Hiking the St. John Fortress of Kotor

The St John Fortress, or the San Giovanni, is a set of structures from the Byzantine era that sit above Kotor Old Town. Although they are mostly ruins today, what’s special about them is that they sit high above the bay, offering panoramic views of Kotor.

The most popular way to access the St. John Fortress is to queue up at the entrance from Old Town, buy a ticket for the staircase, and climb up the 1300 steps to the top of the fortress.

Or, if you’ve already reached the fortress via the Ladder of Kotor hike, you can climb in through a hole in the wall.

Let me back up. On our way back from yesterday’s Krstac hike, we noticed a side trail leading to the fortress.

A kind man with some goats encouraged us to continue along that route.

We soon found ourselves surrounded by fascinating ruins.

The trail, still marked with Montenegro’s national park trail blazes, directed us to a window in the fortress that was helpfully equipped with a small ladder. So, in we went.

Emerging from the window was a surreal experience, like being airdropped into a medieval theme park. After seeing maybe five people on the trail all day, we were suddenly surrounded by tourists (not pictured). The popularity made sense though, as the views of Kotor from the fortress really were incredible.

We decided to make our way back to Kotor via the staircase. You can see one of the cruise ships in the background of some of the shots.

Unsurprisingly, we did have to buy a ticket to the fortress on our way out of the turnstile. So, this unconventional route won’t save you money. But, I think it’s nice to experience both the natural and urban pathways to the fortress.

Cat petting is not mandatory but encouraged.