Let me start by saying we only planned on spending time in and around the Bay of Kotor, taking in the town of Perast while there, and making the short jaunt to Budva on the Adriatic coast. There is so much more to Montenegro but we only allotted four days there before heading off south, to Albania. A car service picked us at Tivat airport and in short notice, introduced us to Kotor traffic. He took a short cut around the mountain to avoid the clogged tunnel into the city but we came to a standstill, regardless.

Arriving mid-September, we thought it was the shoulder season. We were wrong. Kotor receives 4-5 cruise ships of various sizes right though the end of October, dumping thousands of tourists into it’s ancient and under-equipped streets. Add tour buses and travellers like us and traffic comes to a standstill.

Trying to avoid the busy city I booked an Airbnb in the quiet suburb of Dobrota, a bit further from the busy port. The pictures showed a magnificent view over the bay, from our balcony. That should have been a clue. When they said quiet, they don’t mention the apartment is almost a half kilometre up a steep hill. Our airport shuttle and the next two cab drivers had to call our landlord to get directions.

Choosing not to rent a car, the walks up and down the hill made up for not going to the gym. The one rainy night when we tried to get a taxi for the ride up they refused to take a fare for only 300 metres. We found ‘a guy’ after that – our own taxi dude who was at our beckon call. We booked him in advance when needed and he was always punctual.

Kotor Bay and the town itself are quite beautiful. Besides the views from our balcony, we enjoyed strolling along the promenade which led all the way to the old town. Like zombies after three flights and being up for like thirty hours, we found a great seaside restaurant for our first dinner. We didn’t even check the prices, ordering salad, fish carpaccio, squid and sea bream…washed down with well-deserved wine and beer. It was our most expensive meal of the trip but we’re worth it and didn’t care.

It was a long walk and our first attempt to enter the walled town was thwarted by throngs of tourists who packed the restaurants and bars and jockeyed for the best selfie spots. Visiting early morning and later in the evening was the way to go – the ships arrived mid-mornings and sailed out around five. The town is over 2,000 years old. We loved the old stone buildings, many of which had to be restored after a devastating earthquake in 1979, where 4,000 residents had to be evacuated.

Further up the bay, Perast is more of a fairy-tail town. No vehicle traffic is allowed so it was perfect for strolling and exploring the quiet streets and back alleys, admiring the many buildings that were once the palaces and private homes of the rich and shameless. The area dates back to 3,500 BC but the ornate homes were built by 12 seafaring Venetian clans who settled in the area.

From Perast we took a boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, a man-made island solely inhabited by a church. Legend has it, returning fisherman dropped rocks there to give thanks for their safe return, thus creating the island. The inner walls of the church are lined with hundreds of engraved silver plaques donated by seafaring families to give thanks for the fishermen’s safe return.

Our taxi guy took us to Budva, another medieval town perched on the edged of the Adriatic Sea. We arrived early in the morning before the invading tour busses arrived and had the quaint cobbled streets all to ourselves. Businesses were just opening, letting us peek behind shuttered windows and doors, enjoying the smells of coffee brewing and breakfast cooking.

We found a great little French cafe, where Cathryn got a capucino and I enjoyed quiche loraine, made by the owner who lived in France, the U.S. and Montenegro. We tried to get lost but walked most of the maze of little streets within an hour or two. Popping out of one of the castle wall gates, we followed a seaside path that offered amazing views of the town and led to a secluded beach. We bailed from town just as the bus people started to invade the sleepy town and we headed back to Kotor. Our return taxi fare (different driver) was about 50 percent higher because of the traffic jamb heading home.