How Pickup Works
Most Kotor rentals begin in one of two places. Tivat Airport is the default for fly-in visitors and sits 8 km from the Old Town walls, around 25 minutes by road on a clear day; a representative meets you in arrivals with the keys and walks you to the car park directly opposite the terminal exit. Pickup directly in Kotor suits anyone arriving by ferry, transfer or cruise tender, or already settled into an Old Town or Dobrota apartment, with handover at the cruise port, the bus terminal, the Kamelija shopping centre or Hotel Forza Mare in Dobrota, plus city delivery to a chosen address anywhere in town. Paperwork at either point is the same as anywhere else in Europe: passport, driving licence, the credit card that holds the deposit.
If your flight lands at Podgorica instead, the airport works as an alternative pickup point. It is a 75-minute inland drive over the Sozina tunnel, the option to use when winter cancels coastal flights to Tivat or when a connection from Belgrade or Istanbul is the cheapest route in. Direct delivery to a Kotor, Perast, Budva or Tivat-town address is also possible at no extra cost on multi-day bookings, useful if you arrive by ferry, by bus, or by transfer.
Bay-of-Kotor Town Collections
In Kotor, handover happens at the cruise port, the bus terminal, the Kamelija shopping centre or Hotel Forza Mare in Dobrota, plus open city delivery to any address inside the town. In Tivat, the booking engine carries an even wider set of meeting points: the bus terminal, Petrol EKO on the bay road, Hotel Palma, Hotel Regent and Hotel Carrubba, Restaurant Salon Prive, the Info-punkt at Donja Lastva, and the Port of Lepetane ferry slip for arrivals from the western shore, again with city-delivery on top. Picking a town point rather than the airport saves a transfer fare when your accommodation is already in the bay.
Tivat and Podgorica Pickups
Tivat handles roughly 1.4 million passengers a year and is the closest airport to the Bay. The terminal is small enough that the walk from gate to rental car park takes under five minutes, and there's no airport shuttle to navigate. Podgorica (TGD) is the inland alternative and mostly used for connections out of Belgrade, Istanbul and a handful of European hubs that don't fly direct into Tivat. The drive to Kotor over the Sozina tunnel takes about 75 minutes on a clear day.
Door-to-Door Delivery
For multi-day bookings the rental partner can deliver to the address you give at booking, anywhere along the bay between Herceg Novi and Budva, plus Tivat and the Lustica peninsula. There is no surcharge inside this area on bookings of three days or longer; on shorter bookings a small delivery fee applies and is shown before checkout. Drop-off at a different location to your pickup is also accepted with one day's notice, no extra fee within the bay area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which airport is best for a Kotor rental?
Tivat (TIV). It's 8 km from Kotor, the rental desks are inside the terminal, and the drive to the Old Town walls is about 25 minutes on a clear day. Podgorica (TGD) is the right call only when a connection from Belgrade, Istanbul or another inland hub is materially cheaper than the Tivat fares.
Can I collect at one location and drop off at another?
Yes, within the Bay of Kotor area and the Budva Riviera at no extra charge with one day's notice. Cross-country drop-offs (e.g. Tivat collection, Podgorica drop-off) carry a small relocation fee shown at the time of booking.
Is there an after-hours pickup?
Tivat Airport collections are available for any flight arrival time, including overnight. Town deliveries are arranged for any agreed hour, with a small after-hours surcharge between 22:00 and 07:00.
What if my flight lands at Podgorica?
Pickup at Podgorica Airport is fully supported. The drive to Kotor takes about 75 minutes over the Sozina tunnel and follows the E80 most of the way, no border crossings involved. Useful when a flight from Belgrade, Istanbul or a Serbian regional hub is the cheapest route in.
Do I have to pay extra to pick up at the airport?
No. Airport pickup is the default and carries no surcharge. Town deliveries within the bay area are also free on bookings of three days or longer; the only fee structure that applies is a small delivery charge on shorter rentals.
Can someone else collect the car for me?
Only if they were named as the lead driver on the booking. The partner cannot release the vehicle to anyone whose details aren't on the contract, bring an additional driver into the booking ahead of time if a partner or family member will collect alone.
Still Deciding Where to Collect?
As a rough rule: arriving by air with a Kotor base picks Tivat Airport, arriving by ferry or already settled in town picks the nearest in-town point, and an inland-routed flight from Belgrade or Istanbul picks Podgorica. The same fleet, the same prices and the same insurance package apply at every pickup, so the only thing that changes is the transfer cost you save by collecting close to your accommodation.
If you are still unsure, send your dates and the address you are checking into through the contact form and we will recommend the option that costs the least once airport-transfer or taxi fares are factored in. The booking widget itself shows live availability for every collection point and lists any small delivery fee on shorter rentals before you confirm, so there are no hidden extras at the desk.
