Perast is 12km from Kotor along the bay road, and it's the single most photographed stretch of the entire Bay of Kotor — a town of Baroque captains' palaces with no car traffic through its center, sitting directly across from two small islands, one of which is entirely man-made.
Getting there
The drive or scooter ride from Kotor takes about 20 minutes along a coastal road that's a highlight in itself, with the bay opening up beside you the entire way. Parking is at the edges of town — Perast itself is walkable, and you won't be driving through it. If you'd rather not deal with parking or timing, a boat tour from Kotor typically includes Perast and the islands as a single combined trip, with no logistics to think about.
Our Lady of the Rocks
This is the reason most people come. It's an artificial islet — built up over centuries by local sailors sinking stones and old ships on the spot where, according to legend, two fishermen found an icon of the Virgin Mary in the 15th century. Small boats run continuously from the Perast waterfront to the island; the crossing takes only a few minutes. Entry to the church itself is free, and a small museum on the island (with a modest entrance fee) holds an unusual collection including embroidered tapestries and ship models donated by sailors over the centuries.
The neighboring island, St. George, is a working Benedictine monastery and is not open to visitors — it's the more photogenic of the two from a distance, precisely because you can't get close.
What else is worth seeing in town
The Perast town museum, housed in the Bujović Palace right on the waterfront, is worth an hour if you have any interest in the town's maritime history — Perast was a significant naval power in its own right for centuries, and the museum's ship models and captains' portraits tell that story well. Beyond the museum, simply walking the length of the waterfront past the row of Baroque palaces, most still privately owned, is the actual experience most people come for — there's no single "must-see" building beyond the general atmosphere of the place.
How much time to set aside
A half-day is enough for the essentials: the boat to Our Lady of the Rocks and back, a walk along the waterfront, and a coffee or lunch looking out at the islands. If you're adding the town museum and want to linger rather than rush, budget closer to a full half-day trip, roughly 3–4 hours door to door from Kotor including travel time.
Food and practicalities
Perast has a handful of waterfront restaurants with unbeatable views over the islands — prices run slightly higher than equivalent spots in Kotor's old town, which is the trade-off for the setting. There's no large supermarket in town, so it's not the place to plan on stocking up on supplies; a coffee, a meal, and the boat crossing cover most people's actual spending here.
Combining Perast with the rest of the bay
Most visitors treat Perast as a standalone half-day trip, but it sits naturally on the route to Risan and the further reaches of the bay, making it easy to extend into a fuller day if you're already renting a scooter or car rather than taking a dedicated boat tour. The road continues another 15–20 minutes past Perast to Risan, home to Roman-era floor mosaics and considerably fewer visitors, before the option to loop back or continue on toward Herceg Novi near the bay's entrance.
For visitors without their own transport, most boat tours from Kotor bundle Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks together as a single package, sometimes with an added stop at the Blue Cave further along the coast — worth checking what's included before booking, since itineraries vary noticeably between operators.