Tivat Airport to Budva Transfer: Price and Journey Time

A transfer from Tivat airport to Budva costs from €58 for an economy car carrying up to four people. That is one way, to any address in Budva; the return costs the same, so from €116 for both journeys. An estate with a large boot is from €78, a minivan for up to five from €115 and a minibus for up to 16 from €295.

The drive is 20 kilometres, or 25–30 minutes without traffic. In July and August allow one and a half to two times as long, because the coast road jams. The transfer price is fixed when you book and does not change with the traffic.

What it costs per person

The price is per car, so it is shared between everyone travelling:

Car	Price per car	Per person, car full
Economy, up to 4	from €58	about €15
Minivan, up to 5	from €115	about €23
Minibus, up to 16	from €295	about €18

The estate with a large boot (from €78) is not about seats: you take it for suitcases, pushchairs and sports kit.

If you are staying just outside Budva rather than in the town, the price is a little higher: Bečići is from €62, Sveti Stefan from €72 and Petrovac from €89.

Transfer, bus, hire car or taxi?

Bus. The cheapest option, but it does not leave from the terminal: Tivat bus station is 1.4 km away, about 20 minutes on foot along a road with no pavement, which is hard work with suitcases. From the station 26 buses a day go to Budva, usually €5 and about 35 minutes; times and fares are on busticket4.me. Fine if you are travelling light with a backpack. Every way out of the airport is covered in Tivat airport: getting to Budva and Kotor.

Hire car. Economy starts at €25 a day in low season; in July and August it costs about twice as much as in May. For a beach week in Budva you usually do not need one: parking costs €1–2 an hour, up to €3 near the Old Town, and is charged around the clock. But if the mountains, Ostrog or Lake Skadar are on your list, it makes sense to collect a car at the airport, and then you do not need a transfer at all. The options are on the car rental page.

Taxi. The rank is outside the terminal exit. At the airport and in season a taxi is the most expensive option; if you take one, agree the fare before you get in. Ordering through Viber and sending your location on a map costs less, but at the airport and in summer fares are still high. Uber and Bolt do not operate in Montenegro.

The verdict. Two people with light bags: the bus from Tivat bus station. Four people, children or a lot of luggage: a transfer, at about €15 each, with the child seat and the right-sized car booked in advance. A car for the whole trip: collect it at the airport. A full week’s costs under three scenarios are worked out in car, bus, taxi or transfer: what is cheaper in Montenegro.

A common plan for a week in Budva is a transfer from the airport and back, the bus along the coast and a car for two or three days in the mountains. Budva to Kotor has more than 30 buses a day, about 40 minutes and usually €5; the bus to Sveti Stefan runs every 15–20 minutes for €2.50. Your transport for the week then comes down to the transfer (from €116 per car for both ways), a handful of bus tickets and a short rental.

How the journey works

Your driver waits at the exit from arrivals holding a sign with your first name and surname. The first hour of waiting is included; each hour after that is €12. You give your flight number when you book, and if the flight is delayed you call the organiser on the number in your voucher.

You pay in two parts: a small deposit by Visa or Mastercard when you book, and the rest in cash to the driver after the ride, as there is no card machine in the car. You can also book without the deposit, in which case you upload your flight tickets. The deposit is refunded if you cancel 48 hours or more ahead; cancel or reschedule later than that, or miss the pick-up, and it is not.

Child seats are compulsory by law in Montenegro. They are ordered when you book and paid for separately.

On the way back, from Budva to the airport, the driver comes to your hotel and waits 20 minutes, then charges €5 for every further 20 minutes. In July and August leave with time to spare: the usual 25–30 minutes can stretch to nearly an hour in traffic.

When to book

A transfer for the next day can be booked until 17:00 Montenegro time; after that, only by request. In high season it is best to book 3–4 days ahead. The booking form is on the airport transfers page. The service is provided by an independent company, and you book and pay directly with them.

What to do in Budva once you have checked in is covered in Budva: old town, beaches and evenings. Transfer prices to other towns are in Tivat airport transfers: prices to every town.

Prices checked in September 2026.