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Kotor old town seen from the fortress path: red roofs inside the walls, cruise ships and cars along the quay, and the bay with villages below the mountains

Where to stay in Montenegro

Photographed in 2015. Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Montenegro

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About Montenegro

Tivat airport sits 8 km from Kotor and 20 km from Budva, and every coastal town sets its own tourist tax and runs its own parking. Kotor and Budva are walled old towns; Tivat, Herceg Novi and Ulcinj publish full parking price lists.

Montenegro. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airports
Tivat (TIV) is 4 km from Tivat, 8 km from Kotor and 20 km from Budva. Podgorica (TGD) is 60 km from Budva; Dubrovnik (DBV), across the Croatian border, 66 km. Source
Tourist tax
Set by each municipality between EUR 0.10 and EUR 1.00 per person per night. Kotor, Tivat, Herceg Novi and Ulcinj charge EUR 1.00 for adults, Budva up to EUR 1.00; ages 12 to 18 pay half, under 12 free. Source
Guest registration
The host registers each guest with the local tourist organisation within 24 hours of arrival and deregisters them within 24 hours of departure. Source
Short-term rental rules
Private hosts may let at most 10 rooms or 20 beds, must be entered in the Central Tourist Register, show the category at the entrance and the prices and tourist tax in view, insure guests against accidents and give a receipt that lists the tax. Source
Parking with a rental car
Each town runs its own zones. Tivat 2026: red zone EUR 1 an hour or EUR 10 a day from 1 May to 30 September, EUR 0.80 and EUR 8 in winter, with tourist cards for 7, 10 or 15 days. Source
Visa-free stay, US and UK
US and UK nationals may enter and stay up to 90 days without a visa, with a valid travel document. Source
Visa-free stay, EU citizens
No visa: up to 90 days with a passport, up to 30 days with an ID card. Source
Monthly stays
A guest who stays more than 30 days without a break in the same accommodation is exempt from the tourist tax, on proof. Montenegro is not in the Schengen area. Source
Currency
The euro, which Montenegro uses without a formal arrangement with the EU. Source
Emergency numbers
112, police 122, fire and rescue 123, ambulance 124 Source

Areas of Montenegro

Kotor old town seen from the fortress path: red roofs inside the walls, cruise ships and cars along the quay, and the bay with villages below the mountains
Photographed in 2015. Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kotor and the inner bay

Kotor's old town is a walled maze of stone alleys, squares, museums and churches on the bay, inside the UNESCO-listed Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. It suits a first visit on foot. Villages along the bay such as Dobrota, Muo and Prčanj widen the choice beyond the walls.

Tivat airport
about 8 km
Budva
about 22 km

Car and parking

No official source on car access to the old town or on the 2026 prices of the car parks beside it was found as of September 2026, so ask the host where the car goes before booking.

Budva old town on its small peninsula, with the bell tower, the citadel walls and a sand beach, and hills across the water behind
Photographed in 2019. Photo: Jaakko Luttinen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Budva

The most visited resort on the Montenegrin coast, according to its tourist organisation: a walled old town, Bečići beach about 2,000 m long, and Petrovac, whose promenade is lined with rooms and apartments. Local buses run to Sveti Stefan and Petrovac all year. It suits a beach holiday.

Tivat airport
about 21 km
Podgorica airport
about 66 km
Kotor
about 22 km

Car and parking

Parking servis Budva runs 17 barrier car parks, open all year and charged per started hour at prices posted at each entrance, cash or card at the exit. Street zones started in 2026, paid by SMS, kiosk or app; an unpaid bay brings a EUR 50 daily ticket.

Yachts moored along wooden pontoons in the Porto Montenegro marina in Tivat, with apartment buildings on the quay and mountains behind
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Finis Coronat Opus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tivat

The town beside the airport, home to the Porto Montenegro harbour and resort with its restaurants and shops, and to smaller beaches and piers along the bay. It suits early flights and a marina stay, about 11 km from Kotor by road.

Tivat airport
about 4 km
Kotor
about 11 km

Car and parking

Parking Servis Tivat charges EUR 1 an hour or EUR 10 a day in the red zone from 1 May to 30 September 2026 and EUR 0.80 or EUR 8 in winter, and sells tourist cards for 7, 10 or 15 days. The Arsenal car park costs EUR 2 per started hour in summer.

Tiled roofs of Herceg Novi old town seen from the Kanli Kula fortress, with a stone tower and a domed church, and the sea and headlands beyond
Photo: Alexkom000, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Herceg Novi and Igalo

A town on the Bay of Kotor founded 600 years ago, according to the national tourism organisation, with Igalo along the same shore. It suits travellers flying into Dubrovnik, about 29 km away by road across the border.

Dubrovnik airport
about 29 km
Tivat airport, with the ferry
about 24 km

Car and parking

Parking servis Herceg Novi runs four street zones from Igalo to Meljine. From 1 June to 30 September 2026 the red zone costs EUR 1 an hour or EUR 10 a day and the purple zone EUR 2 an hour for one hour at most; the Igalo garage is EUR 6 for 24 hours. SMS payment needs a Montenegrin number, the app takes cards.

The walls of Ulcinj old town on a rocky headland above the sea, with stone houses behind the ramparts
Photographed in 2012. Photo: Mjuzikxhankej, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ulcinj

The far south of the coast, with an old town its tourist organisation counts among the oldest on the Adriatic and Velika plaža, kilometres of fine sand. It suits a beach holiday built around the long sand beach.

Podgorica airport
about 74 km
Tivat airport
about 86 km
Budva
about 66 km

Car and parking

Parking servis Ulcinj charges EUR 0.90 per started hour in the red zone from 1 June to 1 October and EUR 0.70 otherwise, and sells tourist cards valid in all zones for 5, 10 or 30 days, EUR 35, 50 or 100 in summer, on its price list adopted in November 2023.

Guides

Questions

Which town is best for a first visit to Montenegro?

Kotor, for its walled old town on the Bay of Kotor, 8 km from Tivat airport. For the riviera beaches and year-round buses along the coast, Budva; for a flight into Dubrovnik, Herceg Novi.

How much is the tourist tax on the Montenegrin coast?

EUR 1.00 per adult per night in Kotor, Tivat, Herceg Novi and Ulcinj, and up to EUR 1.00 in Budva. Ages 12 to 18 pay half and children under 12 pay nothing. The host collects it with the room.

Is parking easy to plan with a rental car?

In Tivat, Herceg Novi and Ulcinj, yes: the operators publish zone prices, and Tivat and Ulcinj sell multi-day tourist cards. Budva posts prices at each car park entrance. For Kotor no official price list was found, so ask the host where the car goes.

Does a guest have to register with the police?

The host registers each guest with the local tourist organisation within 24 hours of arrival. UK travel advice tells visitors in private accommodation to make sure it is done, because an unregistered visitor can be fined.