Perast: Holiday Apartments and Houses

Perast lies at the foot of the 873-meter-high Sveti Ilija hill, opposite the Verige Strait in the Bay of Kotor. Perast is an authentically preserved historic town whose high-quality architecture is integrated into the surrounding landscape and which forms part of the UNESCO-listed natural and cultural landscape of the Kotor region. Those wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Perast can then continue their accommodation search. Perast’s main street runs along the sea.

History and Cultural Heritage

Under Venetian rule, Perast experienced an economic, social, and cultural heyday from 1420 to 1797. The Sv. Križa fortress above Perast was built in 1570. In 1698, Captain Marko Martinović established the first maritime school in the Balkans in Perast. The inhabitants of Perast were known as seafarers and teachers of maritime skills and shipbuilding. Its strategic location at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor historically made the town a control point for defense and the transport of goods.

Historical buildings include Villa Zmajević, also known as the Bishop’s Palace, which was built in 1664. The painter Tripo Kokolja, who was from Perast, painted the Church of St. Nicholas in Perast. The church on Our Lady of the Rocks contains 68 canvas paintings associated with Tripo Kokolja’s interior design.

Museums and Maritime Traces

The Muzej grada Perasta is housed in the Palata Bujović, a 17th-century palace. It preserves more than 3,000 objects documenting Perast and Boka Kotorska from the 15th to the 20th century. The Ženska soba section displays objects documenting the lives and roles of women in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Kapetanski salon presents Perast’s maritime history from the 15th to the 18th century; the museum also displays nautical charts and ship models.

By the Water and on the Islands

The Church of St. Nicholas stands on Perast’s central square next to a 55-meter-high bell tower offering panoramic views of the bay. Perast offers excursions to the island of Sv. Đorđe and the island of Gospa od Škrpjela, which is home to a museum and a Catholic church. Gospa od Škrpjela is an artificial island that was created at the end of the 15th century; the present-day church there was built by the Venetians in 1630.

The Church of Gospa od Škrpjela contains a tapestry woven by Jacinta Kunić of Perast between 1803 and 1828 while she waited for her husband, a sailor. She used strands of her own hair to make the tapestry. Along the shore, visitors can walk to Smekja Palace, a palace built in 1764 and associated with the Smekja family. It can also be reached by kayak, boat, or sailboat while exploring the coast.

The traditional Perast event of Fašinada involves boats decorated with apple branches and filled with stones. Every year at sunset on July 22, the Fašinada boats sail out and throw stones around the island. Gađanje kokota commemorates the defense against the Turkish fleet by Perast’s forces at Verige in 1654.

Local Cuisine

Restaurant Conte describes its approach as reviving old Montenegrin recipes with refined flavor and presentation. According to its own account, the restaurant uses fresh local ingredients and pairs the dishes with local and regional wines.

More destination pages: Kovaci, Zagora, Ljesevici, Dobrota, Glavati, Donji Orahovac, Strp, Kotor.

To the higher-level travel overview: Kotor.