Kotor in October

Plan October here around the rain rather than the sun, and it is one of the better months to come. Warmth holds through much of it, the bay is still swimmable early on, and the old town is easier to walk than in summer. What changes is the weather's temper: the mountains that close in the bay catch autumn systems coming off the sea, and when rain arrives it tends to come hard.

The ships have not finished

Cruise calls carry on through October. On a day with ships in, the lanes inside the walls fill from mid-morning to late afternoon much as they do in summer; on a day without, the town belongs to the people who live in it. Its port publishes a calendar, and it is worth reading before deciding which day goes on the old town and which on the rest of the bay.

A dry day

Start early on the climb up the fortifications behind the town, which is a different undertaking in October than in July: cooler, quieter, and with the bay laid out below in clear light after rain. The Kotor Old Town Walking Tour runs a morning and an afternoon departure from the Square of Arms and takes about an hour; the cathedral and the walls charge separately, so budget for both if the walk makes you want to go in.

Calm water is the other thing to spend a dry day on. The shared speedboat on Kotor: Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks Island - Every 2 Hours is a trip of about two hours out to the islet church and Perast, and in October it is worth booking on the morning itself rather than days ahead, once you can see what the sky is doing.

A wet day

Rain changes the plan more than the mood. The Maritime Museum and the cathedral of St Tryphon are both inside the walls and both worth an hour out of the weather. The Private Walking tour with Wine and Food is a different case: it ends at a table with local wine, prosciutto, cheese and mussels, but it is a walk through the old town first, so keep it for a dry evening rather than treating it as shelter.

Evenings

Clocks go back on the last Sunday of the month, and after that dusk arrives before most people are ready to eat. After dark the walls are lit, and the view of them from the water's edge at Dobrota is worth the stroll out of town.

Where to sleep this month

Hotel Vardar, on the square just inside the main gate, earns its place in October because its sauna and hammam are indoors and the town is outside the door when the rain stops. HUMA Kotor Bay Hotel and Villas at Dobrota has a spa as well, but its outdoor pool is seasonal, so check what is open for your dates before counting it as part of the stay.

Comparing current stay and experience options across your exact dates is worth doing before anything is fixed, because what is running in the first week of the month may not be by the last.