Essential info before driving in Montenegro during your holidays
Montenegro is one of those countries where you will be missing out on incredible views if you don’t explore it by car. After driving through the country for days and passing through different cities, roads, and police checks (more on that later), we have put together a complete list of information you should know before driving in Montenegro.
Montenegro may be small in size, but it compensates for landscape diversity. From the beautiful coastline by the Adriatic Sea to the mountains of the Lovcen National Park, you won’t regret choosing to drive through Montenegro instead of taking the bus.
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Need to rent a car in Montenegro?
We always use Discover Cars for hiring our cars abroad, whether in Montenegro or anywhere else. They are the best price aggregator platform out there and allow you to find the best deals, including local and international providers!
Driving in Montenegro: basic information
Before you get behind the wheel, there are a few facts you need to know about driving in Montenegro during your holidays if you want to avoid any issues.
- In Montenegro, you should drive on the right-hand side of the road
- There are no toll roads in Montenegro (but you will have to pay a fee for using the Sozina Tunnel outside of Podgorica)
- Every passenger must wear seat belts at all times, regardless of where in the vehicle they are seated
- When driving in Montenegro, you should have the lights on at all times, regardless if it is day or night
- All cars must be equipped with a first aid kid, a triangle, and a reflective jacket in case of emergencies. Rental cars usually come with those basic items, but it doesn’t hurt to double-check when you get yours
- The blood alcohol limit for driving in Montenegro is 0.03%
Overall, driving in Montenegro is quite straightforward if you are used to European regulations, and should also be pretty simple if you are used to American standards too. Just be mindful of the basic rules and keep a close eye on your speed when driving, as this is the main reason why people get pulled over.
Do you need to rent a car for your trip?
We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!
Speed limits for driving in Montenegro
The basic speed limit for driving on Montenegrin roads is classified by each type of road:
- 50 km/h in built-up areas such as cities and towns
- 80-100 km/h on highways
The speed limit is always indicated on signs on the side of the road. Pay close attention to those signs, as the limit often changes quite abruptly, going from 80 km/h to 30 km/h in a matter of meters.
Speeding is the number one reason why people, especially foreigners, get fined in Montenegro. There are many police checks on the side of the road where the policemen check the driving speed with the speed gun. They usually stand quite hidden on purpose, to catch you when you least expect it.
A bit below we will share more on the topic of police road checks in Montenegro (and how we got fined).
Is it safe to drive in Montenegro?
Driving in Montenegro is overall a very safe experience, and here is why:
- The roads in Montenegro are in quite good condition, especially compared to the roads in other neighboring Balkan countries like Bosnia.
- For the most part, people drove responsibly, except for the occasional overtaking on windy roads. This was the only thing that left us insecure when driving through Montenegro, we would often see local cars overtaking on roads where it was impossible to see ahead due to the curves. However, nothing happened, and we have not seen any accidents whatsoever. As a rule of thumb, drive defensively and responsibly.
- We didn’t feel that our car was in danger at any time when parking or driving through Montenegro. We passed through multiple cities and always felt safe.
Do you need to rent a car for your trip?
We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!
Police checks when driving in Montenegro
One thing to keep in mind when driving in Montenegro (and through other Balkan countries, for that matter) is the random police checks. They are famous around this region.
Being from Slovenia, I have had some experience over the years with traveling through Balkan countries to know the chances of encountering some of these police checks are high on a multi-day driving trip. And so we did.
Story time.
On our last day, on our way out to Bosnia and Herzegovina, we were stopped by one of those random police checks. They were located only 10 km before the border, where there were no towns in sight and away from anything. They were clearly stopping foreign cars as they aimed for ours at a distance, followed by an Italian and then a Croatian one.
Once we were stopped, it was clear he was just looking for an excuse to give us a fine. He asked for my personal documents and some basic information about the trip. He saw later that one of the passengers in the back seat didn’t have the seat belt on and told me to go talk with his superior.
He was clearly looking for a bribe. We were charged 50 € for two missing seat belts (it was just one but he decided to charge for two).
The reason we are telling this story in full detail is not to make you scared, but just to keep you alert that these things happen, especially when driving a foreign car in Montenegro. Pay attention to the road, the police cars tend to stay in hidden locations. Don’t speed, make sure you have everything in compliance with the local rules, and if you still get stopped and fined, don’t freak out. It is (unfortunately) more common than you think.
Do I really need a car to travel through Montenegro?
There are two basic options for exploring the country: by car or by public transport.
It is possible to see a lot of the Montenegrin Adriatic coastline and the capital Podgorica relying only on public transport. If you prefer to travel that way, make sure to plan your trip ahead according to the bus times and schedules.
However, we must say that you will be missing out on a lot. Montenegro has some of the most amazing views by the road. We have driven on many roads around Europe and this was one of our favorite countries to drive in.
We can definitely recommend exploring Montenegro by car. Below, we will show you how to do it with a rented car.
Renting a car for driving through Montenegro
If you will be coming from abroad, renting a car in Montenegro may be the best option for you. The best place to rent the car is probably at the airport, whether that will be the Podgorica or Tivat Airport. Book your car in advance and you can pick it up upon your arrival at the airport.
Here are some of the car rental companies we recommend in Europe:
- Sixt
- Budget
- Europcar
Note: The minimum age for renting a car in Montenegro is 21.
Can I rent a car in Croatia or Albania and drive to Montenegro?
Since Montenegro is a very small country, many travelers combine the visit with either Croatia or Albania, which are neighboring countries. If that is your case, know that it is possible to rent a car in Croatia and drive to Montenegro, and the same with Albania.
However, you do need to communicate this to the company you rent the car from beforehand. Some companies will charge you an additional fee for driving abroad, which is related to the insurance of the vehicle in a foreign country.
If you do not intend on doing a round trip (picking up and returning the car at the same office), then you may also need to pay a one-way fee. This fee is the price the companies charge for bringing the car to the original location. Again, this depends on each individual company. Make sure to check the fine print before renting the car.
Driving in Montenegro with a foreign driving license
There is a lot of misleading information online when it comes to the rules of driving in Montenegro with foreign driving licenses such as US or UK licenses. The official information is that if your driver’s license is written in the Roman alphabet, it is accepted for driving in Montenegro.
This means that you can drive in Montenegro with both US and UK driving licenses without a problem.
Pro tip: If you will be traveling to other countries in Europe, I do recommend having an International Permit with you as each destination has its own set of rules when it comes to driving with international licenses. The price of issuing the Permit is very low when compared to the benefit of avoiding headaches on the road.
Do you need to rent a car for your trip?
We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!
Most common questions about driving in Montenegro
Montenegro does not use the system of parking meters, like many other European countries. Here, most of the parking lots you will find are payable at the entrance with a ticket.
In many of the larger cities, it is quite annoying to find parking on the street. If you will be driving through Montenegro, we recommend looking for accommodations that have parking included.
Yes, absolutely. If you will be driving in Montenegro with a vehicle from another European country, make sure you have the Green Card as it is often asked at the border crossing. Also, you should ensure that your vehicle is equipped with the items that are mandatory, such as the first aid kid, the triangle, and the reflective jacket.
You do not need to purchase additional GPS services if you have internet access. Google Maps is more than enough to guide you around the country, so we recommend you invest in a good SIM card instead.
Check here our recommended SIM cards for Montenegro.
When it comes to this topic, we’ve got you covered. We have prepared a full self-drive itinerary for exploring the Adriatic coastline of Montenegro. This is the itinerary we have done ourselves, with some small adjustments based on tricks we learned along the way.
Read our Montenegro road trip itinerary.
Do you need to rent a car for your trip?
We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!
Organizing your trip
To help you plan your trip to Montenegro, we have put together our favorite planning resources:
- Flights: Get affordable flights to Montenegro on Skyscanner.com.
- Travel insurance: Make sure you are protected during your trip. We use SafetyWing whenever we are traveling abroad.
- Renting a car: We always use Discover Cars to get the best car deals.
- Accommodation: Find the best hotels and apartments on Booking.com.
- Activities: Get fun ideas of what to do and buy unique activities with Get Your Guide.
- SIM Card: Stay connected during your trip with Airalo.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means that we get a small commission from any purchase you make, at no additional cost to you!
