8-Day Montenegro Bay of Kotor Self-Launched Coastal Trip
8 days · Montenegro
Sailing Adriatic charges £1,900
No-markup version: ~£354 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of Sailing Adriatic's 8-day gulet cruise around the Bay of Kotor and Montenegro's Budva Riviera — using public buses, a couple of cheap water-taxi/boat-hire hops and hostel/guesthouse stays in Tivat, Kotor, Budva and Herceg Novi instead of seven nights in a chartered gulet cabin. You'll hit the same anchors: Kotor Old Town, Dobra Luka and Ljuta bays, Sveti Stefan, Budva's walled old town, Jaz Beach, Mirista and Perast. You lose the onboard chef and the swim-stop-every-hour rhythm, but you gain flexibility and roughly two-thirds off the price. Costs are approximate backpacker rates in GBP; add a small buffer for peak July–August, when Montenegro accommodation roughly doubles.
Day-by-day
Arrive Tivat — Porto Montenegro & welcome swim
Tivat
Fly into Tivat (TIV) or Podgorica (TGD) and take the local bus or a shared taxi into Tivat (bus ~£1.50, taxi ~£12). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the centre, 10 minutes' walk from Porto Montenegro Marina — the same marina the gulet departs from. Spend the late afternoon wandering the marina and the Naval Heritage Collection, then walk 20 minutes to Donja Lastva for a cheap konoba dinner (grilled fish or njeguški pršut, ~£10) and a first swim off the concrete jetties. Sunset over the bay is the free welcome drink.
🚌Airport bus or shared taxi to Tivat centre
🛏Hostel or guesthouse dorm/private in Tivat (~£16 pp)
- →Porto Montenegro Marina stroll
- →Naval Heritage Collection (optional, ~£5)
- →Sunset swim at Donja Lastva
Bus to Kotor — Ljuta Bay swim and old town at dusk
Kotor
Take the local Blue Line bus from Tivat to Kotor along the bay (~£1.50, 30 mins). Drop bags at a hostel inside or just outside the walls. In the afternoon take a local bus towards Dobrota/Ljuta (~£1) and swim off the rocks at Ljuta, the bay the gulet anchors in on day two — quiet, clear water and a couple of cheap waterfront konobas. Return to Kotor for the evening: walk the marble-paved squares, poke into St Tryphon's Cathedral and the Venetian palaces, and eat a budget dinner of burek or pasta (~£8). Climb part of the city walls at golden hour if you want the classic view (free after ~18:00, otherwise ~£10).
🚌Blue Line bus Tivat–Kotor ~£1.50; local bus to Ljuta ~£1
🛏Hostel in Kotor Old Town or Dobrota (~£18 pp)
- →Swim at Ljuta Bay
- →Kotor Old Town evening walk
- →St Tryphon's Cathedral
- →City walls at sunset
Kotor Old Town guided walk — Dobra Luka & Bigova
Kotor / Bigova
Join a small-group walking tour of Kotor Old Town (book via GetYourGuide, ~£18, 1.5–2 hrs) — it covers the same ground as the cruise's included guided tour and explains the Venetian and Austro-Hungarian layers. Afterwards take a local bus towards Budva and get off near Bigova (~£2.50), a tiny fishing village tucked into a hidden bay with rocky swimming and a couple of simple seafood places. If you'd rather stay put, hire a kayak in Kotor (~£8/hr) and paddle to the quieter corners of the bay. Evening bus back or continue towards Budva depending on your plan.
🚌Local bus Kotor–Bigova ~£2.50; optional kayak hire ~£16
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Bigova or Budva (~£17 pp)
- →Guided Kotor Old Town walking tour (~£18)
- →Swim at Dobra Luka / Bigova bay
- →Kayaking in Boka Bay (optional)
Trsteno Bay, Sveti Stefan and Budva's walled town
Budva
Bus south to Budva (~£3, 45 mins) and check into a hostel in the old town or Slovenska Plaža area. Spend the afternoon at Trsteno/Bečići beach for a swim, then take the local bus 10 minutes to Sveti Stefan for the postcard view from the coastal path — the islet is now a luxury resort, but the viewpoint and the pink-sand Miločer beach next door are free. Return to Budva and walk the medieval walled town after the day-trippers leave, with a cheap dinner of grilled squid or pizza (~£9). Budva's nightlife is on the doorstep if you want it.
🚌Bus Kotor–Budva ~£3; local bus Budva–Sveti Stefan ~£1
🛏Hostel in Budva Old Town or Slovenska Plaža (~£18 pp)
- →Swim at Trsteno/Bečići beach
- →Sveti Stefan viewpoint walk
- →Budva Old Town walls and churches
- →Optional nightlife
Guided Budva Old Town, Jaz Beach and Traste Bay
Budva / Jaz Beach
Morning guided walk of Budva Old Town (GetYourGuide or a local walking tour, ~£15) — same content as the cruise's included Budva tour, covering the citadel, St John's Church and the Venetian fortifications. Then take the local bus to Jaz Beach (~£2), Montenegro's longest sand beach, for sunbathing and swimming. In the late afternoon carry on to Traste Bay near Trsteno for a quieter snorkel and sunset. Evening back in Budva; cook in the hostel kitchen or grab a cheap grill plate (~£8).
🚌Local buses to Jaz and Traste ~£4 total
🛏Hostel in Budva (~£18 pp)
- →Guided Budva Old Town walk (~£15)
- →Jaz Beach sunbathing and swimming
- →Snorkelling at Traste Bay
Up the coast to Herceg Novi via Mirista Bay
Herceg Novi
Take the coastal bus north from Budva to Herceg Novi (~£4, 1.5 hrs). Check into a guesthouse in the old town or Topla. In the afternoon walk or take a short local bus to Mirista Bay — a sheltered pebble cove the gulet stops at — for a swim and a lazy afternoon. Back in Herceg Novi, wander the stepped, flower-lined streets of the old town, the Forte Mare fortress and the long Škver promenade. Cheap dinner of grilled fish by the harbour (~£10).
🚌Coastal bus Budva–Herceg Novi ~£4; local bus to Mirista ~£1.50
🛏Guesthouse/soband in Herceg Novi (~£17 pp)
- →Swim at Mirista Bay
- →Herceg Novi old town and Forte Mare
- →Škver promenade
Morinj Bay and Perast — boat hop and baroque churches
Perast / Tivat
Bus to Perast (~£2, 40 mins) — the baroque village the cruise visits on day seven. From the Perast waterfront take a five-minute local boat to Our Lady of the Rocks island (~£5 return) and visit the church and its silver votives. Continue by bus or taxi-boat to Morinj Bay (~£3) for lunch at a shellfish farm restaurant, the closest thing to the onboard Morinj lunch. Finish with the bus back to Tivat (~£2), checking into a hostel near Porto Montenegro for the last night, and a seafront dinner as your send-off.
🚌Buses Perast/Morinj/Tivat ~£7 total; boat to Our Lady of the Rocks ~£5
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Tivat (~£16 pp)
- →Perast old town
- →Our Lady of the Rocks boat trip and church
- →Morinj Bay shellfish lunch
Breakfast by the marina and depart
Tivat
Slow breakfast at a bakery or seafront café in Tivat (~£3), a final walk around Porto Montenegro, then the bus or shared taxi to Tivat or Podgorica airport. If your flight is late, squeeze in a last swim at Donja Lastva or Seljanovo.
🚌Bus/shared taxi to Tivat airport ~£1.50–£12
🛏None — departure day
- →Porto Montenegro walk
- →Final swim (time permitting)
Self-launched vs. Sailing Adriatic
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Sailing Adriatic | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£354 | £1,900 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,546 per person (81%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Sailing Adriatic-style trips? Check them out here.~£354
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does 8-Day Montenegro Bay of Kotor Self-Launched Coastal Trip cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £354 per person for 8 days in Montenegro. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Sailing Adriatic?+
Yes — Sailing Adriatic charges around £1,900 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £354 — a saving of roughly £1,546 (81%) per person.
How long is the Montenegro trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Montenegro.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a budget, beaches, backpacker trip through Montenegro, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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