En route to Kotor, arriving at the Bay of Kotor was a vision after an hours-longer and much hotter bus ride than anticipated. One particular little town, Perast, caught my fancy as we drove through, and I determined to visit while staying in Kotor.
One of the best ways to visit Perast from Kotor is to hop on a little boat tour. There are many leaving during the day in the summer, all comparatively priced–we simply hopped on one that happened to be leaving when we arrived at the harbor.
The tour took us to Perast and a nearby island, Our Lady of the Rocks (which gives you a view of the Island of Saint George, or Sveti Dordi, which holds a Benedictine monastery from the 12th century).
Our Lady of the Rocks is a man-made island that holds a church. The legend of the island is that, upon seeing it as a sacred spot, the fisherman of the Bay would drop a rock on the spot in reverence, eventually forming an island. To this day, there is a yearly festival where the fisherman will drop a rock on the spot, continually widening the island. Cool story, right?
Well the island itself is incredibly picturesque. There isn’t much to do there but go into the church (we were too cheap to pay…) or visit a gift/ice cream shop. Really, I was thoroughly entertained by the outside of the church and the views of Saint George, the Bay, and Perast. E and I wandered around and looked our fill before dipping our feet in the crystal-clear, deep blue water and soaking up the view.
The next part of the tour dropped us off in Perast, a simple yet dreamy village with an undeniable Mediterranean air that looks as if it hasn’t changed since at least 1970. Although I could have lingered much longer in Perast amongst the flowers, sandy buildings, and restaurants on the Bay, we were suddenly caught in a thunderstorm with ice creams in our hand, so we opted to wait the rain out under a tree before giving up and hopping on the boat back to Kotor.
^^I think I’ll live here…who’s with me?! 
Perast–and really, the entire Bay of Kotor and the town itself, are hidden gems of the Mediterranean. The rest of our time in this area was spent in the south of Croatia, which, while undeniably amazing and charming, is fully discovered. Perast felt like a little corner that hasn’t been found–yet–so go before anyone else does!
What are hidden gems you’ve found on your travels?
Linking up with Travel Tuesday.