There is a particular kind of destination that keeps people coming back: One where there is always more to do than you can fit into a single day.
Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor is exactly that kind of place.
On a Saturday morning, you could wander through a medieval walled town, climb a mountainside fortress, take a boat to an island church, swim inside a sea cave, ride a cable car into a national park—or simply sit beside the water over a long seafood lunch.
And you can do it all within easy reach of Royal Town Kotor, the community where I’ll bring members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group a new opportunity next Wednesday, August 26.
Let me show you what a day—or a month—here might look like…
Take a tour of Europe’s New Riviera. My team filmed on the ground so you could understand the story in a few minutes of video.
Inside Kotor’s Ancient Walls
Enter Kotor’s walled Old Town through its historic main entrance, the Sea Gate, and immediately you leave the modern world behind.
Inside the walls is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled lanes, Venetian palaces, old churches, hidden courtyards and sunlit squares.
There is no set route you need to follow. The pleasure is in getting lost.
You stop for coffee beneath a stone archway. You hear church bells somewhere beyond the rooftops. Around the next corner, a tiny square opens up with café tables spilling into the shade.
Kotor and its surrounding bay form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the Middle Ages, this natural harbor was an important commercial and artistic center, and the wealth of its merchants and sea captains is still visible in the town’s mansions and palaces.
Kotor’s old town is an open-air museum of medieval streets, churches and Venetian palaces—and it will be only minutes from Royal Town Kotor.
Earn the Best View on the Bay
Behind the old town, Kotor’s fortifications zigzag up the mountainside.
Follow them toward San Giovanni Fortress and you face 1,350 stone steps. It is a steep climb, but the reward is one of the great views of the Adriatic.
From above, the red roofs of Kotor sit directly beneath you. Beyond them, the water curls between the mountains in shades of blue and green.
It is the sort of view that stays with you—and the sort of photograph visitors send home, share online, and remember when planning their next trip.
A view from the city walls of Kotor. Royal Town is close to the action yet tranquil and private.
From the Sea to the Mountains in 11 Minutes
You do not need to climb all afternoon to reach the mountains.
The Kotor–Lovćen cable car takes you from near the shores of the bay into the mountains in about 11 minutes.
During the ride, the cliffs fall away below you and the entire Bay of Kotor opens up behind you.
At the upper station you can walk, hike or cycle through the mountain landscape. There is also an Alpine Coaster at the upper station if you want an extra burst of speed.
Continue into Lovćen National Park and you can visit the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, Montenegro’s celebrated poet, bishop and ruler. Reaching it involves another 461 steps, but the panorama can stretch across much of Montenegro.
The lower cable-car station is virtually on the doorstep of Royal Town Kotor.
In just 11 minutes, the Kotor cable car rises from the bay into the mountains. Royal Town Kotor sits close to the lower station—and the upcoming RETA deal there opens August 26 at 1 p.m. ET.
Take to the Water
The bay is best understood from the water. As well as sailing between its historic towns and modern marinas, you can take boat trips to islands, beaches and hidden sea caves.
You can cross to Perast, a small baroque town where stone palaces and church towers line the waterfront.
Just offshore are two tiny islands: St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks.
Our Lady of the Rocks was created by generations of local sailors, who traditionally dropped stones into the water after returning safely from sea. Today, a church and museum stand on the island.
It is one of those places where the journey is part of the experience. You glide across still water, with Perast behind you and mountains rising on every side.
The baroque town of Perast and the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks make an easy boat trip through one of the bay’s most photographed landscapes.
Swim Inside the Blue Cave
Continue toward the Luštica Peninsula and the sheltered bay begins to open toward the Adriatic.
Here you will find the Blue Cave.
Sunlight enters through the water and reflects off the cave walls, filling the interior with an intense blue glow. Boat excursions enter the cave when conditions permit, and visitors can swim in the luminous water.
Nearby, the Luštica Peninsula is dotted with coves and pebble beaches, including Žanjice Beach.
Owners at Royal Town Kotor will also have access to a beach club, with a planned shuttle connecting the community to the water.
Sunlight filtering into the cave reflects through the water and off the rock, filling the interior with an intense blue glow.
Taste the Bay
You could spend an entire trip eating your way around this bay.
Small farms in the waters near Herceg Novi and Risan cultivate Adriatic oysters and mussels. A plate of mussels cooked buzara-style—with olive oil, wine, garlic and herbs—is exactly the sort of lunch that can make the rest of the afternoon disappear.
In the mountains, the village of Njeguši is known for smoked prosciutto and cheese. Around Kotor, you will find grilled fish, octopus salad, risotto and local Montenegrin wine.
Or head to Porto Montenegro for dinner beside the superyacht marina. There, restaurants, cafés and boutiques line a polished waterfront filled with some of the most extraordinary superyachts in the world.
Around the Bay of Kotor, lunch is rarely something to rush: fresh seafood, local wine and a table beside the water.
When the Bay Becomes the Stage
Kotor does festivals particularly well.
During Bokeljska Noć—Boka Night—decorated and illuminated boats parade across the water in front of the old town. Fireworks follow, and the celebration moves into Kotor’s squares with live music.
Kotor’s carnival tradition comes alive twice a year. The winter festivities bring costumes, masked balls, music, satire and a grand parade; in summer, international carnival groups return for another colorful procession through the town.
These events are not spectacles created solely for visitors. They come from Kotor’s living maritime culture—and give people a reason to experience the town at different times of year.
During Boka Night, decorated boats turn the bay into a floating stage before fireworks and concerts fill the old town.
Or Choose Something Wilder
For the more adventurous, Škurda Canyon begins close to Kotor’s old town.
This is serious canyoning terrain, with waterfalls, pools, steep rock and rope descents. It requires suitable conditions, technical equipment and an experienced guide.
You can also hike the Vrmac Peninsula, paddleboard along the coast or explore the bay by kayak.
That is the beauty of Kotor. You can spend the morning over coffee in a medieval square and the afternoon descending a mountain canyon.
The mountains around the bay are part of the Dinaric Alps, a hiker’s paradise. You have multiple trails around Royal Town Kotor.
Why This Matters
Beautiful scenery gets someone’s attention. But the depth of the experience is what persuades them to stay longer, come back and tell their friends.
Around the bay, there is always another town to explore, another boat trip to take, another trail to hike and another restaurant to try.
Visitors can come for beaches and festivals in summer, hiking in spring and fall, or a quiet month working remotely beside the bay.
And it’s here that I’ve negotiated an incredible, off-market deal for RETA members.
The Royal Town Kotor community is close to all of it while providing something that is remarkably difficult to find here: a well-located, modern, amenity-rich base.
It’s designed in the style of a Tuscan palace—stone, arches, shade, and views in every direction.
The planned amenities include an infinity pool, spa, state-of-the-art gym, yoga and Pilates studio, restaurant, kids’ club, entertainment room, firepit and shuttle to the beach club.
I expect this deal to deliver gains of €197,337 five years after delivery.
Rent your two-bed condo short term and a gross yield of around 16% seems reasonable to me.
As I say, I’ll open this deal to RETA members on Wednesday, August 26.
A developer’s render of Royal Town Kotor. Two-bed condos here start at a RETA-only €362,663—I expect them to be worth €560,000 five years after delivery. (Renders show the plan. They shouldn’t be considered final.)
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. One reason Royal Town Kotor works so well as a base is its location. Kotor’s Old Town, the Lovćen cable car, the beach club and Porto Montenegro are all close at hand—and three international airports open the bay to visitors from across Europe and beyond. The map below shows just how well positioned it is.
The location of the upcoming RETA deal. Three minutes to Kotor’s old town. Seven to the airport. Eight to your beach club. One minute to the cable car up Lovćen Mountain. And only 12 minutes to the marina at Porto Montenegro.
