The Bay of Kotor (Montenegrin: Boka Kotorska) is a region of Montenegro. The bay, the city of Kotor and the surrounding territory are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Herceg Novi. — founded in 1382 and located at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, very close to the Croatian border
- Kotor. — an ancient fortified town located deep down the bay, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Perast. — a beautiful small village, a UNESCO World Natural and Historical Heritage Site, most famous for its two islands
- Prčanj. — small family-friendly place with a great view of the bay
- Tivat. — with its own international airport, Tivat is the home of a luxury yacht marina called Porto Montenegro
Herceg Novi. — founded in 1382 and located at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, very close to the Croatian border
Kotor. — an ancient fortified town located deep down the bay, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Perast. — a beautiful small village, a UNESCO World Natural and Historical Heritage Site, most famous for its two islands
Prčanj. — small family-friendly place with a great view of the bay
Tivat. — with its own international airport, Tivat is the home of a luxury yacht marina called Porto Montenegro
The bay is composed of 4 smaller gulfs - gulf of Herceg Novi, gulf of Tivat, gulf of Risan and gulf of Kotor. The first 2 are connected via the Kumbor strait, while the Verige strait connects the gulf of Tivat with the gulfs of Risan and Kotor. The total area equals 88 square kilometres.
Due to its unusual look, the bay is often called Europe's southernmost fjord, but in fact it's a submerged river canyon.
The territory of the bay of Boka Kotorska is divided into 3 municipalities: Kotor, Herceg Novi and Tivat. It's a multiethnic region, with a Serb majority in the municipalities of Herceg Novi and Tivat, a Montenegrin majority in Kotor, and a sizeable Croat minority in Kotor and Tivat.
The Montenegrins', Serbs' and Croats' languages are all mutually intelligible varieties of Serbo-Croatian. The dialect and the vocabulary of the local people are heavily influenced by Italian. Locals usually speak and understand Italian, Russian and English.
- Kotor — visit its Old Town and the surrounding walls
- Herceg Novi — take a walk on the 6 km-long 5 Danica's esplanade to meet with the rich and diverse history of the town
- Perast — a well preserved village, built entirely in baroque style
- Tivat — a small town, quickly emerging into a major touristic, business and transport centre
- Risan — the oldest settlement in the bay, historical capital of the Illyrian kingdom
Boka Kotorska offers a wide variety of restaurants serving both local and international food. For some great Mediterranean cuisine, visit Ćatovića Mlini in Morinj, or Stari Mlini in Ljuta, near Kotor. As far as international cuisine is concerned, the old towns of Kotor and Herceg Novi are packed with Italian restaurants. There are also restaurants serving Dalmatian, Russian, Greek food... Herceg Novi even has a Georgian restaurant. Dishes from Eastern Asia are hard to find in this area.
You've got a wide choice between open summer bars along the coast or cafés at the old towns' squares. Prices vary greatly, but usually a bottle of water is around €1, an espresso or a cup of cold Nescafé cost €1-1.5, Coca-Cola and similar non-alcoholic juices cost €1.5-2.
All open bars have to close at 1AM, and that's when the party moves to some of the closed nightclubs and discothèques. The best clubs and discos are:
Maximus in [[Kotor]]
Madame CoCo in [[Tivat]]
Pandora and People's in [[Igalo]]
Montenegro is generally a safe country, and this region is no exception to that. Still, be aware of beggars and pickpockets in resort towns.
- Budva — the Montenegrin touristic metropolis is located some 20 km outside the bay
- Cetinje — the historical capital of Montenegro is located just under Mt Lovćen, the mountain overlooking the bay of Kotor
- Dubrovnik — the hub of Croatian tourism can be reached from Herceg Novi in less than 40 minutes