How To Choose the Right Montenegro Airport for your Trip

You can fly into any of these airports, but it’s easiest to choose a Montenegro airport - either Tivat or Podgorica, whichever is closest to where you’re staying.

Because Montenegro is such a small country, you don’t need to worry about flying between these airports to get to the closest one to your accommodation. Although they might look far apart on the map, in reality it’s only a two hour drive between Podgorica and Tivat.

If you can’t find good flights to a Montenegro airport, then look at Dubrovnik and Tirana airports. It pays to remember that these involve extra border crossings that will add time to your trip.

Here's a table which shows you the distances (in km) from each airport to each major town:

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Quick Links

• Tivat Airport
• Podgorica Airport
• Dubrovnik Airport
• Tirana Airport
• Flight Search
• Car Hire
• Montenegro Airport Transfers

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Tivat Airport

Flights can be more expensive

Until recently no low-cost airlines were flying into Tivat, so it was cheaper to fly into Podgorica or Dubrovnik. Easyjet has started flying into Tivat from the UK and we expect more low-cost airlines and cheaper tickets in future.

If you can’t find competitive fares, you’ll have to work out whether it’s worth the extra transfer time/border crossings flying into Podgorica or Dubrovnik instead. And don’t forget to check car hire prices first too! Car hire is generally more expensive in Dubrovnik than in Montenegro.

Seasonal

The flights are very seasonal so you won’t find as many flights in winter as summer.

Facilities:

• Free WiFi
• Bag-wrapping.
• VIP Lounge - this is very basic, with some chairs, desks, printer and kitchenette.
• Parking: €0.80 per hour.
• Duty-free for departures (none for arrivals) There’s no duty-free shop for arrivals. If you want to buy duty-free, you’ll have to get it at your departure airport. There’s a small duty-free shop in the departure lounge at the gate.
• There’s no café after you pass security to the departure lounge. There’s also nothing for kids to do, so bring your own entertainment if you’re travelling with kids.

Car Hire

All major car rental companies in Europe have car rental from Tivat Aiport and you can usually pick a car up at the airport and drop it off at any of their other depots around Montenegro.

There are also smaller local companies which offer unconventional options, like convertibles, SUVs and Smart cars. The great thing about these companies is they also have the best prices. Instead of searching for and contacting these companies one by one, you can search them and book them all in one place.

Taxis and Transfers

There are taxis available in front of the terminal. My advice is to book a transfer in advance to avoid being ripped off on arrival. Kiwi Taxi has well-priced transfers from Tivat airport.

See transfers prices from Tivat Airport >

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Podgorica Airport

Facilities:

• Free WiFi
• Bag-wrapping
• Business Lounge: There’s a business lounge for business and first class travelers.
• VIP Lounge: There are three VIP loungers available that can accommodate up to 11 people. They’re priced from €150 per hour and you can book them by contacting the airport.
• Parking: €0.60 per hour and the first 15 minutes are free - this is perhaps the cheapest airport parking I've ever come across!
• Duty-free for departures only. There’s no duty-free shop for arrivals. If you want to buy duty-free, you’ll have to get it at your departure airport. 

Click here to search for flights to Podgorica

Car Hire

Like Tivat, all the major car rental companies have cars available from Podgorica airport.

See car hire options from Podgorica > 

Transfers

There’s a taxi stand in front of the arrival terminal but I recommend booking your onward transport in advance to avoid haggling on arrival. 

Click here to see where to find the best airport transfers >

Getting to the Coast

If you’re flying into Podgorica and staying on the coast, there are two ways you can come down to the coast:

• Via Cetinje to Budva
• Via the Sozina Tunnel – costs €2.50 each way

Since the airport is on the Tranzit road, a two-lane highway that bypasses Podgorica centre, the easiest way to get down to the coast is via Sozina Tunnel. It’s also much more scenic!

All you do is turn left out of the airport road and head straight until you hit the coast. Along the way you’ll drive over Lake Skadar and get some great views of the lake. You can also stopover in Virpazar, and if you’re wanting a meal when you touch down, I’d recommend heading this way and stopping on the lake. Our top picks are:

• Jezero in Vranjina
• Silistrija in Virpazar

You can also start your intro to Montenegro off with a wine and food tasting… although not if you’re driving. Montenegro has a zero alcohol tolerance policy!

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Dubrovnik Airport - Croatia

Facilities:

• Free WiFi
• Bag wrapping
• Duty free shopping for departures
• Cafe in departure lounge. 
• Parking is 5kn per hour (about  €0.80)

Click here to search for flights to Dubrovnik

Car Hire

There are lots of choices for car hire at Dubrovnik airport. You can drive a rental car in Montenegro, just make sure you tell your rental company so they can issue you with border insurance. 

Click here to find car rental options in Dubrovnik >

The Border Crossing

This can be crazy busy in July and August; the wait could be hours long. It's also very unpredictable. I have spent 3 hours crossing the border in July and three days before that it took us 10 minutes. 

If you’re flying out of Dubrovnik at the end of your holiday, I recommend leaving very early. The queues are worst in the afternoons, so cross early in the morning and spend the day in Dubrovnik to be safe.

Outside of these peak months the traffic is manageable and there are virtually no queues between October and May, with the exception of the last week of December and the first week in January, when holiday traffic clogs up the borders again.

There are actually two border crossings you can use. The main one at Debeli Brijeg (Montenegro)/Karasovici (Croatia) or the smaller crossing around Njivice (Montenegro)/Vitaljine (Croatia).

Transfers and Taxis

If you don’t want to hire a car, make sure you book a transfer to bring you to Montenegro. There will be taxi drivers waiting at the airport and they might offer to bring you across, but we’ve heard stories of people being dumped at the Croatian exit border with all their luggage.

It’s 5km between checkpoints and if you can’t get anyone to take you to the next one, you’ll be forced to walk - with all your luggage – to the Montenegrin checkpoint. At least it's downhill! Obviously this doesn’t happen often, but I’d rather not take the risk.

Find a transfer from Dubrovnik airport >

Catching The Bus to Montenegro

There’s no bus connecting Dubrovnik airport and Montenegro. The only way is to go to Dubrovnik and get one of the two daily buses to Herceg Novi or Kotor. From there you can connect onto a bus to anywhere else in Montenegro.

Bay of Kotor Ferry

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Tirana Airport - Albania

Car Hire

All the major car rental companies like Hertz, Avis and Sixt have cars available in Tirana airport. You can drive one into Montenegro, you just need to return it to them in Albania again. Like when you rent a car in Dubrovnik, you need to get cross-border insurance from your rental car agency or buy it at the border. Click here to see car hire information for Tirana.

Taxis and Transfers

There are registered yellow taxis in front of the terminal that will take you to Tirana for about €18.

Kiwi Taxi offers transfers from Tirana to Montenegro. Click here to get a price.

Catching the Bus to Montenegro

There is just one direct bus that links Tirana with Shkoder (Albania), Podgorica, Budva and Kotor. You can buy tickets here and a ticket between Tirana and Kotor costs €25.50.

Search for flights To Montenegro

I love Kiwi.com because you can search multiple airports at the same time and see the cheapest days to fly. By the way, are you seeing a trend here? Kiwi.com for flights and Kiwi Taxi for transfers... You'd be forgiven for thinking my New Zealand heritage has influenced my choices but it's just a coincidence! It seems it's cool to be Kiwi these days!

Because you can fly into multiple airports when you come to Montenegro, you can search flights from all of them simultaneously instead of doing three separate searches. You can also see the cheapest days to travel - a great way to save money when you're flexible.

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Car Hire

Most people hire a car for their stay in Montenegro. It makes getting around and seeing the sights so much easier.

When you book your flights, my advice is to hire a car from the airport you'll fly into. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that you'll have to return the car to the country you picked it up in. So if you fly into Dubrovnik airport and hire a car from there, you'll need to return it in Croatia or pay a €350 fee for an international drop off. This isn't a problem for most people, but if you're planning on flying into one airport and out of another you'll need to keep this in mind.

The prices of rental vary, with Dubrovnik being the most expensive. He's a general price guide for high season:

Click here to read more about car hire in Montenegro, including what types of insurance you'll come across.

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Montenegro Airport Transfers

If you don't want to hire a car for your stay, you can book airport transfers in advance to take you to and from your accommodation. You can get a taxi on arrival at the airport, but you're likely to pay more - it's hard to negotiate a good price when you're standing in front of the airport with all your bags! And we know drivers who ask for €50 for a 3km ride from Tivat airport to Tivat town. That's 3x what it should cost but they know you don't have much choice!

When you book in advance you can search and book the best option and relax knowing you won't have to do any haggling as soon as you touch down. The best place to search for Montenegro airport transfers is with Kiwi Taxi. Kiwi Taxi have really good prices like €20 from Tivat to Budva, where hailing a local taxi for the same trip will set you back €75 in high season.

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