Taking a taxi in Montenegro without overpaying

Taxis in Montenegro are handy for short hops and for getting away from the airports, but it pays to follow a couple of simple rules. There’s no official fare table that I could find, so the trick is spotting a licensed cab and fixing the price up front. Here’s what gov.uk, the airports and Budva’s tourist board say.

Spotting a licensed taxi

gov.uk puts it neatly. Official taxis carry a sign on the roof and have the company name and number written on the side. Plenty of drivers are honest, it says, but some overcharge tourists, as in most holiday spots. So check the per-kilometre rate or agree the total before the meter matters. I’d always do the latter for any trip out of town. More on scams and precautions in is Montenegro safe.

At the airports

Podgorica has one important quirk. Not every taxi company is authorised to pick up at the airport. The safe options are a cab from the rank outside the terminal or, if you’ve booked, confirming that the driver is allowed to collect there. You won’t be fined, but you’ll lose time if the driver is pulled over. The airport names two firms, Zeta Taxi and Vuk BG Taxi, with phone numbers. Tivat’s website lists none, and with no bus either, a cab is the obvious way to Kotor, 8 km off. More in Tivat airport.

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

Budva, the best-documented town

Budva’s tourist board publishes a list of nine taxi firms, most with a five-digit short number, several of them on Viber, and all said to run round the clock. It says cabs are available 24 hours a day and that you should agree the price in advance for longer trips. The main ranks are on Slovenska obala by the Zeta film building, at Mercur bus station, at the Slovenska plaža complex, at the Bečići hotel complex and at Petrovac bus station. For what to see while you’re there, see Budva.

What about apps?

Does Uber operate here? It’s a question I get a lot. No official source I’ve read settles it. What gov.uk does say is that to reduce the risk of bag-snatching and mugging you should use licensed taxis ordered in advance or through an app, and avoid isolated areas at night, especially on foot. In practice I’d ring a firm from the town’s list or ask my hotel or apartment host to book one for me.

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

When a taxi makes sense

For a short coastal hop or leaving the airport with luggage, yes. For touring the country, no, because stringing taxis from town to town ties you to other people’s schedules, and to my mind it isn’t worth it. How it fits with everything else is in getting around Montenegro.

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