The 13 must-do things in Tivat

Porto Montenegro is a luxury marina in Tivat, built in the late 2000s on the site of the former Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav naval Arsenal. It berths superyachts alongside designer boutiques, restaurants and the Naval Heritage Collection museum.

The waterfront promenade is open to all: you can wander the quays, watch the yachts and visit the museum's real submarine without spending anything beyond an entry ticket.

It also serves as a starting point for boat tours of the Bay of Kotor.

Kotor is a fortified medieval town at the head of the Bay of Kotor, about 12 km from Tivat and part of the UNESCO-listed Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor.

Inside the walls, narrow stone lanes lead to the 12th-century Cathedral of Saint Tryphon and small squares. Above the town, a path of around 1,350 steps climbs to the San Giovanni (Sveti Ivan) fortress for panoramic views over the bay.

It is the most popular day trip from Tivat, easily done by bus or taxi.

Tivat and the surrounding Bay of Kotor offer a range of beaches, from family-friendly sand to quiet pebble coves, with the warm, calm waters of the Adriatic.

Plavi Horizonti, on the Luštica peninsula, is the best-known: a long sandy beach backed by pines, with shallow water ideal for children. Closer to town, Kalardovo and Belane are easy to reach on foot or by car, while several small coves are accessible only by boat.

Most beaches are busiest in July and August.

Boat tours are the classic way to experience the Bay of Kotor, and many leave from Tivat's waterfront or Porto Montenegro.

Typical routes take in the islets off Tivat, the baroque town of Perast and its two islands (Our Lady of the Rocks and St George), and — further out toward the bay mouth — the Blue Cave. Options range from shared group cruises to private boats with a skipper.

A half-day trip is enough for the highlights; full days add swimming stops.

Luštica Bay is a modern resort development on the Luštica peninsula, about 20 minutes by car from Tivat Airport. It combines a marina, hotels, residences and a golf course around the Adriatic shore.

By day it is open to visitors: you can walk the public promenade and use free parking in the Centrale district, with a seasonal resort shuttle down to the marina. The main beach is a paid beach club.

It works well as a relaxed half-day stop, to pair with Plavi Horizonti beach or the Mamula shuttle from Mirišta, on the same peninsula.

The Mamula fortress sits on the small island of Lastavica, at the very mouth of the Bay of Kotor. Built in 1853 by the army of the Austrian Empire and named after General Lazar Mamula, its well-preserved circular form commands the entrance to the bay.

Its history is also a dark one: during World War II, from 1942, Fascist Italy ran a concentration and internment camp here, where prisoners were held and many died.

Restored and reopened in 2023 as the luxury hotel "Mamula Island", the islet is now reached by boat and blends its layered past with a striking Adriatic setting.

Sveti Marko is one of the larger islands in the Bay of Kotor, lying just off the coast near Tivat. From 1962 until the Yugoslav wars it hosted a Club Méditerranée holiday village of Tahitian-style bungalows; abandoned during the Yugoslav wars, the resort buildings now stand empty amid the pine woods.

The island is fringed with quiet pebble beaches and clear water, making it a peaceful spot for a swim or a picnic away from the busy waterfront.

There is no regular ferry: access is by water taxi from Tivat's port, a short crossing of around 15-20 minutes.

The Blue Cave (Plava Špilja) is a sea cave near the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, on the Luštica coast toward Herceg Novi. Sunlight reflecting off the seabed gives the water inside an intense blue glow.

It is reached only by boat, on tours that usually depart from Herceg Novi, Igalo or Tivat and let you swim inside the cave.

Trips often combine the cave with other coves and the open Adriatic; mornings bring calmer water and the best light.

The Naval Heritage Collection, within Porto Montenegro in Tivat, traces the region's maritime and naval history on the site of the former Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav Arsenal shipyard.

Indoors, ship models, instruments and archives tell the story of Boka Bay's seafaring past. Outside, the highlight is a real decommissioned Yugoslav navy submarine, P-821 "Heroj", displayed on the quay since 2013, alongside the smaller P-912 "Una".

Compact and family-friendly, it makes a good short visit between strolls along the marina.

The Savina Monastery stands about 2 km east of Herceg Novi, on the mainland shore of the Bay of Kotor (roughly a 40-minute drive from Tivat) — not on an island, as is sometimes wrongly stated.

A Serbian Orthodox monastery active to this day, it is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin. The monastery dates from the 15th century, around a small church traditionally dated to 1030; the large Dormition church was built between 1777 and 1799. The monastery is known for its frescoes, its collection of icons and old manuscripts, and gardens overlooking the sea.

Set among cypresses and greenery, it is a peaceful spot that pairs well with a visit to the old town of Herceg Novi.

The hills around Tivat offer accessible walks with views over the Bay of Kotor.

The best-known is the Vrmac ridge trail, which crosses Mount Vrmac between Tivat and Kotor through forest, passing the old Austro-Hungarian Fort Vrmac, with sweeping bay views — an easy-to-moderate half-day. The Porto Montenegro promenade and the path toward Plavi Horizonti make for gentler, shorter strolls.

Wear good shoes, carry water, and start early in summer as the slopes have little shade.

Gospa od Milosti — Our Lady of Mercy — is a tiny islet in the Bay of Kotor, just off Tivat, home to a small church and a former monastery dating back to the medieval period.

Quiet and green, it is one of a cluster of little islands scattered across this part of the bay and is reached only by boat.

Note: it is often confused with the larger Sveti Marko island nearby and with the "Island of Flowers" (Ostrvo Cvijeća), which is in fact the Prevlaka peninsula a few kilometres away — three separate places.

Gornja Lastva is a restored stone village in the hills above Tivat, at around 300 m elevation, reached by a short but steep drive.

Once largely abandoned, it has been revived as a heritage hamlet of traditional Montenegrin houses, a small church and terraces with sweeping views over the bay. The village comes alive mainly in summer, during local festivities.

It makes a quiet contrast to the coast — bring a car, and don't count on dining out of season.