Montenegro
Car rental in Kotor
Kotor sits deep in the bay, and almost everything worth seeing around it — the hairpin road up Lovćen, Perast, the oyster farms — is easiest to reach by car, although a bus runs to Perast every hour. Boats to the Blue Cave leave from here too; since 2026 they stop at the mouth of the grotto, as motor boats may no longer go inside. You cannot drive into the old town; delivery is to the gates.
from €25 per day
- delivery to your hotel or the old town
Search and book
A live catalogue with prices and availability for your dates. The rental contract and payment are handled directly with the rental company at pick-up.
Where the car is handed over in Kotor
Cars are not allowed inside the old town walls, so delivery is to the gates or to your hotel if it stands outside them. That is not an inconvenience but the shape of the town: inside, everything is a ten-minute walk anyway. Agree the time in advance — the waterfront in front of the gates is narrow and there is nowhere to linger.
The Lovćen serpentine and what lies around
This is why people rent a car in Kotor. A road with twenty-five hairpins climbs out of town: with every one the bay below opens wider, and there are pull-offs halfway up. It is narrow, in places single-track with passing places — drive slowly and give way. If you rarely drive, go up via Cetinje instead: nearly the same view, far fewer nerves.
Nearby are Perast with the island of Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), the oyster farms along the road and Tivat fifteen minutes away. The full day-by-day plan is in the Montenegro by car in 5 days route.
Parking in Kotor
The closest car park to the gates is on the waterfront, at up to €4.80 an hour (€2.40 in winter). At the height of the season it fills by ten in the morning, and then you look for a space further up the road — the outlying car parks start from €0.90 an hour. Parking here is charged around the clock, weekends included.
What is near Kotor
Perast is twenty minutes along the water: a stone town from which boats leave for Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), an island built up by hand over several centuries. The same road passes oyster farms where mussels and oysters are served right over the water. Further round the bay lies Risan with its Roman mosaics.
When to come here
Kotor sits deep in the bay and summers here are muggier than on the open coast: the mountains hold the air. Add the cruise ships — on docking days the old town is packed from morning to evening. May, June and the second half of September are noticeably nicer here than July. Start the climb to St John's Fortress before ten in the morning.
Before you set off
From Kotor almost everything interesting is up the mountain, so the rules and how to drive hairpins and knowing where the signal drops both help. Do not put off filling up before the Lovćen climb: stations are far scarcer up there. A week's plan is in the five-day road trip.
Prices by class
Starting prices in low season. July and August cost more. The final amount is calculated at booking for your dates.
Economy
2–4 people, manual
Fiat Panda, VW Polo, Opel Corsa
from€25per day
Compact & estate
4–5 people, room for suitcases
VW Golf, Škoda Octavia
from€35per day
SUV
mountain roads, Durmitor, Lovćen
Dacia Duster, Nissan Qashqai
from€45per day
7-seat minivan
a family or two couples with luggage
VW Touran, Citroën Berlingo
from€60per day
Premium & convertible
the coast and Porto Montenegro
BMW 5, Mercedes E, convertibles
from€90per day
By city
Common questions
Can you drive into Kotor old town?
No, traffic inside the walls is closed. The car is delivered to the gates, or to your hotel if it is outside them. Inside, everything is a ten-minute walk anyway.
Where do you park in Kotor and what does it cost?
The nearest car park is on the waterfront in front of the gates, at up to €4.80 an hour (€2.40 in winter). In season it fills by ten in the morning, and then you look further up the road — the outlying car parks start from €0.90 an hour. Parking is charged around the clock, weekends included.
Is it worth driving up to Lovćen in a rental car?
Yes — it is one of the most scenic roads in the country: twenty-five hairpins above the bay. But it is narrow, single-track in places with passing bays. If you rarely drive or dislike heights, go up the ordinary road via Cetinje; the view is nearly the same.
How far is Kotor from the airports?
Tivat airport is 7 km, about 15 minutes away; Podgorica is about 85 km, an hour and three quarters. In July and August allow one and a half to two times as long.
Do I need a car to get to Perast?
No: the Kotor–Perast–Risan bus runs hourly (every two hours on Sundays) and costs €1.50 to Perast, €2 to Risan, paid in cash to the driver. By car it is 14 km, 20 minutes, and the boat out to Gospa od Škrpjela is about €5 return.
How long is the drive from Kotor to Cetinje?
Via Njeguši it is 42 km, about an hour and a quarter: 22 km of hairpins up to Njeguši, 45–50 minutes, then 20 km on to Cetinje. A detour to Njegoš’s mausoleum means the €3 Lovćen park fee plus €8 entry, and the mausoleum is open only from 15 April to 15 November.
What is the quickest way from Kotor to Herceg Novi?
By the road round the bay, through Perast and Risan: 43 km, about an hour and ten minutes. From Kotor the ferry gains you almost nothing, because that road passes Kamenari anyway; the Kamenari–Lepetane crossing shortens the trip from the Tivat and Budva side.
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