From Diocletian’s Palace to the Bay of Kotor

Diocletian’s Roman palace, still lived in, and the Riva in Split; the 1,940 metres of Dubrovnik’s walls, the Stradun and the island of Lokrum; and the walled town of Kotor, at the end of a bay ringed by mountains, with St John’s Fortress on the slope and Perast a few kilometres away.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Split → Dubrovnik → Kotor · 6–9 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

CroatiaSplit
Days
2–3
When
May–Jun · Sep
Per person/day
Average 196 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
CroatiaDubrovnik
Days
2–3
When
May–Jun · Sep–Oct
Per person/day
Average 150–220 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
MontenegroKotor
Days
2–3
When
May–Jun · Sep
Per person/day
Average 131 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For anyone who wants stone towns on the Adriatic, linked by the coast road with no flight in between.

Not for anyone travelling with heavy luggage or bad knees, since off the Stradun Dubrovnik is all steps and Kotor’s fortifications climb up the mountain.

The strategy

Split comes first; the airport is about 20 km away, in Kaštela. From Split to Dubrovnik the bus takes about 4h30 along the coast, and there is no train. In Dubrovnik, enter the walls at 8 am through the Pile Gate, ahead of the heat and the groups. From Dubrovnik to Kotor the bus takes about 2h30, with a stop at the border: Croatia is in the Schengen area and Montenegro is not, so check the documents for your nationality and allow time for the queue. Stay in or near Kotor’s walled centre. The flight home leaves from Tivat airport, 8 km from Kotor, or from Dubrovnik, crossing the border again. May, June and September avoid the July and August peak.

What you will see

Peristil, Split. The square among columns was a ceremonial space within the palace.
City walls, Dubrovnik. A closed 1,940 m circuit walked in one direction, with walls up to 25 m high and 6 m thick facing the mainland.
Perast, Kotor. Perast brings together palaces and churches linked to navigation, facing two well-known bay islets.

Day by day

Split

1
Day 1: The palace and the centre’s squares
2
Day 2: Fish market, Varoš and sculpture in Meje
Day 3: Urban beach and time for your own choices · if you have more time

Dubrovnik

4
Day 4: The walled city, from the top down
1. Rector's PalaceUp to half an hourWorth a visit
2. Sponza PalaceUp to half an hourIf there is time
Day 5: Market, island, and hill
Day 6: Ston, salt and oysters · if you have more time

Kotor

Day 7: The walled centre and an optional climb
8
Day 8: Perast and the bay landscape
1. PerastHalf a day or moreEssential
9
Day 9: Dobrota or the cable car, according to interest and weather · if you have more time
1. DobrotaHalf a day or moreWorth a visit

Open the itinerary in the app