How To Visit The Kotor Cable Car — ALONG DUSTY ROADS

How To Get There & Opening Hours

The Kotor Cable Car doesn’t actually start from the historic town of Kotor.

This is a common and understandable misconception and the marketing doesn’t do anything to dispel it!

The cable car ride actually begins inland from a place called Dub, which is in the Kotor municipality but 10-15 minutes by car from Kotor town and actually closer to Tivat. From there, it goes straight up to Kuk Station on Lovćen mountain.

· find the Kotor Cable Car Lower Station (Dub Station) here on Google Maps

· find the Kotor Cable Car Upper Station (Kuk Station) here on Google Maps

For those staying in and around Kotor town – or visiting on a day trip – you’ll therefore still need a quick transfer to reach the lower station. The main options are:

Drive / As we were on a three-week Montenegro road trip, this is what we did. Forget about going anywhere near the famous Serpentine Road, and take the flat E80 straight out from Kotor. It should only take 10 minutes if you’ve got a clear run, but there’s almost always some form of gridlock on the way out of Kotor, so factor in 20 minutes.

You’ll arrive at very large official car park for the lower station where, rather annoyingly, it’s €1 per hour. You need to take a ticket on entry and pay on exit at the kiosk (card + cash accepted). If you’re really watching the pennies though, there is the option to park at the roadside opposite the car park, before going in the entrance.

Lots of people do this, but it’s at your own risk.

Bus / There’s no public transport out here, so you need to opt for official Cable Car shuttle bus service from Kotor. In the summer season, it offers departures every half hour from 8am from the main bus station (here on Google Maps). The station is about a 10-minute walk from the historic centre.

Shuttle bus tickets are €10 single or €15 round-trip, or you can save by choosing the €30 cable car + shuttle combo ticket. For children under 12 years old, it’s €5 one-way, €10 round-trip. You can buy them online, but there’s also a ticket office at the station.

Taxis / Uber and most other ride-hail apps don’t work in Montenegro, but you’ll find regular taxis outside Kotor’s walls and some with “Shuttle Service” insignia. Unfortunately we don’t know the typical fare, so do let us know in the comments!

Travelling from Tivat, Budva or Elsewhere?

It’s just 10km from Tivat to the lower station, so definitely a good choice for a day trip activity.

For anyone based in Budva or further along the coast, we’d question whether you should actually want to visit the Kotor Cable Car on a day trip.

Once the highway is fully upgraded, it’ll still be about an hour’s drive and pairing it with a visit to the historic town of Kotor (or a boat trip in the bay) is likely to be too ambitious and / or end up being unenjoyable. The only way we can really see it being feasible, is if you headed up for sunset – this would mean you still get a full day to explore the town and bay proper.

If you are laser-focussed on it though, you should consider the cable car shuttle from Budva. Available as a bundle with your cable car ticket, it’s €31.50 – €35 for adults and the route is Dub> Budva > Rafailovići > Sveti Stefan > Petrovac > Čanj > Petrovac > Sveti Stefan > Rafailovići > Budva > Dub Lower Station.

Find out more details on the official website.