DESTINATIONS GREECE, CYPRUS & BALKANS |MONTENEGRO
top tip top tip
The National Tourist Board of Montenegro launched the Montenegro Quality label this year to help visitors find
authentic local products and reliable service
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Our Lady of the Rocks was built on a man-made island; Kotor is a tourist hotspot; the upmarket town of Tivat; hillside landmark Kotor Fortress PICTURES: Shutterstock/Dmitrii Sakharov, xbrchx, demirbaslperen
via Jet2holidays), I stepped inside hushed and hallowed churches dating from the 12th century. Then walked streets with stone slabs worn smooth over several hundred years and explored a three-mile medieval city wall as well preserved as the one encircling Dubrovnik, all only two hours’ drive from Kotor. Those who have a little extra time – and a lot of extra energy – may wish to follow those fortifications 1,350 steps all the way up to St John’s Fortress to admire this grand feat of medieval engineering up close. The views over Kotor from there are splendid too.
COASTAL WONDERS My own base, the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay, offers short boat trips to the two tiny monastic islets near Perast, including Our Lady of the Rocks. The tiny island, dominated by its namesake Catholic church, was artificially constructed in 1630 after a local fisherman claimed to have
36 14 MAY 2026 The island was
bustling with tourists, but I felt a sense of serenity in the blue water and steep- sided mountains that surrounded me
found an icon of the Virgin Mary on a sea rock and vowed to build a church on it. If clients are here on July 22, they can see how he did it: a festival known as fašinada takes place at sunset on this day every year, with local people hurling stones onto the shoreline from fishing boats in a symbolic effort to expand the island.
Although it was bustling with tourists, I felt a sense of serenity in the clear blue water and steep-sided mountains that
surrounded me. Kotor Bay is sometimes described as Europe’s southernmost fjord, which, although not geographically accurate, fits the scenery.
HERITAGE STAYS Back on land in Perast, I toured the Heritage Grand Hotel, part of which once housed a clothes factory. Style is clearly important both inside and out: the small collection of buildings is architecturally gorgeous. In addition to Kotor and Perast, Tivat and Herceg Novi make up the quartet of must-see destinations dotted around Kotor Bay. In Herceg Novi – best accessed via a scenic car ferry trip – I was charmed by cafes and restaurants serving local beer and wine at street-side tables, plus the wealth of fresh seafood on every menu. The town was founded in 1382, and a guided tour revealed its medieval fortresses and characterful streets. Like the
op
operator ASK THE Jade Evers, travel agent
relationships general manager, Jet2holidays
“Montenegro is extremely popular with independent
travel agents. For this summer, we have added some new
hotels to our portfolio plus new resorts in Sutomore and Dobra Voda, meaning we are offering an even greater selection
to choose from. As well as being on sale for this summer, we already have holidays
available for summer 2027, giving customers the chance to get their Montenegrin sunshine booked in.”
or
travelweekly.co.uk
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