Getting Around Montenegro: Rental Cars, Public Transport, and the Truth About the Roads

Rental car or public transport?

When you're planning a big family trip, eight adults and a three-year-old toddler setting the pace, the question of how to get around becomes the single most important decision of the whole trip. Montenegro is a country of contrasts: a flat, easy coastal strip on one side, and on the other, dramatic mountain ranges, deep canyons, and roads that make your heart skip a beat. So what's the best way to get around it? Can you really lean on public transport? And how do you handle the driving up north? We've pulled together everything we learned, the conclusions, and one embarrassing run-in with the traffic police, from our trip.

Let's put it on the table: in Montenegro, especially if you want to get beyond the riviera, a rental car is a must. True, there's public transport, buses connecting the main cities like Kotor, Budva and Podgorica, and there are taxis in the tourist areas. But reaching the real natural gems this way is hard, sometimes impossible. Hidden trails, isolated viewpoints like Ćurevac, or a night in a wooden cabin in the mountains, all need full independence. The private car also gave us the freedom to stop whenever we wanted, to stretch our legs or just take in the view.

Our cars: don't settle for a manual

We booked two cars in advance through a company called Opran, and at the airport we got Alamo cars, Dacia Dusters.

Our most important tip: don't be tempted to book a manual just to save a few euros. The roads in Montenegro, especially in the mountainous north like Durmitor National Park, are hard to drive compared to other countries in Europe. Steep climbs, sharp descents, tight bends and narrow roads. We were so glad we got automatics. It took an enormous load off us and let the drivers focus purely on the road, and the view, instead of shifting gears nonstop.

The roads: drop a gear, and your expectations

The good news: most of the roads we drove were very well maintained, well paved and clearly marked. The less good news, and something to factor into your schedule, is the pace.

In Montenegro, fifty kilometers on the map don't equal half an hour of driving. The mountainous terrain dictates slow going, and most of the time you'll find yourself doing just 60 to 80 km/h. The drives are longer than they look, even when the destination seems close on the map. Take it easy, make a good playlist, and enjoy the road.

Navigation, signal and traffic police

Navigation and internet

For navigation we mostly used Waze, which worked great, but we found Google Maps was sometimes more accurate on the side roads. Contrary to our worries beforehand, we barely ran into any signal problems the whole trip. We used both a data package from home and a local eSIM, and both did the job smoothly.

Traffic police (consider yourself warned)

Keep your eyes open. Unlike back home, Montenegro has a very lively presence of patrol cars and traffic officers lying in wait along the intercity roads with laser guns. We ran into them several times, and, in all honesty, we even got pulled over once and caught a ticket. Drive by the book, watch the changing speed signs, and avoid risky overtaking. The white line there is sacred.

Parking and insurance: things worth the money

Zero-deductible insurance

We booked the cars from home without extended insurance, but at the Alamo desk we added full coverage including a deductible waiver, at a cost of about 200 euros per car for the whole trip. On narrow roads where every rock or branch can scratch the bodywork, that peace of mind is worth every cent. It's also what let us hand the car back on the last day in five minutes flat, no worries.

Parking in the cities

Contrary to what we'd thought, finding parking in the main cities, like Podgorica, Kotor or Budva, was pretty easy. There are quite a few organized lots at a negligible cost, and it's worth using them instead of getting tangled up looking for street parking on narrow roads.

The bottom line

Driving in Montenegro is part of the experience, not a tax you pay for it. It takes patience, focus, and sometimes a bit of nerve on narrow roads, but it hands you a free pass to some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe. Get a comfortable automatic, take out full insurance, fire up Waze, and go discover the Balkans at your own pace.