Ferries between Italy and Montenegro

Crossing the Adriatic by ferry has an old-fashioned appeal, and if you’re driving through Italy it’s a logical way into Montenegro. The problem in 2026 isn’t the fare, it’s that the direct route has all but vanished. I’ve been through what both operators and the government publish, so here’s what exists, what doesn’t, and the way I’d go instead.

Bar, the only port with an Italian route

When ferries from Italy run, they come into Bar, on the southern coast. The National Tourism Organisation lists Bar as a sea border crossing, alongside Zelenika, Kotor, Tivat, Kumbor and, only from 1 May to 30 October, Budva. gov.uk adds that if you’re arriving by sea you must use a designated port or harbour. For the town itself, see Bar.

What happened to the Bari route

In December 2024 Montenegro’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs announced that the Bar-Bari line would return in 2025 with Jadrolinija, Croatia’s state ferry company, from late June to late September. In the end Jadrolinija’s official timetable ran it as route 55 from 1 July to 27 August 2025, with one sailing a week each way, Tuesdays from Bari at 11:00 and Wednesdays from Bar at 11:00, around eight hours at sea.

For 2026 Jadrolinija hasn’t published a timetable for that route. According to the Montenegrin press (Vijesti, as reported by N1 on 9 April 2026), the head of Barska plovidba said the Croatian operator had no ship free for Bari-Bar this summer and that no contract would be signed. It’s press rather than an official notice, yet it matches the absence of any timetable, so I’d plan without that ferry.

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

Ancona and the Barska plovidba website

Barska plovidba, the Bar port company, still lists an Ancona-Bar route. On 12 October 2026 its site showed the 2024 calendar, July to early September, and an undated fare table with low and high season, cabins, seats, deck passage and vehicles. As it isn’t for 2026, I’m not quoting fares. The operator itself warns that days and times can change, and gives two numbers, +382 30 312 366 and +382 30 303 469. If the boat matters to you, ring before planning anything.

The workaround that does have a timetable

The crossing with an official 2026 timetable is Bari to Dubrovnik, Jadrolinija’s route 54, which sails from 31 March to 21 October. Outside summer there’s one daytime sailing a week each way, about seven and a half hours; in high summer there are three a week, with overnight sailings from Dubrovnik reaching Bari in the morning. The days are in the table.

Dubrovnik to Kotor is about 78 km. By coach, the ticket site Kotor bus station uses as its timetable listed four departures for 20 October 2026, the first at 07:15 and the last at 17:30, taking two to two and a half hours for €29 to €36. The border and the other options are in Dubrovnik to Kotor. To me this detour beats waiting for a direct route with no date.

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

The long way round, via Albania

There’s a third option that makes more sense if you’re driving and fancy Albania. Adria Ferries, an Italian operator, advertises Ancona to Durrës and Bari to Durrës on its website, and from Albania you enter Montenegro by road at Sukobin, by Ulcinj, or Božaj, in Tuzi municipality, according to the National Tourism Organisation. I’m not quoting days or fares for those sailings because I haven’t checked them for 2026, but as a Balkans route it strikes me as far more dependable than waiting for a boat to Bar.

From Bar to the rest of the country

If the direct line returns one year, Bar is well connected. It’s the terminus of the ZPCG railway, with ten trains a day to Podgorica taking about an hour for €2.80 in second class, and the overnight to Belgrade leaving at 20:10. It’s all in Montenegro’s trains. By road, my OpenStreetMap estimate puts Budva about 38 km away, Ulcinj about 28 km and Virpazar, on the shore of Lake Skadar, about 22 km.

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

Paperwork when you land

Arriving by sea doesn’t change the entry rules. British passport holders need a passport under ten years old with three months’ validity beyond the departure date, and can spend up to 90 days in 180 visa-free, gov.uk says. The Italian or Croatian leg counts towards Schengen and the Montenegrin one doesn’t, so they’re tallied separately. Travelling with the dog is straightforward on paper, since Montenegro accepts pet passports for up to five animals. The rest is in Montenegro entry requirements, and the road crossings in Montenegro’s border crossings.