Tivat Airport to Budva by taxi
Twenty kilometres of coast road separate the arrivals door at TIV from the Budva riviera. It is a twenty-five minute drive and the simplest leg of your whole trip — as long as you have not left it to whoever is standing outside the terminal.
7 min readUpdated
How do I get from Tivat Airport to Budva?
Tivat Airport (TIV) to Budva is 20 km, about 25 minutes by road along the coast. A taxi or pre-booked transfer is the only door-to-door option: there is no direct airport bus to Budva. With the MonteGO app you see the fare before you confirm and can schedule the pickup in advance so a licensed driver is waiting when you land.
- Distance: 20 km · Journey: ~25 minutes
- No direct airport bus from TIV to Budva
- Taxi, pre-booked transfer or a bus change in Tivat town
- Book ahead up to 10 days for late or early arrivals
- TIV → Budva
- 20 km · ~25 min
- TIV → Kotor
- 10 km · ~15 min
- TIV → Tivat centre
- 4 km · ~10 min
- Book ahead
- up to 10 days
Your options from the TIV arrivals door
Tivat is a small, single-terminal airport. You walk out of baggage reclaim straight into the open air, and everything on this list is within sight of that door.
| Option | Time to Budva | Door to door | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-booked app transfer | ~25 min | Yes | Any arrival time, groups, first visit |
| Taxi from the rank | ~25 min | Yes | Daytime arrivals, agree the price first |
| Bus via Tivat town | 1.5–2 h | No | Solo budget travel, light luggage, daytime |
| Rental car | ~25 min | Yes | Trips built around driving inland |
| Hotel transfer | ~25 min | Yes | Resorts that include it in the rate |
Taking a taxi from Tivat Airport to Budva
The road runs from the airport around the bay, over the hill at Trojica and down into Budva. It is scenic, in decent condition, and busy in July and August, when 25 minutes can stretch to 40.
Two things decide whether this is a pleasant ride or the story you tell about your holiday going wrong: knowing the price before the car moves, and knowing the car was going to be there.
Agree the fare before you set off
In an app the estimate is on screen before you confirm. At the rank, ask for the price to Budva and get a clear number before loading bags — not after.
Check the vehicle is a licensed taxi
A licensed Montenegrin taxi carries a roof sign, a taxi plate and company markings. Politely decline anyone approaching you inside the terminal offering a ride.
Say if you are going beyond Budva
Bečići, Rafailovići, Sveti Stefan and Petrovac are all further along the coast. Sveti Stefan is 29 km from TIV, roughly 35 minutes.
Have a card option
Card acceptance in street taxis is inconsistent. App rides take card or cash, so a queue at the airport ATM is not part of the plan.
Booking the transfer before you fly
A scheduled ride removes the arrivals-hall decision entirely. In the MonteGO app you set Tivat Airport as the pickup, choose the date and time, pick the vehicle size and confirm at the fare shown. Rides can be scheduled up to 10 days in advance.
Time the pickup for about 30 minutes after landing. TIV is small and bags arrive quickly, but passport control can bunch up when two flights land together. If the flight is delayed, change the time in the app and the assigned driver is notified.
Book a van if you are four or more
Four adults with full-size suitcases do not fit in a standard saloon. The van class exists for this and costs less than sending two cars.
Drop the pin on your Budva address
Budva's old town is largely pedestrian. Setting the exact destination lets the driver take you to the nearest vehicle access point instead of guessing.
Share the trip
A live tracking link can be sent to whoever is expecting you, so someone at home can see the car moving along the coast in real time.
Is there a bus from Tivat Airport to Budva?
Not directly. The airport sits about 4 km outside Tivat town and no scheduled airport shuttle runs to Budva. Doing it by bus means three legs: reach Tivat's bus station, take an intercity coach towards Budva, then get from Budva's bus station to your accommodation — which is uphill from much of the beach area.
It can be done for a few euros if you are travelling light, alone, in daylight and not in a hurry. With luggage, children, or an evening arrival, the maths stops working: by the time two people have paid for the leg into town and two coach tickets, the gap to a direct transfer is small and you have added well over an hour.
Beyond Budva: other TIV destinations
Tivat is the natural airport for the whole Bay of Kotor and the northern riviera. If Budva is not your final stop, the same transfer logic applies.
| From TIV to | Distance | Journey |
|---|---|---|
| Tivat centre & Porto Montenegro | 4 km | ~10 min |
| Kotor | 10 km | ~15 min |
| Luštica Bay | 12 km | ~20 min |
| Budva | 20 km | ~25 min |
| Perast | 22 km | ~25 min |
| Sveti Stefan | 29 km | ~35 min |
| Herceg Novi | 42 km | ~45 min |
| Podgorica | 88 km | ~85 min |
Flying into Podgorica instead?
If your booking gives you a choice, TIV is significantly closer to Budva. Podgorica Airport (TGD) to Budva is 63 km and roughly 55 minutes over the mountain road — a longer, more expensive transfer for the same destination.
TGD makes sense when you are heading to the capital, to Lake Skadar, or north to Kolašin and Durmitor. For the coast between Herceg Novi and Petrovac, Tivat wins on every measure.
Common questions
Tivat Airport (TIV) is 20 km from Budva. The drive takes about 25 minutes on the coast road, longer in July and August when traffic through the bay builds up.
No. There is no direct airport bus. Travelling by bus requires getting into Tivat town first, then taking an intercity coach to Budva's bus station, which takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours in total.
A pre-booked app transfer is the most predictable: the fare is agreed before you confirm, the driver is assigned in advance, and you can track the car. A taxi from the rank works well for daytime arrivals provided you agree the price before loading your bags.
Yes. MonteGO schedules airport pickups up to 10 days ahead. Set Tivat Airport as the pickup point, choose a time around 30 minutes after landing, and confirm at the fare shown.
It varies by vehicle class and season, and you should always have the number before the ride starts. In the app the estimated fare appears before you confirm, so the price is settled at booking rather than at the destination.
Update the pickup time in the app and the assigned driver is notified. The ride stays attached to your booking rather than a fixed slot, so a late arrival does not mean losing the transfer.
Tivat. It is 20 km and about 25 minutes from Budva, against 63 km and roughly 55 minutes from Podgorica Airport. Podgorica is the better choice for the capital, Lake Skadar and the northern mountains.
Related guides
Land in Tivat with the ride already booked
Schedule the TIV pickup before you fly, see the fare up front, and walk out of arrivals to a licensed driver who already has your name.
Free to download. Card or cash, no booking fee.