Day 4 Dubrovnik • Excursion to Kotor, Montenegro
• Destination: Dubrovnik
• Included Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodations: Hotel Lero
Activity Note: Today, we’ll cross the border from Croatia to Montenegro in the morning, and cross back into Croatia in the afternoon. Please be aware that you will need your passport for all border crossings, and that sometimes crossing the border can take longer than expected—up to several hours depending on traffic. Due to the unpredictable nature of these crossings, the timing of today’s activities may vary from the itinerary detailed below.
Breakfast: Served at our hotel starting around 6am, featuring European options.
Morning: Around 7 am, we’ll drive about 2.5 hours south for a full-day excursion to Montenegro, a small country that is home to vast natural beauty—from soaring alpine mountains to a rugged coastline dotted with historic cities. Montenegro’s history is unique in this region in that it managed to avoid being conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 1300s, when they took control of the rest of the Balkans for the next four centuries.
Our first stop, around 9:30 am, is Perast, an ancient village along the Bay of Kotor. We’ll take advantage of our small group size to explore Kotor Bay aboard a private, small boat for an hour-long cruise. Our boat ride takes us south along the bay to the town of Kotor, a well-preserved medieval walled town situated at the head of southern Europe’s deepest natural bay. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kotor’s Stari Grad, or Old Town, is filled with ancient churches and former aristocratic mansions that line narrow, cobbled streets. We'll dismark about 11am and enjoy the sights of Kotor on a 45-minute city tour with a local guide.
After our tour, at around 11:45am, we'll walk with our local guide to the Green Market, located just outside the city walls, arriving at around noon. Here, we'll enjoy some people-to-people interaction as we walk amongst the stalls, chatting to merchants and locals, and stoke our appetites with a tasting of smoked ham and cheese.
Lunch: On your own in Kotor around 12:30pm. Your Trip Experience Leader can provide recommendations on the best restaurants for your culinary preferences.
Afternoon: Enjoy some time on your own to explore Kotor. Then aorund 3:15pm, we'll say goodbye to Montenegro for our return drive to Bubrovnik. We'll arrive back at our hotel around 5:30 pm.
Dinner: On your own in Dubrovnik. Perhaps you’ll sample the city’s famous black risotto (given its color from squid ink), or the region’s beloved mussels and oysters. Whatever your dinner preference, your Trip Experience Leader is sure to have recommendations.
Evening: Tonight, you’re free to continue exploring Dubrovnik on your own. You might walk along the nearby Adriatic, or enjoy a nightcap of rakija (the brandy of the Balkans) with your fellow travelers.
I was up about 5:30 am. I tried to go down to the bar, work on my iPad and let Sharon sleep. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me sit in the bar until it opened.• Destination: Dubrovnik
• Included Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodations: Hotel Lero
Activity Note: Today, we’ll cross the border from Croatia to Montenegro in the morning, and cross back into Croatia in the afternoon. Please be aware that you will need your passport for all border crossings, and that sometimes crossing the border can take longer than expected—up to several hours depending on traffic. Due to the unpredictable nature of these crossings, the timing of today’s activities may vary from the itinerary detailed below.
Breakfast: Served at our hotel starting around 6am, featuring European options.
Morning: Around 7 am, we’ll drive about 2.5 hours south for a full-day excursion to Montenegro, a small country that is home to vast natural beauty—from soaring alpine mountains to a rugged coastline dotted with historic cities. Montenegro’s history is unique in this region in that it managed to avoid being conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 1300s, when they took control of the rest of the Balkans for the next four centuries.
Our first stop, around 9:30 am, is Perast, an ancient village along the Bay of Kotor. We’ll take advantage of our small group size to explore Kotor Bay aboard a private, small boat for an hour-long cruise. Our boat ride takes us south along the bay to the town of Kotor, a well-preserved medieval walled town situated at the head of southern Europe’s deepest natural bay. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kotor’s Stari Grad, or Old Town, is filled with ancient churches and former aristocratic mansions that line narrow, cobbled streets. We'll dismark about 11am and enjoy the sights of Kotor on a 45-minute city tour with a local guide.
After our tour, at around 11:45am, we'll walk with our local guide to the Green Market, located just outside the city walls, arriving at around noon. Here, we'll enjoy some people-to-people interaction as we walk amongst the stalls, chatting to merchants and locals, and stoke our appetites with a tasting of smoked ham and cheese.
Lunch: On your own in Kotor around 12:30pm. Your Trip Experience Leader can provide recommendations on the best restaurants for your culinary preferences.
Afternoon: Enjoy some time on your own to explore Kotor. Then aorund 3:15pm, we'll say goodbye to Montenegro for our return drive to Bubrovnik. We'll arrive back at our hotel around 5:30 pm.
Dinner: On your own in Dubrovnik. Perhaps you’ll sample the city’s famous black risotto (given its color from squid ink), or the region’s beloved mussels and oysters. Whatever your dinner preference, your Trip Experience Leader is sure to have recommendations.
Evening: Tonight, you’re free to continue exploring Dubrovnik on your own. You might walk along the nearby Adriatic, or enjoy a nightcap of rakija (the brandy of the Balkans) with your fellow travelers.
Sharon and I had a quick breakfast at 6:45 am. We were in a sprinter with the group at 7:45 am. It was a two and half hour drive to Perfast on the Bay of Kotor. We spent about thirty minutes in line for password control at the Montenegro border.
We boarded a boat at Perfast and motored to Kotor. The scenery was very unique. The mountains surrounding the bay are very steep.
Afterwards, Holly, Van, Sharon and I had lunch at Pescaria Dekaderon. Sharon and Holly had Pizza, while Van and I had squid dish. Mine was squid stuffed cheese and prosciutto.
Sharon and I toured the The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, including the treasury of relics. We met the group to head back to Dubrovnik about 2:00 pm.
Driving back on a different road, we pulled up to an empty Croatia border crossing. We were back at the Hotel Lero about 5:00 pm.
Holly, Van, Sharon and I took an Uber into the old city. We finished the night with dinner at Restaurant Kopun. We all had Dubrovnik Capon. Although restaurant has a Michelin Plate, Sharon and I didn't think that the food was very good.
Taking an Uber back to the hotel, we crashed just before 10 pm. It was a long day. I was feeling very under the weather.
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