It took over 8 hours to get to Kotor on an overnight bus from Pristina via Albania. Although I slept for most of the ride, the sharp turns from the bus making its way up and down the windy roads woke me up. As I peered outside the window half awake, I could see the coastline to my left and the sun rising above the mountains to my right. Something about the bus being almost empty, the killer view of the rugged coastline, and the stillness of the June morning felt like I was in a dream state. After seeing Sveti Stefan on the cover of a Lonely Planet at my local bookstore years ago, I was now seeing it with my own eyes from outside my bus window.

As I got off at the bus station in Kotor, something about Montenegro felt just right. On one hand, it didn’t feel as rough around the edges as a place like Albania, but on the other extreme, not as posh and overrun with tourists as Santorini for example. Montenegro felt right in the middle, which suited my taste and backpacker’s budget. Keep in mind that this was in 2018. I’m not sure what Montenegro is like now, but I’m sure things have changed. The mountains are very similar to the ones in Croatia, which makes sense given that the two countries are right next to each other and share the same coastline. The difference is that Montenegro is way more budget friendly and not as overrun with tourists as Croatia.

For three blissful nights, I stayed at a party hostel. At first, I was hesitant to book a party hostel fearing that it would be full of 18 year old Aussies, but to my surprise, the range of ages was diverse and everyone was super outgoing and fun to be around. We played cards, swam in the bay, went out on pub crawls, and drank way too much alcohol. Since the start of my tour of the Balkans, it was the first time where everyone at the hostel was was having fun together as a group instead of everyone doing their own thing. It felt like we were part of a community…a community of partiers.

A short walk away from the hostel is the Old Town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The medieval town is fully enclosed by walls with the bay on one side and dramatic limestone cliffs on the other.

As with any typical medieval town, a church can be found by one of the main squares. This one is the Church of St. Luke if you’re curious to know.

As you can see, the town was built almost a thousand years ago.

A gate to the Old Town marks the main entrance to the trail that leads to St. John’s Fortress, which overlooks the entire town.

Along the trail is an old, medieval church that has been abandoned.

Also known as the Castle of San Giovanni, the fortress offers panoramic views of the bay and surrounding mountains.

Beyond the fortress at the very top of the trail is a scenic viewpoint overlooking the entire bay. Pictures truly don’t do justice to the breathtaking landscape.

The hostel had bikes to use for free, so I took full advantage. Biking around the bay with 360 degree views of the stunning mountains felt surreal.

Kotor was the perfect place to unwind and have fun for a few days. It was just what I needed coming from Kosovo, where a dramatic incident left me a bit disturbed. The view outside my hostel brings nothing but fond memories of connecting with other travellers, while drinking too much alcohol with not a care in the world. I was well into my golden age of travel without even knowing it.