Kotor (Montenegro) weather in January

January in Kotor: cool, soaked, with clean air — not the time — 14 rainy days.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Kotor🇲🇪 Montenegro · Adriatic Coast · Beach43
  1. 43Jan
  2. 52Feb
  3. 57Mar
  4. 70Apr
  5. 72May
  6. 88Jun
  7. 92Jul
  8. 90Aug
  9. 82Sep
  10. 73Oct
  11. 48Nov
  12. 45Dec

#12 of 12 months in Kotor · #1255 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 43/100 (tier F)

Days
13°C
Nights
2°C
Wet days
14
Sun
5.7 h
Humidity
78%
Daylight
10 h
Kotor, Montenegro
Photo: Muhammed Fatih Beki · Pexels

Traveller notes on Kotor in January

Forum posters describe January as genuinely wet and grey - real rain is common, and the town's cobblestone streets get slippery and less enjoyable to walk in the rain, a specific practical annoyance posters mention often. January counts as deep off-season not just for Kotor but across the whole Balkan region, with many businesses closed for the winter except around Orthodox Christmas/New Year, when things pick up for about a week. Despite the grey, damp conditions, posters describe shops in the old town staying open and functional, and at least one visitor specifically praised a winter boat tour of the Bay of Kotor as the highlight of an otherwise quiet, rainy trip - suggesting the dramatic fjord-like scenery still delivers even in the off-season.
Tripadvisor community · January · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Other months in Kotor

Regulars are specific this counts as a genuinely good month to visit for longer daylight, more sunshine hours and lower prices before the summer crowds arrive, though the Bay of Kotor itself is honestly one of the rainier corners of the whole Mediterranean, spring here running wetter than the coast further south. Our row backs that mild, genuinely wet read, 24.4C reading as a hot 26C, over 11.2C nights feeling 11C, with a substantial 198.4mm of rain across 17.8 days and humidity at 77 percent. Regulars are consistent the sea itself rarely crosses 20C by this point, fine for sunbathing but not yet warm enough for a comfortable swim for most visitors. Sunny stretches still prevail across most of a typical day despite the real rain risk. The sea sits at 19.1C. The record: 11.2 hours of sun, a 10.3 kph wind and AQI 44.
RainiestCornerButGoodValueMonth · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Kotor-forum threads on October weather call it genuinely pleasant and one of the more popular shoulder-season picks - warm days, cooler nights, and rain that shows up on a real number of days but doesn't fall every day. Posters are specific that any given shower tends to be heavier but short-lived rather than a settled, all-day soak, easy enough to plan around. The month splits cleanly in two: the first half still lively, essentially every restaurant and bar open and operating normally, while mid-October marks the real turning point as the town starts winding down for winter, though most places stay open through month's end regardless. The combination of good weather and thinning crowds is exactly why regulars call October one of the best times to visit both Kotor and nearby Dubrovnik together. The record: 23.9C days feeling like 24C, 10.9C nights, a notably high 211mm across 10 days, a 23.2C sea, 78 percent humidity and 8.2 hours of sun.
KotorOldTownOctoberRegular · October · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Montenegro-forum threads on September weather (the numbers track Kotor specifically) describe a month that eases gently: air in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius in the first half, a few degrees cooler in the second, with the Adriatic holding around 24-25C the whole time - genuinely perfect swimming weather by any measure. Precipitation isn't absent, just concentrated: posters describe maybe one sudden, heavy downpour across a week-long stay, over quickly and followed by more of the day's abundant sunshine. Nights cool off enough that a jacket earns its place and no air conditioning is needed to sleep, a detail more than one poster calls out as the month's quiet selling point. The record: 28.2C days feeling like 31C, 15.3C nights, 193mm of precipitation across 11.2 days, a 24.5C sea and 10.1 hours of sun - warm days, genuinely cool nights, occasional real downpours mixed through mostly clear skies.
BayOfKotorSeptember · September · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
June is the month regulars point to for Kotor - mid-June especially, which they call much better than July or August - and almost all of their advice is about ships rather than weather. Two or three cruise ships call on most days in season, three can be alongside at once carrying more than five thousand people between them, and the old town is small enough that an arrival gets described as a human flood. The workable plan is the clock: the streets are quiet before nine, the middle of the day is the part to spend elsewhere, and late afternoon and evening give the town back. Checking which days have no ship is the other move. Our row's 92.8mm across 13.6 days is the wet surprise inside a 29.8C month. The record: 16.2C nights, 12.9 hours of sun and a 24.1C sea.
QuietBeforeNine · June · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Kotor's card on the map.

Kotor climate normals — January

Daytime high13°C / 56°F🙂 cool
Nighttime low2°C / 35°F
Feels like (high)11°C / 52°F
Sea temperature15°C / 59°F🥶 cold sea
Rainfall234 mm / 9.2 in⛈ soaked
Rainy days14 days
Humidity78%💦 very humid
Dew point2°C / 35°F
Sunshine5.7 h/day
Daylight9.5 h
Wind11 km/h / 7 mph
Snowfall20.2 cm / 8 in
Air quality (US AQI)29🍃 good

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Kotor in January

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Quiettravelers describe it as quiet, Orthodox Christmas, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Sourced from traveler notes: “…cal annoyance posters mention often. January counts as deep off-season not just for Kotor but across the whole Balkan region, with…” — Tripadvisor community

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Kotor's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Toughest weatherKotor's weather peaks June–August, best around July.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Kotor in January

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Holiday

    Orthodox Christmas

    6–7 JanChristmas & New YearClosures

    On the evening of 6 January oak branches, the badnjak, are carried to church squares and burned before crowds, with church bells and sometimes gunfire at midnight; 7 January is a public holiday and many businesses close. Source ↗

  • Season

    The bay out of season

    1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosures

    Most of the restaurants and half the guesthouses in the walled town close, and the mountains hold the rain in the bay for days. Perast opposite goes down to almost nothing.

What's on around the world in January →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Kotor — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Kotor?

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Kotor in January — FAQ

Is January a good time to visit Kotor?
January in Kotor: cool, soaked, with clean air — not the time — 14 rainy days. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Kotor on SeasonMap's comfort score (43/100).
What is the weather like in Kotor in January?
In January, Kotor averages a daily high of 13.3°C and a low of 1.7°C, with about 233.9 mm of rain over roughly 13.7 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Kotor in January?
Kotor has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 29 in January.
Does it snow in Kotor in January?
Kotor sees roughly 20.2 cm of snowfall in January.

Within 300 km: Dubrovnik's Advent in the old town on 28 Nov – 6 Jan, and Matera's Living nativity in the caves around 20 Dec – 6 Jan.