Planning a Montenegro road trip in your own or a rented car? This guide is for you! It includes ready-made itineraries with time estimates, useful tips, and recommendations. I’ll share insights on the best places to visit, must-see attractions, and how much time to allocate for each. This article is exclusively for travelers exploring Montenegro by car.
Table of contents:
- Driving in Montenegro: General Information
- Montenegro Road Trip Itineraries: 3, 5, and 7 Days
- Essential Tips for Travelers
It will be difficult for you to plan your dream trip to Montenegro without these websites
Driving in Montenegro: General Information
Not all tourists come to Montenegro just for the seaside. While the country is often associated with beach vacations, a staggering 82% of its territory is mountainous. That means breathtaking hikes, waterfalls, mountain lakes, deep canyons, and winding serpentine roads.
Good to know:
If you have a two-week vacation, it’s easy to plan your itinerary so that you spend seven days relaxing on the coast and the next seven exploring the country’s stunning mountains.
Key Points for a Road Trip in Montenegro:
- Road conditions are excellent. Even a regular front-wheel-drive car will get you to the most remote places. (Winter is a different story, but this guide covers travel from late April to mid-November.)
- Traffic is light, and driving is stress-free. There’s no aggressive behavior on the road—locals drive calmly, nobody honks or cuts you off, and the police don’t hassle tourists. Traffic regulations are similar to those in many European countries.
- Renting a car? Montenegro is a fantastic place for first-time renters who may feel anxious. Rental companies have standardized policies, unlimited mileage, and a very customer-friendly approach. If you’re considering renting a car, check out my detailed guide on car rentals in Montenegro, covering insurance, deposits, and potential pitfalls.
I will now provide examples of the most convenient and well-thought-out itineraries covering Montenegro’s top attractions. These routes have been personally tested, both by me and by travelers I’ve helped plan their trips.
The itineraries are looped, starting from Budva. You can follow a full itinerary or select specific parts. It also doesn’t matter where you begin—even if you start from Ulcinj, the country is small, and an extra 50–100 km makes little difference.
To better understand the locations included in these itineraries, I highly recommend reading my Top 25 Attractions in Montenegro guide. It will help you decide what interests you the most.
Looped Montenegro Road Trip Itineraries: 3, 5, and 7 Days
Montenegro is such a compact country that even the most extensive road trip covering all major attractions will total around 700 km. Driving 1,000 km here would require a serious effort!
Important point:
This itinerary does not include coastal towns—or at least, very few of them. Each coastal city is covered in separate travel guides with detailed time estimates and attractions. Plus, the coastal towns are easy to visit on day trips without needing an overnight stay.
For example:
- Budva to Herceg Novi (northernmost coastal town): 45 km
- Budva to Ulcinj (southernmost coastal town): 60 km
3-Day Road Trip Itineraries
For a short trip, you have two equally great options:
Both destinations are absolutely stunning—choose based on what excites you more.
Itinerary 1: Prokletije Mountains
- Day 1: Depart from Budva in the morning, arrive in Prokletije by early afternoon.
- Visit Ali Pasha Springs, the glacial lake Oko Skakavice, and Grlja Waterfall.
- Day 2: Full-day hiking adventure on a well-marked trail.
- If you have extra time, you can hike another trail the following day—there are plenty of options!
- Day 3: Drive to Biogradska Gora National Park (2 hours).
- Walk the Health Trail around the lake, rent a boat or kayak, and even have a barbecue.
- Leave for Budva around 4 PM (2.5-hour drive).
Total: 3 days, 450 km driven.
Itinerary 2: Durmitor National Park
- Day 1: Depart from Budva to Žabljak, the gateway to Durmitor. Arrive by early afternoon and check in.
- Visit the Đurđevića Tara Bridge (20 km from Žabljak).
- Try the zipline across the canyon or go rafting on the Tara River.
- Day 2: Spend the entire day exploring Durmitor National Park.
- Hike around Black Lake and Snake Lake, take the ski lift to a mountain peak, or choose from many hiking routes.
- Enjoy dinner at a restaurant in Žabljak.
- If you have an additional day, consider climbing Bobotov Kuk—Montenegro’s highest peak.
- A challenging route starts from Black Lake, gaining 1,000 meters in elevation, but it’s possible to complete in a single daylight window if you’re in good shape.
- Day 3: Drive Montenegro’s highest mountain road, full of scenic switchbacks.
- Cross Sedlo Pass, stop for photos at the famous wooden frame viewpoint.
- Descend towards Piva Lake via a stunning panoramic road and return to Budva by evening.
Total: 3 days, 450 km driven.
5-Day Road Trip Itinerary
5-Day Road Trip Itinerary
If you have five days, this is the minimum needed to make a full loop around Montenegro, covering its most spectacular mountain regions. Unlike the three-day plans, this one is set in stone—it’s the ultimate itinerary.
- Day 1: Depart from Budva in the morning, head to Prokletije Mountains.
- Arrive by early afternoon and check into a chalet in the mountains.
- Visit Ali Pasha Springs, Oko Skakavice glacial lake, and Grlja Waterfall.
- Day 2: Full-day hike in Prokletije, choosing from multiple marked trails.
- Day 3: Drive to Biogradska Gora National Park (2-hour drive).
- Walk the Health Trail around the lake, rent a boat or kayak.
- From here, the route merges with the 3-day Prokletije itinerary but extends further.
- Take the stunning scenic drive along the Tara River Canyon toward Đurđevića Tara Bridge.
- Visit scenic viewpoints, try ziplining over the canyon.
- Rafting probably won’t fit into today’s schedule, but the zipline will!
- Arrive in Žabljak by sunset and check into a hotel.
- Day 4: Full-day exploration of Durmitor National Park.
- Hike around Black Lake and Snake Lake.
- Take the ski lift up to a mountain viewpoint.
- In reality, one day isn’t enough for Durmitor! The park has at least 2-3 days’ worth of attractions—so pick wisely.
- Day 5: Final day, repeating Day 3 of the Durmitor itinerary:
- Drive the Serpentine Road, cross Sedlo Pass, and descend toward Piva Lake.
- Enjoy scenic stops along the lake, then return to Budva by evening.
Total: 5 days, 600 km driven.
7-Day Montenegro Road Trip Itinerary
If you’re dedicating seven full days to exploring Montenegro’s mountain regions, you have my respect and admiration.
This itinerary is simple:
- We take the 5-day route as a foundation and keep it mostly unchanged.
- We make a few key adjustments to maximize your experience.
Key Changes to the 5-Day Itinerary:
- Day 1 Adjustment:
- While passing Podgorica, make a detour to the stunning Grlo Sokolovo viewpoint.
- This detour adds about 60–70 km to your route, but it’s totally worth it.
- The best way to kick off your adventure before heading into the Prokletije and Durmitor mountains!
📍 Coordinates: 42.48489008883653, 19.54387442751919
- Extra Day in Prokletije:
- Instead of one hiking day, spend two full days trekking through Montenegro’s wildest mountains.
- Stay overnight in a chalet in the stunning Grebaje Valley.
- Extra Day in Durmitor:
- The best way to use it? Summit Bobotov Kuk, Montenegro’s highest peak!
- If you’re not tired of mountains yet, this is the ultimate challenge.
- Final Stop: Ostrog Monastery
- At the end of your road trip, make a detour to Ostrog Monastery—one of Montenegro’s most famous landmarks.
- Personally, I don’t love this stop—it’s crowded with tourists, and the serpentine road leading to it is incredibly narrow.
- The last 10 km alone take nearly two hours due to slow traffic.
📍 Coordinates: 42.674824188231725, 19.030553679607603
Final Summary:
✅ 7 days
✅ The entire mountain region covered
✅ All the top locations conquered
Bonus: Advice for Road Trip in Montenegro
If you’re wondering why there’s no coastal road trip itinerary—just look at the map. There’s basically one road along the coast, making navigation effortless.
Just pick a starting point and go!
If starting from Croatia, the route is:
🇲🇪 Herceg Novi → Perast → Kotor → Tivat → Budva → Bečići → Sveti Stefan → Petrovac → Bar → Ulcinj 🇦🇱
💡 At a relaxed pace, you’ll need about 3 days to explore the coast.
💨 If you just drive through, you can cover everything in 3–4 hours without stopping!
(For detailed guides on each town and recommended visit durations, check out the article on Montenegro’s cities.)
Final Thoughts
- Montenegro was made for road trips.
- All these routes can also be done on a motorcycle.
- Spending your entire vacation on one beach in a country full of mountains? A crime.
- But hey—at least it’s better than spending your vacation on your couch at home!
You’ve already won by making it here.
Additional Resources for Montenegro Travelers:
📌 How to Get to Montenegro from Serbia
📌 How to Get to Montenegro from Albania
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Montenegro
- WayAway: Cheap flights and best deals.
- Car rental in Montenegro:
- LocalRent – works with local rental companies. Leader in car rental in Montenegro.
- DiscoverCars – a large international platform.
- Budget-friendly vacation packages to Montenegro: CheapOair.
- Hotels and apartments all over the country:
- Trip.com – the most popular accommodation booking platform
- TripAdvisor compares the prices among dozens of other booking services and offer the best price
- Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
- GetYourGuide – more than 800 tours
- Viator – 1000+ excursions and activities throughout the country
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- Internet and Calls:
- Airalo eSIM in Montenegro
- Drimsim – universal sim card for frequent traveler
- Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel