Perast
Perast is a small coastal village, stretched along the shore right across the narrow entrance into Bay of Kotor, and 12 kilometres away from the municipality of Kotor. This tiny settlement has a population of less than 300, spans just one kilometre end-to-end, and is pedestrian only (with some exceptions).
With its charming old buildings and beautiful views across the bay and mountains nearby, Perast is quite similar to the walled old town of Kotor. However, while Kotor has grown beyond its walls, Perast remains a small picturesque village, with traditional stone houses, no modern buildings, no traffic. It’s like a place frozen in time and this is what makes Perast special - this and the two islets, of course.
Things to do
Perast is tiny and you don’t need more than half a day to take in all of its sights. That said, I do wish we had spent the night to experience the place at its most quiet, and taken some time to relax there. With fancy yet affordable accommodation and great restaurants, it’s the perfect place for it. Check out the map for ideas.
There are around 18 churches in Perast - that’s a lot of churches for a town so small. St Nicholas' Church is the largest and most famous, and you can actually climb up its bell tower to admire the panoramic views.
The Perast Museum, housed in the former Bujovic Palace, showcases maritime artefacts and other things, but the real attraction here is the postcard view from the its balcony. The lion statues at either end stand as a reminder of the Venetial rule.
Perast also has a small beach, it’s right at the far end, close to the parking lot.
Last but not least, most people come to Perast for the two islets of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks.
The two islets
Saint George houses a 12th century Benedictine monastery and cemetery. It’s not open to the public, but can be seen from the boat or from its sister island nearby. With its tall cypress trees rising out of the lake, it makes for a very scenic sight.
While Saint George is a natural island, Our Lady of the Rocks is actually a man-made island, built on a foundation of sunken ship parts and rocks! The island is really old still, dating back around 500 years. There you will find a chapel and a small museum. The legend says that in 1452 two men found an icon of Virgin Mary on a rock under the water and vowed to build a church on that very spot. Rocks and parts of seized ships were carried from the mainland and sunk, until an island started to develop and became large enough to accommodate the church. The custom remains alive to this day in the form of an annual ceremony called Fasinada when locals sail out on their boats loaded with rocks and lay them into the sea at sunset.
Getting there
Perast can be easily reached from Kotor and beyond, by either car, bus, or boat.
The Blue Line bus departs frequently from Kotor and is a convenient and inexpensive option - it cost a mere 1€ when we visited.
If you are driving, there is paid parking at either entrance, however parking along the main road that runs up the hill across the town is more plentiful and apparently free.
Once there, you can take a boat to get to Our Lady of the Rocks. Look out for locals with small boats docked on the shore. They will take you there and back once you are done. The price should be around 5€/person for the return journey. You can only step foot on Our Lady of the Rocks, but ask the boatman to circle St. George on the way back so you can have a closer look at it.
You can also reach the islands by speedboat directly from Kotor and get to see more of the bay along the way.
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