The Best Views of Perast: Bell Tower, Boat, or Roadside Pull-Off

Every visitor to Perast ends up with the same photo: a phone held up on the waterfront, the bell tower on one side, the bay flat and blue on the other. It's a good shot. It's also the same shot everyone else has. There are three other vantage points that actually change what's in the frame — and only one of them costs money.

This is a practical comparison, not a photography lecture. If you're planning a stop in Perast on your day trip or wondering whether to drive or take a boat, here's what each viewpoint actually gets you, in effort and euros.

The bell tower: highest view, most effort

St. Nicholas' Church, in the middle of Perast's one street, has the tallest church bell tower on the eastern Adriatic coast at roughly 55 metres. It was finished in 1697, and the stairwell inside hasn't changed much since — narrow, uneven stone steps, about 150 of them, with a low ceiling in a few spots. Entry runs €1-2, paid at the base.

The platform at the top is small, sometimes standing-room only if another visitor is already up there. What you get for the climb: the only view that looks straight down Perast's rooftops toward both islets — Our Lady of the Rocks and St. George's — with the full curve of the bay and the mountains behind. It's the one shot on this list that no boat or road angle replicates.

By boat: the view built into the trip

This is the one most visitors get without trying. Every boat route between Kotor and Perast runs close enough to shore that the town's waterfront, the bell tower, and the mountains behind it stay in frame for most of the approach — and unlike the roadside pull-off, the two islets are visible from the water in a way they simply aren't from land.

The trade-off is timing: you get this view once, during the crossing, not on your own schedule. If you want to line up a specific shot — golden hour, a calm-water reflection, no other boats in frame — a private tour gives you more control over when you pass than a fixed-departure shared tour does.

The roadside pull-off: free, but you need a car

The coastal road between Kotor and Perast climbs just enough above the shoreline in a few stretches to open up a wide view back over the water — no ticket, no boat schedule, just a place to stop the car. The trade-off is exactly what you'd expect: you need your own vehicle, the pull-offs aren't marked destinations, and in July and August the same narrow road that has this view is also the one backed up with traffic (see our boat vs car breakdown for the parking and timing details).

If you're already driving the coast road for another reason — combining Perast with Risan or Herceg Novi the same day — this view comes free along the way. It's not worth a special trip on its own when the boat and bell tower views cover the same ground with less driving.

Which one should you actually do

1. Climb the bell tower if you want the one photo nobody else on your boat will have — the straight-down view over both islets. Budget 20 minutes and €1-2, and check it's open before you commit to the stairs.
2. Let the boat do it if you're already taking a tour to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks — no extra planning, the view is part of the route.
3. Stop at a roadside pull-off only if you're driving the coast road anyway for a wider day trip. Not worth a dedicated detour by itself.
4. Combine bell tower and boat for the fullest picture: arrive by boat, climb the tower once you're on land, leave with both angles covered.

Once you've picked your view, our day trip to Perast guide covers what to do once you're on the ground, and the full story of Our Lady of the Rocks covers the island the bell tower looks down on.