← Boka Marathon·Day trip

Perast: A Baroque Waterfront Up the Bay

A short, flat waterfront visit to a small Baroque town and its two islets, with indoor fallbacks for a wet December day.

DurationDay trip
TransitTaxi or arranged car from Kotor, about 12 km; check winter bus services
DepartsKotor

After the Boka Marathon: Perast

The Route: Kotor → Perast → Kotor Logistics: The national tourism organisation places Perast about 12 km from Kotor. A taxi with an agreed fare is the dependable choice in winter. Marathon Month: December Duration: Day trip

Kotor Old Town ──(about 12 km, taxi)──> Perast
                                          │
                          Our Lady of the Rocks, St George (islets)
                                          │
Kotor ◄──────────(same taxi, or flag one)─┘

The Boka Marathon finishes on a Sunday in Kotor Old Town, and the bay does not end there. Perast sits a few kilometres further up the shore, and the walk along its waterfront is level and short enough for a body that has just run the same coast for 42 kilometres.

December on the Bay of Kotor: expect a quiet season. Check the forecast the evening before, and carry something waterproof. Seasonal cafés and boat operators may be closed, so confirm what is open before you go.

Getting there

Perast is a taxi ride from Kotor. Agree the fare and a pick-up time before you leave, because a small waterfront may have few taxis waiting in winter. No winter bus timetable was checked, so ask your hotel whether a local bus runs and when the last one returns.

The day

Perast is small. It had 237 residents at the last count, down from 444 in 1991, and it has about 20 Baroque palaces along the shore, along with 17 Catholic and two Orthodox churches. That density of stone is the reason to come.

The town gained the right to guard the Venetian flag of St Mark after 1654, following a Turkish siege led by Mehmed-beg Rizvanagić. Walk the waterfront slowly and read the palace façades from the quay.

Two islets lie just off the shore. Our Lady of the Rocks is described as the only artificially built island in the Adriatic. It covers 3,030 square metres and is said to have grown on a rock where two Venetian sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin in 1452. St George's islet has a chapel. How visitors reach the islets, and whether boats run in December, is something to ask on the quay. Do not count on it.

Where to eat

Eat in Kotor before you leave or after you return. Ask your hotel to suggest a place in Perast that is open in December.

Getting home

If you fly from Tivat, Tivat airport lies about 4 km from Tivat and 8 km from Kotor by road. Book a transfer, because no direct airport bus was confirmed.