Kotor during the winter

Kotor is a small seaside town in Montenegro that’s famous for its fortress, churches, and cats. Kotor is only a 30-minute bus ride from Budva and so we decided to visit it for a day. Prior to visiting I read up on it online and was, to be frank, quite excited to explore it.

Well, let’s just say that it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. Turns out that the city is pretty much dead during the winter. It’s a ghost town. The cat museum we wanted to visit turned out to be closed and appears to be so from the end of October to the beginning of April. It’s a weird little museum that houses lots of things cat related, the entry fee is only 1 Euro and its proceeds are used to take care of the cats of Kotor. If you happen to be in town when it’s open, I’d definitely check it out.

The majority of the shops and small eateries we passed by were closed and those that were open were deserted. Not that I was expecting it to be filled to the brim with people, I was simply expecting it to be a little more lively and for things to be open. Hiking up to the top of the fortress was something that I was really looking forward to. I read that the fortress is usually guarded and an entry fee of 3 Euros is collected – not so in the winter it seems. There were no guards and we were, therefore, free to roam around and walk up to its top.

The fortress protected Kotor in medieval times and today it allows visitors to have a fantastic view of the city. It’s worth noting that the walk to its very top is a long one that should not be underestimated.

While walking up to the top of the fortress there is lots to explore and if you are one to enjoy damaged structures then visiting the fortress should be on top of your list.

The view from the top of the fortress was breathtaking and so worth the walk up.

There was also a very interesting building right next to the main bus station that caught my attention, and I am still unsure what it once was. Judging from the outside and its structure it could have once been a factory. There is also an abandoned hotel in Kotor that I completely forgot about that might be worth exploring. While I overall really enjoyed visiting Kotor, if I were to do it all over again, I would definitely not visit the city during the winter and would come and see it in the spring/early summer instead.