A view of the Bay of Kotor from the city of Kotor, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Evgeniya Matveeva / EyeEm
A view of the Bay of Kotor from the city of Kotor, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Evgeniya Matveeva / EyeEm
A view of the Bay of Kotor from the city of Kotor, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Evgeniya Matveeva / EyeEm
A view of the Bay of Kotor from the city of Kotor, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Evgeniya Matveeva / EyeEm

My Kind of Place: Kotor, Montenegro


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Why Kotor?

The walled, medieval city of Kotor lies at the southern end of the Bay of Kotor, on the Montenegrin coast – a cluster of narrow alleys and cobbled squares wedged between the mountains and the sea.

A Unesco World Heritage Site, Kotor is a fascinating place and arguably the most rewarding cultural destination in Montenegro. The city’s history stretches back to before the Romans, though it was during almost four centuries of Venetian rule that it gained much of its present appearance.

The location is certainly impressive – the Bay of Kotor (Boka to locals) is a spectacular natural inlet, surrounded by steep mountain slopes, its mouth so narrow that a massive chain was once slung across it to keep out enemy shipping.

Boutique hotels have sprung up in recent years and cruise ships now dock on the waterfront nearby, but Kotor remains more relaxed than glitzy Sveti Stefan or brash Budva. Wandering through the old town can still feel like stepping back in time.

A comfortable bed

Hotel Cattaro (www.cattarohotel.com) occupies three historic buildings within the old city walls, along one side of Trg od Oružja. The interior is suitably opulent, but the cafes and restaurants on the square below can sometimes be noisy. Rooms cost from €109 (Dh424) for a double, including breakfast.

Hotel Hippocampus (www.hotelhippocampus.com) is a luxury boutique hotel in a renovated Venetian palazzo, near the North Gate. Double rooms cost from €112 (Dh435), breakfast included.

Outside the old city walls in the nearby suburb of Dobrota, Palazzo Radomiri (www.palazzoradomiri.com) is a luxury boutique hotel set within an exquisitely renovated Venetian palazzo, complete with period furnishings, right on the waterfront. Rooms cost from €160 (Dh622) for a double, including breakfast.

Find your feet

Kotor’s walls stretch for about 4.5 kilometres – more than twice the length of the more famous walls of Dubrovnik – and are up to 20 metres high in places and up to 10m thick. As well as encircling the old historic core, the fortifications zigzag up over the steep crags, leading to the Fortress of St John.

The place to start a tour of the old town is the main city gate, which leads into the large Square of Weapons (so called because the city arsenal was located here – there are also other squares in the old town named after their former usage, Square of Milk, Square of Flour etc).

Kotor’s 12th-century Cathedral of St Tryphon is an outstanding example of Romanesque architecture (the baroque bell towers and the Gothic-Renaissance facade were added in the 17th century, after the originals were brought down by a huge earthquake in 1667). Inside the cathedral you’ll find a three-nave basilica and a 14th-century, three-tiered ciborium above the main altar, carved in Romanesque-Gothic style.

Kotor has a long and rich maritime history, and it's worth stopping to see the Maritime Museum (www.museummaritimum.com/eng/eng.htm), housed in an 18th-century baroque palace.

Make sure you head out of town to Perast, a village on the shore of the Bay of Kotor, from which boats set off to visit the tiny picturesque islands of Our Lady of the Rocks and St George.

Meet the locals

Kotor’s open-air market runs along the exterior of the city walls, by the waterfront, selling fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. If you want to see Kotor going about its daily routine, this is as good a place as any to start.

Book a table

Kotor’s most upmarket restaurant is Galion (+382 67 263 420), which enjoys a stunning location right on the waterfront, overlooking the superyachts in the marina. Entrées include monkfish and caviar carpaccio for €14.50 (Dh56); mains include premium fish from €48 (Dh187) per kilogram.

For something a bit less fancy, Giardino (www.restaurant-giardino.com) is a decent family-run restaurant/pizzeria, opposite the Maritime Museum. Seafood and grills start from about €10 (Dh39).

If you’re heading out of town to visit the islands of Our Lady of the Rocks and St George, Konoba Školji is a good place on the waterfront in Perast, near where the boat trips set off. Lamb cooked ispod saca (a traditional method of cooking meat, under an iron dish, on hot coals) costs €14 (Dh55).

Shopper’s paradise

There are plenty of shops in the old town selling local handmade crafts and souvenirs – Cats of Kotor is one of the most popular.

What to avoid

If you’re staying at a hotel in the old town, try to get a room that doesn’t face the streets or a main square – cafes and bars are open late and can be noisy.

Don’t miss

For the quintessential view of Kotor, and to get up close with some of the city’s sprawling fortifications, hike up to St John’s Fort. It’s an easy 30-minute walk up the broad, stone path that goes up the steep slopes behind the old town – but make sure you take a hat and a bottle of water, since it can be relentlessly hot in the summer and there’s little in the way of shade.

Getting there

Return flights with Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Abu Dhabi to Tivat via Belgrade, with the Belgrade-Tivat flight operated by code-share partner Air Serbia, cost from Dh3,890 including taxes. A taxi (www.redtaxikotor.com) from Tivat airport to Kotor costs €7 (Dh27) and takes 15 minutes.

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

RESULTS

Manchester United 2

Anthony Martial 30'

Scott McTominay 90 6' 

Manchester City 0

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

RESULT

Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: 
Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)

THE BIO

Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking

Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.

As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.

Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.

Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.

Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates