The American magazine New York Times (NY Times), in its article "Six places you should visit in Europe to escape the crowds", recommends its readers to visit Kotor instead of Dubrovnik.
Only 90 kilometers apart, the Croatian Dubrovnik and the Montenegrin Kotor represent impressive Adriatic cities that were once under the rule of Venice.
However, while Dubrovnik is struggling with an excessive number of tourists, Kotor is struggling to gain attention, the New York Times reports.
Dubrovnik has been the "main star" of the Croatian coast for the second time, even before the popularity jumped even more when the producers of the "Game of Thrones" series decided to choose this Croatian city for this globally popular HBO series.
But the Hollywood lights, combined with the increasing number of cruise ships, during the last decade have increased the number of visitors in Dubrovnik, and threaten a huge number of tourists, so much so that even the 1.000 residents of the Old Town are in trouble receiving 10 times more visitors on a daily basis.
Even UNESCO came forward in 2016 to warn Dubrovnik that its status as a world cultural heritage is threatened.
The city authorities launched the "Respect the city" campaign, so they limited the number of visitors from cruise ships (which make up 60 percent of the 1,2 million tourists who visit Dubrovnik annually) to 4.000 in the morning and 4.000 in the afternoon.
The New York Times states that if this also seems like a crowd, then Kotor is a real city for tourists.
At the end of the Bay of Kotor and surrounded by mountains lies the city.
A fortress that was built between the 12th and 14th centuries, filled with old churches, cafes and houses with terracotta roofs.
In 2018, Kotor was visited by 140.000 tourists, which is only a fraction if compared to Dubrovnik.
The city walls, which are the main attraction of the city, are reserved for those in good shape. Steep stone steps lead to the very top, about 250 meters in height, to the fortress of St. John (Sanđovani).
A New York Times journalist describes the city center as a nice place where you can hear Orthodox priests talking, and where the stone streets are "sovereignly ruled by cats" (there is even a Cat Museum).
Boat trips visit Our Lady of Škrpjela, the church on the island.
"Returning to the city, admiring the old town architecture of Kotor, including the central clock tower, built in 1602, is a pastime, day or night," according to the New York Times article. "After sunset, ask for a table on the Bastion terrace by the north city gate to sample local seafood. Then head back toward the main gate through alleys where kids play soccer and sailors drink beer," recommends the New York Times.
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