A Walk to Kotor Fortress
For many people that visit Kotor Old Town, one of the highlights is taking a walk up the hill to the Kotor Fortress. You need to be fairly fit if you want to walk all the way to the top, but you don’t worry if you’re not. You can get great views from even part of the way up.
One thing to note, is that during the main tourists season, it costs 8 EUR per person to walk up the hill. It sounds like a bit of a rip-off to me. When we visited 8 years ago, the cost was only 3 EUR. I know inflation is high at the moment, but the price has risen over 166%.
If they used the money to improve the path to the top it wouldn’t be so bad, but it doesn’t seem like anything at all has improved in the last 8 years.
But don’t despair, as there are ways to get up there for free.
The best way to do this is to visit just before the beginning of the main season. We read that the 8 EUR charge is only applicable between April and September, although no one seems to know the exact dates. Not even the Tourist Information office.
We took a walk to the top on Easter Monday and Tuesday. It was free on both those days. On the Wednesday they started to charge everyone. The charge applies from 8 am to 8 pm. You’re not supposed to walk up outside those times, but I guess they can’t stop you.
I’ve also read that there are other routes to the top that aren’t manned, so you can still get to the top without paying. Just do a search for the information. I don’t think you’d be breaking any laws by following a different path to the top.
Some enterprising locals sell water, soft drinks, wine and beer at the top. A nice reward for reaching the top.
The view from the top makes the walk very worthwhile. It took me around 35 minutes to reach the top. I heart rated was as high as 160 bpm during parts of the walk.
The old town looks pretty stunning when you loom down on it, especially on a sunny day.
I’d suggest you walk up to the fortress either early morning or late afternoon so that you avoid the worst of the sun. Wear sensible footwear and be careful. The path is fairly good with many of the steps in good condition, but there are parts with lost of loose stones and rocks.
Where to stay in Kotor Old Town
While in Kotor we stayed in two different apartments. We can recommend both of them. The first one was Kotor Old Town Apartment. The second one was Boskovic Apartment. Both apartments were owned by the same person.
If you prefer to book a different hotel or apartment, you can find one using the Agoda search box above.
