Hiking the Hidden Ladder Trail in The Bay of Kotor

One of the best views in all of Kotor is from the famous Kotor Fortress overlooking this beautiful Balkan city.

The zig-zag trail that can be found behind the city of Kotor is one of the best things you can do this UNESCO city. The views from the top of the mountain will leave you speechless.

Hiking in Kotor has always been on our list and after making it to Kotor Fortress we understand what all the hype has been about. It’s simply epic up there.

Everything you need to know about hiking up to Kotor Fortress

One of the beauties of hiking in Kotor is that you get a chance to get away from all the tourists and people down in Old Town.

Kotor is a port city and multiple cruise ships dock on a daily basis which makes for one packed city. Arrive early, explore, and start the hike up the Kotor Walls before the herd of tourists follow you up there.

Thankfully the Kotor fortress has two completely different trails to the top.

Both of these trails we mention in this post and how to get up to the fortress and the famous viewpoint.

One is a little easier and more touristy. Whereas the other one is a little more challenging and harder to find the trailhead.

It’s up to you to decide which trail up to the fortress you’d rather take. At the end of the day they both lead to the same beautiful spot overlooking the Bay of Kotor. 

If you are driving here then here are some good tips to know about driving to Kotor from Dubrovnik. Things like borders, parking, and all that fun stuff.

Practical information about hiking the walls of Kotor up to St John’s Fortress

Distance: 2.3 km return / 1.4 miles return
Elevation: 221 m / 725 ft. elevation gain
Type: Out and back
Length: 1 – 1.5 hours return
Difficulty: Moderate (Due to the heat throughout the day)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to see a map of the hike from the Walls of Kotor to Kotor Fortress.

Practical information about hiking the Kotor Ladder up to St John’s Fortress

Distance: 3.9 km return / 2.4 miles return
Elevation: 243 m / 797 ft. elevation gain
Type: Loop trail
Length: 1.5 – 2.5 hours return
Difficulty: Moderate to hard
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click here to see a map of the Kotor Ladder hike to Kotor Fortress.

Hiking in Kotor up the wall to St John’s Fortress

The beauty of hiking up to St John’s Fortress is that it can be done if you’re going to Kotor just as a day trip because it’s not that long of a hike. You can easily get up to St John’s fortress and back to the city in under two hours.

If you take the easier trail from Old Town (which we did) then it should only take you about 2 hours. If you take the harder trail (Kotor ladder) it may take you a little bit longer but not by much.

The trail is just out of the city and a little longer but will only add about 30 minutes to an hour max.

We didn’t have cell reception at the time in Montenegro and didn’t know about Mapy.CZ at the time to download the map trail.

So we couldn’t really search where the trailhead was for the Kotor Ladder. Which is too bad because after getting to the top of the fortress the Kotor ladder trail looked really fun.

The way we found out about the first trail was just by walking in Old Town Kotor and then randomly stumbled upon the entrance to this awesome walk in Kotor.

We were lucky because there is actually an entrance fee of 8 Euro to hike up to St John’s Fortress (as of 2018-2019.)

Up until then, it was free. That’s why we’re sharing the Ladder of Kotor trail for those who either don’t want to pay or want a more challenging hike.

Two different hikes up to Kotor Fortress

Wee mentioned there are basically two starting points. If you’re looking to hike up to St John’s Fortress which overlooks the bay of Kotor.

You can either start from Old Town and hike along the walls of Kotor – or you can do the Ladder of Kotor which is a bunch of switchbacks up a mountain right near the city.

Both hikes are stunning and lead to the same place. The only difference is the difficulty of each trail and the time you want to spend hiking.

Option 1: Walls of Kotor (easier hike)

The first option is from inside Old Town Kotor, which is where we started the hike up to the fortress. The entrance to the Kotor Fortress trail can be found here.

You will also see signs around the “city” that say “Walls of Kotor” trail with arrows and if you ask any local or tourism worker where the entrance for the “Kotor Fortress hike” is they will be able to point you in the right direction.

One thing you have to make sure is to bring Euros since there is a fee to access the Walls of Kotor and the Church of our Lady Remedy (and they don’t take bank cards).

We understand countries and cities have to make money but it seems a little excessive to have to pay 8 Euro (probably more now in 2024) to walk up a mountain.

Especially because people spend lots of money in the city on walking tours and other activities in Kotor.

For that reason, we wanted to let you know that if you actually start the hike before 7 am there will be no one selling tickets at the gate and you will be free to access the trail and hike up the trail to the top.

Also if you do it late enough in the day the workers may also be gone so a sunset hike to the top of Kotor Fortress maybe be a good ideas as well.

Walls of Kotor – Beginning

At the beginning of the trail you’ll see the entrance where you have to pay to get across. There may actually be a few locals selling water and snacks as well.

Kotor’s main business is tourism so almost everyone in some way shape or form works in tourism here.

Once you get going you’ll have a steady incline up cobble staircases zig zagging up the mountain. The hike itself isn’t that hard but when you get lots of people going up and down the staircase does get very busy.

We do recommend bringing hiking shoes or at least good walking shoes if you have them. The stairs are quite hard and it’s nice to have some proper shoes

Walls of Kotor – Middle section

About halfway up the trail, there will be a small little church, Our Lady of Remedy Church which you can go inside but it’s really quite small. It’s a nice spot to take in the views and look back at the Bay of Kotor.

Even though it’s a fairly short hike it still feels like you’ve gained a lot of elevation. Actually quite similar to the Mt. Srd hike in Dubrovnik that overlooks the city the same way the Kotor Fortress hike overlooks the Bay of Kotor.

From the top to the church it’s not much further! If you look over the wall towards the mountain you can actually the Kotor Ladder trail that zig zags up the mountain and eventually connects with this trail.

Walls of Kotor – Final section

It won’t take long but after a bit, you’ll finally see the fortress with the flags at the top. For being an old fortress it’s actually still in really good condition. You can walk through it and actually walk on one of the platforms of the fortress.

The views from up there are absolutely incredible. Seeing the shape of the Bay of Kotor and how it forms around the city is just incredible. From the fortress is the best place to take pictures!

After enjoying the fortress and taking in all the views you can hike back the same way back into town.

Option 2: Ladder of Kotor (harder hike)

The second option is the more challenging one because the trailhead doesn’t actually start in Kotor Old Town but right outside.

The Kotor Ladder trail is easy to follow once you know where you’re going. Here are the directions for the Kotor Ladder. There should be tons of zigzags going up the mountain once you’re on the trail.

This trail is nice since most tourists don’t know about it and the trail itself is actually nicer too. You’ll have an awesome view of Kotor Fortress and the walls before connecting with the.

The only time you will likely encounter tourists is at the top of St John’s fortress because that’s where all the sightseeing of the Bay of Kotor is done. (It’s also the place where you can get some of the best pictures.)

Also, this trail is free, so if there’s 2-3 of you, then you will save +20 Euros! You do have to make sure you come back the same way though.

If you go back the touristy way and get to the gate without a ticket they will then charge you right there on the spot!

Ladder of Kotor – Beginning

The beginning of the trail isn’t hard to find but it’s best if you know the starting point so you don’t go looking to long for it. It’s basically right outside of Old Town and a few streets over. You can find the Kotor Ladder trail here.

Once you get to the start the zig zags up the mountain become very clear and easy to see. You’ll probably have the whole trail to yourself for the most part besides maybe a few other tourists or locals who know about the trail.

Ladder of Kotor – Middle Section

This is the only tricky part of the trail which isn’t even that tricky. Basically at some point you have to cut back towards the fortress or else you’ll keep climbing up the mountain and hike past St John’s Fortress.

The good thing is that it’s been done a lot in the past so the trails are quite obvious.

There’s actually a trail that leads to the wall where there’s basically a hole in the wall where you can walk into. At that point you’re basically at the fortress!

There’s multiple ways to connect from the Kotor Ladder trail to the fortress so it’s just up to you to find your way but it’s really really easy to find!

Ladder of Kotor – Final Section

Just like the Walls of Kotor hike they both make it to the top of the Fortress of Kotor overlooking the beautiful city. This is the point where you’ll be back with all the tourists and probably a little more crowded then the trail you were just on.

This is where you have to make the decision. You can either hike down the same way you came from or else hike back down the normal way.

Don’t worry about not having a ticket if you go down the normal way. They don’t check the tickets so you’ll just be able to walk past the entrance and into the city.

Our advice is to do the Kotor Ladder trail up and then the standard Walls of Kotor trail down. That way you make it into a loop trail and get to see it all. (prior to 2024)

You do in fact have to pay if you go back down the touristy way after hiking the ladder. At the entrance you have to show your ticket when you leave. Since you won’t have a ticket they will make you pay to be able to exit through the little door.

So if you want to save some money you’ll have to go back the same way you hiked up! (From 2023 onward).

Before you hike up to Kotor Fortress

Make sure to check the weather in Kotor and plan accordingly. You can see the weather in Kotor here so you know how to prepare for the hike.

If the weather isn’t great then we have a list of things to do in Kotor and you can save the hiking for another day!

Also, parking in Kotor is a huge problem because there basically is no place to park in the city. Luckily we found a blog that recommended a spot for free parking in the city and we used the directions and they actually worked.

If you put in Njegoševa Street you should be able to park for free if you need to. From Njegoševa Street it’s only a 5-minute walk to Old Town so it’s super close and free! Perfect for budget-friendly traveling.

It’s also a good idea to download the Mapy.CZ app for android or Mapy.CZ app for Iphone to follow the trail. It’s honestly our favorite app for following the trail during our hikes because of how detailed it is.

What to bring on the hike in Kotor

What you should bring of course depends on the weather. Let’s say you’re lucky and it’s not boiling hot outside – because it gets really hot in Kotor. (We mean really hot – at least for a Canadian and a Dane, haha)

Thankfully when we went it was cloudy. It did start to rain about halfway up the hike so we had to get cover in the church with about 30 other hikers while we waited for the rain to settle, but it was a fun experience.

Packing list for the Kotor Fortress hike:

• Plenty of water (or cash) because there are multiple locals selling water on the touristy trail – but on the Kotor Ladder you’re all by yourself so bring some water if you take that route. We use Lifestraw water bottles and they are amazing!
• Sunscreen is a must hiking, especially in Montenegro! Even if you go early in the morning or in the late afternoon we definitely recommend bringing it. We use this one from Sun Bum which we really like.
• It’s always nice to have some food once you summit a mountain. There are some awesome places to sit back, relax, and enjoy the views of the Bay of Kotor at the top of the fortress.

Also, this is a great list of hiking gear that you may need on a hike!

Other related questions to the Kotor Fortress hike

How many steps fortress Kotor?

There are over 1300 steps to get to the top of Kotor Fortress. To be exact there are actually 1350 steps to the top of Kotor Fortress where you can get to the awesome viewpoint that overlooks the city and Kotor Bay.

How high are the mountains around Kotor?

The mountains around Kotor are mostly below 1000 meters. The most famous mountain in the area is Derinski Vrh which at the peak is actually 1098 meters above sea level. The mountains in Kotor appear bigger than they are since the city of Kotor is at sea level and the mountains come straight up.

The mountains themselves aren’t that high though and there are even some excellent hikes in the area where you can summit most of the mountains around Kotor.

Is Kotor hilly?

The city of Kotor itself isn’t very hilly. As soon as you get outside of the city though and to the west of Kotor is where it gets really hilly because of the mountains. Kotor itself is basically at sea level and Kotor Fortress is about 300 meters above sea level and it’s not even that far up the mountain. So Kotor in general is very hilly but the old town is very flat.

How old is Kotor?

Kotor is a very very old city. As far as history goes, Kotor is over 2000 years old. The city of Kotor has had many conquers and rulers over the centuries. Now Kotor is a UNESCO site and a popular destination for tourists.

You may also like…

• 7 Important Things to Know When Driving to Kotor, Montenegro
• Things to Do in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
• Hiking in Dubrovnik – Mt Srd Scenic Hike
• The Best Sea Kayak Tour in Kotor
• 11 Fun Things to Do in Dubrovnik on a Budget

Recap of hiking in Kotor

We hope you enjoy hiking in Kotor. Whichever trail you choose they both end up at the same place overlooking the bay and the surrounding mountains. This coastal city is amazing and the hiking here is just amazing.

Hiking up to St John Fortress is just a sample of the trails you can find in the mountains of Montenegro. Most people come here just for the day but if you get the chance then definitely spend a few days in this city.

Let us know you what your favourite part of the trip was and which hike you end up going on! Feel free to DM us on Instagram @redwhiteadventures or leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you! Enjoy the hike!!

Have fun!

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