Blue Cave Montenegro (Kotor) – Ultimate Guide

Blue Cave Montenegro (Kotor) – Ultimate Guide

A complete and up-to-date guide to visiting the Blue Cave in Montenegro (Bay of Kotor).

The Blue Cave, also called Blue Grotto or Plava Spilja in Montenegrin, is an amazing sea cave that is one of the most popular attractions on the coast of Montenegro.

Famous for its alluring blue glow and crystal clear waters, a visit to this remarkable sea cave should be on everyone's list of things to do in Kotor or Budva.

In this guide I will describe everything you need to know about visiting the Blue Cave in Montenegro, including how to get there, what to expect, and some photos from my trip!

About Montenegro's Blue Cave

While everyone knows about Croatia's Blue Cave near the island of Vis, Montenegro's Blue Cave doesn't get nearly the attention. At least not as much as it deserves!

For adventure travelers, this is a blessing as you often have these amazing sea caves all to yourself and don't have to share them with a dozen other tour boats!

Similar to the Croatian Blue Cave, the Blue Cave of Montenegro gets its name from the beautiful blue glow. This is created by the sun reflecting through the crystal clear water and illuminating the cave interior. This natural phenomenon is spectacular to see and even more amazing to swim in!

In addition, the cave entrance is quite small and can only be reached by small boats. It's also a good idea to time the tide, as it's almost impossible to get in (or escape) during high tide.

Where is the Blue Cave in Montenegro?

The Blue Cave is located on the Lustica Peninsula near the popular tourist regions of Kotor, Tivat, Budva and Herceg Novi.

The cave entrance is located south of the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. From the outside it's pretty inconspicuous and almost impossible to find if you don't know where to look.

Additionally, there is no access to this cave from land. This is due to the steep cliffs on this part of the Montenegrin coast.

Therefore, to get to the grotto you must enter via the sea.

How to get to the Blue Cave from Kotor

There are two main options to get to the Blue Cave from popular tourist destinations such as Kotor Bay (Boka Bay), Tivat or Budva.

Option 1: Boat tour of Kotor

This is by far the cheapest option for getting to the Blue Cave from Kotor and the option I chose.

The boat tour covers all the highlights of the Bay of Kotor and the surrounding coast, including a visit to the submarine tunnel, the Lady of the Rocks (artificial island with a church), Mamula and the Blue Cave.

This trip lasts just over 3 hours, making it excellent value for money. And with convenient meeting points, it's easy to hook up if you're stopping by for a day on a cruise ship (also cheaper than the cruise excursions).

Travel tip: I always book with GetYourGuide (above) if the weather is bad you get a full refund.

Islands in the Bay of Kotor
Submarine tunnel

Option 2: Boat taxi from Igalo beach

This second option is ideal for budget travelers looking to save some money. However, it requires some public transportation (or your own vehicle) and you will miss other highlights of the tour above.

First, you should make your way to Igalo Beach, located at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor near the Croatian border. Many local boat trips depart from this beach every day.

These excursions cost just 5 euros and also stop at the beautiful Janica Beach as well as several other smaller sea caves.

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What awaits you in the Blue Grotto (Blue Grotto).

Are you interested in more photos and want to know what it's actually like to visit the Blue Cave in Montenegro? Here is an overview of my recent experience with the Kotor boat tour linked above.

Entering the grotto

At first glance, the entrance to this beautiful cave doesn't look like much more than a narrow hole in the rock wall. As we approached by speedboat, we noticed that the tide was already quite high and were a bit worried about whether we would be able to squeeze through or not.

Luckily our boat driver has worked on the Adriatic all his life and knew exactly how to get in.

It took a few seconds for our eyes to adjust. But after a few moments we were enveloped by a sparkling natural dome of watery blue. The blue light radiates from the sandy floor of the deep saltwater cave, illuminating the entire cave in a spectacular way!

Swimming in the grotto

When you visit the Blue Grotto, all you have to do is swim in! Only smaller ships can enter, which means it's safe!

The water is crystal clear and quite deep, meaning you can swim and explore the blue water cave on your own.

The back entrance

After a short tour, our driver wanted to show us the back entrance of the cave. This section was a little more difficult to maneuver as strong currents moved in and out. However, when we got out we were shown a series of caves just around the corner.

Each was spectacular, with amazing turquoise waters and steep, green cliffs. However, since it is much smaller than the Blue Cave, we were unable to enter it with our boat.

Travel tip: Stay overnight in Kotor

The best places to stay in Kotor are the Old Town, Muo (west side of the bay) or Dobrota (east side of the bay). Below is a quick summary of the top-rated tips and recommendations for every budget.

• Blue Premium Spa Resort – Ein fantastisches Luxus-Spa-Resort nur für Erwachsene mit Blick auf Boca Kotorska.
• Apartmani Art Karampana – Eine schöne Wohnung in der Altstadt. Bewertet mit 9,7 von 10 mit Hunderten von Bewertungen.
• Centrum Hostel – Mit Hunderten von Bewertungen ist dies immer noch das am besten bewertete Hostel für Lage und Atmosphäre in der Altstadt von Kotor.

More Montenegro & Balkans travel guides

I hope this quick guide to visiting the Blue Cave in Montenegro has inspired you to experience this unique and amazing natural attraction in this underrated country.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you'll find lots more guides and inspiration for your own adventures below.

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