Season of the year The vacation has begun, and Montenegro, despite occasional political tensions between the two countries, remains one of the favorite destinations of Serbian citizens.
For those planning a vacation on the Montenegrin Adriatic, in addition to the price of accommodation, an important item in the budget is transportation. Is it more profitable to travel by car, train or plane and how much does it cost from different parts of Serbia?
Airplane: The fastest, but not the cheapest
Without competition, the plane is the fastest way to get from Belgrade to the Montenegrin coast. Flight to Tivat lasts about 55 minutes.
During the summer season, the best one-way tickets on the Belgrade-Tivat route can be found starting from about 8.000 dinars, but if you pay for the ticket a month and a half in advance. Otherwise, return tickets usually cost more than 20.000 dinars, depending on the date and amount of luggage.
However, if you do not buy a ticket far enough in advance, it may happen that, for example, five days before the planned trip there are no tickets or that their price in one direction from Belgrade to Tivat costs more than 160 euros.
In the opposite direction, through the Montenegrin company Air Montenegro, you can find cheaper tickets - so even if you decide to come back the next day from the sea, you can get by with around 50 euros. The price in the opposite direction is just as high.
Residents of other places must also include the cost of getting to the airport in Belgrade. The exception is passengers from Niš and Kraljevo, from where there are also flights to Tivat during the season, with return ticket prices of around 140 euros. Planes from Niš to Tivat fly three times a week during the season, while it is possible to fly from Kraljevo twice a week.
Train: Much slower, but often the most convenient
By the legendary railway Belgrade-Bar daily traffic began. During the summer, the night train "Lovćen" and the daytime seasonal train "Tara" operate.
The price of a one-way ticket from Belgrade to Bar in second class is 24 euros, while in first class the ticket is about 10 euros more expensive, with a mandatory seat reservation of three euros. A return ticket with reservations in second class costs 45 euros, while in first class it is about 20 euros more expensive.
It is possible to reserve sleeping cars for an additional fee of six or nine euros, and the bed ticket ranges from 15 to 45 euros, depending on the category.
The price should include transportation from the train station to the place of rest.
The advantage of the train is that it allows you to get to the sea without additional costs for fuel, tolls and parking, and for many the drive through the Morača and Tara canyons is part of the summer atmosphere.
However, it often happens that the train, instead of the planned 11 hours, travels much longer, which is not a good feeling.
budPrices depend on destination and starting point
Bus: A compromise between price and availability
For many passengers, the bus remains the most practical way to reach the Montenegrin coast. Unlike the plane, it does not require a trip to the airport, and compared to the train, it offers significantly more departures and direct lines to almost all coastal cities.
During the summer season, there are daily buses from Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Niš and Subotica to Budva, Herceg Novi, Bar, Sutomore and Ulcinj. The journey takes between eight and 14 hours, depending on the place of departure, conditions at the border and traffic congestion.
The price of a one-way ticket from Belgrade to Budva is usually between 30 and 40 euros, while a return ticket costs from 50 to 70 euros. Tickets from Novi Sad and Subotica are slightly more expensive due to the longer distance, while prices from Kragujevac and Niš are generally similar to those in Belgrade.
For one person, the bus is often cheaper than a car and competitive with the train, especially when booking, fuel, tolls and parking costs are factored in. However, during the peak season, the journey can take significantly longer than planned due to delays at border crossings and traffic jams on the Montenegrin coast.
Car: The most freedom, but also the biggest cost
The car remains the most common choice when several people travel together, primarily due to flexibility and the possibility of not depending on local transportation at the destination.
The distance from Belgrade to Budva is about 500 kilometers long. If we look at an average car that consumes about seven liters of fuel per 100 kilometers and the price of gasoline is about 190 dinars, we need to allocate about 6.700 dinars just for fuel in one direction. Tolls through Serbia on this route cost about 1.000 dinars, if you are going on some part of the highway, while the price of the Montenegrin highway for a passenger car is about 3,5 euros.
Car transport prices differ depending on the destination and the final destination. So, for example, from the northernmost city in Serbia, Subotica, to the Montenegrin sea, it is necessary to allocate about 3.000 dinars more in one direction compared to Belgrade.
What pays off the most?
If price is a priority, the train is still the most affordable way to get to the Montenegrin coast.
For those who go in a group, carry more luggage and want complete freedom of movement, the car remains the best choice.
Those who want to avoid driving for several hours through Serbia and Montenegro will have to shell out more money for a plane ticket, but they will be at sea in less than an hour after taking off.
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