What to see in Kotor

I think a fun thing to do would be hiking above the city.
https://jetsettingfools.com/hiking-to-the-top-in-kotor-montenegro/
https://www.earthtrekkers.com/hiking-ladder-of-kotor-montenegro/

I was only vaguely aware of this when we visited, also on a cruise. Unfortunately when we were there it poured rain until 3 p.m. the day we were there so would have been too muddy to hike anyway.

Other than that, just walking around the town was fun and interesting.

We woke up early and watched as our ship first entered the harbor--it's quite a ways from their to the town of Kotor, but the bay itself is beautiful and we were glad to spend the couple of hours on deck as we went through. Don't know what time your ship is arriving, but we got there just as the sun started to come up from behind the mountains--nice photo op.

Once we got to Kotor, we walked a bit up the old town walls, then just walked around the old town. Had a good lunch at a cafe located on one of the main squares and had a sandwich made with prsut and sour cream--I would recommend ordering something similar if you find it, as it was delicious! We did not use a guide, just followed the info provided by our cruise line and what was in the RS book.

If you decide to go beyond the city of Kotor itself, you need to be aware of a road that leads away from the bay inland. The views are spectacular. Absolutely beautiful. But, It goes up the side of a steep mountain that has 25 numbered 180 degree switchback turns and at least 75 other sharp turns. Rock wall on one side and nothing on the other. Can't remember the name or number of the road, but it went to the towns of Njegusi and Cetinje. If anyone in your party is prone to motion sickness or has a problem with heights you might want to avoid this road. Many people are not bothered by either but many are and I'd hate for you to get into what might be an unpleasant or scary situation without any knowledge. . You can go to bing.com, use the map feature, and see aerial views of the road from &*$$. You can also check it out on googlemaps.com. It is possible, however, to go to and from Kotor with using that particular road.

On 12 Mar. 2017 there was a thread titled "Greece Montenegro Croatia". One person included a link to the map that shows the road. Another person had a link to a video made along parts of the road.

To me the major sights are the bay from your ship, walking the wall to the extent you're up for it--accent on "up", the streets of the old town itself (but will be jammed if your ship is large), and the bay from the land side (maybe take a bus toward Perast?). I took a lot of buses and don't remember which yielded the best views of the bay.

I liked the town of Herceg-Novi, but that might be too far--though perhaps it's viable with a guide or a couple of taxis. I don't know that a guide is necessary otherwise. The old town is walled so it's hard to get seriously lost.

We had the most amazing day in Kotor. We wanted to walk the wall but it was too much for us. We really enjoyed walking around the old town and taking pictures. But then we saw a flyer for a boat tour out to Our Lady Of The Rocks and Perast. These two young men had just started their speed boat company 20 days ago. Their boats were new and so clean. They are Ivan and Igor. We asked our waiter to call them and they came to the Pub on the Square and escorted us to the boat. They were so nice. The number is 38267857583 or 38269413352. The company is called seamount. You will really enjoy this trip.

Hi Ray,
Kotor is a pretty small walled city. if you are semi-fit, I highly recommend the ladders of Kotor. It is well worth it. You can follow this blog: https://jetsettingfools.com/hiking-to-the-top-in-kotor-montenegro/
After you get to the fortress you step thru the window and can explore church/ruins. There is a trail that takes you to the so called Cheese Shop. Its a home that belongs to a lovely couple that sits right on the Ladders of Kotor. They do not speak english (in fact once you get out of Kotor, very few people do). They have some food and drinks for sale (super cheap). Get some bread, local cheese and prsut while you are there. if there are others there, inevitable he will break out the grappa for free and everyone will start drinking. FYI: bathrooms and water are available there. We met a group of czech's and romanians there and ended up hiking with them.
After a lunch break continue up the ladder for breath taking views.
link to some pics: https://imgur.com/a/4GV5sLO