08Tivat baySouth of Tivat
Island of Flowers. The archangel’s garden.
Just south of Tivat, palms, olive trees and flowers grow around the ruins of the monastery of St. Michael the Archangel — fifteen centuries of churches on an island you can cross in five minutes. The shortest trip in the bay, and one of its oldest stories.
An island of many names
Tumba, St. Michael, Prevlaka — and then the flowers.
The island is tiny — about 300 metres long and 200 wide — and so close to the shore that only a strait some ten metres wide, crossed by a short bridge, keeps it an island. A document from 1124 calls it Tumba; later it became the island of St. Michael the Archangel, and under Venice, Miholjska Prevlaka.
Its churches span fifteen centuries. Archaeologists have found a basilica from the 6th century and, on its ruins, a Benedictine abbey of St. Michael, probably from the 9th. In 1219 Saint Sava made the island the seat of the bishopric of Zeta, and a domed church rose over the old foundations. The monastery was destroyed in the 15th century; its foundations still lie in the grass, and beside them stands the small church of the Holy Trinity, built in 1833.
The flowers came last. At the end of the 1960s a holiday village opened here, laid out as a Mediterranean garden of palms, olives and flowers — and the island got the name everyone uses today.
- The foundations of St. Michael’s — from a 6th-century basilica to the church of the bishops of Zeta
- The church of the Holy Trinity (1833)
- Malo Vratlo — the strait and the short bridge to the shore
- Veliko Vratlo — the channel to St. Mark’s Island
- The gardens of palms, olives and flowers that gave the island its name
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
- long, and about 200 metres wide
- ≈ 300m
- the oldest record of the island, as Tumba
- 1124
- Saint Sava makes it the seat of the bishopric of Zeta
- 1219
- the church of the Holy Trinity, beside the ruins
- 1833
Getting there
From Tivat, ten minutes south.
Every trip starts on the Tivat promenade. The course runs south along the town’s shore, with St. Mark’s Island — the largest in the bay — off to starboard, and ends off the north shore of the Island of Flowers, beside the airport.
- TivatDeparture from the promenade 0 km
- St. Mark’s IslandThe largest island in the bay — in the Middle Ages, St. Gabriel 2 km
- Island of FlowersThe monastery of St. Michael and its gardens ≈ 3 km
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tours that go there
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5 hprivate
BookYour route, your rhythm
Custom Tour
Five hours in the Bay of Tivat: an hour on the Island of Flowers, a slow loop round St. Mark’s Island and Our Lady of Mercy, and a swim on the way back.
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8 hprivate
BookYour route, your rhythm
Custom Tour
A whole day: a quiet morning on the Island of Flowers, then through the Kumbor Strait to the coves of Luštica and the Blue Cave.
The Island of Flowers isn’t on our fixed tours — it’s a Custom Tour stop, ten minutes from Tivat. Add it to any day on the water.
On the spot
Ruins, a garden and three islands.
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Walk among the ruins
In the grass by the Holy Trinity church lie the foundations of St. Michael’s, layer upon layer — from the 6th century to the bishops of Zeta. The whole island is a ten-minute stroll.
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Look into the church
The small church of the Holy Trinity (1833), its bells above the door, stands just east of the ruins. If it’s open, step inside — cover shoulders and knees, and keep your voice low.
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Sail round the three islands
St. Mark’s Island, the largest in the bay — St. Gabriel in the Middle Ages — and tiny Our Lady of Mercy, with its 15th-century church, are only minutes away by boat.
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Swim in the calm
This corner of the Bay of Tivat is sheltered and shallow, and the water warms up early in the season — on a Custom Tour, Boris drops anchor nearby for a swim.
- Best light
- Morning, when the bay is still and the island at its quietest; or late afternoon, when the low sun lights the gardens and the hills of Luštica behind them.
- Going ashore
- The Island of Flowers is a Custom Tour stop: Boris brings you right up to the island and waits while you explore — just tell him how long you’d like ashore.
- Sea & weather
- The most sheltered corner of the bay: even on a breezy day the ten-minute crossing is usually calm — a gentle first trip for small children and anyone new to boats.
- Entrance
- No tickets: the ruins and the church are free to visit. It is a monastery — dress modestly and ask before photographing people.
- Bring along
- A hat and water for the gardens, comfortable shoes for the stone paths, and a scarf or shirt to cover your shoulders in the church.
Keep exploring
Further afield, the rest of the bay.
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Our Lady of the Rocks
An island built stone by stone
An island made by hand: for centuries the people of Perast have brought stones to the reef — and every July they still do. On the Boka Bay Tour you can step ashore at its church.
≈ 7 km from Tivat
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Luštica
Hidden coves and clear water
A green peninsula of olive groves and quiet coves between the bay and the open sea. On a Custom Tour, Boris will find you a cove for a long swim.
≈ 18 km from Tivat
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Herceg Novi
Old town and fortresses
The town at the entrance to the bay, founded in 1382 by the Bosnian king Tvrtko I — fortresses, stone stairways and an old town that faces the sea.
≈ 14 km from Tivat
Fifteen centuries of stories, ten minutes from Tivat.
Open daily 09:00 – 23:00