Perast
Perast sits on the north-western coast of the Bay of Kotor, between Kotor and Risan, tucked against the slopes of Mount Sveti Ilij...
Updated 9 July 2026
The story
The story of Perast
History: the maritime republic and the nautical school
Perast came under Venice's orbit in 1420 and from then on enjoyed particular privileges in exchange for its fleet, used to guard the entrance of the Bay of Kotor against Ottoman raids. In 1698 Captain Marco Martinović founded a school of navigation there that became a point of reference for the whole Adriatic area: according to local tradition, Tsar Peter the Great sent several young Russian noblemen to study seamanship and shipbuilding, an episode the people of Perast still recall with civic pride. With the fall of the Serene Republic in 1797 the town passed under Austria and later, for brief periods, under France and Russia, before becoming part of twentieth-century Montenegro: each phase has left traces in the documents and coats of arms preserved in the palaces.
The baroque palaces and the waterfront
Along the shore stand sixteen noble palaces, built when Perast's families of captains and merchants competed to display their wealth through carved stone facades, loggias and blazoned portals. The best known is Palazzo Bujović, the work of Venetian architect Giovanni Battista Fontana, today home to the town museum; not far away are Palazzo Zmajević, linked to the family of the archbishop who promoted the rebuilding of the church of San Nicola, and Palazzo Smekja, among the most imposing of the group. Many buildings are in uneven condition - some restored, others still closed or awaiting work - but taken together the waterfront remains one of the best-preserved baroque skylines of the entire eastern Adriatic coast.
The church of San Nicola and the unfinished bell tower
The church of San Nicola, patron of seafarers, was rebuilt from 1740 by will of Archbishop Vicko Zmajević, with the ambition of making it the cathedral of the whole Bay of Kotor. The funds were not enough to complete the project and the building was left without its planned dome, with the upper part of the main body breaking off visibly: a detail that today is part of the place's charm rather than a flaw. The bell tower, built separately and finished in 1691, rises over fifty metres and is the tallest in the Bay of Kotor: for a fee, visitors can climb to the top for a view over the whole gulf, the two islands and the red roofs of the town.
The island of Sveti Đorđe
Sveti Đorđe is the only natural island in the Bay of Kotor and is dominated by cypresses that have made it a recurring image on the region's postcards. It is home to a Benedictine abbey of medieval origin, rebuilt several times, and a cemetery where the families of captains from Perast and nearby towns were buried for centuries. The island is not open to the public except on special occasions or with specific permits, so it is almost always seen from the sea during boat trips to Gospa od Škrpjela: it is precisely this contrast between the two islands - one bare and silent, the other man-made and full of votive offerings - that often strikes visitors most.
Our Lady of the Rock and the Fašinada
According to legend, in 1452 two fishermen brothers found an icon of the Madonna on an outcropping reef and from that moment began throwing stones there every time they returned from the sea. The custom turned into a collective practice: generations of inhabitants sank stones and old boats loaded with rocks until they created an artificial islet solid enough to support a church, built in 1630 and enriched many times since. Inside is the painted cycle by Tripo Kokolja and a small museum with more than two thousand silver votive tablets donated over the centuries by sailors who survived shipwrecks, as well as an embroidery worked on for twenty-five years by Jacinta Kunić-Mijović, who wove into it gold thread, silver thread and her own hair while waiting for her husband to return from sea. Every 22 July the tradition of the fašinada comes alive again with a procession of boats unloading new stones around the island, followed by a rowing regatta.
Maritime tradition and the Perast museum
The Perast Museum, housed in Palazzo Bujović, gathers portraits of captains, ship models, nautical instruments, weapons and documents that trace the centuries in which the town supplied officers and admirals to the Venetian, Austrian and Russian fleets. The town's strength lay not in the number of its inhabitants but in the seafaring expertise built up over generations by families such as the Zmajević, the Vicko and the Mazarović, whose names recur as often on the palaces as in the archives of Venice. Even today the life of the town revolves around the small harbour, from which boats depart for the islands and for excursions along the bay.
The surroundings in the Bay of Kotor
Perast is a few kilometres from Kotor, the UNESCO World Heritage walled town whose walls climb up towards the fortress of San Giovanni, and from Risan, where the remains of a Roman villa with 2nd-3rd century mosaics can be seen. Further into the bay lies Tivat, with the Porto Montenegro marina, while at the mouth of the bay stands Herceg Novi, a spa and fortified town. The coastal road linking these towns runs almost the whole way at the water's edge, with tight bends and close-up views of mountains plunging into the sea: a route many cover by car or by bicycle as part of the experience itself.
When to go
Late spring (April-June) and early autumn (September-October) offer mild temperatures, swimmable sea and a more manageable flow of visitors compared to the height of summer, when river cruises and tour buses fill the waterfront and the jetty for the islands. In winter the town is nearly deserted and some activities, including regular access to Gospa od Škrpjela, may have reduced hours or depend on sea conditions. 22 July, the day of the fašinada, is when Perast shows its most authentic identity, but it is also when finding accommodation requires booking well in advance.
FAQ
Si può visitare l'isola di San Giorgio?
Come si raggiunge Gospa od Škrpjela?
Quanto tempo serve per visitare Perast?
Si può salire sul campanile di San Nicola?
Perast è raggiungibile con i mezzi pubblici da Kotor?
Cosa racconta la leggenda della Madonna dello Scarpello?
Getting there
- Aeroporto di Tivat (TIV) - il più vicino, a circa 15 km da Perast, con voli soprattutto stagionali verso diverse città europee
- Aeroporto di Podgorica (TGD) - a circa 60-65 km, scalo principale del Montenegro con collegamenti tutto l'anno
- Aeroporto di Dubrovnik (DBV), Croazia - a circa 85-95 km, richiede l'attraversamento del confine croato-montenegrino a Debeli Brijeg
- La rete ferroviaria montenegrina non arriva alle Bocche di Cattaro: la stazione più vicina è a Podgorica, sulla linea Bar-Podgorica-Belgrado
- Da Podgorica si prosegue verso Perast in autobus o con transfer privato, in circa un'ora e un quarto
- Perast si trova sulla strada costiera (Jadranska magistrala) che collega Herceg Novi, Risan, Perast e Kotor seguendo il perimetro della baia; da Tivat si arriva anche attraverso il tunnel Vrmac. In auto da Kotor bastano circa 15 minuti, da Tivat circa 20-25.
- Il parcheggio nel centro di Perast è molto limitato in alta stagione: spesso conviene lasciare l'auto nei parcheggi a pagamento all'ingresso del paese e proseguire a piedi lungo il lungomare, da cui partono anche le barche per le isole.
Perfect for
Palazzi nobiliari, chiese e un campanile rimasto volutamente incompiuto raccontano tre secoli di storia marittima sotto Venezia.
Le due isole davanti al paese si raggiungono in pochi minuti di navigazione, ideali anche per una visita breve o combinata con Kotor.
La vista dal campanile di San Nicola e gli scorci al tramonto sul lungomare sono tra le immagini più cercate delle Bocche di Cattaro.
La fašinada del 22 luglio e il museo nel Palazzo Bujović offrono un accesso diretto alla memoria marinara della città.
Posizione comoda per spostarsi in auto o in barca verso Kotor, Risan, Tivat ed Herceg Novi in giornata.
To see
What to see in Perast
Routes · Trovido Route
