Mamula Island

Mamula is a small island at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor entirely occupied by a circular fortress built by the Austro-Hungarian navy in 1853 to close the entrance. During the Second World War the Italian occupation used it as a prison camp in which people died, and after the war it stood empty for decades. It was converted into a luxury hotel that opened in 2021, a decision that drew sustained objection from survivors' families and heritage groups.

What you actually see

• The circular fort - an 1853 Austro-Hungarian sea fortress filling the island.
• The island position - the fort commanding the entrance to the bay.
• The wartime history - the camp operated on the island during the occupation.
• The conversion - the fortress rebuilt as a hotel, opened in 2021.

When to go

May to October is the season for boats. Access is largely through the hotel and its transfers. Sea conditions can cancel crossings.

Honest expectations

The island is now a private hotel and general access is limited. The conversion of a site where people died into a luxury resort was and remains contested, and visitors should know that history. Boat trips circle it more often than land on it.

Nearby

Lustica is east, and Herceg Novi is northeast.