Landmark
Herceg Novi Old Town
Herceg Novi · Bay of Kotor
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Landmark
- COUNTRY
- Montenegro
- REGION
- Herceg Novi · Bay of Kotor
- DURATION
- 1–2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The old town of Herceg Novi climbs a steep hillside above the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, a stack of stone houses, stair-streets and fortified gates rising from the seafront to the fortresses above. Unlike the flat-sited walled towns elsewhere on the bay, Herceg Novi is vertical — its lanes are stairs, and its defensive towers were built to command the heights as much as the harbour. It was founded as a fortress port and changed hands many times, so the walls carry layers of Turkish, Venetian, Spanish and Austrian masonry. The great fortresses of Kanli Kula, Forte Mare and Španjola stand above and around the old town, and the Savina monastery sits in a grove of cypress and silver olive trees to the east — each treated as a separate stop in its own record. The old town itself is the vertical core: the Clock Tower, the squares, the churches and the stair streets that connect them.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
Herceg Novi was founded in 1382 by the Bosnian king Tvrtko I as a fortified port, originally named Sveti Stefan. It took its present name from Herceg Stjepan, the duke of Hum who held it in the 15th century. Because it guarded the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, it was fought over almost continuously: held successively by the Ottomans, the Spanish (who briefly garrisoned it in the 16th century), the Venetians, the French and the Austrians, each of whom added to or rebuilt its fortifications. The town’s mild microclimate made it a spa and resort from the 19th century onward, and its botanical richness — mimosa, cypress, magnolia and olive — is a direct result of that sheltered, warm exposure.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The Clock Tower — the 17th-century clock tower on Trg Nikole Đurkovića, the old town’s recognisable landmark and the point from which the stair streets climb.
Nikola Đurković Square — the principal old-town square, ringed by stone houses, cafés and the tower, the social heart of the upper town.
Belavista and the Church of the Archangel Michael — the Belavista square and its Orthodox church, a refined early-20th-century ensemble at the edge of the old core.
The stair streets and gates — the vertical lanes of stone stairs climbing between houses through the fortified gates, the defining experience of the old town.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Herceg Novi is the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, and its old town is the place that role was built into the stone — a fortress port stacked up a hillside to command the entrance to the bay. For a visitor it offers a different old-town experience from Kotor or Perast: steeper, greener and less crowded, with fortresses you can climb and a monastery above. Its layered history — Turkish, Venetian, Spanish, Austrian — is visible in the walls in a way the more uniformly Venetian bay towns are not.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
Herceg Novi Old Town
Herceg Novi Old Town, Herceg Novi, Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
42.4531, 18.5375
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Herceg Novi
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Old Town konobas — traditional Montenegrin coastal cooking and bay fish in the stone lanes and squares of the upper town, with seasonal opening and variable reservation needs
Škver and promenade seafood and cafés — seafront restaurants, grill houses and café terraces along the Šetalište Pet Danica for fish, mezze and a relaxed waterfront meal
Bakeries, markets and walker stops — burek, pastries, fruit and quick provisions around the marina and the old-town gates for a light lunch or a picnic on the promenade
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Central and Old Town guesthouses — small, locally run rooms and apartments within walking distance of the fortresses, the squares and the promenade
Promenade and Savina hotels and apartments — seafront accommodation along the Šetalište Pet Danica and toward the Savina side, with bay views and direct waterfront access
Igalo or eastern-riviera accommodation — a quieter, value-oriented base in Igalo or along the eastern riviera, a short drive or bus ride from the centre
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
PART OF
Keep exploring
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