Herceg Novi in 3 days: beaches, the Old Town and Boka Bay

Zalo is a small pebble beach at Skver, directly below the walls of Forte Mare. The beach is about 65 metres long, with the harbour and waterfront venues close by. It is a town beach, with the fortress on a rocky outcrop above the shore and small boats at the neighbouring landing.

The walk down from the Clock Tower to the beach takes about 15 minutes. If you leave around 9am, you have 4 hours for swimming and relaxing, until 1:15pm. There is little natural shade. There is an area for your own towels, but finding a space during the season is not guaranteed.

The route from the Clock Tower descends towards Skver along the town stairways.

The return to nearby accommodation in the centre takes about 15 minutes. After half an hour to change, you can start lunch around 2pm. There is an hour for the meal, followed by another hour and a half to rest before walking through the Old Town.

The Herceg Novi dining guide can help you choose a restaurant. Staying outside the centre means a longer return trip during this break.

Forte Mare stands on a rocky outcrop beside the sea and was extended over several centuries to defend the town from seaborne attacks. A passage through its walls once connected the shore with the upper part of the fortress. From the terrace, you can see the town harbour and the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. The view makes clear why a defensive stronghold was built on this spot.

You can begin the walk after your break around 4:30pm. The entrance is about a 10-minute walk from the centre, with another half hour for the visit. An individual ticket costs 4 euros. Published opening hours are from 9am to 7pm from 15 April and from 9am to 9pm from 25 June. Hours may change because of events at the fortress.

The entrance is reached on foot from the centre, along stairs and stone surfaces.

The Clock Tower marks the historic entrance to the Old Town. In the passage beneath it is a relief of Tvrtko, the town’s founder, while a staircase leads from the lower town square to Belavista. Here, the narrow streets open onto a small square with palm trees around the church.

The Church of Saint Archangel Michael was built from dressed stone from Korcula. Its arches, dome and decoration combine several architectural styles, giving the exterior more detail than its size might suggest. There are 45 minutes for the walk and a look at the Clock Tower, Belavista and the outside of the church.

Kanli Kula stands on the northern, higher side of the Old Town. The Ottoman fortress also served as a prison, while today its walls surround an open-air summer stage. Inside, the contrast between its former purpose and its present use for film and music is especially apparent.

The climb from Belavista, 35 minutes of sightseeing and the return towards the Clock Tower take 55 minutes. An individual ticket costs 4 euros. Published seasonal opening hours are from 9am to 7pm from 15 April and from 9am to 9pm from 25 June. This visit covers the fortress and stage. Attending a performance or concert is outside this schedule.

Lalovina is a small beach near Meljine, on the eastern stretch of the Herceg Novi shoreline. Trees beside the beach provide natural shade, setting this small bathing spot apart from the exposed Zalo beach at Skver. The beach area is about 60 metres long.

Getting from the centre to Lalovina takes 20-35 minutes in total, including the drive to Meljine, parking on Brace Pedisica Street and the final walk to the beach. If you leave around 9am, you have 4 hours at the beach for swimming and relaxing. Your time at the beach ends between 1:20pm and 1:35pm.

The approach uses marked parking spaces on Brace Pedisica Street in Meljine. From the car, the final stretch to the beach is on foot. Parking is not directly on the beach.

The return to the car and your accommodation in Herceg Novi takes about 25-35 minutes. After changing, you can start lunch between 2pm and 2:25pm. There is an hour for the meal and another hour and a half to rest afterwards.

The Herceg Novi dining guide can help you choose a restaurant. The later visit to Savina is on foot, so the car stays at your accommodation.

Savina’s two churches dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God stand in the same monastery complex, but their scale reflects different periods of construction. The large church was built by Nikola Foretic, a master builder from Korcula, in the 18th century. Its architecture combines Byzantine, Romanesque and Baroque elements, making it interesting to look at alongside the much smaller neighbouring church.

The Church of Saint Sava stands separately on a hill above the complex. From here, the view takes in the monastery below and the Bay of Kotor. This viewpoint beside the upper church is reached by a short climb.

The walk from the centre to Savina takes about 30 minutes. The hour-and-a-half stop includes another 15 minutes for walking through the complex and the climb up and back, along with 45 minutes of sightseeing. The visit covers the church exteriors, monastery grounds and the area beside the Church of Saint Sava. Entry to the treasury is not included.

From Savina, the route descends to the Pet Danica promenade, then follows the coast to Skver. The promenade runs along the Herceg Novi shoreline, and the stretch from Savina towards the centre brings you back beside the sea after the monastery visit, rather than through the upper town streets.

There are 35 minutes for walking and another 15 minutes for a break by the shore. The day ends at Skver. Accommodation high above the centre requires an additional climb.

If you leave Herceg Novi around 9am, the drive to Kotor follows the northern shore of the bay via Kamenari and Risan, without a ferry crossing. The road itself is a pleasant part of this trip: beyond the Verige narrows, the inner bays open up, with steep mountain slopes above the water and stone-built settlements along the shore.

Reaching the Sea Gate takes 100-120 minutes in total, including driving, parking at Riva and walking to the Old Town entrance. The car stays outside the walls. Longer summer traffic queues or time spent finding a parking space delay your arrival. The Kotor parking guide gives an overview of the town’s car parks.

The Maritime Museum of Montenegro occupies the Baroque Grgurina Palace on Boka Navy Square. The central salon and surrounding rooms retain the layout of a former noble family’s home. In the Ivelic and Visin-Florio family salons, you can see family furnishings, portraits and paintings of sailing ships. These objects offer a glimpse into the lives of Boka’s sea captains, alongside collections devoted to the navy and seafaring.

The walk from the Sea Gate to the museum takes about 10 minutes. Another 65 minutes cover buying a ticket and an hour-long visit. The visit ends between 11:55am and 12:15pm. According to the museum’s published information, an adult ticket costs 5 euros. From 1 May to 1 October, the museum is open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9am to 1pm, and on weekdays from 9am to 6pm.

In front of Saint Tryphon’s Cathedral, you can see how its older main structure and later rebuilt bell towers came together to form today’s building. On the neighbouring Flour Square, Pima Palace’s long stone balcony extends above a passageway. The narrow streets between the squares offer only partial views of these facades, making the open spaces in front of them worth a stop.

On Saint Luke’s Square, the small medieval church stands beside the much larger Church of Saint Nicholas, built in the early 20th century. Their size and facades reveal two periods of construction on the same square. There are 55 minutes for walking and looking at the exteriors. Treasury visits and the climb to the fortress are outside this itinerary.

After visiting the squares, there are 40 minutes for a break before lunch. You can start the meal between 1:30pm and 1:50pm. This range refers to the start time, with a full hour for lunch itself. Another half hour of rest follows before the drive to Perast.

The Kotor dining guide can help you choose a restaurant. Lunch and both breaks take 2 hours and 10 minutes in total.

From Kotor, the drive back towards Perast follows the same coastal route. Reaching the waterfront takes 40-55 minutes, including driving, parking at the eastern entrance to Perast and the final walk to the waterfront. The car stays outside the inner waterfront, where vehicles without a special permit have restricted access from 1 May to 30 September.

There are 45 minutes by the shore for walking and stopping to look around. Perast’s palaces have broad stone facades and balconies facing the water, while Saint Nicholas’s bell tower rises above the row of houses. Two islands, Our Lady of the Rocks and Saint George, lie between the waterfront and the mountain slopes opposite. The palaces of former seafaring families stand directly beside the shore, so their connection to the sea is visible without entering the buildings.

Our Lady of the Rocks is an artificial island built up around a rock, with a church tied to the votive tradition of Perast’s sailors. From the small open area in front of the church, you can see Perast’s waterfront houses, neighbouring Saint George Island and the mountain slopes around the bay. The visit covers the island and the outside of the church.

Published details of the short crossing give a sailing time of about 7-10 minutes each way. This schedule includes 20 minutes for both crossings, half an hour on the island and another half hour for boarding and waiting. Before arriving, check the price, actual departure and return with your chosen boat operator. Museum entry and landing on Saint George are not included.

From the landing, you walk back to the car, then return to Herceg Novi via Risan and Kamenari. The return takes 65-85 minutes in total, including the walk to the car, driving and parking at nearby accommodation. The route stays on the northern shore of the bay, without a ferry crossing. Longer waits in summer traffic extend the return journey.