Dubrovnik to Kotor by Car

Updated 27 June 2026

Kotor sits about 90 kilometres south of Dubrovnik, a drive of roughly two hours that crosses from Croatia into Montenegro and finishes on the spectacular Bay of Kotor road. It is a popular way to pair the two cities on one trip.

This guide covers the route and how long it really takes, the border crossing and the documents you need, and the one detail that trips people up: where you pick up the car with Dubrovnik Airport car rental and where you have to return it.

The route at a glance

From Dubrovnik you follow the Adriatic highway south past Cavtat to the Debeli Brijeg border crossing, then on to Herceg Novi at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor. From there the road hugs the shoreline through Risan and Perast into Kotor. It is around 90 kilometres, but the bay road is slow and scenic, so allow two to two and a half hours plus border time.

In summer the crossing can add anywhere from twenty minutes to over an hour at peak times, usually mid-morning and late afternoon. Setting off early avoids the worst of it and gives you the bay in soft morning light.

Two ways round the bay

After Herceg Novi you have a choice. The full bay road loops west through Kamenari, Risan and Perast, the slower but unforgettable option past the Lady of the Rocks and the inner-bay villages.

The faster shortcut is the Kamenari to Lepetane car ferry, which crosses the narrow Verige strait in a few minutes and drops you near Tivat, cutting a good half hour off the loop. Ferries run frequently day and night and you pay at the ramp, so it is worth it if you are short on time or heading to Tivat first.

The border crossing and paperwork

The main coastal crossing is Debeli Brijeg, open around the clock. You will need your passport, the vehicle registration document, and proof the car is insured to cross into Montenegro, which for a hire car means the Green Card and authorisation letter set out in our border crossing guide.

This is the part to arrange in advance: a rental collected in Croatia is not automatically cleared to enter Montenegro. With the right permit it is straightforward, without it you can be turned back at the border, so confirm cross-border cover when you book rather than at the desk.

Where to hire a car for the trip

If you are flying into Dubrovnik, you can collect a car at the airport and drive down to Kotor, but in almost all cases that car must be returned to Dubrovnik; one-way drops into Montenegro are rarely offered and costly. We add the cross-border permit to Dubrovnik bookings during checkout, so you are cleared to cross.

If Montenegro is your main focus, it is usually simpler and cheaper to fly into Tivat, just eight kilometres from Kotor, and choose Tivat Airport car rental with no border and no permit. Choose Dubrovnik hire for a Croatia-and-Montenegro trip, and Tivat or Kotor hire for a Montenegro-focused one.

What to see on the way

The drive rewards a few stops. Cavtat’s harbour makes an easy first pause on the Croatian side, Herceg Novi has a leafy seafront old town just past the border, and Perast is the classic last stop before Kotor for the island churches. With a hire car you can linger at any of them rather than watching them slide past a bus window.

Costs, tolls and fuel

There are no motorway tolls on this route, though the Kamenari ferry charges a small per-car fee paid at the ramp. Fuel is broadly similar on both sides of the border. Factor in the cross-border permit on a Dubrovnik rental and the odd parking fee in Kotor, where you leave the car outside the car-free old town.

Drive it early, carry the right paperwork, and the Dubrovnik to Kotor road is a highlight in itself. Decide where you are flying into, hire accordingly, and have the car ready so the bay is yours from the start.

Dubrovnik to Kotor: FAQ

The practical questions on the Dubrovnik to Kotor drive, from timings and the border to where you can collect and drop off.