09Inner bayAt the head of the bay
Risan. The bay’s oldest town.
Long before Kotor and Perast there was Rhizon — a stronghold of the Illyrian queen Teuta, then a Roman town whose villa still keeps its mosaic floors. Today it is the quiet corner of Boka, at the head of a bay that mirrors the mountains.
Rhizon, Risinium, Risan
A queen’s stronghold, a Roman’s dream.
Rhizon is the oldest town in the Bay of Kotor: Greek writers mention it as early as the 4th century BC, and in antiquity the whole bay was named after it — the Rhizonic Gulf. It was a royal town of the Illyrians: in 229 BC, defeated by Rome, Queen Teuta withdrew here, to a small but well-fortified town at the head of the bay.
Under Rome, Risinium became a town of Roman citizens and flourished in the 1st and 2nd centuries, when wealthy families built villas by the water. One of them, from the 2nd century, was found in 1930 in the middle of today’s town, and its floors survived: carpets of tiny stones in geometric patterns, rosettes and flowers — and, in what was probably the bedroom, Hypnos, the god of sleep.
Then the town fell quiet. By the 7th century raids had emptied it, and later it passed between the Ottomans and Venice. Today some two thousand people live here, under the bare cliffs of Orjen — and above them lies Crkvice, the rainiest inhabited place in Europe. After a downpour, the Sopot spring just outside town bursts from the cliff and falls straight into the sea.
- Hypnos, the god of sleep — a winged youth, asleep with his legs crossed
- The medallion, framed by a band of black stones
- Stylised flowers in white, green, blue, red and black, running diagonally across the floor
- Circles, rhombuses and triangles on a white ground
- Rosettes with eight petals inside the circles
- Queen Teuta takes refuge in Rhizon
- 229BC
- the Roman villa with the mosaics
- 790m²
- the mosaics come to light
- 1930
- of rain a year at Crkvice, above Risan
- ≈ 5,000mm
Getting there
From Tivat, through the Verige and north.
Every trip starts on the Tivat promenade. The course runs north through the Verige, passes Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks, then turns into the Bay of Risan — the innermost corner of Boka, sheltered from the open sea by two straits — and ends off the town of Risan.
- TivatDeparture from the promenade 0 km
- Verige StraitJust 340 m across; the name means “chains” 5 km
- PerastBaroque palaces on the water 7 km
- Our Lady of the RocksAn island built stone by stone 7 km
- RisanRoman mosaics and a quiet bay ≈ 10 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 inner bay: through the Verige to Risan, an hour with the mosaics, and back past Perast and the islands.
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8 hprivate
BookYour route, your rhythm
Custom Tour
A whole day in the inner bay: the mosaics of Risan in the morning calm, Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks at midday, then Kotor below its walls.
Risan isn’t on our fixed tours — it’s a Custom Tour stop, twenty minutes from Tivat. Pair it with Perast and the islands.
On the spot
Old stones, still water.
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Meet the god of sleep
A few minutes’ walk from the water lie the floors of the 2nd-century villa: carpets of tiny stones in geometric patterns — and Hypnos, asleep in his medallion.
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Look up to ancient Rhizon
Above the town rises Gradina, the hill where the acropolis of the Illyrian kings stood. Below it, archaeologists from Warsaw have been uncovering their palaces for more than twenty years.
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Swim in the still water
Sheltered from the open sea by two straits, the head of the bay is often still as glass on summer mornings — on a Custom Tour, Boris drops anchor on the way for a swim.
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Sail past the islands
On the way you pass Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks. On a Custom Tour you can step ashore at the island church as well.
- Best light
- Early morning, when the head of the bay is at its stillest and the mountains lie mirrored in the water. In the afternoon the sun warms the cliffs of Orjen.
- Going ashore
- Risan is a Custom Tour stop: Boris ties up in town and waits while you visit the mosaics — just tell him how long you’d like ashore.
- Entrance
- The Roman mosaics have a small entrance ticket and keep museum hours — closed on Mondays and throughout January. Bring a few euros in cash.
- Sea & weather
- Two straits keep the swell of the open sea away, so summer mornings here are usually calm. The bora, the cold winter wind from the mountains, blows hardest in this bay — Risan is a trip for the warm months.
- Bring along
- A hat and water for the walk in town, and swimwear for a dip on the way back.
Keep exploring
Down the bay, the rest of the story.
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Perast
Baroque palaces on the water
A small baroque town of captains’ palaces and bell towers, facing its two islands. It looks its best from the water — and on the Boka Bay Tour you also step ashore.
≈ 7 km from Tivat
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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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Kotor
The walled old town
A walled medieval town at the far end of the bay, part of the UNESCO-listed Kotor region, under mountains that rise straight from the sea.
≈ 17 km from Tivat
