Kotor and Perast day trip from Dubrovnik (€65): the border, the ferry and cash
Plenty of people see the Bay of Kotor in a day from Dubrovnik. It is the trip with the most reviews in the area, 480, rated 7.9/10, and the lower score has one explanation that appears in almost all of them: the wait at the border. This is what you get for €65 and what you need to carry.
Pickup between 6:00 and 6:40 at some twenty points in Dubrovnik and Cavtat (hotels and bus stops); you choose yours when booking.
Konavle valley and the Montenegro border by coach. This is where the wait is: passport or ID card in hand.
Ferry across the Verige strait, from Lepetane: the whole coach crosses by boat to the other side of the bay.
An hour and 45 minutes along the bay to Perast, with free time for lunch and a stroll. The boat to the islet of Our Lady of the Rocks is not included: if you want to cross, you do it on your own from the waterfront in that time.
20 minutes to Kotor and a guided tour of the walled old town, a World Heritage Site.
Two hours back to Dubrovnik. Arrival 10 to 12 hours after pickup.
What to carry in cash
Customs fee: €3 per person, paid in cash on the day. Not included.
Lunch in Perast: not included.
Boat to the islet from Perast (on your own) and church entrance, €5: not included.
Valid ID: you cross an external EU border. Spanish-speaking guide, sometimes bilingual. Bookable up to 12 hours before.
Is it worth it, or better to sleep in Kotor?
If Dubrovnik is your only base, this is the way to see the bay in a day, and the reviews rate it: “Perast is very pretty though small, and Kotor a bit bigger but full of people”. What it cannot give you is the water: no Blue Cave and no boat to the islet. With a night in Kotor, the Blue Cave trip (€50, 3 hours) or Perast and the islet (€25, 90 minutes) do what this one cannot.