Day trip from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Kotor, Montenegro
Mar 3rd, 2009, 05:11 PM
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Day trip from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Kotor, Montenegro
My husband and I will be in Dubrovnik - April 21, 22,23,24.
We would like to take a day driving trip to Montenegro.
We would PREFER to hire a private driver for the day.
I will e-mail him to check the rate (think it is about $300 for the day - USA)
If anyone will be in Dubrovnik on these dates and is interested
in sharing the cost of a private driver, let me know.
We do not want to pay the whole amount ourselves!
A tour bus is about $80 USA for each person so I figure if
we can share a driver, the cost would be about as much as going
by tour bus only MUCH better.
We arrive in Dubrovnik in the afternoon of April 21, so going on the
23 or 24 would be our preference.
This is really a LONG SHOT, but thought I would just check on Fodors!
If anyone is interested, post on this forum or you could
e-mail me at: [email protected]
Time is getting close, I am getting excited!
Nannibray
We would like to take a day driving trip to Montenegro.
We would PREFER to hire a private driver for the day.
I will e-mail him to check the rate (think it is about $300 for the day - USA)
If anyone will be in Dubrovnik on these dates and is interested
in sharing the cost of a private driver, let me know.
We do not want to pay the whole amount ourselves!
A tour bus is about $80 USA for each person so I figure if
we can share a driver, the cost would be about as much as going
by tour bus only MUCH better.
We arrive in Dubrovnik in the afternoon of April 21, so going on the
23 or 24 would be our preference.
This is really a LONG SHOT, but thought I would just check on Fodors!
If anyone is interested, post on this forum or you could
e-mail me at: [email protected]
Time is getting close, I am getting excited!
Nannibray
Mar 4th, 2009, 08:25 PM
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I will drive when leaving Dubrovnik going to Mostar, Hvar,Plitvice Istria Bled, then Zagreb, but...I am a little nervous about driving to Kotor. Are the border crossings a problem?
Do the police give you trouble? etc. I have read on Fodors to be careful in Montenegro. what was your experience?
Thank you very much.
Do the police give you trouble? etc. I have read on Fodors to be careful in Montenegro. what was your experience?
Thank you very much.
Mar 4th, 2009, 08:37 PM
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My family took a daytrip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik in June 2007.
We contacted Nikola Serkovnic. His phone number is 385/0/98 243-305 and his email address is [email protected].
We enjoyed our trip. Nikola took us to the fortress above Dubrovik and to a small town in Bosnia and on to Montenegro.
Have Fun! Laurie
We contacted Nikola Serkovnic. His phone number is 385/0/98 243-305 and his email address is [email protected].
We enjoyed our trip. Nikola took us to the fortress above Dubrovik and to a small town in Bosnia and on to Montenegro.
Have Fun! Laurie
Mar 4th, 2009, 08:38 PM
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You shouldn't be nervous about driving into Montenegro as the police are ok. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, they just turn you back. However that doesn't happen too often. Crossing the Bosinian border is neither a problem, they often don't even stamp your passport so do as for the stamp if you want to have that rememberance.
Mar 4th, 2009, 10:39 PM
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While we were in Dubrovnik we used the services for a walking guided tour in the Old town of Dubrovnik and a day trip to Kothor- licensed Dubrovnik tour guide Denis([email protected]),he is very professional and knowledgeable.
Mar 5th, 2009, 01:19 AM
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theborder guards are surly
we were stopped and had to pay the extra inusrance and we barely had enough euros to do so
we didnt think we needed to because sixt said we didnt have to when we hired a car from them in croatia
youd not want to make em mad - you dont muck round with them or any border guards i guess
i asked after i paid in euro coins that we scraped together ( they dont take credit cards) what what wouldve happened had we not had euros
he said he wouldve taken the juice out of our car
lol
petrol? or the orange juiice we had ???
we were stopped and had to pay the extra inusrance and we barely had enough euros to do so
we didnt think we needed to because sixt said we didnt have to when we hired a car from them in croatia
youd not want to make em mad - you dont muck round with them or any border guards i guess
i asked after i paid in euro coins that we scraped together ( they dont take credit cards) what what wouldve happened had we not had euros
he said he wouldve taken the juice out of our car
lol
petrol? or the orange juiice we had ???
Mar 5th, 2009, 01:22 AM
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actually i take that back
not all border guards are surly
the canadians on the west coast werent
so concerned were they were about my well- being that they asked me toleave the vehicle and asked me if the guy i was travelling me was forcibly taking me over the border
i almost cracked but didnt laugh
i was so touched and i told them so
and they were fine- didnt take it the wrong way - just smiled
not all border guards are surly
the canadians on the west coast werent
so concerned were they were about my well- being that they asked me toleave the vehicle and asked me if the guy i was travelling me was forcibly taking me over the border
i almost cracked but didnt laugh
i was so touched and i told them so
and they were fine- didnt take it the wrong way - just smiled
Mar 5th, 2009, 05:37 AM
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Border guards have been known to solicit bribes, it has been part of their way of life. Back in 1981 they told me that I needed to buy another entry visa as my multiple entry visa was no longer valid. Since I am Croatian and speak the language I didn't pay, however as a guest it's just easier to pay them and don't get them upset. It may not be right, but it's just the way it is.
Mar 5th, 2009, 11:09 AM
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Thank you everyone. I will reconsider "renting and driving". However, my top priority would be to SHARE a guide-driver for the day.
Laurie - I have contacted Nikola - says his price is 200 euros to Kotor or 250 to include Budva and Sveti Stefan. Do I need to see these also??
Goldtrotter - I will also check price of Denis.
Croatiatravellady - THANKS for you input!! You have helped me in the last 8 months planning this trip! What do you think about including Budva and Sveti Stefan?
Does anyone know if hiring a taxi would be less that 200 euros?? I think I can manage the guide aspect from my travel books.
thanks all!
Nannibray
Laurie - I have contacted Nikola - says his price is 200 euros to Kotor or 250 to include Budva and Sveti Stefan. Do I need to see these also??
Goldtrotter - I will also check price of Denis.
Croatiatravellady - THANKS for you input!! You have helped me in the last 8 months planning this trip! What do you think about including Budva and Sveti Stefan?
Does anyone know if hiring a taxi would be less that 200 euros?? I think I can manage the guide aspect from my travel books.
thanks all!
Nannibray
Mar 5th, 2009, 11:53 AM
#11
If I may, I will share (from my recent trip report) the story of our day trip to (almost) Montenegro:
"I had prepared an extensive list of things to do and sights to see on “Montenegro Day.” As we headed down the narrow, main coastal road past the airport and Cavtat, the gang was all reading about the exciting new places we would visit.
We were going to travel though Perast, a supposedly beautiful Montenegrin town, through the village of Dobrota and wind our way down to the Bay of Kotor. Oh, this was going to be a marvelous day of exploration, and it would be another new country stamp to add to our passports. Expectations were running high.
Soon we reached the border that would be our portal to Montenegro; well we almost reached the border. A line of cars about 15 or 20 deep stretched in front of us waiting to get into Montenegro. “No problem,” we thought, “we’ll get through this in no time.”
So we waited. And we waited. And we waited. In the span of 25 minutes, we counted all of one car that had passed through the border checkpoint. We also only counted one car that had exited Montenegro back into Croatia. It was perplexing, and now just a tad bit frustrating. But, hey, we’re from L.A. and used to traffic delays, so we sat and waited patiently.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a man appeared, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Benito Mussolini (although he was not hanging upside down at an Esso station), and he strode out from amongst the cars and looked me straight in the eyes (well, I thought he was looking straight at me).
He began motioning me to pull out of line and come forward. “Is he talking to me?” I asked the other three. No one really knew for sure, but he was staring directly at me. I pointed at myself and, in a DeNiro moment, mouthed the words “You talkin’ to me.” He nodded “yes” (that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it).
I then pulled out of line and headed (slowly) toward him. Suddenly, he began waving his arms like, well, like Mussolini, and shouted something at me. I don’t believe he was saying, “Welcome to the beautiful country of Montenegro. Have a lovely stay.” I know this because he had the same facial expression my dad had on his face when he learned I had flunked 8th grade algebra.
But Mussolini’s expression was much nicer than the next visage I encountered. A man, who obviously had been in line for a very long time, leaped from his automobile, came up to our car and started screaming at me in “Croenglish.”
Croenglish can best be explained as “the ability to utter multiple expletives in Croatian and English at a faster than normal rate of speed.” His usage and vast array of American curse words bordered on the remarkable, and I remember thinking this guy would be a natural to drive on the Los Angeles freeway system.
Back to the reality of the moment; I was now in the lane where people exiting Montenegro would be driving as they enter Croatia. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be entering the country from that direction either, so any head on collision was averted.
“Do you think someone will let me back in line?” I asked my traveling friends who were now ducking in case there was gunfire. As Kim turned and looked out the window at 15 cars full of angry Croatians, he said quietly, “I wouldn’t count on it.”
We decided to go to the back of the line, which, as it turned out, was only a few cars from where we had started this comedy of errors. There was really no place to turn around since, I’m sure, this is not an everyday occurrence, so I backed up past the line of cars. In a couple of minutes, we were in the queue again. “What the Hell happened there?” I inquired.
Tracy told me that, as the Croatian driver was yelling at me, a large tour bus passed us, and that Benito must have been pointing at him to move forward, not us.
For the next twenty minutes we sat, and no car was allowed to enter Montenegro, nor did one car exit from Montenegro. It had now been about an hour since we had reached the border, and only one or two cars had gone though. Obviously, besides my erratic driving, there was a major problem.
Well, we can sit in traffic jams in California, but not on vacation. In a unanimous decision, we decided to blow off Montenegro and head back. “Another time,” we sighed.
DIGRESSION: A couple of days later Mary was talking to her daughter back in the U.S. who told her that she had seen a news report of an “incident” in our general area of the world and the border of Montenegro had been virtually shut down in an attempt to locate whoever the authorities were looking for (thankfully, not me). For once, timing did not go our way, but as my dad used to always tell me, “Roll with the flow.”
"I had prepared an extensive list of things to do and sights to see on “Montenegro Day.” As we headed down the narrow, main coastal road past the airport and Cavtat, the gang was all reading about the exciting new places we would visit.
We were going to travel though Perast, a supposedly beautiful Montenegrin town, through the village of Dobrota and wind our way down to the Bay of Kotor. Oh, this was going to be a marvelous day of exploration, and it would be another new country stamp to add to our passports. Expectations were running high.
Soon we reached the border that would be our portal to Montenegro; well we almost reached the border. A line of cars about 15 or 20 deep stretched in front of us waiting to get into Montenegro. “No problem,” we thought, “we’ll get through this in no time.”
So we waited. And we waited. And we waited. In the span of 25 minutes, we counted all of one car that had passed through the border checkpoint. We also only counted one car that had exited Montenegro back into Croatia. It was perplexing, and now just a tad bit frustrating. But, hey, we’re from L.A. and used to traffic delays, so we sat and waited patiently.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a man appeared, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Benito Mussolini (although he was not hanging upside down at an Esso station), and he strode out from amongst the cars and looked me straight in the eyes (well, I thought he was looking straight at me).
He began motioning me to pull out of line and come forward. “Is he talking to me?” I asked the other three. No one really knew for sure, but he was staring directly at me. I pointed at myself and, in a DeNiro moment, mouthed the words “You talkin’ to me.” He nodded “yes” (that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it).
I then pulled out of line and headed (slowly) toward him. Suddenly, he began waving his arms like, well, like Mussolini, and shouted something at me. I don’t believe he was saying, “Welcome to the beautiful country of Montenegro. Have a lovely stay.” I know this because he had the same facial expression my dad had on his face when he learned I had flunked 8th grade algebra.
But Mussolini’s expression was much nicer than the next visage I encountered. A man, who obviously had been in line for a very long time, leaped from his automobile, came up to our car and started screaming at me in “Croenglish.”
Croenglish can best be explained as “the ability to utter multiple expletives in Croatian and English at a faster than normal rate of speed.” His usage and vast array of American curse words bordered on the remarkable, and I remember thinking this guy would be a natural to drive on the Los Angeles freeway system.
Back to the reality of the moment; I was now in the lane where people exiting Montenegro would be driving as they enter Croatia. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be entering the country from that direction either, so any head on collision was averted.
“Do you think someone will let me back in line?” I asked my traveling friends who were now ducking in case there was gunfire. As Kim turned and looked out the window at 15 cars full of angry Croatians, he said quietly, “I wouldn’t count on it.”
We decided to go to the back of the line, which, as it turned out, was only a few cars from where we had started this comedy of errors. There was really no place to turn around since, I’m sure, this is not an everyday occurrence, so I backed up past the line of cars. In a couple of minutes, we were in the queue again. “What the Hell happened there?” I inquired.
Tracy told me that, as the Croatian driver was yelling at me, a large tour bus passed us, and that Benito must have been pointing at him to move forward, not us.
For the next twenty minutes we sat, and no car was allowed to enter Montenegro, nor did one car exit from Montenegro. It had now been about an hour since we had reached the border, and only one or two cars had gone though. Obviously, besides my erratic driving, there was a major problem.
Well, we can sit in traffic jams in California, but not on vacation. In a unanimous decision, we decided to blow off Montenegro and head back. “Another time,” we sighed.
DIGRESSION: A couple of days later Mary was talking to her daughter back in the U.S. who told her that she had seen a news report of an “incident” in our general area of the world and the border of Montenegro had been virtually shut down in an attempt to locate whoever the authorities were looking for (thankfully, not me). For once, timing did not go our way, but as my dad used to always tell me, “Roll with the flow.”
Mar 5th, 2009, 07:01 PM
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Don't know the bus schedules. Anyone to help here?? Also think the times might not work too well. But I am open. Am afraid we would get to Kotor and not make connections back to Dubrovnik.
Mar 6th, 2009, 10:01 AM
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The schedules are available at the following Web site:
http://www.libertasdubrovnik.com/
Click on the "sorted by time" area.
http://www.libertasdubrovnik.com/
Click on the "sorted by time" area.
Mar 6th, 2009, 10:27 AM
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Considering it is a three hour bus ride (I believe departure is late am and return is early evening), you are likely not going to be able to get back in one day and feel like you had enough time in Kotor.
I would 1) rent a car; 2) hire a licensed guide; or 3) stay overnight in Kotor (a lovely place, just not as polished as Dubrovnik). It is an easy drive and more likely than not you will have no issue at the border.
Sveti Stefan is a resort (albeit a picturesque one), and Budva has nothing on Kotor and Dubrovnik, so I would skip those and concentrate on the Bay of Kotor. Unless you just want to see the coastline south of the Bay.
I would 1) rent a car; 2) hire a licensed guide; or 3) stay overnight in Kotor (a lovely place, just not as polished as Dubrovnik). It is an easy drive and more likely than not you will have no issue at the border.
Sveti Stefan is a resort (albeit a picturesque one), and Budva has nothing on Kotor and Dubrovnik, so I would skip those and concentrate on the Bay of Kotor. Unless you just want to see the coastline south of the Bay.
Mar 6th, 2009, 11:26 AM
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We used Nikola back in November 06 because we had booked an Atlas tour that never showed up. We ran into another couple that had the same problem and we decided to share a private driver together. Nikola was super; the views from the fort overlooking Dubrovnik are amazing, and he was able to get us into the fort itself. He was very knowledgeable about the area and kindly and patiently answered all of our questions.
I'm usually more of a budget traveler but we thought the price of a private driver was well worth the cost. However, with that being said, we probably wouldn't have done it if we didn't have the other couple to split the cost with because the price was high.
Tracy
I'm usually more of a budget traveler but we thought the price of a private driver was well worth the cost. However, with that being said, we probably wouldn't have done it if we didn't have the other couple to split the cost with because the price was high.
Tracy
Mar 6th, 2009, 07:01 PM
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You are all very helpful. I looked at the bus schedule site and as far as I can determine it leaves Dubrovnik at 10:30. Couldn't figure out when it returned. The site was not in english so I was confused. Not sure the public bus would satisfy me.
Thanks Yorkshire - for your opinion on Budva and Sveti Stefan. I was rather thinking we would skip them . If you try to do too much in a day, you just exhaust yourself and it is too frenzied. If I can't find another couple to share (Tracy, you gave me that idea when I read your trip report last fall. You were some lucky lady!!) I will just have to "bite the bullet" and drive myself.
But... I am definitely a SENIOR so am a little chicken. Will be doing all the driving myself as
my husband's eyes are not good enough for international driving.
So Yorkshire: looks like your option # 1 is the best.
But am still looking for someone to SHARE A GUIDE!
Thanks Yorkshire - for your opinion on Budva and Sveti Stefan. I was rather thinking we would skip them . If you try to do too much in a day, you just exhaust yourself and it is too frenzied. If I can't find another couple to share (Tracy, you gave me that idea when I read your trip report last fall. You were some lucky lady!!) I will just have to "bite the bullet" and drive myself.
But... I am definitely a SENIOR so am a little chicken. Will be doing all the driving myself as
my husband's eyes are not good enough for international driving.
So Yorkshire: looks like your option # 1 is the best.
But am still looking for someone to SHARE A GUIDE!
Mar 8th, 2009, 09:26 AM
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Nannibray, I hope you enjoy Villa Adriatica! Just wait until you see your view as you walk out onto the terrace...priceless!
By the way, I too would suggest skipping Budva and Sveti Stephan. Budva was fine, but in my opinion it wasn't nearly as nice as Kotor and the Bay of Kotor. I wish we had more time there. If you get a driver, or drive yourself, be sure to stop at Perast on the Bay of Kotor. It's tiny but picturesque and the bay is so tranquil.
Enjoy!
Tracy
By the way, I too would suggest skipping Budva and Sveti Stephan. Budva was fine, but in my opinion it wasn't nearly as nice as Kotor and the Bay of Kotor. I wish we had more time there. If you get a driver, or drive yourself, be sure to stop at Perast on the Bay of Kotor. It's tiny but picturesque and the bay is so tranquil.
Enjoy!
Tracy
