San Giovanni Fortress & Ladder of Kotor: Hike & Steps Guide

The fortress walls rise vertically behind the terracotta rooftops of Stari Grad to an elevation of 260 metres above the bay. The fortified loop of Castle of San Giovanni (Tvrđava Svetog Ivana) is the signature hike of Kotor and one of the greatest military engineering monuments on the Adriatic. Constructed across fourteen centuries , from 6th-century Byzantine foundations under Emperor Justinian I through medieval Nemanjić towers to the 4.5-kilometre Venetian defensive perimeter completed between 1420 and 1797 , the walls cling to the razor-sharp limestone cliffs of St John's Hill. Today, hikers can reach the upper viewpoints via two distinct routes that sit side by side above the Škurda canyon: the Paid Official Ramparts Staircase (1,355 steps) starting inside the Old Town. The Free Austro-Hungarian Ladder of Kotor (Krstac / Špiljari mule trail) starting outside the northern River Gate.

01The Official San Giovanni Ramparts Climb: Gateways, Hours & €15 Ticket

Two official stone turnstiles inside Kotor Old Town give access to the fortified staircase. The Northern Entrance (Parilo Gate) is tucked into the narrow alley behind Square of the Blessed Ozana and St Mary's Collegiate Church (Koleđata). The Southern Entrance (Škaljari / St John's Lane) rising behind the Square of Salad near St Luke's Square. Both paths converge roughly 15 minutes up the hillside just below the first defensive bastion.

Between 1 May and 31 October, municipal ticket booths at both entrances operate daily from 08:00 to 20:00, charging an official conservation entry fee of €15.00 per person as of November 2026. Children under 12 accompanied by parents generally enter free, and you should carry exact euro notes as wireless card terminals on the cliffside frequently lose signal. Outside those manned hours , specifically at dawn between 06:00 and 07:45 , the turnstile gates remain open for early-morning walkers at your own risk. This also happens to be the coolest and most photogenic window of the day before direct sunlight hits the eastern cliff face.

02Step-by-Step Ascent: Our Lady of Remedy (100 m) to San Giovanni Castle (260 m)

The 1,355-step staircase is built with wide, shallow limestone risers infilled with rounded river cobbles so Venetian pack mules and artillery crews could haul cannonballs and water barrels up the cliff without slipping. Roughly one-third of the way up (520 steps, 100 metres elevation), you reach the iconic Church of Our Lady of Remedy (Crkva Gospe od Zdravlja). Founded in 1518 by survivors of a devastating plague epidemic and accessible only on foot, its twin-arched stone belfry and terracotta porch frame the classic postcard view over Kotor's red roofs and the inner fjord. If you want a panoramic photo without committing to the full summit, turning back here takes only 40 minutes round-trip.

Above the church, the gradient steepens through fortified embrasures, arrow slits and ruined guardhouses until you reach the upper citadel of San Giovanni (260 m). The summit is crowned by the Venetian winged Lion of Saint Mark over its stone portal. You can explore underground rainwater cisterns and gun platforms overlooking both the Škurda abyss to the north and the entire triangle of Stari Grad directly below your boots.

03The Free Alternative: The 70-Switchback Ladder of Kotor (Krstac Trail)

This trail was constructed by 19th-century Austro-Hungarian military engineers as the main supply route linking Cattaro with the Montenegrin border at Krstac Pass. Known as the Ladder of Kotor (Kotorske Kanice / Krstac Trail) , it is a masterpiece of dry-stone switchback construction that zigzags up the vertical wall of the Škurda canyon just north of the fortress ramparts. Because it is a public mountain trail outside the Venetian walls, it is 100% free 24 hours a day and features a gentler, steadier gradient of crushed limestone gravel rather than high stone steps.

To find the trailhead, exit Stari Grad through the northern River Gate, cross the arched bridge over the Škurda River. Turn immediately right along the riverside lane past the old municipal waterworks and hydroelectric station until the gravel path begins climbing the canyon wall. After roughly 20 switchbacks (40 minutes), you reach the abandoned stone houses of Špiljari village. Here, a seasonal family-run cottage stall sells cold goat's cheese, prosciutto and fresh pomegranate juice. Nearby, a rocky viewpoint next to the ruined Chapel of St George looks directly across at the back of San Giovanni Fortress.

Important Closure & Safety Notice on the "Window" Shortcut. For years, hikers scrambled through a narrow masonry breach ("the Window") behind St George's Chapel to cross between the free Ladder trail and the paid San Giovanni fortress interior. Municipal authorities have periodically barred, fenced or stationed guards at this breach to prevent ticket evasion and rockfall accidents along the unguarded cliff ledge. Always treat the two routes as separate hikes unless you carry the €15 rampart ticket, and wear grippy trail shoes (see our Kotor footwear guide). Carry at least 1.5 litres of water per person, as there is no potable tap water anywhere on the mountain.

04Essential Gear, Water & Best Photography Stops on the Climb

Before stepping through the turnstile onto the San Giovanni ramparts or starting up the Ladder of Kotor, check three essential items in your daypack. First, carry at least 1.5 litres of cold water per person. Because the entire staircase faces west and southwest across the bay, the pale limestone rock absorbs and reflects intense solar heat from 10:00 until sunset, and there are no official drinking fountains along the ramparts. Second, wear broken-in trail runners or hiking sneakers with deep rubber grip rather than smooth fashion trainers or flip-flops; the central pebble-and-limestone steps have been polished smooth by centuries of boots.

For the three finest photographic angles on the mountain, pause first at the stone terrace directly below the twin bell gable of Our Lady of Remedy (100 metres). Here, the church spire frames the triangular geometry of Stari Grad against the fjord. Pause second at the horseshoe bastion loop at 180 metres, where a stone cannon embrasure forms a natural stone window around the bay. Pause third on the top parapet of San Giovanni Castle (260 metres). Here, you can look simultaneously down into the 300-metre chasm of the Škurda canyon and straight out through the Verige Strait toward Perast.

If you want to combine the paid San Giovanni fortress climb with the free Ladder of Kotor on two separate mornings, split your routes. Climb the internal Venetian staircase on your first morning for close-up architectural details of the 1518 Church of Our Lady of Remedy, the medieval cisterns, and the Provveditore's gun platforms. On your second morning, hike up the first 35 switchbacks of the Austro-Hungarian Ladder trail outside the River Gate. From there, you can photograph the entire fortified triangle of Kotor and the San Giovanni citadel from across the Škurda gorge.

Remember that afternoon summer thunderstorms can build rapidly over the 1,749-metre karst peaks of Lovćen even when the morning sky starts clear. Always check the hourly wind and lightning forecast before ascending above 200 metres, and head down immediately if dark thunderheads gather over the pestingrad cliffs.