fluffnfold

My spouse and I are planning to visit Dubrovnik in mid-September 2015. Although a day trip to Kotor and Perast, Montenegro sounds intriguing, we wonder what we’ll see in Kotor that is different than what we’ll see in Dubrovnik. We have heard that Kotor is like a “mini” Dubrovnik, and we know that both cities are walled, both are deemed UNESCO world heritage sites, both are Dalmatian coastal towns with a Roman background. In your opinion, is it worth the day trip to Kotor from Dubrovnik? Are we going to see noticeably different things in each place? Perhaps it is the drive itself from Dubrovnik to Kotor that is worth seeing, as well as the city. FYI - We are in our late 40s, active, enjoy history, culture, food, photography. We plan to hire a private guide/driver to take us on this day trip rather than renting a car and driving ourselves or taking an organized group trip or public bus.

Michael

Dubrovnik is more eye appealing in that it sticks out of the coast on a peninsula. Kotor is at the base of a bay with the walled town climbing up a hillside. My recollection, from long ago, is that Kotor had more Roman artifacts in its museum; but things may have changed since 1967.

Cowboy1968

I have not been to Dubrovnik so far, but the drive from there (the furthest I have been was to Herceg-Novi, close to the ME/HR border, to Kotor IS very scenic.
I found Kotor very nice, but of course no hidden gem as many cruise ships stop there in the Bay of Kotor for sightseeing. I had not seen it before the earthquake, but the town looked picture perfect in 2013.
What I found really, really, really spectacular was the view from the scenic road that goes up up into the mountains above Kotor from where you have grand vistas of the fjords - including some not overrun country restaurants.

nukesafe

I have to agree about that goat trail (it literally used to be one) road from Kotor to Cetinje is the most hair raising and scenic road I have ever been on! I am an experienced mountain road driver, but I would sooner go over Niagara in a barrel than drive that road on my own. We went on bus and let the driver sweat; though I did my share of that when I could open my eyes to see the incredible views.

Andrew

I may be spending a night in Kotor coming up here, so I will keep that twisty road in mind! The drive itself doesn't sound like fun, but the scenery may be worth it, from the way you two describe it...

nukesafe

BRW, Andrew, I would only drive up the road, not down, unless I were REALLY sure of the brakes on my car! It is really something!

Cowboy1968

Well, I drove that road downhill and it is not exactly very steep compared with many other mountain roads in the Alps and it is well paved. But it is narrow. So the experience from a bus might even be scarier than in a small car. But speeds are so slow that traffic is moving slow anyway and you rarely get out of 2nd gear.

kja

I think you've gotten some good descriptions of the ways in which Dubrovnik and Kotor differ. I would add that Dubrovnik seemed to me larger and with a wider array of buildings from the late Gothic and Renaissance eras.

FWIW, you don't HAVE to drive that road to get to Kotor -- I drove along the bay instead (with a stop in Perast), and so the magnificent views I saw were from Kotor's walls. Those views were impressive; I can only imagine what those who are brave enough to drive that mountain road would get to see!

IMO, whether it would be worth your while to spend a day visiting Kotor depends on what you would be giving up to do so.

Cowboy1968

BTW.. Perast is definetely worth a stop. But also more a village than a town. You have to leave your car at the paid parking lots at either entrance and walk along the waterfront. If you were not visiting anything (cannot remember if there was a museum) it takes around 30-45 minutes to casuall stroll from one end to the other and back. You can also take the boat from there to the two small islands in the fjord, which would add time, obviously.

On your way to/from Kotor you will pass through Risan where the main attraction are the Roman mosaics, just 100 yards off the main road. It is not exactly Pompeij but if you want to leave 2 euros entrance fee at a historic sight that often gets overlooked you can spend another 15-20 minutes here.

In total I must say that Montenegro was probably one of the best vacations I ever had as that small country is so diverse and beautiful.

neckervd

It's easy: don't go to Kotor if you are interested neither in it's architecture nor in it's History and even less in landscape and History of the Bocche di Cattaro.

Andrew

I just want to say I did the drive up to Cetinje yesterday, and wow, the scenery did not disappoint! Perhaps the most scenic drive of my life. It was very twisty, and I had to navigate around a few buses coming down the hill (they had to back up - but the drivers seemed nonplussed). But I was never really afraid - the drive didn't seem that scary to me.

Perast was great for a stop - wonderful waterfront area. I almost wish I'd stayed there instead of near Kotor. I didn't have to park my car in a lot in May in Perast - I drove right down to the waterfront and parked in an open spot for about an hour while I wandered around (not too far from the car). Maybe it gets busier in the summer and they limit cars?

Kotor itself didn't impress me that much. The climb of the walls above town was a great experience (go as early as you can - they open it at 8:00 - to avoid the cruise ship tourists hiking up and to avoid the hot sun). The scenery in the bay is really the highlight of the area, though, in my opinion.