Plenty of guests land at Dubrovnik (DBV) in Croatia and then drive south into Montenegro — the connections are often cheaper, and the border is genuinely close. The good news: the crossing to Herceg Novi takes only about 20 minutes of driving, and the whole region opens up from there. Here's how the route works and what to sort out before you set off.
The route at a glance
From Dubrovnik Airport you head south on the coastal road toward the Montenegrin border. It's a scenic, mostly two-lane drive along the Adriatic, so it rewards an unhurried pace rather than a fast motorway dash.
| Leg | Rough driving time |
|---|---|
| Dubrovnik Airport → MNE border | about 20 min |
| Border → Herceg Novi | about 40 min total from the airport |
| Continue to Kotor | about 1.5 hours total |
Treat these as traffic- and season-dependent. In peak summer the coastal road and the border can both back up, so leave yourself a generous buffer rather than cutting it fine for a dinner reservation.
Crossing the Croatia–Montenegro border
This is an international frontier between an EU country (Croatia) and a non-EU one (Montenegro), so you'll stop at a manned checkpoint. Have everyone's passports or ID cards ready, plus the car's documents. Queues are usually short outside the busiest hours, but summer afternoons can be slow — patience helps.
The single most important thing is the paperwork for the car itself, and that depends on whose car you're driving.
If the car is registered in Montenegro
A Montenegrin-plated rental can absolutely be driven into and out of Croatia — but it has to be arranged in advance, not improvised at the barrier. Two points matter:
- Green Card. This is the internationally recognised proof that your liability insurance is valid abroad. Crossing from Croatia back into Montenegro (or vice versa) with a Montenegrin car means the green card needs to list the relevant countries as covered.
- Cross-border permission. The rental agreement should note that the car is authorised to leave the country.
Because Montrent delivers in Montenegro, the cleanest approach is usually to pick the car up on the Montenegrin side — for example with our free meet-and-greet at Tivat or Podgorica airport — and use a transfer or taxi for the short hop from Dubrovnik. If you'd rather collect closer to the border, just tell us your plan when you book and we'll prepare the right documents. Either way, the rule is simple: sort it before you travel, never at the booth. Our fleet and rental terms spell out what's included.
Arriving in Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi is the first proper town once you're over the border, roughly 40 minutes from the airport in normal conditions. It's a steep, leafy coastal town stacked above the mouth of the Bay of Kotor — full of stairs, sea-front promenades and fortress views. Parking is tight in the old core, so aim for a marked lot or your accommodation's spot rather than circling. If it's your base for a few days, our Herceg Novi car rental guide covers delivery and getting around locally.
Continuing to Kotor
From Herceg Novi the road wraps around the bay toward Kotor — figure on about 1.5 hours total from Dubrovnik Airport, again depending on traffic and the season. You have two ways to approach the inner bay:
- The scenic bay road, which hugs the water through small stone villages — slower and narrow in places, but beautiful.
- The Vrmac tunnel, which cuts under the ridge and saves the long loop. It's quick when it's open; if you're travelling outside summer, check locally that it's running before you commit, as tunnels on this coast occasionally close for works.
Kotor's walled Old Town is pedestrian-only, so park outside the walls and walk in. It's one of the Adriatic's great medieval towns and an easy, rewarding finish to the drive.
A few practical tips
- Fuel up before the border. It saves faffing about with two currencies and unfamiliar stations right after crossing.
- Drive to the conditions. The coastal road has blind bends and the occasional tunnel; it's not a place to rush.
- Going the other way later? If you're flying home out of Dubrovnik, read our companion piece on the drive from Montenegro to Dubrovnik for the return-leg paperwork and timing.
Doing this trip the other way round — landing in Montenegro and skipping the border faff entirely — is often simpler. With Montrent you get free airport meet-and-greet at Tivat or Podgorica, pay-at-pickup, free cancellation and full-to-full fuel, with support in English, Russian and Turkish. Have a look at the available cars and we'll have one waiting when you land.