Risan

Risan sits at the head of the inner bay where the water reaches its deepest point, with the limestone walls of the Krivošije plateau rising abruptly behind. The…Risan sits at the head of the inner bay where the water reaches its deepest point, with the limestone walls of the Krivošije plateau rising abruptly behind. The settlement spreads along a quiet curve of waterfront five kilometres beyond Perast, with stone houses, modest churches and a long shoreline promenade backed by the steep escarpment that defines this part of the coast. The Sopot karst spring surfaces on the hillside just above the village and pours into the bay after heavy rain.

The town's recorded history reaches further back than any other settlement on the bay. It was the capital of the Illyrian kingdom under Queen Teuta in the third century BC, and the Romans later built a villa here whose floor mosaics survive beneath a protective shelter at the entrance to the village. Among them is the only known mosaic depiction of Hypnos, the god of sleep, dating from the second century. The prehistoric Lipci rock paintings, showing deer and hunting scenes from the Bronze Age, are a short distance west along the coast road.

Visitors come to Risan principally for the Roman mosaics and for a quieter alternative to Perast and Kotor at the head of the bay. Restaurants and small konobas line the waterfront with views back toward the Verige strait, and the promenade is one of the longest uninterrupted stretches in the inner bay. Boat tours pass through Risan as part of full-bay circuits, and Perast is reachable in around eight minutes by car along the shore. The listings below cover accommodation, restaurants and local services in and around Risan.