Bay of Kotor

Typical afternoon wind

2–4 Beaufort · Sheltered

Passage lengths

1–2 hours

Suits

First charter

Season

May–October

A drowned river canyon ringed by mountains, almost entirely enclosed. A tiny cruising area with outsized scenery.

The Bay of Kotor is effectively inland water: mountains on all sides, almost no swell and very short distances. That makes it exceptionally easy sailing and exceptionally limited as a standalone week, so most crews combine it with the Croatian islands to the north. The scenery does most of the work.

A typical week

1. Day 1 Tivat to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks
2. Day 2 Kotor town
3. Day 3 Herceg Novi
4. Day 4 Out to Budva or Sveti Stefan
5. Day 5 Back into the bay
6. Day 6 Tivat
7. Day 7 Optionally north into Croatia

Roughly 40 to 60 nautical miles if you stay in the bay

Worth the detour

• Kotor's walled old town seen from the water
• Our Lady of the Rocks islet
• Perast waterfront
• Herceg Novi

Watch out for

• The bay is small, pair it with Croatia for a full week
• Clearing between Montenegro and Croatia takes half a day
• Katabatic gusts off the mountains in unsettled weather

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