The three things our crew confiscates apologies for at the pier, every single week: no swimwear under a T-shirt when the plan is to go inside the Our Lady of the Rocks church, no cash for the €2 bell-tower climb in Perast, and a full suitcase that has nowhere to go on a boat with no cabin storage. None of these mistakes are complicated to avoid. They just never make it onto the generic "Montenegro packing list" articles written for the whole country instead of for a few hours on a speedboat.
This is the list we actually give guests when they ask at check-in, built from what gets left behind, what gets regretted, and what the boat itself does and doesn't have room for. It covers every one of our 15 tours — shared and private bay cruises, the rental boats, and the semi-submarine — so skip to the section that matches your trip.
The Short Version
The core list: what to bring on every Kotor boat tour
Every one of our tours — the 1-hour highlights run, the 3-hour Blue Cave trip, the 6-hour full-day charter — shares the same core kit. Pack this regardless of which tour you've booked, then check the season-specific and tour-specific notes below.
- Booking confirmation — printed or on your phone, screenshot works if you expect patchy signal on the water
- Sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher — reapply after any swim stop; there is no shade once you're past the harbour wall
- Sunglasses and a hat or cap — the glare off the water is sharper than it looks from shore
- Swimwear, under your clothes — most tours include at least one swim stop, and there's no changing room on board
- A towel — boats don't supply them; a quick-dry travel towel packs smaller than a beach towel
- Comfortable shoes or sandals that can get wet — the boarding ladder and swim platforms are wet more often than not
- A small amount of cash — €2–3 covers the Our Lady of the Rocks museum or the St. Nicholas bell tower in Perast; card readers are unreliable on the islands
- A dry bag or zip-lock bag for your phone — spray comes over the bow at speed even on a calm day
What to wear — and the one dress-code rule people miss
Dress for a boat, not for the Old Town. Light, quick-dry clothing over your swimwear is the standard uniform on our decks — think a T-shirt and shorts or a cover-up, not jeans or anything you'd mind getting a little wet from spray.
The rule most guides skip: if your tour stops at the church of Our Lady of the Rocks, swimwear alone doesn't get you inside. The church requires shoulders and knees covered — a T-shirt over your bikini or trunks is enough, you don't need to change into separate clothes. Guests who show up in just swimwear either wait outside or borrow a wrap from a crew member, so it's easier to just pack a T-shirt.
Visiting Our Lady of the Rocks? Check this tour
Our 2-hour Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks tour includes the island stop and museum entry window — pack the T-shirt, we'll handle the routing.
Footwear on a moving boat
Flip-flops are fine for lounging on deck but can slide on a wet swim platform. Sports sandals with a back strap, or shoes you don't mind getting soaked, handle the boarding ladder and the platform better. Skip anything with a hard sole you'd be upset to lose overboard.
Seasonal packing: what changes between May and October
The bay's weather swings more than most visitors expect across a single season. What you need in May is not what you need in August, and by October the water still feels warm even as the air cools fast once the sun drops.
May, June, September — the shoulder months
Add a light jacket or windbreaker to the core list. Sea temperatures sit around 18–23 °C and the breeze picks up once you're at speed, even on a warm-looking day. Mornings can start cool before the sun climbs. A packable layer over your swim clothes covers the gap between shore heat and on-water breeze. For the full month-by-month breakdown of weather and crowds, see our best time to visit Kotor guide.
July, August — peak summer
Sun protection matters more than warmth. Sea temperature holds near 25 °C and the air can push past 31 °C, so the jacket comes off the list and a second layer of sun defense goes on: a rash guard or light long-sleeve shirt for anyone prone to burning, and more sunscreen than you think you need. Refill a reusable water bottle before boarding — most departure points have a tap or shop nearby, and staying hydrated matters more in the midday heat than on a cooler shoulder-season sail.
Late September, October — the last boats of the year
Same jacket advice as spring, doubled. Sea temperature is still swimmable in early October, but the temperature drop after a swim, especially with wind on the return leg, catches people off guard. Bring a full change of dry clothes for the ride back if your tour runs into the late afternoon.
What to leave behind
Speedboats and rental boats have limited dry storage, usually a small forward locker or under-seat space shared by everyone on board. A few things simply don't have anywhere to go:
- Suitcases and large travel bags — there's no hold and no room on deck; bring a small daypack or beach bag instead
- Pets — not permitted on any of our tours
- Drones — banned specifically over Our Lady of the Rocks and generally discouraged elsewhere in the bay; local airspace rules around the islands are enforced
- Smoking materials — smoking is not allowed on board
- Anything you'd be devastated to drop in the sea — phones without a case or strap, loose jewellery, anything without a dry bag
Captain's Tip
From our deck crew: the single most common regret we hear at the end of a tour isn't something someone forgot to bring — it's the phone someone held loose over the rail for a photo at speed. A €5 dry bag with a wrist strap solves this completely.
Packing for non-swimmers and families
You don't need to swim to enjoy the Bay of Kotor by boat. The inner bay is sheltered water — closer to a large lake than open sea — so most of our shared and private tours are comfortable for guests who'd rather stay dry. If swimming isn't the point of your trip, the packing list gets shorter: skip the towel and swimwear, keep the sun protection, and add a light jacket regardless of season since you won't be warming up in the water between stops.
For genuinely swim-free sightseeing, our semi-submarine tour keeps you dry the entire time while still showing you the bay from above and below the surface through the underwater viewing cabin — no wetsuit, no swim stop, no seasickness risk from open water since the route stays inside the calm inner bay. Full detail on what that's actually like is in our semi-submarine guide.
Traveling with kids? Add a spare set of dry clothes to their bag specifically, waterproof sandals if you have them, and sun hats with a chin strap so the wind doesn't take them. Our family-friendly Kotor guide covers which tours work best for younger children.
Prefer to stay dry? Try the semi-submarine
One hour, zero swimming required. Panoramic bay views on deck and underwater viewing through the glass cabin below — the easiest packing list on this whole page.
Renting your own boat? A few extra items
If you've booked one of our self-drive or skippered rental boats instead of a shared or private guided tour, add these to the core list:
- A printed or digital copy of any required boating documents, if you're self-driving under the rental terms
- A cooler bag if you plan to bring your own drinks and snacks — most rental boats don't include an onboard fridge
- Extra cash for fuel or marina fees if your rental agreement is fuel-exclusive — confirm this when you book
- A phone mount or holder if you plan to navigate yourself; cross-reference with your skipper briefing before departure
Our four rental tiers (8, 10, 14, and 20 passengers) all include a skipper briefing before departure covering the boat's specific equipment and any rules that apply to your group size. For the full comparison of self-drive versus skippered options, see our speedboat rental guide.
Planning your own route? Rent a boat
Pack light, bring a cooler, and set your own pace across the bay. Our 8-passenger tier is the most popular for small groups and couples.
Printable checklist
- Booking confirmation
- Sunscreen SPF 30+
- Sunglasses and a hat
- Swimwear (under your clothes)
- Quick-dry towel
- Wet-friendly shoes or sandals
- €5–10 cash for island entries
- Dry bag or zip-lock for your phone
- T-shirt or cover-up (if visiting Our Lady of the Rocks)
- Light jacket (May, June, September, October)
- Reusable water bottle (July, August)
- Full change of dry clothes (late-afternoon October sailings)
Screenshot the list above, or come back to this page from your phone at the pier. Whatever tour you've booked, the boat and the crew take care of the rest. For the wider trip-planning picture beyond packing, our ultimate guide to Kotor boat tours covers choosing the right tour, timing, and what to expect on board.
