Sarajevo to Kotor and Budva by road: the two ways in

Kotor is the corridor with the fewest alternatives. There is no train, the bus connection involves changes that eat the day, and the road has a border and a mountain range in it. It is also, for our money, the best single day’s driving from Sarajevo: canyon, karst plateau, and then the Bay of Kotor opening up below the road. Here is how we run it.

The short version

Route	Border	Direct time	Character
Mostar, Trebinje, Herceg Novi, the bay	Zupci / Sitnica	About 4 h 30	The coast road: Herceg Novi, then the whole bay shore into Kotor
Mostar, Trebinje, inland to Risan	Klobuk / Ilino Brdo	About 4 h 30	The quiet road: karst plateau, then a descent to the inner bay at Risan
Foča, Šćepan Polje, Nikšić, Risan	Hum / Šćepan Polje	About 5 hours	The mountain road: Piva canyon, no Mostar at all

Budva adds about 25 kilometres and 40 minutes beyond Kotor on any of them, and the Sarajevo to Budva transfer is the same drive with a longer last leg.

The common part: Sarajevo to Trebinje

Two of the three routes share their first three hours. Out of Sarajevo on the A1 and through the Ivan tunnel, down the Neretva canyon on the M-17 to Mostar, then southeast rather than south: through Stolac, one of Herzegovina’s oldest towns, across the Popovo polje, and into Trebinje under Leotar mountain. Trebinje is the last Bosnian town before Montenegro and the natural place to stop: a plane-tree square, a relocated Ottoman bridge, and the Tvrdoš monastery vineyards a few minutes out. It is on the Sarajevo to Kotor route as the optional stop, and we run it as its own Sarajevo to Trebinje transfer for guests who overnight there.

From Trebinje the road forks, and this is the real choice on this corridor.

Way in, one: the coast, via Herceg Novi

South from Trebinje the road drops to the Montenegrin border at Zupci, whose Montenegrin side is Sitnica, a joint crossing where in time both countries will check documents at a single stop. Beyond it you come down to Herceg Novi at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, and then follow the bay itself. From Herceg Novi there are two ways to Kotor: around the inner bay through Risan and Perast, which is the drive everyone photographs, or across the narrow Verige strait on the Kamenari to Lepetane car ferry, about ten minutes on the water, which cuts the bay in half and saves roughly 25 minutes when the ferry queue is short. In July and August the ferry queue is not short, and we usually drive round.

This is the route for a first visit. You see the whole bay from the road, Perast and its two islands slide past the window, and you arrive in Kotor along the water.

Way in, two: inland to Risan

East from Trebinje the road climbs onto the karst plateau to the border at Klobuk, whose Montenegrin side is Ilino Brdo, the main crossing on the Trebinje to Nikšić road. Rather than continue to Nikšić you turn south at Vilusi, through Grahovo, and the road then descends in a long series of bends to Risan on the inner bay, a few minutes from Perast and twenty from Kotor.

This is the road we take when Herceg Novi is gridlocked, which in high summer is most afternoons, or when a guest wants the empty version of Montenegro: no coast traffic, a plateau with almost nobody on it, and then the bay appearing all at once from above. It is about the same time as the coast road and usually a quieter border.

Way in, three: over the mountains

The route that skips Mostar. From Sarajevo you go southeast through Foča to the border at Hum, whose Montenegrin side is Šćepan Polje, then down the Piva canyon to Nikšić and on to Risan and Kotor. It is the longest of the three, around five hours direct, and the roads are mountain roads: narrower, slower, and in winter sometimes closed. It is also spectacular in a way the other two are not, and it is the right road for anyone who has already seen Mostar and Trebinje, or who is making Kotor the end of a loop that started on the coast. We run it on request, with a weather check the day before from November to March.

The border, whichever one it is

Montenegro is outside the EU and outside Schengen, so this is a plain international border between two non-EU countries: passports for everyone, no visa for EU, British, American, Canadian or Australian passports on short stays, and no Entry/Exit System, which only applies at EU borders. All three crossings are normally 5 to 15 minutes. In peak season the coastal Sitnica crossing carries the Herceg Novi traffic and can be slower; the inland Ilino Brdo and the mountain Šćepan Polje rarely queue. Your driver hands the documents through the window and you stay in the car.

Arriving in Kotor

Kotor’s old town is inside the walls and pedestrian, so the transfer ends at the nearest vehicle-accessible point outside the gates and the driver walks the bags in. The cruise pier is on the waterfront a few minutes from the main gate. Dobrota, Muo, Perast and the rest of the bay are door drops. Tivat Airport is about 10 kilometres from Kotor through the Vrmac tunnel, roughly 15 to 20 minutes, and a common end point when the trip finishes with a flight.

Standard vehicle is a sedan for up to three passengers with three suitcases; four to seven people move to a minivan. Bags stay locked in the car during the Trebinje stop.

What fits in the day

Direct, the bay road. 08:00 pickup, Trebinje by 11:00, Sitnica before noon, Herceg Novi, round the bay, Kotor by 13:00.

With Trebinje. 08:00 pickup, Mostar in passing, lunch under the plane trees in Trebinje, the border mid-afternoon, Kotor by 16:00 by whichever road is moving.

Budva. Either of the above plus 40 minutes over the hill from Kotor. Budva’s old town is also pedestrian; the drop is at the nearest street to the walls.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bus from Sarajevo to Kotor? Not one we would put a guest on. The connections involve changes in Herceg Novi or Podgorica and turn a four-and-a-half-hour drive into most of a day. There is no train.

Which border will we cross? Usually Zupci-Sitnica for the coast road or Klobuk-Ilino Brdo for the inland road. Your driver chooses at Trebinje depending on the season and the hour.

Do we need a visa for Montenegro? Not for EU, British, American, Canadian or Australian passports on a short stay. A passport is required; the border is between two non-EU countries.

Can we stop in Perast? On the coast road, yes, it is on the way. On the inland road it is a five-minute detour from Risan. Either way it fits.

Can you drop us at Tivat Airport instead? Yes. Tivat is about 10 kilometres from Kotor through the Vrmac tunnel, 15 to 20 minutes, and a common end point.

Is the road safe in winter? The Trebinje routes are fine year-round; the mountain route through Šćepan Polje can close in snow and we check it the day before.

Ready for the bay?

If it is your first time, take the coast road and see all of it. If it is August, let us take the inland road and arrive calm. The car, the driver and the price are the same on both.

Sarajevo → Kotor260 km · 4h 30m drivefrom €360View route