. And also Prcanj has better beaches. If in Mio it is basically all the same concrete, then in Prachani there is already a traditional pebble beach, and several sandy areas ideal for families with children.
<! - TU1 Code The most reliable and inexpensive way to have a good rest in Kotor is to buy a ready-made tour. This can be done without leaving your home. All tours without extra charges (including last minute ones) are collected in a single database and are available for booking: Find tours to Kotor <! - TU1 Code End
