Catamaran Cruise in Montenegro: Two Hulls, No Heel

A catamaran fixes the one thing people dislike about a day on a yacht: the heel. A single-hulled boat under sail leans over on her side, which looks wonderful right up to the moment someone tries to carry a plate across the deck. Two hulls sit on the water like a table: glasses stay put, you can walk about upright, and even people who usually get seasick mostly feel fine.

That is what the format is for. It is not about speed or sporty sailing; it is for a group of eight to twelve who want a day on the water without any discomfort. You hire the whole catamaran with a skipper: for up to 8 guests from €520 for four hours, for 12 guests from €780.

What makes a catamaran deck different

Stretched between the two hulls at the bow is the trampoline — a net, and the main attraction on board. You lie on it with the sea rushing past half a metre below you, and on a hot day it is where everyone wants to be. A monohull has nothing like it.

Then there is the cockpit, which on a catamaran is the size of a terrace: a table for eight to ten people, shade under a hard top, and proper sofas. You can have a real lunch under way here, which on a sailing yacht you cannot.

The draught is much shallower than on a yacht of the same size. That means a catamaran can slip into shallow coves where a monohull’s keel would never fit, and anchor closer to the beach.

And the cabins: usually four, two in each hull. On a day trip they are simply somewhere to change or put a child down for a nap, but after a single cramped yacht cabin the difference is obvious.

Where catamarans go in Montenegro

The route is the same one the sailing boats from Tivat and Kotor follow — around the Bay of Kotor — and so are the sights. There is the Verige strait, just over 300 metres wide, where a chain was once stretched across the water in the Middle Ages to keep enemy ships out; Perast and its sixteen palaces; Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela), an island built up over five centuries from stones dropped by sailors home from the sea; and the natural St George’s Island with its 12th-century Benedictine abbey, where landing is not allowed.

A full day adds Risan and its Roman mosaics, Herceg Novi, the fortress island of Mamula right where the bay meets the open sea, and the Blue Cave (Plava špilja), a grotto that glows blue inside because the sunlight enters it under water. Mamula is now a hotel and only guests may land, so you see it from the water. The Blue Cave has been closed to motor vessels since 2026: the catamaran stops at the entrance and you go in by kayak or swim in from the boat.

What changes on a catamaran is not the itinerary but how the day feels. It is slower than a yacht, but you can genuinely spend eight hours aboard and step off without feeling worn out.

How much a catamaran costs

Prices are for the whole boat:

• from €520 — catamaran for up to 8 guests, four hours
• from €780 — catamaran for 12 guests, four hours

The skipper and fuel for the route are usually included; lunch ashore and harbour fees in other marinas are extra.

Work it out per head. Eight people on a catamaran at €520 pay €65 each; twelve people at €780 also pay €65 each. That is the same as six people sharing a sailing yacht at €390, and more than a seat on the group ship around the bay (from €53). So the logic is this: a catamaran costs more per boat, but with a big group a place on it costs no more than one on a yacht. The exact figure for your date and numbers comes from the company that owns the boat.

Is a catamaran right for you?

• Groups of eight or more. On a yacht you would be packed in; here there is space to spread out.
• Families with children. A level deck, high sides, nothing to slide down when the boat leans, and somewhere for a child to sleep.
• Anyone prone to seasickness. A catamaran rolls far less than a single-hulled yacht.
• People who are there for the sea rather than the sailing. Swimming, eating, lying on the net — yes. Fast, sporty sailing — no; for that, take the coastal cruise.

Practicalities

Departure time and stops are agreed with the company when you book; most trips leave in the morning. Whether you finish in the same port or a different one is also settled at booking. Bring passports for everyone aboard: companies usually ask for them to register the trip.

Pack high-factor sunscreen (the water and the net are where people burn fastest), towels and hats, and wear pale-soled shoes or go barefoot. Food and drink are your own, and there is usually a fridge on board.

There are normally two or three swimming stops, with a ladder down from the stern of each hull. Getting in and out is easier than from a yacht: the sides are lower and there are two ladders.

Boats, prices and free dates are on the yacht charter page.

When to go

From May to October; in winter there are almost no trips. A catamaran depends less on the weather than a sailing yacht — in a moderate sea it stays level — so in June and September, when the wind gets unpredictable, people book one more readily. There are not many catamarans on this coast, and in July and August they are booked one to two weeks ahead, so plan early.

Other options

With a smaller group, an ordinary yacht or a motorboat will cost less; see the routes from Tivat and from Kotor. For a completely different setting — a lake instead of the sea — try the Lake Skadar speedboat. Everything else is listed under things to do.

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Prices are indicative starting prices for the whole boat, checked in September 2026. The exact figure for your date is set by the company that owns the boat; booking and payment are made directly with them.