Why Herceg Novi Is a Staircase City
Herceg Novi is built on a steep hillside that drops from the mountain ridgeline to the bay in a series of terraces. The town predates the car by several centuries, and the original connections between neighbourhoods were stone staircases — hundreds of them, cut into the hillside and winding between garden walls. The locals claim there are a hundred thousand steps in total. Nobody has counted them all, but the nickname stuck, and walking the city's vertical lanes remains one of the most distinctive experiences on the Montenegrin coast.
What makes these staircases special is what grows alongside them. Herceg Novi has a subtropical microclimate — sheltered by mountains from the north and warmed by the bay from the south — that supports over a hundred species of exotic plants. The staircases pass beneath canopies of wisteria, bougainvillea, kiwi vines, and lemon trees. In February the mimosa trees explode in yellow blossom and the air smells of honey. Even in high summer the stone steps are shaded by dense vegetation, making the climb cooler than you would expect.
Three Staircase Routes Worth Walking
The classic route starts at the waterfront promenade near the old town entrance and climbs through the Topla neighbourhood to Kanli Kula fortress. A second route begins at the Bellavista Hotel area and ascends through residential lanes filled with citrus trees and neighbourhood cats to the Spanjola fortress at the summit. The third and most botanical route follows the path from the town centre through the public park gardens and past the Boka Museum toward Savina Monastery. Each route takes forty-five minutes to an hour at a gentle pace, and all three can be combined into a full morning walk with café stops along the way.
The Botanical Gardens and Public Parks
Herceg Novi's public gardens date from the Austro-Hungarian period when the city was developed as a health resort. The main park in the town centre contains palm trees, magnolias, oleanders, and several enormous cacti. A short staircase walk from the park leads to the Kanli Kula gardens, where Mediterranean cypress trees frame views across the bay. The botanical diversity is remarkable for a town this size — there are more plant species per square metre here than in most cities ten times larger. Gardeners from Vienna and Budapest originally planted many of the specimens, and the microclimate has allowed them to flourish for over a century.
The Old Town Staircases
The staircases within the old town walls are the steepest and most atmospheric. Narrow stone steps rise between Ottoman-era houses with overhanging balconies, past tiny courtyards where laundry dries above pots of geraniums, and through archways that frame sudden views of the bay below. The clock tower (Sahat Kula) marks the boundary between the old town and the upper residential quarters. Above the clock tower the stairs become narrower and the gardens wilder, eventually connecting to the fortress trail described in our guide to the three fortresses walk.
Best Time for the Staircase Walk
Early morning and late afternoon provide the best light and temperature. The staircases face south and can be hot at midday in summer, although the canopy cover helps. Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are ideal — the vegetation is lush, the light is golden, and the steps are uncrowded. For a completely different atmosphere, visit during the Mimosa Festival in February — see our guide to the Mimosa Festival.
Practical Tips
- Shoes: Flat-soled shoes with grip. The polished stone steps can be slippery when wet.
- Water: Carry a bottle, but you will pass several cafes and fountains on every route.
- Camera: The staircase perspectives and garden canopies produce excellent photographs. A wide-angle lens helps in the narrow lanes.
- Pace: Take your time. The point is the journey, not the destination. Stop at every viewpoint.