Oysters and Mussels in the Bay of Kotor: Farms and Prices

In Montenegro, oysters and mussels are farmed by families in the inner Bay of Kotor, at Orahovac, Ljuta, Dražin Vrt and Risan. An oyster at the farm cost €2–3 in 2023–2024; a 2025 review puts it at €3–6. These are not restaurants in the usual sense: think of a raft or a wooden platform on the water, five to eight tables, no menu and cash only.

They open seasonally, roughly from May to September, and which ones are running changes from year to year. So what follows is not a list of places to go but what is known in autumn 2026, with honest notes on what to check before you set off.

In short

• What: the local European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis), the same species as the British native oyster, and the Mediterranean mussel.
• Where: the inner bay: Orahovac, Ljuta and Dražin Vrt on the Kotor–Perast road, Kamenari and Jošice by the Verige strait, and around Risan.
• Prices: oysters €2–3 each (2023–2024), €3–6 in a 2025 review; cooked mussels at a farm €10–12 a kilo (2023); mussels na buzaru in a Perast restaurant €9–11 (June 2026).
• When: farm tables roughly from May to September; closed in winter.
• How: bring cash, and check the farm is open before you go.
• Getting there: by car or bus along the Kotor–Perast–Risan road, or by boat.

Which oysters and mussels grow in the Bay of Kotor?

There are two species. The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis), known locally as kamenica or ostriga, and the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), called dagnje or, locally, mušule. People here use one word, školjke, for all bivalves.

According to the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor, the bay is one of the few places in Europe where the native flat oyster still thrives; most European countries farm the Pacific oyster, originally from Japan. If you know British natives, this is the same species, not the rock oyster that fills most of Europe’s farms.

Both grow slowly. An oyster takes two and a half to three years to reach 6 centimetres, at depths of 7–28 metres; a mussel takes about a year and a half. The volumes are small: in 2019 the bay’s farms produced 223 tonnes of mussels and 17 tonnes of oysters, and in season demand outstrips what they can supply.

There are about two dozen farms in the bay, nearly all family-run. According to 2014 data, in summer the Institute of Marine Biology tested the water around the farms twice a month, for sanitary quality and phytoplankton.

Which oyster farms are open in 2026?

Farm	Where	What it’s like	What is known for 2026
Školjke Boke	Orahovac, a raft on the water where the Ljuta river enters the bay	the country’s first oyster and mussel farm, selling since 2012; tastings on the water for groups of 5 or more, by booking only; cash only	in 2025 it opened from 8 May to 30 September, closed on Sundays. Its website says it is temporarily not operating, yet its outlet Ukusi mora shows on Google Maps as open 9:00–20:00, with reviews from 2026, so the farm’s status is not confirmed
Boka Seafood	by Banja monastery, between Perast and Risan	a farm of about a hectare with a floating platform by the shore; no menu: mussels, oysters, prawns, fish	as of 2024, daily 11:00–20:00, cash only, closed from November to March
Luka’s Oyster Farm	Ljuta, in the Dobrota area	6–8 tables	open: Google Maps gives Monday to Wednesday 13:00–20:00, closed Thursday to Sunday; its Instagram account posted on 9 September 2026

There are other farms at Kamenari and Jošice, on the Herceg Novi side of the bay, but less verified information about them. Before heading to any farm, check recent reviews on a map app: as of autumn 2026 none of these three has an up-to-date official timetable.

How much do oysters and mussels cost?

What	Price	Year
Oyster at a farm	€2–3 each	2023–2024
Oyster at a farm, from a review	€3–6 each	2025
Oyster at a farm, for comparison	€1.50–3	2017–2019
Cooked mussels at a farm	€10–12 a kilo	2023
Mussels na buzaru, restaurant in Perast	€9–11	June 2026
Mussels na buzaru, tourist terrace in Kotor	€13–16	June 2026

There are no official farm prices for 2025–2026; going by the 2025 review, prices have gone up.

When is oyster season in the Bay of Kotor?

The farm tables follow the tourist season: in 2025 Školjke Boke opened from 8 May to 30 September, and Boka Seafood closes from November to March. In winter you won’t be eating oysters out on the water.

The oyster’s own season is a different matter. The flat oyster spawns in summer, when the water rises above 15–18°C. In neighbouring Ston, in Croatia, where the same species is grown, the oyster festival is held in March, on St Joseph’s Day, 19 March, when the oysters are said to be at their plumpest. There is no direct data for the Bay of Kotor, so take this as a rule of thumb: the real oyster season is the cool months, while the farm tables open in summer. British readers will recognise the logic of the old rule about eating natives only when there is an R in the month.

How do you get to the oyster farms?

By car. The farms line the Kotor–Perast–Risan road. Kotor to Perast is 14 kilometres and 20 minutes, and Risan is another 4 kilometres beyond Perast. The drive round the bay is covered in the Bay of Kotor in a day, and the easiest place to pick up a car is Kotor. If there was wine with lunch, someone else drives: the limit is 0.3 per mille (0.03%).

By bus. The Kotor–Perast–Risan bus runs hourly, every two hours on Sundays; a ticket costs €1.50 to Perast and €2 to Risan, paid in cash to the driver. The farms are along the same road.

From the water. Many farms sit right on the water, and arriving by boat is the natural way to do it. On a private boat the route is built around your group, so agree a stop at a farm with the skipper when you book. A boat with a skipper from Kotor costs from €580 for three hours, for the whole boat. The usual route round the bay is described in a Bay of Kotor cruise from Kotor, and boats and prices are under yacht charter. Boats go out in season; there are no trips in winter.

Where else can you eat local oysters?

There is no verified list of restaurants that serve Bay of Kotor oysters specifically. The honest rule is this: at a farm the oysters are certainly local; in a restaurant, ask where they come from. Fishmongers sell fresh oysters too. How to choose fish and seafood in a restaurant is covered in Fish and seafood in Montenegro.

A farm pairs well with Perast, 20 minutes from Kotor, and Risan is only 4 kilometres further: see Perast and the islands. For the rest of the local food, see What to eat in Montenegro.

Prices and opening hours checked in September 2026. Sources: Školjke Boke farm, Radio Free Europe, Bokanews, Radio Skala (Institute of Marine Biology, Kotor), EU.me, Novski, Ston Tourist Board, private reviews of the farms 2017–2024, Montenegro Unlock guide.