Driving in Montenegro, according to Mr Fletche

If you’re planning on driving in Montenegro here are some handy tips from A Brummie Home and Abroad’s designated driver! Mr Fletche has driven in neighbouring Croatia before – would Montenegrin driving be any different?

Rather than staying in multiple locations we opted for an apartment in Muo, directly across the bay from Kotor’s Old Town. It was one of the rare accommodations in Kotor with private off-road parking. More about THAT later.

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Renting a car in Montenegro

We hit our first stumbling block three days before we travelled. Our car rental booking is declined because our credit card has initials rather than a full first name. After briefly toying with the idea of not bothering with a car at all, we discover that Sixt will reserve with a debit card, the only payment method we have which matches the exact name on Mr Fletche’s driving licence.

The irony? At the rental office at the airport, they were more than happy to accept the credit card 🤦🏼‍♀️

After what seems an unnecessarily long wait at the Sixt counter at Tivat airport, documents are signed and we’re sent over to the Sixt parking lot. Only to find our car wasn’t actually in the Sixt parking lot. Finally we locate a man in an orange Sixt polo shirt. He points us in the direction of a Mazda 3. Which is considerably bigger than the “smallest car available” option that we’d paid for. It’s low mileage and pretty much brand new, but we do note the multiple scratches, particularly on the passenger side. The driver before us probably drove the Serpentine – more on that later…

💰 Our car was €192 (£165) for the week, but this was mainly because we ended up booking with Sixt at short notice. We received the car with a full tank of petrol, and topped up €24/£21 before we handed it back.

Top tips for renting a car in Montenegro

Popular recommendations for car rental in Montenegro include aggregator sites Discover Cars and Local Rent. Make sure you book well in advance, particularly if you’re travelling in peak times. You’ll want a small car to navigate those narrow roads and tight parking spots, but also something with a bit of oomph to get you up those hills. It might make sense to hire a car just for a couple of days during your trip, but make sure you factor in getting to and from the airport.

For most rentals you will need:

• A valid driving licence
• An International Drivers Permit (if the licence is issued outside the EU or UK)
• A credit card in the name of the main driver – names should match exactly
• Passport or ID Card

If you’re planning on driving into neighbouring countries like Croatia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina or Serbia you’ll need to notify the rental company. They will ensure that you have the correct documentation. We intended to use Google Maps via Apple Car Play but realised we didn’t have a USB adaptor with us. Instead we used the car’s inbuilt navigation system, which worked fine.

Driving in Montenegro

Having driven in Malta, Croatia and Italy, Mr Fletche was all too familiar with the erratic driving style in Montenegro. His top tips?

• Allow quicker vehicles room to pass
• Watch out for oncoming overtaking vehicles (particularly motorbikes)
• Adjust your speed to enter a roundabout without necessarily coming to a stop.
• Be prepared to reverse or squeeze into a small passing place.
• Don’t forget to drive on the right hand side of the road!

On the whole though, drivers were pretty courteous. We concluded that most of the over cautious drivers were tourists, and over-aggressive drivers Montenegrins. The jury’s out on the nationality of the driver reversing round a roundabout. But the driver coming round the roundabout the wrong way just outside the airport? I suspect that one was a tourist.

As Montenegro becomes a more popular tourist destination, and with additional routes flying into Tivat Airport all the time, it’s clear there needs an improved road infrastructure. Which is something they’re clearly working on at the moment, by tearing up pretty much the whole road between Tivat and Budva. It’s not a fun experience driving through the roadworks, with loose shale, dust, narrow lanes, speed restrictions and potholes which seemed big enough to swallow our hire car whole. I’m sure it’ll be great when it’s finished.

The majority of roads though are fairly well-maintained. Speed limits are clearly posted – and we made sure we stuck to them so there’s no repeat of the Switzerland debacle. Standard limits are 80km/h on highways and 50km/h in built-up areas. We only came across one toll road in Montenegro, on the E80 between Lake Skadar and the coast. Payment was €2,50 and can be paid in cash or by card at the toll booth.

Want to read more about driving in Europe? You can find posts on driving in Malta, and driving in Puglia, Italy on A Brummie Home and Abroad

Driving – and parking – in Kotor

Unless you’re driving in to Kotor from elsewhere, it’ll take longer to drive around Kotor than it would to walk. The road that winds around Kotor Bay is quite narrow in parts, but there are plenty of passing places. As long as you don’t mind getting closely acquainted with a wall. Or the water. As it joins the E65 to exit Kotor, there’s a small roundabout which can often cause congestion. We found there were often tailbacks along the Jadranska Magistrala through Muo, sometimes taking 15 or 20 minutes to drive just the one kilometre from our apartment. It took us an hour to get to the airport on our departure day, a mere 8.5km.

If you are staying in Kotor, make sure you consider where you’ll park. Some of the accommodations around Muo and Prcanj had allocated parking spots on the road – usually marked out by the presence of a water bottle or similar. There are public car parks around Kotor Old Town but they fill up quickly, especially in summer. Drivers trying to get into the parking lot next to the Idea supermarket contributed massively to the congestion. The best parking lot for day visitors is here or this one, which is in Muo and a little further away from the Old Town.

Our Airbnb was a rare find with private off-road parking, but this was not without it’s challenges. Not only was the entrance a narrow driveway at a 90° angle to the road, but it was up a steep incline. And we needed to reverse into the space. When we arrive Mr Fletche is not convinced our car will fit. Our Airbnb host swiftly proves that it will by hopping in and taking charge of the parking situation. We wonder if he’ll be on call to get us in and out throughout the week.

Driving the Kotor Serpentine

Having a car meant the opportunity to visit one of Kotor’s most spectacular roads. The Kotor-Lovćen Serpentine. As the road ascends from the Bay of Kotor to the heights of Mount Lovćen, drivers face 8.3km of exhilarating hairpin turns. The P1 Road then skirts Lovćen National Park to the town of Cetinje, via Njeguši, famous for producing Montenegro’s famous dry-cured ham, Njeguški pršut

I had visions of a leisurely drive, stopping at several viewing points en route and Mr Fletche congratulating me on selecting such a stunning – if slightly out-the-way – route to Virpazar and Lake Skadar. Turns out its a more pleasurable ride for the passenger than the driver. And even this passenger was holding her breath most of the time.

It was the first part of the drive which was most frustrating. Firstly, getting out of our apartment. Then getting out of Kotor. And then finding the right route that leads to the Serpentine. We heeded the advice to leave early, but still joined a snaking train of traffic at standstill. The Serpentine is “supposedly” a two way road, but its narrowness at some points barely leaves room for two normal-sized vehicles to pass And certainly not for the tour buses, wide-eyed passengers with their fingers pressing at the windows, leaving a weary but experienced driver to do all the hard work.

Priority is meant to be given to downhill traffic. Try telling that to a 50 seater coach. As we follow in the exhaust fumes of a much larger vehicle we pass cars wedged into awkward spots. Now we understand how hire cars pick up so many scratches. Safety barriers are largely absent.

Somewhere though we seem to lose the traffic in front. Which means Mr Fletche is in the lead. There’s a white van man behind, desperate to get past – yes, they exist all over the world – so we stop as soon as we can to let him pass. He roars ahead, clearly familiar with the road. I can’t imagine this being my daily commute. By the time Mr Fletche has his momentum going he’s reluctant to pull over, but we do stop at one lookout point, and then near the Restaurant Nevjesta Jadrana for spectacular views like these.

A more relaxing option for views over Kotor from Mount Lovćen is the Kotor Cable Car! You can enjoy the same spectacular views without the stress.

So, do you really need to rent a car in Montenegro?

It all depends on your holiday style. Are you happy to stay in one place? Do you want to take daytrips further afield? Or do you want to travel around, staying in multiple locations?

We didn’t have plans to drive out from Kotor every day. So maybe we would have been better off renting a car for just a couple of days. However, we still had the journey to and from the airport to take into account; taxis aren’t cheap and public transport infrequent.

You don’t need a car if you’re staying in and around Kotor. After all, parking and driving in Kotor can be frustrating. Our apartment was within walking distance of the Old Town, and Dobrota beyond; even in the other direction it was a pleasant waterfront walk to the small town of Prčanj. The Blue Line bus runs a route from Kotor to Risan via Perast. A separate bus takes in Tivat to Kotor (although not directly from the airport; a local bus takes a circuitous journey to Kotor’s bus station). There’s even a bus that runs directly to the Kotor Cable Car from Kotor bus station. There were also plenty of taxis available.

For journeys outside of the Bay of Kotor area though, public transport is limited to buses between the main tourist towns and Montenegro’s capital Podgorica. We would have struggled to get to Lake Skadar on public transport with no direct route from Kotor. Without a car we would have missed out on the excitement/challenge/frustration of the Kotor Serpentine.

If you are keen on visiting Durmitor National Park in the north of the country, this full day tour comes highly recommended.

Even if we didn’t take full advantage of it this time, I think that renting a car in Montenegro is the best way to indepdendently explore the spectacular landscapes of this beautiful Balkan country. You have the freedom to explore the coastline, canyons and the mountains, all in one trip.

I try my hardest to keep the information in this travel guide up to date; however if you notice anything has changed please let me know! Happy travels, Emmalene