poss

We'll be stopping there on a cruise ship and am much looking forward, as I've heard that it's a lovely and scenic town. We may decide just to spend the time in the town itself. If we decide to do one of the ship's excursions (not interested in private), should we do the one that includes Budva or the one that includes Perast? Is the natural scenery along one of those routes more handsome or unusual than the other? the buildings/architecture? Thank you.

bobthenavigator

Here is a sneak preview in the area---have fun !
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...882&page=3

poss

Thanks for the photos. If you know Kotor well, can you answer my comparison query?

scdreamer

I can't answer your question regarding tours, but we were in Kotor for a day on a cruise last fall, and found plenty to do in the walled city. We hiked up to the fortress above the city ... got on the trail up very early in the day, and the views were astounding. If you decide to hike up, wear sturdy shoes, as the old steps are very uneven. As I recall, the hike up and back took about two hours, but we stopped along the way to enjoy the views.

The city is lovely, as well as the fjord coming in and leaving. If your ship arrives early in the morning, as ours did, be sure to get out on deck for the amazing sunrise over the mountains.

Plenty of little shops and cafes in the city.

bobthenavigator

Do not know about the trips. We were on a small ship[40 people]and spent our time in Kotor and visited the church on the island.

Ackislander

I am lost in admiration for scdreamer. That fortress is a l-o-n-g way up a s-t-e-e-p path, but the views must be magnificent. Ten years ago, I might have made it!

Kotor is charming. It has a tiny Orthodox church near a tiny Catholic cathedral and many nice places to sit and watch the world go by. Shopping, if that is your thing.

I wouldn't think you would need to take an excursion.

poss

I appreciate these replies!
Shopping is definitely not our thing. Seeing historical sites and gorgeous views definitely is. But we're sort of oldsters-- mid-70's. We're in good condition/health, but what Ackislander says is cautionary-- not sure we'll be able to make the "hike" to the fortress. I'd sure like to give it a try, though.
And still hoping for some input on Budva and Perast (I've googled, of course, but would like to hear from past cruisers who may've done these excursions.)
Thanks again.

scdreamer

The hike up to the fortress is challenging, but not impossible - we are in our late 50s, in fairly good physical condition - we hike and bike a lot. We saw many others, some obviously older than we are, heading up, as we made our way down.

Although the way is definitely steep and long, there are many places to stop along the way, some small shrines ... and the views are amazing, even if you don't make it all the way to the top.

Again, I would suggest getting on the trail as early in the day as possible, both to take advantage of cooler temps and to avoid crowds. We noticed when we returned to the bottom, that there was a guy who had set up a kind of card-table and was collecting an entrance fee. It looked a little sketchy - maybe a "private" enterprise? - he hadn't been there when we started out earlier.

Trish

I just got back from a trip to Croatia/Montenegro and spent 5 nights in Kotor. I did do the hike up to the top of the mountain (I'm in my early 30's) it was tiring but not too bad but make sure you have good shoes. I wouldn't take the trip to Budva because the drive is pretty boring. The town itself is nice but for a limited time I would spend it in Kotor. Pearst is pretty and the drive is nice and you can do the boat trip over to the church on thye island but I think again I would probably just stay in Kotor and explore the old city.