Hiking Up to the Kotor Fortress

I set my alarm for 5:45 a.m. this morning so I could catch the first bus into Kotor. There were still a few rainy-looking clouds about, but I suspected they would clear as the sun came up. The reason for the early start was to avoid the sun and the heat — I'm going to walk up the hill today!

The Old Town access to the Kotor Fortress doesn’t open until 8 a.m., which is too late to beat the heat. It also costs €15. I’m going to check out the free alternative route instead.

The bus is on time, so my walk begins just before 7 a.m. It’s only about 21°C and shady, so conditions are good. The walk isn’t too steep thanks to lots of switchbacks, but the track is quite rocky and rugged in places.

About two-thirds of the way up, I come across an old building and a fork in the track. Left continues on the main track, while right is steeper and looks more direct. I go right. It pops out near a lovely old church building—or at least I think it was once a church. It’s quite small and doesn’t look very safe to enter.

Nearby, there’s a geocache marked on my map. I spend a few minutes looking for it, without any luck. The track seems to dead-end here, so I start heading uphill again to rejoin the main trail. I haven’t gone far when a young couple from Norway comes toward me. They ask if I’ve been to the fortress. They’re going via the “window” Google entrance. I’d read about that but wasn’t exactly sure where it was. They say it’s back where my dead end was. I ask if I can tag along. No problem as far as they're concerned.

Right by the little church, there's a side track I hadn’t noticed—distracted by the geocache! The steep track leads up to the fortress walls, where there’s a window in the wall. You have to climb up and scramble through it. It looks a bit dodgy. You certainly wouldn’t want to fall. But given they’re there to call the ambulance if needed, I follow them up and through the window. Getting back down will be interesting! 😮

On the other side, you’re inside the fortress walls, and the view over Kotor Bay is amazing. There are more steps leading even higher, so I head up and explore all the way to the top. The steps also lead down to the gate where you’re supposed to pay, and there’s another church down there. I decide I’ve seen enough and head back to the window.

Getting back through involves dangling out the window over a ledge and slowly lowering yourself down to the rocks below while clinging to the slippery windowsill. Gulp! There was a log of wood leaned against the wall to use as a step on the way up, but I can’t seem to find it now. So, it’s a scramble down, that in hindsight, perhaps wasn’t the best idea to do alone. But I survived to tell the tale, so all good. As I walk back along the little track, my legs feel like jelly—adrenaline kicking in from the window stunt. 🤔

Time to head back down. I find the main track and follow that. Not far along, there’s a cheese shop—yes, a cheese shop way up here! Goat cheese. It also sells cold drinks. I think the people running the shop must live up here. After a quick look around, I carry on down to the bottom. It’s been two and a half hours since I got off the bus.

I make a quick stop at the supermarket to grab something for dinner. Freshly cut steaks sound like a good idea. It’s 10:20 a.m. now, so I figure I’ve probably missed the bus back. I hurry out to the main road just in case it’s running late—and it is! I manage to catch it at 10:30. 👍

Back at base, I tell Sarah about my morning adventure. She shakes her head and isn’t entirely surprised when she hears about the fortress window. After a short rest, we head down for our morning swim. Once again, it’s beautiful at the beach. The water is slightly cooler today, and there are small waves. The air temperature is cooler today too; high twenties which is great.

Then it's coffee and recovery time. It’s also time to watch Game 3 of the State of Origin rugby league. Go the Maroons!

We had a lovely dinner tonight: steak, potatoes, salad with capsicum and tomatoes, beetroot, and an egg.

Our apartment host is named Valentina, and she was born in Kotor. She’s looked after us very well and is lovely to chat with. We’ve been given fresh new towels twice now—well beyond the service we’ve had anywhere else. This apartment will be hard to top as the trip goes on. It has been brilliant. Not sure if I mentioned the cost previously, but it’s €88 or around NZD $170 per night. Well worth it.