Dubrovnik To Montenegro Day Trip: What To See & Do

This post will share the details of my Dubrovnik to Montenegro day trip.

Perhaps the highlight of my four-day trip to Dubrovnik was the opportunity to take day trips to Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There’s nothing more efficient than maximizing my time in that region, especially since I probably would not travel to those countries individually.

I’m at this stage of my travel journey, where I’m travelling smartly by combining multiple cities/countries in one trip.

While Montenegro and Albania are growing in popularity and have received considerable attention recently, I can only justify visiting if I combine those countries with neighbouring ones.

So, I could visit Montenegro on this trip and would visit Albania with Corfu for my birthday next year.

I’ve done several cross-country rail trips in the last couple of years.

But this trip was a bit different because we had to get our passports stamped at the border crossing, which I found interesting.

Fortunately, we had a good driver who ensured the typical 60-90-minute process was completed in about twenty minutes.

Before diving into the details, I cannot recommend this Montenegro Day Trip tour enough.

The tour guide, Nicholas from Super Tours, was super engaging with just the right amount of sass without boring you to death.

He gave some history lessons as long as the way from former Yugoslavia.

He also had solid recommendations, particularly where to eat in Kotor, so I recommend booking this tour.

Here’s What To See & Do On A Dubrovnik to Montenegro Day Trip

For this trip, I decided to book with a tour company.

Typically, I wouldn’t say I like to travel in groups, but this was unavoidable due to the nature of the trip.

After booking my flight and hotel, I went on Get Your Guide to book my day trips, which I’m glad I did.

These tours are incredibly popular, and the seats fill up very fast, so you need to book quickly in advance.

If you don’t have the funds ready, you can prebook and pay a few weeks before your trip to secure your spot.

About two months in advance, I prebooked both day trips from Dubrovnik to Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

While I had an unprofessional experience with the first tour company to Montenegro, I secured a last-minute booking with a different tour company.

Honestly, I was so lucky, as only two spots were left before it was sold out.

So, the story’s moral is always to book your tours in advance.

Itinerary

The planned itinerary given by the tour company from Dubrovnik was;

• Perast, including Our Lady of the Rocks
• Kotor and Bay of Kotor with an optional trip to Budva

But here’s how the day went;

6:25 – 8.15 am

• I was given a pickup time and location the previous day. When booking, you have the option of a pickup, which I chose because I wanted the day to go as smoothly as possible.
• My pickup time was 6:25 am, and my location was another hotel about five minutes away.
• I set out about ten minutes before to ensure I got to the pickup location on time.
• Pickup was slightly delayed, but a small group eventually picked me up to join a much larger one.
• Then, we set out towards the Croatia/Montenegro border to get our passports stamped before starting the day.
• Luckily, we were able to get through the border crossing in record time, so we had time for a short coffee break just after the Montenegro border.
• At this point, it is vital to remember that Montenegro is not part of the EU. It goes without saying that I was without internet for most of the day due to my mobile provider’s inability to roam outside the EU.

8.15 – 10:45 am – Perast, Montenegro

Perast is a coastal town in Montenegro known for the two small islands in front of it, including the artificially built Our Lady of the Rocks, which was built on a rock.

• Our first stop was a man-made island on the Adriatic Sea called Our Lady of the Rocks, which we accessed by boat. Entry was €10 per person in cash. We spent about 25 – 30 minutes there before exploring the rest of the Perast coast on foot. The views were stunning, and the crowds were minimal.

10:45 – 13:55 pm – Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor is also a coastal town in Montenegro that sits on the Bay of Kotor on the Adriactic Sea. The Old Town, the fortifications of Kotor, and the surrounding region of the inner Bay of Kotor are all part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

• Next on the agenda was Kotor and the Bay of Kotor.
• I quickly made a French/Morrocan friend, and explored the Old Town of Kotor together before heading for lunch.
• Due to the time constraints, we could only do so much as I would have loved to visit Tivat, about a 15 – 35 minute bus ride away. Not being able to wander away is one of the disadvantages of group travel.
• Despite being more busier than Perast, the quaint town was impressive.

13:55 – 16:20 pm

• We made our way back to Dubrovnik, where we stopped at the border to get our passports stamped again.
• Between both borders, it took about 45 minutes to an hour, but I took a nap, so I didn’t have to think about how much time I was spending.
• According to our tour guide, this was the quickest we could have been, and I think it’s because it was on a Monday.
• After which we were dropped off at our pickup point.

Quick Tips

• Montenegro is not in the EU, so your EU roaming will not work. Either stay without internet for a few hours or use WiFi from public places. Ensure you’re using a VPN to secure your phone.
• If this is your first time travelling with a group on a tour, you need to be time-conscious. Compared to solo travelling, you’re allocated time for each destination, so ensure you try not to wander away. Otherwise, you’ll probably be left behind.
• Ensure you carry cash for additional fees not included in the ticket. There’s nothing more annoying than scrambling for cash, which could cause delays. I tried to have a minimum of €50 for this trip.

In Conclusion

As the rains came heavily on the next day, I’m so glad I could get the Dubrovnik to Montenegro day trip out of the way.

The country is very picturesque and offers great value for money.

In fact, the locals were begging us to come back because it was way cheaper than Dubrovnik with fewer crowds especially during the off peak season like in September.

They also say that you also get a slight Swiss vibe for a fraction of the price.

Unfortunately, I didn’t but that’s by the way.

The coastal region of Montenegro is spectacular and I’ll most likely visit again sometime.