Dubrovnik’s Game of Thrones fame has pushed the city’s Old Town to genuine overtourism crisis levels, with cruise ship arrivals now capped by local authorities in an attempt to manage the crowding. Kotor, a short drive down the coast in Montenegro, offers comparable medieval walls, a genuinely more dramatic bay setting, and prices roughly half of Dubrovnik’s.
Quick answer: swap Dubrovnik for Kotor if the priority is medieval old town atmosphere and dramatic coastal scenery without Dubrovnik’s cruise-ship crowding. Keep Dubrovnik on the list if the specific Game of Thrones filming locations are the trip’s purpose, since Kotor wasn’t used for the show’s King’s Landing scenes.
Dubrovnik vs Kotor: Head-to-Head
| Factor | Dubrovnik | Kotor |
|---|---|---|
| Annual visitors | Over 1.5 million | Under 400,000 |
| Bay setting | Coastal, open Adriatic | Enclosed bay, genuinely fjord-like with mountains dropping into water |
| City walls hike | 25 EUR (£21.50), often queued | 8 EUR (£6.90), rarely queued outside cruise-ship days |
| Accommodation (mid-range, per night) | £110-£200 | £45-£85 |
| Cruise ship impact | Severe, now capped by local authorities | Present but noticeably less overwhelming |
| Game of Thrones connection | King’s Landing filming locations | None directly, though similar medieval aesthetic |
What Kotor Actually Offers
The Bay of Kotor is often compared to a Norwegian fjord, mountains rising steeply from the water on all sides, creating a genuinely more dramatic natural setting than Dubrovnik’s more open coastal position, even though geologically it’s a submerged river canyon rather than a true glacial fjord.
- Kotor City Walls hike: a demanding climb (roughly 1,350 steps) to the Fortress of San Giovanni, delivering one of the best panoramic views in the entire Adriatic region, at a third of Dubrovnik’s equivalent wall-walk cost
- Old town: a compact Venetian-era maze of stone streets, genuinely comparable in atmosphere to Dubrovnik’s, with noticeably fewer tour groups moving through it
- Perast: a short drive along the bay, home to well-preserved Baroque palaces and the striking Our Lady of the Rocks island church, a genuinely underrated addition most Dubrovnik-focused itineraries never reach
- Cost of living: meals, accommodation, and activities all run roughly 45-55% cheaper than equivalent Dubrovnik options
Why Dubrovnik Still Wins for One Specific Thing
Dubrovnik’s Old Town served as the primary filming location for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, and specific recognisable spots (the Jesuit Staircase, Fort Lovrijenac) remain a genuine draw for fans of the show. Kotor, despite its similar medieval aesthetic, has no direct connection to the show’s filming.
The honest verdict: for Game of Thrones fans specifically wanting to walk the actual filming locations, Dubrovnik remains necessary. For everyone else wanting genuine medieval old town atmosphere, dramatic natural scenery, and significantly lower costs and crowds, Kotor delivers more of what actually made Dubrovnik famous in the first place, at a fraction of the price.
Why the Cruise Ship Cap in Dubrovnik Changed the Calculation
Dubrovnik’s local authorities introduced measures limiting the number of cruise ships permitted to dock simultaneously, a direct response to years of complaints from both residents and visitors about the Old Town becoming genuinely unwalkable on peak days. While this has improved conditions somewhat, the underlying demand, over 1.5 million annual visitors funnelling through a historic centre built for a fraction of that footfall, hasn’t gone away. Kotor faces a smaller version of the same pressure but from a considerably lower baseline, meaning even its busiest cruise-ship days rarely approach Dubrovnik’s peak congestion.
Beyond the Old Town: What Each Destination Offers Nearby
Dubrovnik’s surroundings include the short cable car ride to Srđ Hill for a panoramic view, and day trips to the Elaphiti Islands offer a genuine beach escape from the city itself. Kotor’s surroundings arguably go further, with Montenegro’s dramatic interior, Durmitor National Park and the Tara River Canyon, reachable within a 2.5-3 hour drive, delivering a genuine mountain landscape that Dubrovnik’s more compact coastal hinterland simply doesn’t offer within comparable travel time.
What a Few Days Actually Costs
| Category | Dubrovnik (3 nights, per person) | Kotor (3 nights, per person) |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (split two ways) | £165-£300 | £68-£128 |
| Food | £75-£110 | £45-£70 |
| Activities/entry fees | £30-£50 | £15-£30 |
| Total | £270-£460 | £128-£228 |
Kotor runs roughly 50-55% cheaper across the board, one of the more significant cost gaps between two genuinely comparable Adriatic destinations.
Photography Without the Crowd Battle
Dubrovnik’s most photographed spots, the view from the City Walls looking down over the terracotta rooftops in particular, now require genuine strategy to shoot without dozens of tourists in frame, with cruise-ship days making certain angles nearly impossible to capture cleanly. Kotor’s City Walls hike, while equally striking, rarely involves the same scramble for a clean shot, simply because far fewer people make the climb on any given day, spreading visitors out along the trail rather than concentrating them at the same few viewpoints.
Step-by-Step: Planning a Kotor Trip
- Fly into Tivat, Montenegro’s coastal airport, which sits closer to Kotor than the alternative Podgorica option and is served by direct flights from several UK airports, particularly in summer season.
- Check cruise ship schedules before planning the City Walls hike, since Kotor’s port does receive ship traffic on certain days, and timing the climb around a quiet, no-ship day noticeably improves the experience.
- Add Perast as a half-day trip, easily reached by local bus or a short taxi ride, rather than treating Kotor as a single-town visit.
- Book old town accommodation for the atmosphere, though note it comes with the same narrow-street, no-vehicle-access logistics as Dubrovnik’s equivalent, worth factoring in for luggage.
- Consider combining with Budva or Montenegro’s Durmitor mountains for a fuller week-long trip, since Kotor alone, while excellent, is compact enough to properly cover in 2-3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kotor as beautiful as Dubrovnik?
Many visitors find Kotor’s bay setting genuinely more dramatic given its enclosed, mountain-ringed position, while Dubrovnik retains an edge in overall old town polish and the specific fame of its Game of Thrones connection.
How do you get to Kotor from the UK?
Direct flights serve Tivat Airport from several UK airports, particularly during summer season, with the airport sitting a short drive from Kotor itself.
Is Kotor as crowded as Dubrovnik during peak season?
Less so overall, though cruise ship days bring significant crowds to the old town and City Walls hike specifically. Outside ship-in-port hours, Kotor remains noticeably quieter than Dubrovnik’s consistent peak-season crowding.
What is the best time of year to visit Kotor?
May-June and September offer the best balance of warm weather and lower crowds, mirroring the pattern seen across most of the Adriatic coast, including Dubrovnik.
Can you visit both Dubrovnik and Kotor on the same trip?
Yes, and it’s a genuinely popular route given their proximity, roughly 2.5 hours by car or bus across the Croatia-Montenegro border. Splitting a week between the two allows for Dubrovnik’s specific landmarks alongside Kotor’s better value and quieter bay setting.
Is the border crossing between Croatia and Montenegro straightforward for UK travellers?
Yes, generally straightforward, though summer weekend crossings can see queues given the volume of tourist traffic on this specific route. UK passport holders don’t require any additional documentation beyond a valid passport for this crossing.
The Bottom Line
Kotor delivers Dubrovnik’s medieval old town atmosphere and Adriatic beauty at roughly half the cost, with a genuinely more dramatic bay setting and significantly less crowding outside of cruise ship peaks. The trade-off is losing the specific Game of Thrones filming location draw, which remains uniquely Dubrovnik’s.
