Best options of international airports for flying to Montenegro

Need help planning your trip to Montenegro? We’ve got you covered.

In this article, we will show you the best way to fly into Montenegro, highlighting the three best airport options: Podgorica Airport, Tivat Airport, and Dubrovnik Airport.

We know it can be hard sometimes to find good flight connections to Montenegro, especially if you will be coming from the USA. With this guide, you will know exactly which airports in Montenegro to look for.

Montenegro International Airports

Montenegro has two international airports:

• Podgorica Airport (TGD)
• Tivat Airport (TIV)

Both airports are open all year round, but the flight calendar changes between the high and low season. The high season goes from April to October and the low season is during the colder months.

Podgorica Airport – the main international airport in Montenegro

As the name suggests, the Podgorica Airport is located just outside Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Most tourists prefer flying to Podgorica because they have more options for direct flights to Montenegro from European destinations.

However, I feel that I must manage your expectations here a bit. The Podgorica Airport may be considered the main airport in Montenegro, but it is a very small airport compared to other capitals in Europe.

Podgorica Airport has only one terminal where you will have access to free wifi, and find several rental car offices, a few stores (all quite small), and a coffee shop. For more information, check here the official website of Podgorica Airport.

Countries that have direct flights to Podgorica Airport

Here is a list of examples of cities and countries that have direct flights to Podgorica Airport.

• Belgrade, Serbia
• Warsaw, Poland
• London, UK
• Vienna, Austria
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Paris, France
• Milan, Italy
• Ljubljana, Slovenia

Bear in mind this list is up to date as of February 2024. Airline companies change their schedule constantly, so we recommend double-checking the options available when booking your trip.

How to get to Podgorica Airport

The Podgorica Airport is located 10 km away from the city of Podgorica.

There are three main ways of reaching Podgorica Airport: by car, transfer, or taxi.

Going to Podgorica Airport by car

If you will be renting a car for your trip to Montenegro, the easiest way to come and go to Podgorica Airport is with your vehicle. If Podgorica Airport will be your landing and departure point, the best option is to rent a car at the airport itself so you don’t have to worry about transport from the city.

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To give you an idea of distance, this is how far the Podgorica Airport is from some of the most visited locations in Montenegro:

The parking at Podgorica Airport is free for up to 15 min. After the initial 15 min, regular cars are charged 1 € per hour until 24 hours. After a full day, you start paying the daily or monthly fee, whatever is applicable. The parking lot is quite small, though.

Going to Podgorica Airport by taxi

If the first option is not suitable for you, we recommend getting a taxi to go from Podgorica to the airport. There are two taxi companies that operate from the airport itself. We recommend checking them out instead of using unregulated “taxis”. Here are their contact information:

• Royal Taxi: +382 67 019 702 or royaltaxipg@gmail.com
• Lider Taxi: +382 68 803 810

Another great thing about getting a taxi from Podgorica Airport to other cities in Montenegro is that the official website of the airport shares a pricelist table. This is extremely helpful for tourists to know if they are being scammed or not.

Below you can see the prices of the same route examples shared above so you can choose the best option for you:

If you want to arrange your transport in advance, you can also use the Get Transfer platform to find a transfer to or from the airport.

Where to stay near Podgorica Airport

Since Podgorica Airport is located very close to the city, you can simply get accommodation in Podgorica itself. To make it easier for you, we have gathered a few options for accommodations if you will be flying from Podgorica Airport:

• Hotel Aria: Located 2 min away from Podgorica Airport, this is the best option if you don’t want to stay in the city. They offer breakfast and dinner options, and a transfer to the airport.
• Hotel Podgorica: Located in the city center, this hotel is well-reviewed and a good option for a short stay. Make sure to ask for a room with a river view for the best experience.

Tivat Airport

The Tivat Airport is often considered the second most important airport in Montenegro, but it is in fact larger than the Podgorica Airport. It has two terminals and direct flights to Montenegro from many European destinations.

There is a coffee shop right at the entrance of the airport and a small duty-free shop. In the check-in lobby, you will also find the offices of rental car companies and an information point.

The Tivat Airport is located in the city of Tivat, which stands on the margins of the Bay of Kotor. For this reason, this airport is the best choice for flying into if your trip through Montenegro will be focused on the cities of Kotor or Budva since they are located very close by.

For more information about Tivat Airport, check their official website.

Countries that have direct flights to Tivat Airport

Here is a list of examples of cities and countries that have direct flights to Tivat Airport:

• Belgrade, Serbia
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Munich, Germany
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Vilnius, Lithuania
• Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Manchester, United Kingdom
• Dubai, UAE
• Geneva, Switzerland

Bear in mind this list is up to date as of February 2024. Airline companies change their schedule constantly, so we recommend double-checking the options available when booking your trip.

How to get to Tivat Airport

Tivat Airport is located less than 4 km away from Tivat city center. 

Since it is located so close to the city, the best way to get to Tivat Airport is by car or taxi. By car, it will take you only 5 min to go from the center to the airport. 

See below the time estimation for reaching other important cities in Montenegro if you will be flying into Tivat Airport:

You can also get to Tivat Airport by taxi or transfer, if you prefer. We use the platform Get Transfer for arranging transfers upfront when traveling abroad.

Where to stay near Tivat Airport

Since Tivat Airport is located almost inside the city of Tivat, when looking for accommodation options around the airport, you can also consider staying closer to the city center of Tivat. 

Here are a few options we have checked for you:

• Apartmani Tamara: Located very close to the airport and only 4 min from the bus station, this is a very good and comfortable option for a place to stay.
• Hotel Pine: Located closer to the Tivat center, this hotel is a well-rated property with a possible sea view from some of the rooms.

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Dubrovnik Airport: a great option for flying into Montenegro

Besides the two international airports of Montenegro we described above, you can also plan your trip to the country by flying into the Dubrovnik Airport.

The Dubrovnik Airport is located in Croatia, but it is only 17 km away from the border between Croatia and Montenegro. This means you can arrive at the Dubrovnik Airport and immediately hop on a car or transfer to Montenegro, arriving in only 40 min in Herceg Novi, the first town by the Kotor Bay.

Flying into Dubrovnik Airport is a good option for visiting destinations in Montenegro that are located in the Kotor Bay or even at the seaside, like Budva. Even though the Dubrovnik Airport is also quite small in size, it has more variety of flight connections since Dubrovnik itself is one of the major destinations in Croatia.

This means that if you didn’t find a good flight connection from your location in Europe to the two international airports of Montenegro, then look for this option and you may get lucky.

The Dubrovnik Airport is small, but you will get free Wi-Fi, coffee shops on both the domestic and international departure terminals, duty-free, and other small shops. For more information about the airport, check their official website.

Countries that have direct flights to Dubrovnik Airport

If you choose to fly to Dubrovnik Airport when traveling to Montenegro, you will have more choices of international flights available as this airport is quite well connected to many European cities. It is not possible for us to list all routes available, but we have put together a few examples so you can have a better picture.

Cities and countries that have direct flights to Dubrovnik Airport:

• Domestic flights from Croatia
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Athens, Greece
• Belgrade, Serbia
• Berlin, Germany
• Brussels, Belgium
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Dublin, Ireland
• Istanbul, Turkey,
• London, UK
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Paris, France
• Rome, Italy

Bear in mind this list is up to date as of January 2024. Airline companies change their schedule constantly, so we recommend double-checking the options available when booking your trip.

How to go from Dubrovnik Airport to Montenegro

As we’ve mentioned, the Dubrovnik Airport is located only 17 km away from the border crossing to Montenegro. It is a popular entry point for tourists traveling to Montenegro, so you will find a few options for transport available. Below, we list the main ones.

Going from Dubrovnik Airport to Montenegro by car

The easiest way of going from Dubrovnik Airport to Montenegro is by car if you will be renting a car for your trip. If you have read our Montenegro Travel Guide, you know that we strongly recommend having a car since Montenegro is the perfect destination for a self-drive trip.

The best thing to do in this case is to rent a car directly at the Dubrovnik Airport so you can pick it up at the terminal when you arrive. You will see the offices of the rental companies in the lobby, so this process is very straightforward.

Pro tip: Montenegro is not in the EU, so make sure you communicate to the rental company in advance that you will be driving to Montenegro so they make sure the car has the appropriate documents and insurance. Since this is an international trip, it may come at an additional cost. Read more tips about driving in Montenegro.

Driving from Dubrovnik Airport to Montenegro is quite easy as the road is essentially a straight line. We passed this exact border crossing in the summer of 2022 during the week and it was fairly quick. If you will be traveling during the peak of summer, we recommend saving some time for the international border.

Once you get to the Montenegrin side, all you need to do is drive to your final destination in the country. Here are a few examples of trip duration so you can have a better idea when planning your trip:

Going from Dubrovnik Airport to Montenegro by bus

If you will not be traveling by car, whether that is with a rental or your own vehicle, then your options start getting a bit limited. To get more options for public transport, you will first have to make your way to the center of Dubrovnik, because the airport is located a bit further and does not have many connections available.

The best way to get to Montenegro is to grab a bus from Dubrovnik. The bus ride from Dubrovnik to Kotor takes around 2h (but remember that this time estimation may be affected by the time needed to pass the border). The company Globtour offers this line, you can check the schedule on their website.

Apart from that, there are also many options for day tours from Dubrovnik to Montenegro. These day tours usually include a transfer by land across the border to Montenegro, and then a boat tour in the Bay of Kotor.

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Where to stay near Dubrovnik Airport

The airport of Dubrovnik is located half an hour away from the city center, technically in another city called Čilipi. If you are looking for places to stay close to the Dubrovnik Airport, here are our recommendations:

• Le Petit: Beautiful property located just outside of the airport. You could not get anything closer than this one. This tip is meant for people with early or late flights.
• Hotel Konavle: Located only 5 min from the airport, this is another great alternative if you will have early flights.

The best airport for traveling to Montenegro – FAQ

Which airlines fly to Montenegro?

Airlines that fly to Podgorica Airport:

• Montenegro Airlines
• Air Serbia
• Ryanair
• Austrian Airline
• ITA (the former Alitalia)
• Turkish Airlines
• Wizz Air
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Aeroflot
• Pobeda Airlines

Airlines that fly to Tivat Airport:

• Montenegro Airlines
• Air Serbia
• Aeroflot
• S7 Airlines
• Pobeda Airlines
• Jet2
• easyJet

Are there any other airports that I can fly to when traveling to Montenegro?

Besides the two international airports in Montenegro, Tivat, and Podgorica, you can also fly to the Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia or the Tirana International Airport in Albania.

It really depends on what will be your travel itinerary. Many people visiting Montenegro decide to visit other neighboring countries on the same trip. However, if you plan to spend your vacation only in Montenegro, we recommend flying to one of the international airports located in the country because this will save you some headaches from organizing transfers and border crossings.

What is the best airport in Montenegro for cheap flight tickets?

If you are planning a low-budget trip, you might want to look at the price of tickets offered by some of the low-cost European airlines. In Montenegro, you will probably have more luck checking the prices for flying with Ryanair or Wizz Air to Podgorica Airport, or with easyJet to Tivat Airport.

What is the best airport in Montenegro for traveling to the seaside?

If your goal is to explore the amazing Montenegrin beaches, the best airport to fly to is the Tivat Airport. This airport is located much closer to the most popular destinations on the coast, such as Budva and Kotor.

Need some inspiration for your trip? Check out our Montenegro Travel Itinerary!

More information about traveling to Montenegro

• Best SIM cards in Montenegro
• Driving in Montenegro as a foreigner
• Visiting Perast
• All about Herceg Novi
• Where to stay in Kotor
• Other airport guides