Getting from Budva to Kotor (and back)

Budva and Kotor are the two towns almost everyone pairs up in Montenegro, and they’re close together. The tricky part isn’t the distance, it’s picking how to travel depending on the season and what you want to do on the way. Here are the options that have some official backing, and which I’d choose.

By car, half an hour

By my OpenStreetMap estimate it’s about 22 km centre to centre and around half an hour without traffic. It’s the most flexible option, with two summer drawbacks. gov.uk warns that the coast road gets congested in season, and parking near the old town of Kotor in August is a struggle. Remember you’re on the right, and set off early. More journeys and times are in distances in Montenegro.

By bus

Buses do run between the two, operated by private companies. The catch is that no public body lists their times, so you’re left with a private booking site, busticket4.me. In Budva the bus station is Mercur. I’d check times the day before and confirm them there. I won’t quote a fare, because there’s no official one. If you’re staying further along the Riviera, Budva’s own local buses from Sveti Stefan and Petrovac run into the centre all year, so you can link up without a car.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kotor before prices climb.

By taxi

For coming back late or travelling with bags, a taxi is easy. Budva’s tourist board lists nine firms, with short numbers like 19515 or 19555, and warns you to agree the fare in advance for longer trips. gov.uk says the same and recommends licensed cabs with a roof sign. All of that is in taxis in Montenegro.

The cable car, on the way

This is my tip for turning the journey into an outing. The cable car’s base at Dub sits right by the road you’ll be on, 200 m off it according to the National Tourism Organisation. The company runs an official shuttle from Budva. Ride up to Lovćen in 11 minutes, then carry on to Kotor. Prices and hours are in the Kotor cable car.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Kotor and choose by the reviews.

Flying into Tivat

Tivat airport sits neatly between the two towns. Airports of Montenegro gives 21 km and 27 minutes to Budva and 8 km and 12 minutes to Kotor, so whichever you stay in, you’re close. I’d use the arrival to drop bags in one and save the other for an unhurried full day.

What about a boat?

People search for it a lot, but I haven’t found any scheduled boat service between Budva and Kotor with an official source. What’s sold are excursions around the bay, which won’t work as timetabled transport. If what you really want is to see the bay from the water, look at boat trips from Kotor.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kotor before prices climb.