Practical guide to Kotor | Hire And Travel

Phone, map, and car key for planning a trip

Staying in KotorThe pedestrian Old Town and travel around the Bay of Kotor

Inside Kotor’s walls, you get around on foot. Local buses and taxis serve accommodation along the coast, while a hire car lets you visit other places around the Bay of Kotor and Lovcen.

Here you will find information about walking, local buses and fares, taxis, and car hire, along with accommodation recommendations and booking platforms. The mobile communication section covers the MTEL shop, eSIM, calls, and regional roaming. For onward travel, there is information about the bus station, intercity tickets, arriving by train via Podgorica, and the guide to airport transfers. The money section explains currency, cards, and cash exchange, while the healthcare section covers the locations and different opening hours of the Stari grad and Dobrota pharmacies. The driving section covers trips outside the city and parking outside the walls. The FAQ answers questions about printing bus tickets, registering foreign guests, and payment at Old Town Hostel.

Useful links

Service	Links
Internet (eSIM)	MTEL eSIM
Accommodation	Odmor.me
Car hire	Car hire in Kotor
Bus station	Kotor Bus Station on the map Bus departures and tickets

Local transport and getting around

Kotor’s Old Town is explored on foot, while local transport connects it with the coastal neighbourhoods. Staying outside the walls therefore does not mean driving into the centre every day.

Public transport

Blue Line connects Kotor’s coastal neighbourhoods, allowing you to reach the centre from accommodation outside the walls without a car. It is a local network with its own stops, separate from intercity departures at the bus station.

Some coastal routes have fewer departures for evening returns and Sunday travel. Additional late services on these routes run only in summer, so the summer timetable differs from the one used at other times of year.

Tickets and fares

The price of a local Blue Line ticket depends on where you board and get off, rather than a single fare for the entire Kotor network.

Taxis and on-demand transport

Red Taxi accepts bookings for trips within Kotor municipality and transfers from Tivat Airport. It provides a direct ride to accommodation outside the pedestrian centre, without depending on the local bus timetable.

Red Taxi Kotor (short number)19719
Red Taxi Kotor (international number)+382 67 019 719

Car hire

A hire car can be delivered to your chosen address in town. If you are staying in the Old Town, the handover is arranged outside the pedestrian streets.

For delivery, enter the address and time in the search, where any delivery fee and other conditions are shown with the offer. Collection at a car hire office is available with offers that support this option.

Car hire offers in Kotor

Mobile internet and communication

MTEL tourist internet is available at the shop in Kotor or through an online eSIM purchase. A physical SIM and an eSIM differ in how you buy them and which phones support them, while calls and regional roaming have separate conditions from domestic internet use.

SIM cards and where to buy them

The MTEL shop in Kotor is in the Kamelija Shopping Centre, at Trg Mata Petrovica bb. A physical tourist SIM is also an option for a phone that does not support eSIM.

eSIM and activation

An MTEL eSIM requires a phone that supports this technology. Your identity is verified during purchase, after which the installation QR code arrives by email.

MTEL tourist eSIM

Calls and roaming

The MTEL tourist package includes internet, but the initial credit for paid calls and SMS is €0. Regular phone calls are therefore charged separately from the included internet.

When travelling from Montenegro to other Western Balkan countries, a separate, smaller data allowance applies. The Mtel turist 15 package, for example, includes 500 GB in Montenegro and 9.92 GB for regional roaming.

MTEL tourist packages

Accommodation

Our Where to stay in Kotor page recommends specific hotels and hostels and compares their locations and services.

Booking.com lets you search for your chosen dates and number of guests. The Airbnb search covers Kotor municipality, an area larger than the Old Town, and offers filters for amenities, including a kitchen. The local platform Odmor.me has separate searches for hotels and apartments.

Accommodation recommendations in KotorBooking.com for KotorAirbnb: Kotor municipalityOdmor.me hotels and apartments

Stations and onward travel

Stations and departure points

Intercity buses depart from Kotor Bus Station on Put Prvoborca bb, outside the Old Town.

Kotor Bus Station on the map

Connections to other destinations

Kotor has no passenger railway station. If you arrive in Podgorica by train, you continue to Kotor by intercity bus.

Timetables and tickets

For intercity travel, BusTicket4.me lets you choose a departure by date and destination and buy a ticket offered on the portal.

Bus departures and tickets

Arrival from the airport

Tivat Airport is outside Kotor. For transport options from the terminal to the city, see our separate airport guide.

Getting to Kotor from the airport

Money and payments

Currency and payment methods

Kotor uses the euro, as does the rest of Montenegro. Cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants, shops, and petrol stations.

ATMs and currency exchange

At NLB, foreign banknotes are exchanged using the cash exchange rate, and the service is available during branch opening hours. The rate for non-cash currency exchange is separate and does not apply to this service.

Healthcare services

Pharmacies

Stari grad pharmacy is inside Kotor’s Old Town. Its regular opening hours are Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 20:00 and Saturday from 7:00 to 14:00. The summer schedule extends Saturday hours to 20:00 and includes Sunday opening from 8:00 to 15:00.

Dobrota pharmacy in the Plangenti neighbourhood opens on Sundays from 8:00 to 13:00 under both its regular and summer schedules. Sunday opening in Dobrota therefore does not depend on the Old Town pharmacy’s summer schedule.

Stari grad pharmacy+382 67 148 655
Dobrota pharmacy+382 67 148 557

Montefarm pharmacy opening hours

Driving in the city

When a car is useful

If your stay includes day trips, a car lets you travel independently along the coast towards Perast or up to Lovcen above the bay. It is useful for these trips outside the city, while the Old Town itself is explored on foot.

Traffic and access to the city

To visit the Old Town by car, you use car parks outside the walls, including Riva and Benovo. Their locations and payment conditions are covered in the separate parking guide.

Where to park in Kotor

Car hire in KotorFor trips from Kotor to other places around the Bay of Kotor or Lovcen, compare offers for your stay dates and chosen collection location.

Find a hire car in Kotor

Use the Kotor guides for detailed accommodation recommendations, airport transfers, and parking. Safety and emergency procedures are covered separately, while the city guide brings together places to visit and activities.

Planning your stayKotor guideRecommendations for sightseeing, food, accommodation, and day trips from Kotor.

Open the Kotor guide

About the cityHow trade and seafaring shaped Kotor, and what its Old Town preserves of the past.Things to doThings to do in Kotor, from walking through the Old Town to guided kayaking on the bay.SightsWhat Kotor's churches and palaces preserve of the city's past, and what you can see on a visit.Lesser-known placesLesser-known collections and church interiors in Kotor, alongside Gornji Stoliv, Gorazda and Tre Sorelle Palace.With childrenFamily outings in the Old Town and by the sea, with places to play, indoor activities and separate excursions from Kotor.FoodDishes from the Bay of Kotor and how they differ from wider Montenegrin cooking.Where to eatPlaces for a meal or coffee in Kotor's Old Town and along the bay, with suggestions on what to order.Where to stayRecommended stays in Kotor's Old Town and Dobrota, their locations and what they offer.AirportsGetting to Kotor from Tivat Airport and the alternatives via other airports.ParkingWhere to park for Kotor's Old Town and what different car parks charge.SafetyPreparing for the climb along Kotor's walls and knowing who to contact for help.Explore the city Stay plansItineraries for 1-10 days with Kotor Old Town, its walls, Perast and Lovcen.

Guides to other cities

Practical information for other destinations

Practical information for nearby destinations

Questions about staying in Kotor

Is showing a ticket bought on BusTicket4.me on my phone enough?

BusTicket4.me requires a printed copy of its tickets when boarding the bus. Some carriers allow an exception, but a PDF on your phone is not enough for every departure booked through this portal.

Bus ticket conditions

Who registers a foreign guest’s stay in Kotor?

When you stay at a hotel or with another accommodation provider, the provider registers your stay. If you are visiting friends as a tourist and are not using an accommodation provider, you register the stay yourself through the local tourism organisation or the competent authority.

Can I pay by card on arrival at Old Town Hostel?

Accommodation at Old Town Hostel is paid for in cash on arrival. This is the property’s payment policy, although cards are otherwise widely accepted at hotels.

Travel around MontenegroContinue with the Montenegro guide

Use the Montenegro guide to fit the coast, Lake Skadar, or the north into the days you have, with realistic travel times and suitable transport.

Open the Montenegro guide Car hire in Montenegro