Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor)

The Bay of Kotor is a deep geological ria — a drowned river valley — flooded by the Adriatic Sea, forming a natural harbour of exceptional beauty that has been compared favourably to the Norwegian fjords for the drama of its mountain-ringed waters and the contrast between its steep sides and the still deep-blue water below.

The bay extends about 28 kilometres inland from the Adriatic, its sides rising steeply to the Dinaric Alps, with the maximum depth in the inner basin reaching several hundred metres — the bay is effectively a flooded river canyon of enormous scale, its U-shaped profile clearly visible in cross-section from the upper walking trails on the Vrmac ridge.

Four distinct sub-bays — Herceg Novi at the outer mouth, Risan in the innermost basin, Kotor in the middle and Tivat on the western shore — are separated by narrow straits, each with its own microclimate, character and historical legacy, from the Byzantine mosaics of Risan to the Austro-Hungarian naval yards of Tivat.

The bay has been continuously settled since antiquity; Roman Tabula Traiana marks the route of an ancient road along the northern shore, and medieval towns such as Perast — a baroque gem of a village with seventeen palaces and two churches on small islands — still stand in the water in near-original form.

Perast, reached by a causeway from the main road, offers one of the most photographed views in Montenegro: two small islands rising from the still water, one natural and one artificial, with the Our Lady of the Rocks church on the artificial island and the island of Saint George covered in cypress trees, all backed by the mountain wall of the bay.

The outer town of Herceg Novi guards the bay entrance with its 17th-century fortress walls, its old town built on a series of terraces climbing the hillside, and is known for its botanical gardens and as the starting point of the Austro-Hungarian-era seafront promenade that runs along the shore to the neighbouring town of Igalo.

The bay mountain sides are scored by walking trails, of which the well-known Vrmac ridge trail between Kotor and Tivat is the most rewarding, crossing the ridge at about 800 metres and offering sweeping views over both the bay and the open Adriatic from the same ridgeline — a rare vantage point that encompasses two seas simultaneously.

The small coastal town of Risan, in the innermost part of the bay, was the site of a Roman villa with well-preserved mosaics, evidence of the bay's long history as a desirable settlement whose sheltered waters and mild climate have attracted successive civilisations for more than two thousand years.

The combination of Mediterranean sea, steep mountain backdrop and layered historical architecture is visually unparalleled in Europe.

The bay is a natural harbour with a living maritime culture — fishing boats, ferries and pleasure craft share the same water.

Perast and its twin island churches, reachable in a short drive from Kotor, offer one of the most complete and unspoiled baroque townscapes on the Adriatic coast.