OLD COASTAL TOWNS TOUR
Kotor – Perast – Our Lady of the Rocks – Roman mosaics in Risan – Herceg Novi – Savine Winery –Budva- photo stop at St. Stefan – Bar – Ulcinj – Kotor
Duration: 2 days & 1 night
KOTOR - The Old Town of Kotor, over 2000 years old, with its Venetian palaces, churches, museums and squares lays in the shadows of the fearsome St. John’s Hill and the walls protecting this town are a fortification masterpiece. It is located on the only natural fjord of its kind in the world and in a bay that has made the list of Most Beautiful Bays in the World. Kotor’s Old Town, trapped in time, is a maze of cobblestone streets. Medieval architecture and numerous monuments of cultural heritage have put Kotor on the UNESCO’s World Natural and Historical Heritage Site list. Through the entire city the buildings are intersected by narrow streets and squares. Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Sveti Trifun) is at the center of one of these squares, and it’s a monument of Roman culture and one of the most recognizable symbols of the city. The Church of Saint Luke (Sveti Luka) from the 13th century, Church of Saint Ana (Sveta Ana) from the 12th century, Church of Saint Mary (Sveta Marija) from the 13th century, Church of the Healing Mother of God (Gospe od Zdravlja) from the 15th century, Church of Saint Nicholas (Sveti Nikola), the Prince’s Palace from the 17th century, the Napoleon’s Theatre from the 19th century and the Maritime Museum located inside the Grgurina Palace are all treasures that are part of the rich heritage of Kotor.
PERAST is one of the most beautiful small old towns in the bay, with its sixteen Baroque palaces and its seventeen Catholic churches and two Orthodox churches. One of the biggest churches in Perast is the church of Sveti Nikola, built in 1691, and it impresses with its bell tower which is 55 meters tall and whose bells in 1713 were the biggest in Europe. The old city does not have a defensive wall, but instead it has nine defensive towers, all set in stone.
OUR LADY OF THE ROCKS is a manmade islet. In 1452 two sailors from Perast discovered a picture of the Virgin Mary perched upon the stone jutting out of the bay. Around the legendary stone, citizens of Perast began to sink old ships and transported stones to the site for over 200 years, creating the Adriatic Sea's only artificial island where they subsequently built the chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Skrpjela) in 1630. Because of Our Lady of the Rocks' supreme importance in the region, hundreds of rich gifts were donated to it, including 68 oil canvases by many famous Baroque masters and over 2,500 gold and silver tablets, thought at the time to ward off disasters.
ROMAN MOSAICS IN RISAN - Risan is situated in the northern part of Boka Kotorska Bay, in the territory included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The territory of Risan dates from the Illyrian and Hellenic – Roman period.The Roman Villa with mosaics, dating from the 2nd and early 3rd century AD, is located in the southeast part of Risan.The mosaics demonstrate different artistic styles composed in poly-chrome geometrical patterns, one with a floral pattern and a rare representation of the reclining Hypnos, god of sleep. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in Montenegro, and as such is designated as a protected cultural monument.
HERCEG NOVI is the city of sun. It is located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orijen. Herceg Novi was founded in 1382 by King Tvrtko I Kotromanic. The aim of foundation of the town was achievement of trade connections with neighboring states and salt production. The fortresses inside the bulwarks of the Old town testify of the tumultuous history of the town (Spanjola-XVI century), Citadela, Forte Mare (XIV century), Kanlikula(XV century), and of course numerous palaces and churches. The town also has artistic galleries, national library, city archive etc…
SAVINE WINERY - At the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, above Savina Monastery, lies the winery of Obradovic family, with their sun-soaked vineyards today bearing fruit much like they did back in the 18th century. In the Republic of Venice land register map dating back to 1753, the family discovered that their estate was called ‘Villa di Meljine’ with the entire stretch of Savina planted in vineyards and known as ‘terra vignata’. This was an additional reasonto embark on the renewal of the tradition so they have carefully picked the finest grapes from their vineyard and have nurtured the wine in French oak barrels and these efforts have resulted in top-notch quality SAVINA wines.
BUDVA an ancient town that lies on a small peninsula hides a rich historical past. The distant past reaches back to the V century B.C.As Montenegro’s busiest tourist destination, Budva is certainly a city that should be on every traveler’s list. Budva’s Old Town is a Venetian maze of cobblestone streets, anchored by the 15th century citadel. Among its most famous culturally historical monuments we can count in: the Church of Sveti Jovan (St. Jovan- VII century), the Church Santa Maria from Punta 840 A.D., the Church of SvetoTrojstvo (St. Trinity-1804),Sv. Bogorodica and Sv. Sava etc.
SVETI STEFAN is a tiny island situated just off the Montenegrin coast and it used to be a fishing village. The island itself is very small, connected to the mainland only by a narrow bridge, with the stone houses tightly packed together on top of the rocks. Today, it’s a luxury resort and many celebrities have visited the island.
BAR is a very old town. There are no precise data when it was founded but the origin of the town is considered to be between VI and VII century, because at that time in Bar there was a characteristic roman settlement.In historical sources the name Old Bar is for the first time mentioned in IX century under the name Antibareos (Anti-old). The Old Bar, which is 4 kilometers away from the center of the New Bar, is situated on a very steep cliff in the base of the mountain Rumija. The town has been successively built for several centuries. In the Old Bar today no one lives. Tourists, when coming to Bar, are especially attracted to several attractions, which they say they have to visit: Old Town of Bar, Haj-Nehaj Fortress, King Nikola Castle, over 2000 years Old Olive Tree are just couple of them.
ULCINJ - The oldest city in the Adriatic Sea (over 2000 years) Ulcinj is the southernmost city on the Montenegrin coast. The influence of the Orient and Western civilization has left a significant trace on this wonderful town.Old Ulcinj is 2 km away from the center of the new town. Narrow, steep, twisting, and layered with the threadbare cobblestones streets, still faithfully testify about all the epochs that have marked this town: reign of the pirates, Byzantium, Venetians, Turks.The Old town represents a real nest of culturally -historical heritage of Ulcinj. Beside the North gate of the town, on the central plateau, a museum complex is situated. There is also a church, a mosque, today a museum. Behind the old Ulcinj`s museum is a “Tower Balsici”, one of the most representative objects of the medieval architecture in Montenegro. There is also a Turkish drinking fountain from 1749 nearby.In front of the South entrance of the town, the foundations of a former Orthodox Church Holy mother of God (XII century) later turned into a catholic church of St. Marko, are found. Ulcinj`s Old town, despite the numerous damages on the South side and low quality communal infrastructure, remains a I category monument and a candidate for the protection of UNESCO.
This tour can be booked with licensed tour guides speaking English, Spanish, German, French and Italian.
The tour can be modified (shortened or prolonged) to suit your personal preferences and adjusted according to your needs and wishes.
