Montenegro · Bay of Kotor
Herceg Novi
The town of stairs at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, with a fortress for every empire that held it.
Herceg Novi guards the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, the first town on the Montenegrin coast coming down from Dubrovnik. It is built almost vertically: an old town of stone stairways and fortresses climbing from the sea, gardens full of palms, mimosa and bougainvillea, and a shoreline promenade running the length of the bay. Bosnian kings, Ottomans, Venetians and Austrians all held it and all left walls behind. Next door, Igalo's sea mud and mineral springs made it one of the best-known medical spas of the old Yugoslavia, and it still runs on that trade.
Suggested stay
2–5 days
Language
Montenegrin
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Herceg Novi
The stairs the old town is a tangle of stepped lanes and terraces, so every turn opens another view down over the bay
Forts on every level Forte Mare on the water, Kanli Kula in the middle and Španjola on the ridge, each from a different empire
The promenade a flat seafront walk on the old railway line links Igalo, the old town and the bay villages for kilometres
Igalo's mud a long-established medical spa built on the sea mud and mineral springs at the head of the bay
Best time to visit
Jun-Aug
28-32° days
42.452° N, 18.537° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Podgorica
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Weather & when to go to Herceg Novi
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Wellness prime all year
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Herceg Novi
July and August are hot and packed with holidaymakers from across the region, and the Croatian border and the Kamenari ferry both queue hard. Winter is quiet and often wet, with much of the seafront shut, though the mimosa flowers across town in late winter and the spa runs all year.
Top things to do in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi old town - the stairways and the clock tower
history culture arts 👍 PopularEnter through the Ottoman clock tower gate and the old town is a climb of stone steps, small squares and churches, with Belavista Square and the Serbo-Byzantine Church of St Michael the Archangel at its heart.
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Kanli Kula - the Ottoman tower above the old town
history scenic 👍 PopularThe Bloody Tower was an Ottoman fortress and prison; its walls now enclose an open-air summer stage for concerts and films, and the ramparts give the best view straight down over the rooftops and the bay.
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Forte Mare - the sea fortress
historyThe fort on the water below the old town goes back to the town's medieval founding and was rebuilt by the Ottomans and Venetians. Walk its walls by day; in summer it doubles as an open-air venue at night.
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Španjola - the hilltop fortress
history scenicBegun during the brief Spanish occupation of the 1530s and finished by the Ottomans, this ruined fort sits high on the ridge behind town. It is a stiff uphill walk, rewarded with a view across the whole mouth of the bay.
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Savina Monastery - Orthodox churches above the bay
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA Serbian Orthodox monastery in cypress and oak woods east of the centre, with an elegant eighteenth-century church, a much smaller older one beside it, and a treasury of icons and manuscripts. Quiet, and an easy walk along the promenade.
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Pet Danica promenade - the seafront walk
scenic 👍 PopularThe shoreline path follows the bed of the old narrow-gauge railway from Igalo past the old town towards Meljine, lined with swimming platforms, small beaches and cafes. Flat, shaded in places, and the way the whole town moves in summer.
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Igalo spa - sea mud and mineral springs
wellness ⭐ Highly recommendedIgalo's big medical institute built its name on the fine sea mud of the bay and local mineral water, used for rheumatic and rehabilitation treatment. Visitors come for full treatment stays or just for mud, massage and the pools.
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Luštica beaches and the Blue Cave - by boat across the bay
scenic nature wildlifeThe best swimming is across the water on the Luštica peninsula. Boats from the harbour cross to coves such as Žanjice and Mirište, pass Mamula's island fort, and nose into the Blue Cave, where sunlight turns the water electric.
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Bay of Kotor seafood - eating in Herceg Novi
foodMussels and shellfish cooked buzara style with wine and garlic, grilled fish, black risotto, and Njeguši ham and cheese from the mountains above Kotor. The promenade places trade on the view; the old town lanes are better value.
Best areas to stay in Herceg Novi
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Old town
First-time visitors $$Stepped lanes, forts and squares
Explore hotels in Old town →
Igalo
Spa and families $$Spa resort at the head of the bay
Explore hotels in Igalo →
Topla
Value and views $Residential slope between Igalo and the centre
Explore hotels in Topla →
Savina
Quiet stays $$Green, quiet hillside by the monastery
Explore hotels in Savina →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Herceg Novi
Getting to & around Herceg Novi
Getting there
Fly into Tivat (TIV) and cross the Kamenari ferry, or into Dubrovnik and drive over the Croatian border
Flight
Tivat Airport (TIV)
About 45 minutes by taxi or transfer via the short Lepetane-Kamenari car ferry. Dubrovnik airport is a similar distance northwest, with a border crossing that can queue in summer.
Coach
Herceg Novi bus station, above the old town
Regular buses along the coast from Kotor, Budva and Podgorica, plus services from Dubrovnik, Trebinje and further into Serbia and Bosnia
Drive
From Croatia via the Debeli Brijeg border crossing; from the south either round the whole bay or across the Verige strait on the Kamenari ferry
Getting around
Walking
The promenade is flat; everything above it means stairs, so pack light
Free
Local bus
Buses run along the bay road from Igalo through town to Meljine, Zelenika and Kumbor
TBC
Taxi
Plentiful and the easy fix for luggage up the hill or late returns
TBC
Boat taxi
In summer small boats leave the harbour for the Luštica beaches, the Blue Cave and the bay villages
TBC
Car hire
Useful for Kotor, Orjen and Trebinje; parking in the centre is very tight in summer
TBC
Day trips from Herceg Novi
Kotor
Full dayWalled Venetian town
The bay's most famous town, deep at its innermost corner: a walled maze of churches and squares under a sheer mountain, with the fortress walls zigzagging up the slope behind it to the castle of San Giovanni.
Getting there
bus | car
About 1 hr by bus or car round the bay
Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks
Half dayBaroque bay village
A one-street village of Venetian captains' palaces, with boats out to Our Lady of the Rocks, the church on a man-made island built up by sinking ships and stones, beside the cypress islet of St George.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 40 min by car or bus, or by boat tour
Dubrovnik
Full dayWalled old city
Croatia's walled city is close enough to visit for the day: the city walls circuit, the Stradun and the old port. Bring your passport and allow for long border queues in high summer.
Getting there
bus | car
About 1 hr by bus or car, plus the border crossing
Luštica and the Blue Cave
Half dayCoves by boat
A boat loop across the mouth of the bay to the Blue Cave, past Mamula's round island fort, with swim stops at Žanjice or Mirište and sometimes lunch in the fishing hamlet of Rose.
Getting there
ferry | tour
Boat from Herceg Novi harbour
Trebinje
Half dayHerzegovina river town
Over the hills in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small walled old town on the Trebišnjica river with plane-shaded squares, a market, the Ottoman Arslanagić bridge and wine from the surrounding Herzegovina hills.
Getting there
car | bus
About 45 min by car or bus into Bosnia and Herzegovina
A little history of Herceg Novi
Bosnian King Tvrtko I founded a fortress here in 1382 to give his kingdom an outlet on the sea. In the next century Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, who styled himself herceg, or duke, made it his seat, and the town still carries his title. The Ottomans took it in 1482 and held it, apart from a short Spanish occupation that ended in the siege of 1539, for two centuries.
Venice captured it in 1687 and kept it until the republic fell, after which Austria ruled the bay for most of the next century. In the twentieth century it joined Yugoslavia, Igalo grew into a major medical spa, and a strong earthquake in 1979 damaged much of the coast. It is now part of independent Montenegro.
King Tvrtko I of Bosnia founds the fortress town on the mouth of the bay
Herceg Stjepan Vukčić Kosača makes the town his seat and gives it its name
The Ottomans take the town
An Ottoman siege retakes the town from a Spanish garrison that had held it since 1538
Venice captures the town and holds it until the republic falls
Austria takes the Bay of Kotor after the Napoleonic wars and keeps it until 1918
The town joins the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later Yugoslavia
A strong earthquake strikes the Montenegrin coast and damages the old town
Montenegro becomes independent
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+382
FAQs about Herceg Novi
▸ When is the best time to visit Herceg Novi?
June to August bring the warmest weather and sea, with July and August also the busiest. Late spring and early autumn are calmer and still pleasant for walking. Winter is quiet and often rainy, but the mimosa flowers across town in late winter and the spa runs year-round.
▸ How many days do you need in Herceg Novi?
Two days covers the old town, the forts and the promenade. Four or five lets you add a boat day to Luštica and the Blue Cave and day trips to Kotor, Perast or Dubrovnik. Spa treatment stays at Igalo usually run much longer.
▸ Are there good beaches in Herceg Novi?
In town the swimming is mostly off concrete platforms, rocks and small pebble beaches along the promenade, with a longer beach at Igalo. The nicest coves are across the bay on the Luštica peninsula, reached by boat taxi in summer.
▸ Can you visit Dubrovnik from Herceg Novi?
Yes, it is one of the closest bases in Montenegro for it. Buses and tours run there and back in a day. Bring your passport, as you cross an EU border, and expect long queues at the crossing in high summer.
▸ Is Herceg Novi a good base for the Bay of Kotor?
It is a good, calmer base for the bay's western half, with Perast and Kotor reachable by bus or car. The town is usually less crowded than Kotor, though the drive round the bay is slower than the map suggests in summer traffic.
▸ Is Herceg Novi hard to get around?
The seafront is flat, but the town is built on a steep slope and stairs connect almost everything above the promenade. Travellers with limited mobility should check access and pick a place to stay near the water or in Igalo.
More in Montenegro
Budva
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