This private shore trip includes a walking tour of Kotor's old town and a boat excursion to visit the small village of Perast, followed by the island of Our Lady of the Rocks. This is the most popular half day Kotor tour that we offer.
After meeting your tour guide at the pier in Kotor, you walk to your vehicle and drive to the town of Perast, about 9 miles (14km) and roughly 20 minutes away. This small town is a wonderful example of baroque architecture, built largely during the 17th and 18th centuries when Perast's sea captains grew wealthy on Mediterranean trade. While you are in Perast you have a short walk among buildings and villas from that prosperous period. There were 14 churches built during that period, among them is the unfinished parish church of St Nicholas, a Venetian-Romanesque variation of baroque style. Its bell tower is 179 feet high and has an inscription which proudly reads that the Turkish threat ended after the Venetians conquered Herceg Novi and Risan. Although it is open to the sky, the great apse of the main altar makes a significant contribution to the coastline of Perast.
After your walk in Perast you cruise to the island of Our Lady of the Rocks. According to legend, two fishermen brothers from Perast found an icon of the Virgin on a sea rock here on July 22, 1452, and vowed to build a church on the spot, laying a stone in the bay each time they returned safely from a voyage. Over the centuries the small island grew from the sea. Locals still honor that promise today at the Fasinada, an annual festival held every July 22 since 1452, when a flotilla of decorated boats sails from Perast to add fresh stones to the island's shoreline, a tradition recognized as part of Montenegro's intangible cultural heritage since 2013. You will visit the small Byzantine style church which was built in 1667. The interior of the church was decorated by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century painter from the village of Perast. Your guide will point out the famous icon of Our Lady of the Rocks on the altar.
Later you boat back to Perast and then drive to Kotor, part of the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you enjoy a walking tour through the maze of medieval Kotor, its bustling market and among beautiful Renaissance buildings. The fortified walls circling the old town run nearly 3 miles (4.5km) and climb the slope of San Giovanni hill to St. John's Fortress above the town. This afternoon you could consider walking on the wall uphill towards the castle.
Your tour includes a visit to the Cathedral of St. Tryphon, consecrated in 1166, with its distinctive asymmetrical bell towers, rebuilt after earthquakes in the 16th and 20th centuries. You will see the remains from 14th century frescoes as well as the valuable treasury with both local and Venetian golden works dating from the 14th to the 20th centuries.
When the tour is complete you will have a familiar orientation of the town so you have the option to stay in the old town to enjoy free time and then walk back to your ship later in the day, or the guide can walk you back to the pier.
Review Location- Kotor 
