Hiking the Ladder of Kotor
Since I am travelling back to Kotor, Montenegro this January with some friends, I thought I’d post some advice for those who are thinking of travelling to Kotor (or have never even heard of it before like me)
First off, Kotor is one of my favourite cities in Europe - unless it’s the middle of summer, it is calm, quiet, beautiful, and still rather warm (it’s still all these things in summer, just busier).
We first landed in Podgorica just because this was the cheapest flight. Wasn’t that impressed with Podgorica, but it was a nice cheap bus (or should I say van) ride to Kotor. Take an early bus, you’ll thank me when you see the sun rising while you drive passed Budva.
When we get to Kotor we dropped of our stuff and immediately started hiking, there are a couple ways to begin your hike - we started by finding the trailhead hidden among some buildings. It’s a little hard to see but you’ll know when you see it. The entire climb is a switchback all the way to the top, so you’re actually climbing faster than you think which is nice!
About 1/3 of the way up you’ll see the fortress wall. Check it out for sure, we went to see it on the way back down. Around that same area there’s a small home on the mountain where you’ll get a real taste of the culture - a family herding sheep, hanging fresh meat from a tree, and selling you beers (and Rakija!) for a good price. We sat here for a a bit and enjoyed a beer with the view and had some rakija with the owner.
After this we headed for the top. Toward the top of the climb you can feel the air thinning and it gets a little steeper, but my god the view is worth it. You’re not going to have a more satisfying beer than this - sitting at the top of the ladder and sipping a beer with friends looking down at the city and water.
All in all the trip took us about 5 hours, but this was with many stops for some drinks/views. Make sure to check out the old fortress on the way back down and snap a photo of the city from above. This will probably be one of your biggest surprises of Europe. If you have more questions, please ask - I really love this place
TLDR; hike the ladder of Kotor in Montenegro, you won’t regret it.
Submitted December 27, 2018 at 02:12PM by adammwhitee http://bit.ly/2SoOUo8
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