Bay of Kotor Guide: Exploring Boka Kotorska

The Boka Kotorska reaches about 28 km into the Adriatic and narrows to roughly 340 metres at the Verige Strait. Though it looks like a fjord, geologists describe it as a submerged river valley, a ria. The mountains Lovćen and Orjen frame the bay, which ranks among the rainiest inhabited parts of Europe. The area covers the municipalities of Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1979. Current schedules, prices and opening hours are not written without sourced verification; where details are missing we say we do not know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Perast lies a few kilometres north-west of Kotor and looks out over the Verige Strait. During its seafaring wealth in the 18th century, records note that 20 baroque palaces along with 17 Catholic and 2 Orthodox churches were built. Rising under Venetian rule, the town earned the right to guard the flag of St Mark after its successful defence in 1654. Today only a few hundred people live here. Current schedules, prices and opening hours are not written without sourced verification; where details are missing we say we do not know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Two islets sit off Perast: the natural Sveti Đorđe (St George) and the man-made Gospa od Škrpjela, Our Lady of the Rocks. Tradition holds that sailors found an icon of the Madonna on a rock on 22 July 1452, then formed the island by sinking rock-laden ships and heaping stones. Every 22 July the Fašinada takes place, when locals ferry rocks over by boat. The church was renovated in 1722, and its museum displays 68 paintings by Tripo Kokolja. Current schedules, prices and opening hours are not written without sourced verification; where details are missing we say we do not know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Risan, at the innermost end of the bay, is considered the oldest settlement in the Boka: ancient Rhizon, cited in the 4th century BC as an Illyrian stronghold where Queen Teuta is said to have taken refuge. Roman Rhizinium flourished in the 1st and 2nd centuries and counted close to ten thousand inhabitants. The most valuable legacy of that age is a set of five mosaics; the depiction of Hypnos, god of sleep, is especially famous. Current schedules, prices and opening hours are not written without sourced verification; where details are missing we say we do not know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Tivat, south of Mount Vrmac, is the youngest face of the bay. The old naval yard, an arsenal built by the Austrians in 1889, was transformed by Canadian businessman Peter Munk into the luxury marina Porto Montenegro. Tivat Airport, opened in 1971, is one of the country's two international airports. The winding serpentine road climbing from above Kotor toward Lovćen offers a sweeping panorama of the bay. Current schedules, prices and opening hours are not written without sourced verification; where details are missing we say we do not know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)