Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad)
Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Kotor. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Kotor Kotor guide
About Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad)
A fortified Venetian-era maze of narrow stone lanes and little squares at the head of the Bay of Kotor, UNESCO-listed since 1979 and rebuilt after repeated earthquakes.
Kotor's walled Old Town (Stari Grad) is a fortified medieval town at the head of the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) on Montenegro's Adriatic coast. Under the Venetian Republic from 1420 to 1797, four centuries of Venetian rule shaped its architecture and its street plan, leaving a compact maze of narrow stone lanes and small squares (trgovi) lined with Romanesque churches and Venetian palaces. Its principal monument, the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, dates to 1166, and Saint Tryphon is the town's patron. A fortress was raised above the town under Emperor Justinian in 535.
The Old Town, the inner bay and the surrounding fortifications together form the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. Earthquakes struck repeatedly, notably in 1563, 1667 and on 15 April 1979, and plague came in 1572; the 1979 quake placed the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger until restoration led to its removal in 2003.
Did you know? The Bay of Kotor is often sold as Europe's southernmost fjord, but it is really a ria, a drowned river canyon where the Adriatic flooded a limestone valley, with no glacier involved at all.
How long is a visit to Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad)?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad) worth your time?
Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad) is among the 12 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Kotor, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Kotor
Day 1 of the Kotor in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad)
Preview the Kotor tour free in the Gingerguide app.