Sailing in Montenegro, from the Bay of Kotor to Bar

Montenegro’s coastline is short, but there’s plenty to sail. The tourist board sums it up neatly. You can do the whole coast in a week, or spend that same week inside the Bay of Kotor and still not run out of coves. Add 240 sunny days a year, steady southerlies and the mistral in summer, and a string of marinas covering everything from charter yachts to superyachts. Here’s what you need to know to charter a boat here or bring your own.

Sailing into the Bay of Kotor

The Bay of Kotor looks small as you enter, then opens up into four bays with coves under mountains over a thousand metres high. The National Tourism Organisation calls it a natural shelter, ideal for gentle sailing if you’re new to it. For me it’s the most compelling thing about Montenegro from the water, the scenery changing on every tack and Perast’s two islands appearing ahead.

Kotor’s cruise port is about a hundred metres from the old town, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with border control, so you can clear into the country and tie up almost beneath the walls.

Porto Montenegro and superyacht charter

For luxury yachting the benchmark is Porto Montenegro in Tivat. The tourist board highlights its 250 m superyacht berth, billed as the longest in the world, and the 2021 ACREW award for best superyacht marina. It has border control with police, customs and harbour master, and the Regent Porto Montenegro hotel is part of the same development.

At the mouth of the bay, Portonovi in Herceg Novi has 238 berths for boats of 7 to 70 m, taking up to 120 m in high season, plus border control and a fuel station. Luštica Bay, on the Luštica peninsula, is an internal-traffic marina for the time being, so you’ll need to clear into Montenegro somewhere else first.

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

The open coast to Budva and Bar

The second half of the coast runs from Budva to Ulcinj. Marina Budva, by the old town, has border control in season only. Bar, the country’s largest port, has the biggest marina, with 660 berths up to 45 m and 250 dry berths, 104 nautical miles from Otranto, plus a tax-free fuel dock. The tourist board’s favourite anchorages include Trašte Bay, Kruče Bay, Oblatno, Maljevik, Bigova and Sveti Marko island.

Paperwork, radio and regattas

Bring your passport and keep your navigation permits handy, as the maritime police can ask for them, particularly if you arrive in your own boat. If you fancy hiring a car or motorbike ashore, you’ll need an international driving permit. Every entry into and exit from Montenegrin waters is called in on VHF channel 16 to the Maritime Operations Centre (VTS Montenegro), which tracks traffic and issues safety information.

If you like racing, there’s a calendar. The tourist board lists the Arsenal Cup, the Fascination Cup, the PMYC regatta and the Race of a Thousand Islands. And if all you want is a day on the water without skippering, the boat trips are a different, much cheaper thing.

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

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