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Recommendation for Kotor Tour


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The Kotor pictures were all taken with a Fuji XT-1 with an 18-135mm "travel" lens. I used a 10-18mm wide angle lens a couple times, but I don't think I changed lenses in Kotor at all. There's also the occasional iPhone shot in there!

 

 

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The Kotor pictures were all taken with a Fuji XT-1 with an 18-135mm "travel" lens. I used a 10-18mm wide angle lens a couple times, but I don't think I changed lenses in Kotor at all. There's also the occasional iPhone shot in there!

 

 

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Thanks! I'm going on a very similar cruise next month that visits Venice, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Santorini and Olympia and have been trying to decide what lenses to bring.

 

I use a Canon, and have a 10-18mm wide angle, a 50mm 1.4 and a 70-250mm telephoto. Oh, and the 18-55mm kit lens. Do you think I should pick up an 18-135mm for the trip?

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Thanks! I'm going on a very similar cruise next month that visits Venice, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Santorini and Olympia and have been trying to decide what lenses to bring.

 

 

 

I use a Canon, and have a 10-18mm wide angle, a 50mm 1.4 and a 70-250mm telephoto. Oh, and the 18-55mm kit lens. Do you think I should pick up an 18-135mm for the trip?

 

 

 

I think you need to lighten your load! You're not going to want to carry all those. I have a Canon, and bought the mirrorless before this trip to cut down on weight.

 

When I travelled with my Canon I carried a 10-22mm wide angle and a 15-85mm lens that was good for almost everything (it's an outstanding lens, but heavy). You can probably leave the telephoto zoom home...if you have good intermediate zoom capability you won't miss the extra length. It's not worth the weight for the handful of times you might use it.

 

If you do get a 15-85 or 18-135, leave the kit lens home too. Since it is small and reasonably light, you could take the 50mm for low light situations, or do what I do and use exposure compensation![emoji849] Yes, I'm really working on not missing things because I'm so wrapped up in fiddling with a camera!

 

I hope you don't think I'm being rude. The final "foot power" totals for our trip were 113 miles and 203 stories worth of stairs![emoji15] Pictures are important, but I can't imagine doing that carrying a bunch of extra lenses with me.

 

 

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I think you need to lighten your load! You're not going to want to carry all those. I have a Canon, and bought the mirrorless before this trip to cut down on weight.

 

When I travelled with my Canon I carried a 10-22mm wide angle and a 15-85mm lens that was good for almost everything (it's an outstanding lens, but heavy). You can probably leave the telephoto zoom home...if you have good intermediate zoom capability you won't miss the extra length. It's not worth the weight for the handful of times you might use it.

 

If you do get a 15-85 or 18-135, leave the kit lens home too. Since it is small and reasonably light, you could take the 50mm for low light situations, or do what I do and use exposure compensation![emoji849] Yes, I'm really working on not missing things because I'm so wrapped up in fiddling with a camera!

 

I hope you don't think I'm being rude. The final "foot power" totals for our trip were 113 miles and 203 stories worth of stairs![emoji15] Pictures are important, but I can't imagine doing that carrying a bunch of extra lenses with me.

 

 

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Not rude at all :) I was already debating leaving the zoom lens at home even though I don't yet have an 85mm or 135mm range lens. I'll probably look for a 18-135mm or similar lens and take that, the 10-18mm and the 50mm fixed.

 

Thanks again for the help and for the blog/pics!

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  • 2 weeks later...
I have just returned from my cruise where the 2nd last day was Kotor. We decided to do Kotor on our own and walked up the 1200 steps to the panoramic view point. Easily achievable in 1 and a half hours. A stroll around the port, within the walls and local area can be done in under 2 hours.Guides, taxis, boat excursions are easily accessed on the day and will take you further afield. All are competing for business and offer variations at reasonable rates. We were quoted 60 euro for 3 hours sightseeing in a taxi and local boat was only 15 euro per person. The sail in/out is super. Enjoy. :)

 

I don't think 1200 steps would be an option for me. I have some nerve damage from an accident...steps and inclines are something I don't handle well. Is there another way to get to the top to see the view? I've seen photos of this and would love to capture some for memories. I believe Capt. Carl from the Quest does this hike with guests on the ship.

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I don't think 1200 steps would be an option for me. Is there another way to get to the top to see the view? I've seen photos of this and would love to capture some for memories.

We had a private tour with Adventure Montenegro for an 8 hr tour ... part of that tour was the drive up Mt Louvcen stopping at a number of places for photo ops. They'll take you where you want to go .... and price it accordingly. You don't have to take one of their gazetted tours. You also don't want to miss a trip across to Our Lady of The Rocks off Perast. This can be incorporated in your tour.

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We had a private tour with Adventure Montenegro for an 8 hr tour ... part of that tour was the drive up Mt Louvcen stopping at a number of places for photo ops. They'll take you where you want to go .... and price it accordingly. You don't have to take one of their gazetted tours. You also don't want to miss a trip across to Our Lady of The Rocks off Perast. This can be incorporated in your tour.

 

Thank you. Will you please post their contact information?

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I don't think 1200 steps would be an option for me. I have some nerve damage from an accident...steps and inclines are something I don't handle well. Is there another way to get to the top to see the view? I've seen photos of this and would love to capture some for memories. I believe Capt. Carl from the Quest does this hike with guests on the ship.

 

 

 

As long as you book a private tour, you should be able to customize any company's "stock" tours to see the things that really interest you. Our experience in April/May on all our private tours was with great guides who really listened to us and tailored the day to our tastes.

 

 

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As long as you book a private tour, you should be able to customize any company's "stock" tours to see the things that really interest you. Our experience in April/May on all our private tours was with great guides who really listened to us and tailored the day to our tastes.

 

 

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Can you please post which guides you used?

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Can you please post which guides you used?

 

 

 

We used Montenegro M Tours and they were fantastic! If you look at post 21 I linked my blog from the day. The owner, Mladen Lalatovic was great to work with.

 

I would be happy to share other ports if you tell me where you're going![emoji846]

 

http://www.mtours.me

 

 

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We used Montenegro M Tours and they were fantastic! If you look at post 21 I linked my blog from the day. The owner, Mladen Lalatovic was great to work with.

 

I would be happy to share other ports if you tell me where you're going![emoji846]

 

http://www.mtours.me

 

 

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Other ports that I don't have plans for are Dubrovnik, Hvar, Koper, Slovenia, and Corfu, Greece. I'm also looking for something different to do in Valetta...maybe the islands surrounding Valetta. We've docked there twice in the past and have seen most areas.

Did you customize your tour with mtours?

Thank you for the reply.

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Other ports that I don't have plans for are Dubrovnik, Hvar, Koper, Slovenia, and Corfu, Greece. I'm also looking for something different to do in Valetta...maybe the islands surrounding Valetta. We've docked there twice in the past and have seen most areas.

 

Did you customize your tour with mtours?

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

 

Hi! I saw your post on my blog, so I know you found it![emoji846] There's a post for each port, so I'll just give you links to the blog and tour providers and if you have any questions just ask!

 

We didn't customize our Montenegro tour in advance, but Mladen took the time to listen to us and adjust as we went. We took the Perast-Budva-Kotor tour which was supposed to be six hours...we stayed out closer to 8 hours.

 

We had a similar experience in Corfu. Our driver with Corfu Taxi Tours (Spiros 2) was phenomenal! I highly recommend this company:

http://www.corfutaxitours.com

https://theworldthroughmylens.blog/?s=Corfu

 

I also highly recommend Roundabout Travel in Slovenia. We used them in Koper, and then later when we were in Ljubljana. The tour I took went to the caves and the Stud farm, but we had another group from the roll call go to Ljubljana and Lake Bled, and they loved their tour too! Barbara from their office was very quick to communicate and easy to work with.

http://www.travel-slovenia.com

https://theworldthroughmylens.blog/?s=Koper

 

I'm not much help with the other ports. Our scheduled tour in Dubrovnik fell through and we ended up just grabbing a van to tour the area and then lunching/walking the wall in the old city.

https://theworldthroughmylens.blog/?s=Dubrovnik+

 

We were in Malta two days. On the first day (Valletta) we took a photography tour that included the short ferry ride across to the little fishing villages of Birgu, Bormla, and Fgura. That's something you could easily do on your own. We also really enjoyed the restaurant where we ate dinner in Valletta.

https://theworldthroughmylens.blog/2017/05/02/whats-behind-door-number-1/

 

Our second day was on the island of Gozo. We took a Jeep tour, and while we enjoyed it we also thought it was a little long! The scenery on the island was fantastic! We could see Valletta in the distance from Gozo, and I know the ferry runs back and forth on a regular schedule.

https://theworldthroughmylens.blog/2017/05/16/yes-the-water-really-is-that-blue/

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Got back a couple of weeks ago and wanted to follow up on our day in Montenegro.

 

We did a private tour with another couple and used Mont Travelers.

 

We started the day visiting he old town of Budva. Budva is beautiful. If you just want to spend the day in one part of Montenegro, this was one has the most charm and it's not even close. From the walled old town to cobblestone paths to the beach and great harbor views, it's just nice and not overrun.

 

After leaving Budva, we headed for the Lipa Caves near Cetenje The caves are a good take and a great experience. After that one hour tour, we headed into the town of Cetenje. It's interesting and not very touristy, but it's poor and looks like it's stuck in an older decade.

 

One of the great things about Montenegro is the scenic drive around the mountain. I think there are 23 rotations, but I'm not sure. On a clear day, you will see your ship at every turn where it's tendered. The drive is a great part of Montenegro.

 

After Cetenje, our guide took us to a pretty remote area where there is an industry of several who smoke their own meats and cheeses and deliver everywhere, but some also serve outdoor lunches. We had smoked meats and cheeses with tomatoes and bread for lunch and the guide took us back to the smokehouse. It was pretty cool.

 

After that, we went to Kotor and got a quick tour of the old town. Much of is rebuilt and it's near the port. I'd classify it as a tourist trap. Every other place is a bar/restaurant or just selling gelato. We were pretty tired after spending 40 minutes there and headed back to the ship. I think we paid 110 euros per couple (not per person) and another 10 euros for admission to the caves which has a separate tour with their own guide. I'd recommend Mont Travelers and Montenegro to anyone. Going into this cruise, we knew very little about Malta, Montenegro, and not much about Dubrovnik, but, in many ways, it was our favorite Med cruise.

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We used Liset and Daniel from Kotor Private Tours. They quickly responded to our emails.

 

The tour was customized to fit our limited time in port. Daniel was an excellent, safe, driver and wonderful guide. He patiently stopped for many photo opportunities and took pictures of us.

 

We visited Budva, Sveti Stefan, the Mt. Trojica overlook, and Kotor (including the Wall of Shame, Serbian Orthodox Church, and St. Tryphon Cathedral) . He had excellent suggestions for a quick lunch and where to shop.

 

We saw a lot but the pace was never rushed. We received a nice thank you email after returning from our trip. We highly recommend Kotor Private Tours.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Got back a couple of weeks ago and wanted to follow up on our day in Montenegro.

 

We did a private tour with another couple and used Mont Travelers.

 

We started the day visiting he old town of Budva. Budva is beautiful. If you just want to spend the day in one part of Montenegro, this was one has the most charm and it's not even close. From the walled old town to cobblestone paths to the beach and great harbor views, it's just nice and not overrun.

 

After leaving Budva, we headed for the Lipa Caves near Cetenje The caves are a good take and a great experience. After that one hour tour, we headed into the town of Cetenje. It's interesting and not very touristy, but it's poor and looks like it's stuck in an older decade.

 

One of the great things about Montenegro is the scenic drive around the mountain. I think there are 23 rotations, but I'm not sure. On a clear day, you will see your ship at every turn where it's tendered. The drive is a great part of Montenegro.

 

After Cetenje, our guide took us to a pretty remote area where there is an industry of several who smoke their own meats and cheeses and deliver everywhere, but some also serve outdoor lunches. We had smoked meats and cheeses with tomatoes and bread for lunch and the guide took us back to the smokehouse. It was pretty cool.

 

After that, we went to Kotor and got a quick tour of the old town. Much of is rebuilt and it's near the port. I'd classify it as a tourist trap. Every other place is a bar/restaurant or just selling gelato. We were pretty tired after spending 40 minutes there and headed back to the ship. I think we paid 110 euros per couple (not per person) and another 10 euros for admission to the caves which has a separate tour with their own guide. I'd recommend Mont Travelers and Montenegro to anyone. Going into this cruise, we knew very little about Malta, Montenegro, and not much about Dubrovnik, but, in many ways, it was our favorite Med cruise.

 

We did a similar tour with the same agency (Mont Travelers) and was fantastic too. The guide was friendly and excellent English speaking but that was expected :) Anyway we really enjoyed his company and our time in Montenegro. I'd like to everybody now about this company as it is one of the best, I am sure. On the web site of the company is a few tour suggestions with a nice description, itinerary and price list.

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  • 3 weeks later...
We're booked with mtours. I'll let everyone know how it goes. Really looking forward to this tour.
I think you chose very well!

 

We just returned from an Adriatic cruise and in Kotor we booked a private tour with Montenegro M Tours covering Perast-Budva-Kotor Old Town. The itinerary was superb and our day was well planned to accommodate our short port stay. We actually got to Our Lady of the Rocks just as they were opening the little church/museum, so we were able to get the iconic shot of us perched in the archway without another soul on the tiny island! Throughout the day, our guide shared many details of the history of Montenegro as well as insights into living there today. Montenegro is a beautiful country and M Tours did a great job of showcasing it. You won't be disappointed.

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I can't speak highly enough about MTours. We were met at 9:30 because of our arrival time. We were supposed to have a 5-6 hour tour. Our guide was wonderful, Mili....real name Milovan. He spent so much time with us, showed us a lot, and explained all about Montenegro. We went to Perast first and got on our boat transfer. We went to the front of the que at Our Lady in the Rock because our tickets has been purchased by MTours in advance. Mili dropped us back at the ship at 5:15. Our price remained the same price that was originally quoted.

I'm also going to put a plug in.....MTours does weekly tours if anyone is planning on extending a stay in Montenegro. Mili was really a fun and entertaining guy.

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  • 1 month later...

This is another endorsement for Dimitrije of monttravelers. We spent a half day with him in September. He is very personable and was focused on what we wanted to see and learn. We arrived in Kotor with no prior knowledge of Montenegro but left understanding quite a bit of the history and culture while seeing the sights. Our expectations were met and exceeded.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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