Kotor | Bay & Mountain Rides

Kotor @ 7am

The Bay of Kotor is so beautiful and full of places to explore that a traveler to the region a decade ago might have been tempted to keep their discovery to themselves. It wouldn’t make much difference today. The secret is out and there’s a cruise ship in Kotor’s harbor every day this time of year. For now, it still has minimum bearing on the riding. Let’s hope it lasts.

Here’s what we found in the bay and the surrounding mountains.

Bay Rides

Most riders will be immediately drawn to the path following the circumference of the Bay.

Beginning in Kotor one can follow it almost all the way to the Croatian border going north and then west. Riding on the east side of the bay the trail is much shorter. It forms a loop around the Lustica peninsula and ends up back in the harbor. Jumping between the two paths via a ferry between Lepetane and Kamenari is also an option though a bit of a mute point. Why would anyone want to cut this beautiful ride in half?

One of our first destinations was Perast, a small but a very charming stone house settlement dating back to the Venetians.

The traffic and low speed limits make this about a half hour ride, possibly more if you stop to take photos as there will be multiple opportunities to do so.

Back street in Perast.

The town consists of a few rows of buildings hugging the coastal promenade and scaling the adjacent hill. Car access is limited so most people park outside of town and walk the rest of the way. This doesn’t apply to bikes, as we learned from a parking attendant. Bikers can ride right through and park in front of any of the many waterfront cafes. Which we did.

St.George Islet as visible from Perast

The town is perfect for a stroll and a brunch. Possibly a quick boat ride to one of the two postcard-perfect islets less than half a kilometer away.

We initially set out to explore the entire bay before realizing that the dramatic shoreline looses much of its altitude south of Kamenari. As an alternative we rode up P11 around Lipci. The road makes an ambitious climb up the fjordlike mountains west and eventually offers views of much of the bay looking south.

West side of bay above Kotor (looking south)

We did explore the west loop as well and enjoyed it quite a bit, but the ideal vehicle for the stretch of the road between Kotor and Donji Stoliv is really a bicycle. You won’t be going much faster due to traffic and the leisurely nature of the neighborhood.

Up the Mountain to Njegjusi

Highway P1 from Kotor to the village of Njegjusi is one of the most spectacular rides we’ve ever been on. About 35 minutes of continuous switchbacks with UNESCO nature views at every turn.

View from a hairpin turn on P11. Kotor below.

If that weren’t enough there’s plenty of entertainment along the way. This is probably one of the very best places in the world to watch the 1.5 lane game from a front seat. Montenegrin tour buses and German campers both squeezing into one and half lanes of traffic going in the opposite directions, usually right around the apex of a hairpin turn.

Being on a motorcycle is a privilege in these situations as most of the jams can be passed through with a little creativity. The alternative, of course, is a lot of patience. Cars back up on either side and inevitably someone’s forced to drive backward and up a hairpin.

Higher still. Mediterranean visible top left above last mountain range.

Fun and games aside, the P1 is more of a slow dessert than a meal. There are better routes for getting places and getting there fast. This one is about the light breeze and the views. We rode two up on one occasion and really enjoyed being able to share all the wows and first impressions in real time.

A taste of the switchbacks.