Budva to Kotor by taxi

Where to be picked up in Budva

Budva's Old Town and seafront promenade are closed to cars, so the pickup point is at the edge. From MonteGO rides on this route, the usual spots are the bus stop on Mediteranska by the Old Town walls, the marina side of the walls, the forecourts of Avala, Merit Starlit and the other seafront hotels, and Budva bus station on the inland edge of the centre. Put the exact place in the booking and step out when the app shows the car close; in summer a driver cannot wait long on Mediteranska.

The road from Budva to Kotor

The taxi leaves Budva northwards and turns inland, climbing through the Grbalj valley with its villages and olive groves. Near the top the road crests the ridge and the whole inner Bay of Kotor appears below: Kotor at the head, the water enclosed by mountains on all sides, cruise ships looking like toys. The descent is a series of hairpins down to the town, arriving at the southern end by Škaljari and the Gurdić Gate. It is the finest approach to Kotor and worth sitting on the right-hand side for.

There is an alternative through Tivat and the Vrmac tunnel, longer but flatter, which drivers use if the ridge road is busy or closed. In July and August the last part into Kotor and the waterfront by the port are slow from late morning, particularly on cruise days.

Where a taxi can leave you in Kotor

Kotor's walled town is pedestrian. From MonteGO rides:

• Gurdić Gate (South Gate)

  The first gate you reach coming down from Budva, at the southern tip by the fortress climb and the little bridge. Convenient if you plan to walk the walls.

• Sea Gate (Main Gate)

  Facing the port, nearest the main square and cathedral. The busiest spot on cruise days.

• River Gate (North Gate)

  By the Škurda river and the market; the quiet entrance and the best on a cruise day.

• Kotor bus station

  On Put Prvoboraca, a short walk from the walls; for coaches onward to Herceg Novi or Dubrovnik.

• Riva and the port

  The waterfront in front of the walls, for the Perast boats and the port cafés.

Making a day of it

Most people go in the morning and come back in the evening. Leaving Budva early gets you into Kotor before the cruise crowds and the heat; the walls climb is best done before ten in summer. For the return, book the ride in the app when you are ready to leave rather than at a fixed time, unless you have a dinner reservation in Budva; pickups at a gate are quick and drivers are always in Kotor. If you want to add Perast and the boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, say so in the chat and the driver can take you on along the bay before heading back over the ridge.

Bus, car or taxi

The coach between Budva and Kotor runs frequently and is the cheap option; it leaves from the bus station, not the Old Town, and in summer it fills up. A rental car is the worst way to do this day trip, because Kotor has almost no parking in season and the Old Town has none at all. A taxi takes you from the edge of one Old Town to the gate of the other, with the view on the way, and the return booked when you want it.