Itineraries
Ready-made driving routes around Montenegro, from a day circling the Bay of Kotor to five days across the country. For anyone picking up a hire car who wants honest driving times, where to stop and what the tolls and the ferry cost.
Northern Montenegro in Two Days: A Route With One Night
A two-day route through the north: Ostrog, the Tara canyon, Đurđevića bridge, Durmitor and Žabljak. Distances, timings and where to stay.
Montenegro by car in 5 days: a route you can actually drive
A ready 5-day Montenegro road trip: Tivat, Kotor, the Lovćen serpentine, Budva and Lake Skadar. Honest driving times, parking.
The Kotor–Lovćen Road: 25 Hairpins Above the Bay
The old road from Kotor up to Lovćen: 25 hairpins, where to stop for the view, who should not attempt it and what is at the top.
Driving to Dubrovnik From Montenegro
A day trip to Dubrovnik in a hire car: the Green Card, documents, border queues, parking in the city and what it all costs.
The Bay of Kotor in a Day: Driving the Loop
A driving loop around the Bay of Kotor: Kotor, Perast, Risan, Herceg Novi and the Kamenari–Lepetane ferry. Times, distances and where to stop.
Day trips by car
The Bay of Kotor loop is about 58 km: Herceg Novi, Risan, Perast, Kotor, Tivat and the Kamenari–Lepetane ferry. The ferry runs round the clock — every 20 minutes from 6:00 to midnight, hourly at night — spends under ten minutes on the water and costs €5 per car. It saves you about 30 km of driving round the bay, although in July and August queues at peak times reach 45–60 minutes.
The Kotor–Lovćen road packs 25 hairpins into eight kilometres and was built in 1879–1884. Kotor to Njeguši is 22 km, 45–50 minutes, and Cetinje is another half hour beyond. If you would rather not drive the hairpins, the cable car up from Kotor takes 11 minutes and costs €25 return.
The north and across the border
The north in two days covers Ostrog, the Tara Canyon, the Đurđevića Bridge, Durmitor and Lake Piva, with a night in Žabljak. Budva to Žabljak is 160 km, three to three and a half hours, on the Smokovac–Mateševo motorway (€3.50 for the full length). In autumn 2026 the bridge is closed for reconstruction until 26 October, though it may reopen sooner; check before you go.
Dubrovnik is about 50 km from Herceg Novi: an hour’s drive plus the border, where summer queues last anything from half an hour to two or three hours. A hire car can cross only with the rental company’s written permission and a green card, usually €25–50 per rental. Croatia is in the EU, so British passport holders go through the EU Entry/Exit System: on your first entry you are photographed and four fingerprints are taken, there is no passport stamp, and the first crossing takes longer than usual (EU and Swiss citizens are not affected). Dubrovnik’s city walls cost €40 from March to November.
How many days, and do you need a car?
Five days is enough to see the bay, Lovćen and Cetinje, Budva and Lake Skadar without rushing. Distances are short — Budva to Kotor is 22 km, Budva to Cetinje 28 km — but on the coast in July and August, allow one and a half to two times as long. There are two toll roads, the Sozina tunnel (€2.50) and the motorway north, plus the ferry across the bay.
Cars for any of these routes are in car hire: economy models from €25 a day in low season, with July and August roughly twice the price of May. If you would rather not drive, the same places appear among the tours, but those run only with a Russian-speaking guide. Prices checked in September 2026.
Common questions
How many days do you need to drive around Montenegro?
Five days covers the Bay of Kotor, Lovćen and Cetinje, Budva and Lake Skadar at an unhurried pace. Add two more, with a night in Žabljak, for the Tara Canyon and Durmitor.
Are there toll roads in Montenegro?
Two: the Sozina tunnel, €2.50, and the Smokovac–Mateševo motorway, €3.50 for the full length. The Kamenari–Lepetane ferry across the bay costs €5 per car.
Can I take a hire car from Montenegro to Dubrovnik?
Yes, with the rental company’s written permission and a green card, usually €25–50 per rental. Cross without permission and you risk a €300–500 fine and lose your insurance cover.
Is the Kotor–Lovćen road difficult to drive?
Nothing about it is technical, but it is narrow, with a sheer drop and oncoming coaches: 25 hairpins in eight kilometres. If you have no mountain-road experience, it is raining or you are in a large SUV, take the cable car from Kotor instead, €25 return.