MONTENEGRO

Driving from Dubrovnik, there are two border crossings between Croatia and Montenegro. The main border crossing sits on the highway between Dubrovnik and Herceg Novi. We took this route on the way to Kotor. This border is notorious for getting "very busy." Although we were careful to avoid traveling during the peak hours, getting across still took nearly an hour. You need to spend time waiting at one immigration office for an exit stamp and then wait at the next for an entry stamp. On our return, heading to the Dubrovnik Airport, we attempted to save time by taking the less-direct route passing through the secondary border crossing at Kobila-Vitaljina. Crossing that border also took a long time, more than half an hour, even though there were only about eight cars in line ahead of us when we arrived. An immigration officer would approach the first car in line at a leisurely pace and bring the passports back to the office. After disappearing for a few minutes, he would return with the stamped passports and then stroll to the next car. The inefficiency at the Croatia-Montenegro border crossing contrasts very sharply with the Croatia-Slovenia border crossing (as well as every other border crossing I have ever encountered in Europe.) It was fortunate that we did not miss our return flight!

As an alternative, I had considered flying out of Tivat Airport. The town of Tivat is only 5 miles from Kotor. However, it is a small airport, and flight choices are limited and usually very expensive. Flying from Dubrovnik worked better for our travel date. Nevertheless, it is always worth checking. I have found one-way fares in summer on EasyJet from Tivat to London for as low as $24.

Kotor is the most acclaimed tourist destination in Montenegro. It is a walled city that has a history dating back over 2000 years. It has a well-preserved medieval old town and is a double Unesco World Heritage Site. It is an ideal base to explore the rest of the country by day trips.

We spent hours strolling around the narrow streets and town squares. The architecture reveals a history of prosperity. There is a disproportionately high number of churches for a city of this size. The oldest dates back to the 11th century. A few of the churches have extremely elaborate interiors. (See church photo gallery below.)

Among the museums, our favorite was the cat museum. Old Town Kotor has a sizeable population of resident street cats.  They have been protecting the city from snakes and vermin for centuries.  In return, the townspeople take care of them. The museum has a sizeable collection of cat artifacts and posters. (See cat museum photo gallery below.) Some of the museum revenue goes toward food for the local cats. The museum is a must-see for anyone who loves cats.

As a tourist city, Kotor has many good restaurants, cafes, gelaterias, etc. Being a coastal city, most of the restaurants offer seafood. Some popular dishes are grilled whole fish, octopus salad, squid, mussels, and giant prawns. Menus also often include good quality Italian food, such as pizza, risotto, and gnocchi. We made sure to try Njegusi Prosciutto and local Montenegrin cheeses. We chose restaurants spontaneously by walking around. There is a lot of competition, and all the meals we had were good.

A good webpage that has a broad collection of photos of Old Town Kotor and more details is here: www.paliparan.com/2020/08/03/kotor-montenegro-old-town/