Reviewed · BLUE CAVE SWIM & SNORKEL STOPS
Our Lady of the Rocks and Blue Cave 3 hours tour- ticket tour
Blue Cave, small boat, big views. This 3-hour speedboat tour is built for getting out on Kotor Bay fast, with stops around Prčanj, Mamula Fortress, the submarine tunnels, Perast, and then Our Lady of the Rocks. You spend the day on the water, not waiting around in port, and you get the kind of close-up scenery that is hard to recreate from land.
I love the small-boat setup. The highlights promise just 15 people on board, and that matters when you want better viewing angles for the coast and fewer headaches than big tourist vessels. I also love that you actually get snorkel gear and a swim window at the Blue Cave, so the tour is about more than just looking.
One thing to weigh: the speedboat ride can be very bumpy. If you have a bad back, weak neck, or you get motion sickness easily, sit toward the back and hold on tight, because several people note the front area can take the biggest hits from the waves.
In This Review
- Key Things I’d Plan Around on This Kotor Bay Speedboat
- Hitting Kotor Bay Quickly: Meeting Point, Pickups, and Boat Comfort
- Prčanj Architecture Stops: Tre Sorelle Palace and Our Lady’s Temple
- Mamula Fortress at Bay Entrance, Plus the Former Submarine Tunnel
- Blue Cave Swim Reality Check: 20 Minutes, Snorkel Gear, and Crowds
- Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks: Baroque Town Atmosphere, Then Island Views
- Price and Value: What You Get for About $38.71 in 3 Hours
- Who This Tour Fits Best, and Who Should Think Twice
- Should You Book This Blue Cave and Our Lady of the Rocks Speedboat Tour?
- FAQ
- How long is the Our Lady of the Rocks and Blue Cave 3 hours tour?
- Where does the tour start and end?
- What does the ticket include?
- Do I need to pay for Our Lady of the Rocks museum entry?
- Is snorkeling gear provided?
- What should I know about weather?
Key Things I’d Plan Around on This Kotor Bay Speedboat

- A small group, not a cattle-boat: the tour is marketed as about 15 people on board, which helps with comfort and sightlines.
- Prčanj’s Gothic and Baroque stops: Tre Sorelle Palace and Our Lady’s Temple add real architecture, not just sea views.
- Fast history at Mamula and the submarine tunnels: you get World War era context without committing to a long land tour.
- Blue Cave time is short by design: expect a quick swimming window, and plan for crowds because lots of boats visit.
- Our Lady of the Rocks is partly pay-to-enter: the island church is included, but the museum entry is not.
- Sit smart for the ride: if you are sensitive to bumps, choose your seat early when boarding.
Hitting Kotor Bay Quickly: Meeting Point, Pickups, and Boat Comfort

The tour starts from Park Slobode (CQG9+H6W) in Kotor, and it runs as a loop that returns you back there. You may also be offered pickup points around Kotor Bay where a speedboat can dock, including Kotor, Muo, Prčanj, Stoliv, and Dobrota. So even though your ticket starts at Kotor, the real-world experience can begin with you meeting the boat at a nearby bay stop.
What you’re buying here is time on the water. This is not a slow sightseeing cruise. The route is packed into about 3 hours, and that means the boat has to move. That speed is why people describe it as fast and fun, but it is also why the ride can feel intense in choppy conditions.
Two practical comfort notes from real-world experience on speedboats:
- If you can, pick a seat farther back. Several guests specifically call out that the front can feel rougher.
- Bring a plan for motion sickness and cold wind. The open boat experience can be chilly, especially outside the summer months, and rain can happen fast on the bay.
Still more Blue Cave swim and snorkel stops:
Prčanj Architecture Stops: Tre Sorelle Palace and Our Lady’s Temple
After you get moving, you’ll stop in Prčanj for two notable sights.
First up is Tre Sorelle Palace, a well-known Prčanj landmark tied to 15th-century Gothic architecture. This stop is described as free to visit, and your skipper is the one who really brings it to life by connecting it to local legend. The key tip here is simple: if you want the love story, ask the skipper directly. It tends to be one of the moments that makes the architecture feel less like a photo stop and more like a place with meaning.
Next is Our Lady’s Temple of Prčanj. This is a baroque church dedicated to the birth of the Holy Virgin, and it’s presented as one of the largest sacred objects in the Adriatic, plus the largest in the Bay of Kotor. Construction is described as taking more than 120 years, so even if your stop is brief, the temple’s size and style help you understand why it is such a signature building in this part of Montenegro.
The travel value of these stops is that they break up the day. Without them, the tour would feel like it’s just about sea time and quick swims. With them, you get culture in small doses, plus a better sense of why people settled and built here in the first place.
Mamula Fortress at Bay Entrance, Plus the Former Submarine Tunnel

Once you’re out farther in the bay area, the tour shifts from pretty coastal views to military geography.
At Mamula Fortress, you’re looking at a small island fortress positioned at the entrance to Boka Kotorska Bay. The fortress dates to the 19th century and was used as a prison during both World War I and World War II. Today it’s closed to the public because of renovation and conversion into an elite hotel, but the exterior still gives you a clear sense of how this location was meant to control the water approach.
Then comes the most unusual stop on the water-to-land mix: the former submarine tunnel in Luštica. The description is very specific, and it’s the kind of detail that helps you picture the site:
- Built during Yugoslavia
- Used to hide and repair submarines and ships
- Up to about 50 meters in length
- Around 7 meters wide
- Roughly 8 meters average depth, with up to about 30 meters near the exit
- Part of a bigger complex of underground tunnels for technical equipment
This stop is short, about 5 minutes, so you won’t get a deep museum-style explanation. But it’s still valuable because you see the structure in context, not just on a map. It’s also a memorable contrast to the Blue Cave, since you go from secretive underwater engineering to bright, open-water swimming.
Blue Cave Swim Reality Check: 20 Minutes, Snorkel Gear, and Crowds

The Blue Cave is the headline for a reason. It’s described as a turquoise-blue water experience where you can swim inside. The tour schedule allocates about 20 minutes, and in practice that is usually enough for a quick swim, photos, and a reset before the next boat movement.
Here’s what you should plan for:
- Many boats visit the same spot, so it can feel crowded in and around the cave.
- The time inside can feel short, mainly because boats need to cycle in and out.
- If conditions are rough or currents are strong, access can be limited or changed. The experience is explicitly described as requiring good weather, so don’t assume the cave is guaranteed every departure.
On gear: snorkeling equipment is included. A few people note they found masks available but felt the snorkel setup could be limited, so if snorkeling is a personal priority, you might prefer to bring your own snorkel mask too. Still, even without a long snorkel session, the swim window is usually what makes this tour worth it.
Finally, the boat ride to and from the cave can be rough. People call out that the front area can feel the worst. So if you’re choosing where to sit, treat it like a health decision, not a preference. It can mean the difference between enjoying the ride and spending the whole time gripping for survival.
Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks: Baroque Town Atmosphere, Then Island Views

Between the Blue Cave and the final island stop, you’ll get a look at Perast, a small baroque town known for captains, old houses, and dense religious architecture. The description gives you a sense of scale: Perast had only about 350 inhabitants, yet it’s described as having 18 churches and 19 palaces. The symbol is Saint Nicholas Church, with a bell tower listed at 55 meters, noted as never fully finished due to lack of money.
Even though Perast is often a longer-stay type of town on land, here it’s a quick stop. Reviews and onboard behavior suggest you’re fitting this into a tight schedule, so the practical expectation is to treat it as a photo and street-walk break rather than a deep wander. If you want the full Perast experience, you’ll likely want a separate land day later. For this tour, your goal is snapshots and atmosphere.
Then you reach Our Lady of the Rocks, the island church connected to the story of fishermen finding an icon on a rock and promising to build the island and church. The tour allows about 20 minutes here, and it includes visiting the church and its museum structure. But there’s an important cost detail: Our Lady of the Rocks museum entry is not included.
So plan your budget for that final step. This is one of those times when the tour price looks simple at first, then you hit a separate small ticket. It’s not a deal-breaker, just be mentally ready that the last stop is partly pay-at-site.
Still more Perast island church visits:
- Kotor: Fast-Track Venetian Perast & Our Lady Of The Rocks★ 4.7 · 1,009 reviews
- Kotor: Blue Cave & Our Lady of The Rocks & Submarine Base★ 4.9 · 936 reviews
- Blue cave, Mamula island, Submarine tunnels and Our lady of the Rocks (3h)★ 5.0 · 575 reviews
Price and Value: What You Get for About $38.71 in 3 Hours

At $38.71 per person for roughly 3 hours, this tour is priced like a value-focused speedboat outing. And the included items matter:
- Bottled water
- Fuel surcharge included
- Snorkeling equipment included
- WiFi on board
Also, admissions at the stops are described as free, except for the Our Lady of the Rocks museum entry. That free admission setup is why the tour feels more efficient than a patchwork of paid attractions. You’re not paying separately to see Mamula, the tunnel, or the major Prčanj churches.
What you are paying for, though, is not luxury. It’s motion, speed, and a tight schedule. If you like making the most of a short time in Kotor Bay and you enjoy being out on open water, the value makes sense. If you want a slow, relaxed sightseeing day with time to linger, the pace might feel too intense.
In other words: I’d treat this as a “see a lot from the sea” experience, not a “full day cultural immersion.”
Who This Tour Fits Best, and Who Should Think Twice

This is a great match for:
- People who want Blue Cave swimming without committing to a full day
- Travelers who like on-the-water storytelling from the skipper
- Families who can handle a bumpy ride, especially if life jackets are requested when needed
- Anyone trying to balance Kotor Bay culture with a real swim stop
It may be a rough fit if:
- You have back or neck issues and know you get uncomfortable on fast rides
- You hate crowds at natural attractions and are bothered by lots of boats sharing the same water space
- You are traveling during a period when weather can be changeable and you need predictable timing, since the experience requires good weather
One more note that is worth your attention: some guests describe the boat as newer and clean, while others mention the ride can feel like a water taxi style pickup routine. So if you’re sensitive to getting going late, arrive early and be flexible. The boat needs to meet you and possibly connect with nearby docks.
Should You Book This Blue Cave and Our Lady of the Rocks Speedboat Tour?

I’d book it if you want a short, high-impact water day in Kotor Bay with a real swim at the Blue Cave and an island finale at Our Lady of the Rocks. The small-group feel, the included snorkeling gear, and the mix of military and religious stops are what make it more interesting than a one-note cave cruise.
I’d skip or choose a more relaxed option if you know you react badly to choppy boats, or if you expect long time on land in Perast and Kotor. This tour is about getting moving, not lingering.
If you do book, bring a warm layer and plan to sit toward the back for comfort. And at Our Lady of the Rocks, remember the museum entry is not included, so check your wallet before you step onto the island path.
FAQ
How long is the Our Lady of the Rocks and Blue Cave 3 hours tour?
It’s listed as about 3 hours.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts at Park Slobode (CQG9+H6W) in Kotor and ends back at the same meeting point. Pickup may also be available in Kotor Bay areas where the speedboat can dock, including Kotor, Muo, Prčanj, Stoliv, and Dobrota.
What does the ticket include?
Included items are bottled water, a fuel surcharge, use of snorkeling equipment, and WiFi on board. Admissions are described as free for the stops, except for Our Lady of the Rocks museum entry.
Do I need to pay for Our Lady of the Rocks museum entry?
Yes. The Our Lady of the Rocks museum entry is listed as not included.
Is snorkeling gear provided?
Yes. Snorkeling equipment use is included.
What should I know about weather?
The tour requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
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