How to get from Podgorica to Kotor

Plenty of people land in Podgorica because the flight times suited them, then realise the hotel is in Kotor. No harm done, it’s little more than an hour and a half by road, but it’s worth picking the right route. Here are the three that make sense, with official distances and my own estimates, plus how to do it without a car.

How far it really is

Kotor’s tourist board puts the town 79 to 88 km from Podgorica airport, depending on the route you take. From the city centre, my OpenStreetMap estimate is about 72 km and an hour and a half without traffic. Add time in summer for the coastal jams the Foreign Office mentions. If you haven’t booked your flight yet, bear in mind Tivat airport is 8 km from Kotor, as I explain in Montenegro’s airports.

Via Cetinje and Lovćen

The route I’d take in daylight. The airport itself suggests it in reverse, Budva to Podgorica via Cetinje, near Lovćen National Park and the Njegoš mausoleum. Podgorica to Cetinje is about 36 km and Cetinje to Kotor about 48, by my estimates. A stop in the old royal capital turns the transfer into half a day of sightseeing.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kotor for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Via the Sozina tunnel and the coast

The airport’s other suggestion crosses Lake Skadar country and burrows through the 4,185 m Sozina tunnel to come out near Sutomore. The tunnel is tolled at €2.50 for a car, according to Monteput. From the Bar coast you’d then work your way up to Budva and Kotor. I’d pick this one if I were staying on the Budva Riviera and wanted a look at the lake on the way.

Via Nikšić

The third works if you’re coming from the north or heading for Herceg Novi. The airport describes it as Herceg Novi-Risan-Nikšić-Podgorica, so done in reverse it brings you into the bay at Risan. It’s longer, but avoids the coast in August. Nikšić itself is about 52 km from Podgorica on my estimate, and it’s also on the railway, five trains a day for €3.20, if you fancy splitting the trip and picking up a car there.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Kotor on GetYourGuide.

Without a car

There’s no train, because ZPCG’s line doesn’t reach the bay. From the airport, take a bus to Podgorica’s central bus station with BTC Zeta, MS Tours or Zejdin, then one of the private companies running to Kotor, with times on busticket4.me. The airport’s posted bus times went out of date in spring 2025, so check with each operator. By taxi, use the airport’s authorised firms, Zeta Taxi or Vuk BG Taxi, and agree the fare first. With luggage and late at night, I’d go for a taxi or pre-booked transfer. Everything about the airport is in Podgorica airport, and the destination in Kotor.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kotor for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.