Is it safe to take a taxi in Montenegro?
Yes — Montenegro is a low-crime country and taxis are broadly reliable. The realistic risk is not danger, it is being overcharged in a tourist hotspot, and that is a solvable problem.
6 min readUpdated
Is it safe to take a taxi in Montenegro as a tourist?
Yes. Montenegro is generally a safe country for visitors and licensed taxis are reliable. The most common problem is price, not personal safety: unlicensed drivers around cruise terminals and airports may quote inflated fares. Use a licensed taxi or a ride app where the fare, driver name, vehicle and plate are shown before the ride begins.
- Look for a roof sign, taxi plates and company markings
- Agree the fare before the car moves, every time
- Decline anyone approaching you inside a terminal
- Share your live trip when travelling alone
- Emergency number
- 112
- Driver checks
- Licence + insurance
- In-app safety
- SOS + live tracking
- Trip sharing
- Yes, by link
How to tell a licensed taxi from a tout
Montenegrin taxis are regulated, and a licensed vehicle looks like one. The people to be wary of are the ones who approach you rather than waiting to be approached.
Roof sign and company markings
A licensed taxi carries a roof sign and visible company branding. An unmarked saloon with a man offering 'taxi?' is not a taxi.
Taxi plates
Montenegrin plates carry the blue MNE band, the city prefix, the red state emblem and the serial. Licensed taxis are registered as such.
A meter, or an agreed price
Either is acceptable. What is not acceptable is setting off with neither.
Nobody approaches you inside a terminal
At Tivat and Podgorica airports and the Kotor cruise terminal, legitimate drivers wait at the rank or arrive for a booking. Being approached in the hall is the classic sign.
Why an app changes the calculation
A booked ride replaces trust with a record. Before the car arrives you have the driver's name, their vehicle and its plate. During the ride the route is tracked. Afterwards there is a receipt and a rating.
That record is the meaningful difference. An anonymous car negotiated on a kerb has none of it.
Verified drivers
Every MonteGO driver's taxi licence and passenger insurance is checked before their first ride.
The fare before you commit
Estimated fares appear before booking, so there is nothing to negotiate at the destination.
Live tracking and trip sharing
Send a link and someone at home can watch the car move in real time — useful for solo travellers and worth doing on any late ride.
In-app SOS
An emergency control inside the ride screen, so you are not searching for a number under pressure.
Solo travellers
Montenegro is a comfortable destination for solo travel, including for women, and violent crime against visitors is rare. The standard precautions you would take anywhere are enough.
Sit in the back
Normal here and gives you space. Nobody will find it odd.
Share the trip
Especially at night or on a long intercity run where the road is quiet.
Check the plate matches
Ten seconds against the app before you open the door.
Trust your instinct
If a car or driver feels wrong, cancel and request another. There is no obligation and no cost for declining a ride you have not started.
General safety in Montenegro
Montenegro has low levels of violent crime and is considered a safe European destination. Petty theft exists in crowded tourist areas in high summer, as it does on any Mediterranean coast — pickpocketing in Budva's Old Town on a busy August evening is the realistic scenario, not anything worse.
The emergency number is 112. Road conditions on mountain routes deserve respect: narrow, winding and occasionally without barriers, which is one more argument for letting a local driver handle the Kotor serpentine rather than driving it yourself on day one.
Common questions
Yes. Montenegro is a low-crime country and licensed taxis are reliable. The realistic risk is being overcharged rather than any threat to personal safety, particularly around cruise terminals and late airport arrivals. Agreeing the fare before the ride, or booking through an app that shows it, removes the problem.
Licensed taxis carry a roof sign, visible company markings and registered taxi plates, and will either run a meter or give you a clear price. Be cautious of anyone approaching you inside an airport terminal or at the cruise port offering a ride from an unmarked car.
Generally yes, including for solo women travellers. Violent crime against visitors is rare. Usual precautions apply: share your trip when travelling at night, check the vehicle matches your booking, and keep an eye on belongings in crowded areas in high season.
Book rather than hail where possible, so there is a record of the driver and vehicle. Check the plate against your booking before getting in, share your live trip with someone, agree the fare in advance, and sit in the back. If anything feels wrong, decline the ride.
Most do not. The problem is concentrated among unlicensed drivers working cruise days and late airport arrivals. Using a metered licensed taxi or an app with the fare shown before booking makes it a non-issue.
112 reaches all emergency services. The MonteGO app also includes an in-ride SOS control so you do not have to search for a number during a trip.
Related guides
Ride with a record, not a handshake
Licence-checked drivers, the fare agreed before you book, live tracking you can share, and an SOS control inside every ride.
Free to download. Card or cash.