Standing at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor like an eager host, Located between Adriatic sea and Mount Orjen. Herceg Novi (Херцег Нови) welcomes visitors with bright bouquets, sparkling seas and almost-constant sunshine. Can’t find the party? Look down; it’s all happening a few dozen wonky steps below the main highway. The Old Town’s shiny squares, elegant churches and formidable fortresses echo with the clatter of cafes and bars. Further down, pebbly beaches and concrete terraces offer access to the bay’s best – and cleanest – swimming. Follow the pedestrian-only promenade and you’ll hit Igalo, famed for its therapeutic mud.
Fortress in Herceg Novi – Forte Mare The bastion at the town’s seaward edge was built between the 14th and 17th centuries but owes its current look to an Austrian makeover in 1833. It’s now used for film screenings on summer nights. Downstairs, a 15-minute video tells the story of Ottoman admiral Barbarossa wresting the fort from the Spanish in the 1539 Siege of Castelnuovo. In the sea below, you can see the ruins of the Citadela, a Venetian-built fort that was the victim of a major earthquake that hit the coast in 1979.