Digital Nomad Guide to Kotor, Montenegro

If you enjoy breath-taking mountain scenery, impossibly beautiful sunsets, and delicious wine, all while escaping Europe’s Schengen Zone, I highly recommend Montenegro. I recently spent two months here and loved it, so I’ve compiled this Digital Nomad Guide to Kotor, Montenegro full of helpful tips and advice.

This guide will provide you with all the essential information you need to make the most of your time in Kotor, from getting there to the best places to stay, eat, and explore as a digital nomad or long-term traveller.

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Overview of Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor is a historic coastal town, nestled within the Bay of Kotor. Known for its medieval architecture, cobblestone streets, and well-preserved Old Town, Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Why Kotor is Great for Digital Nomads

Top three reasons to add Kotor to your travel itinerary:

• Montenegro is out of the Schengen Area and one of the few remaining places in Europe that is.
• Kotor has a great Coliving in Kotor Nest (more on that later).
• Montenegro is beautiful and there’s lots to see and do around Kotor Bay.

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1. Getting There

Here’s what you need to know about arrival into Montenegro:

Visa for Montenegro

Many nationalities can stay visa-free in Montenegro for 90 days within 180 days. Others can stay up to 30 days. There’s also a Long-Stay Visa D you can apply for if you want to stay up to six months in a year. Check the rules for your passport here.

Flights and Transportation

The two best airports for access to Kotor are Podgorica Airport (TGD), in the capital city, and the smaller Tivat Airport (TIV), which is close to Kotor. However, “small” is relative because Podgorica Airport is also tiny.

From Podgorica

Podgorica is a couple of hours drive from Kotor (traffic can be bad as there are few main roads), you can hire a taxi, or you can take a bus.

Renting a car in Montenegro is affordable, though parking in Kotor is a nightmare, and you won’t need a car to get around the Old Town and its surrounds unless you’re doing day trips out to other places in Montenegro. It’s possible to rent a car in Podgorica and drop it off in Kotor, and we found this was cheaper than a taxi.

From Tivat

Kotor is a 15-minute taxi drive from Tivat Airport. The trip should cost EUR15-20, depending on the season and whether you book in advance (you can ask your accommodation to handle this). There is no ride sharing service in Montenegro, so we used Red Taxis and communicated via Whatsapp.

From Other Countries

It’s possible to take a bus from Dubrovnik, Croatia or Tirana, Albania, to Kotor, as well as other places. One nomad I met took a taxi from Dubrovnik Airport, though it was expensive.

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2. Cost of Living

Accommodation

We stayed at Kotor Nest Coliving (Coliving.com/Booking.com). It was partner’s third time staying there and my first.

Kotor Nest operates as a hotel in the high season, then becomes a Coliving in the shoulder seasons, usually October-November and March-April. Therefore, sometimes it feels more like a hotel and others, more like apartments or a Coliving.

The cost for a month is competitive with most European colivings at around EUR1,500 per month, with 14 nights minimum stay. Most nomads stay one month, but you can always contact Kotor Nest directly if your travel dates don’t align – they can be flexible.

Other options include serviced apartments on Booking.com and Airbnbs. Friends of ours stayed in a cute Airbnb a 15-minute walk north of the old town and liked it.

More Colivings in Montenegro

There are some other Coliving options elsewhere in Montenegro, though I haven’t personally stayed at them:

• Wellbeing retreat/FitCamp in Vusanje
• Opština Herceg Novi on the other side of Kotor Bay
• Playworking in Đuraševići
• Coliving Frilingue – Montenegro in Njivice

Food & Dining

Kotor Old Town has become a popular destination for cruise ships and bus tours, so there are many restaurants catering to that crowd. In general, restaurants are more expensive and not as great inside the walls of the old city, but there are a few gems. In particular, don’t miss La Catedral Pasta Bar.

There are also a few cute cafes and bars. I didn’t work in any cafes because they’re small and can get busy when the cruise ships pull in, but the coffee and pastries are nice. My favourite was Patisserie by Wine House.

For groceries, Aroma and VOLI branches are close by, though I found the Aroma 2 in Dobrota, a 20-minute walk north of the old city, offers the best in terms of fresh produce, price and variety.

Getting Around

As mentioned, there are no rideshare apps in Montenegro, but buses are cheap and reliable, and taxis are easy to grab even if they do tend to charge quite a lot.

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3. Things to Do and Explore

Sightseeing and Activities

Here are five of the best things I did in Kotor, which I really recommend you add to your Montenegro itinerary:

• Hiking: Kotor is surrounded by mountains and though the hikes can be strenuous and uphill, the views are stunning.

• Boat Trip: We hired a catamaran as a group to tour around Kotor Bay, see the Lady of the Rock and even head around the coast to see the Blue Grotto (although it was too windy actually see the cave, so maybe skip that part). The cost was around EUR75pp for a group of eight.

• E-Biking: E-biking around the Bay is a core Montenegro memory for me. For the whole day, it cost EUR30pp, plus EUR2 for a helmet. We stopped at a mussel farm along the way for freshly picked mussels and oysters.

• Cable Car & Rollercoaster: For more fabulous views, take the cable car up the mountain. There’s an alpine rollercoaster and alfresco bar at the top. I recommend timing your trip for sunset.

• Kayaking: Kayaking around the bay was definitely a workout but so worth it, especially for only EUR10pp.

Weekend Getaways

To get out of Kotor, you can day trip or overnight-trip to the following places:

• Perast (day trip or less): Cute town in Kotor Bay and gateway for boat trips to The Lady of the Rock. Personally, I was happy just to cycle through Perast on a trip around the Bay. You can also take a regular bus from Kotor to Perast.
• Tivat (day trip): The nearest city to Kotor. Wander around Porto Marina for fancy bars, hotels and restaurants.
• Budva (day trip): Cute beach town around 45mins drive from Kotor, good to combine with Sveti Stefan.

• Croatia (weekend): There are buses that go to Dubrovnik or you can drive. You might be able to squeeze it into a day trip, but apparently the border crossing can be busy.
• National Parks (day or weekend): Kotor is close to Lovćen National Park or you can go further north to Durmitor National Park (3+ hours driving from Kotor) for serious mountain hiking and scenery. It’s best to rent a car for these trips.

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4. When to Go

As mentioned, the Coliving only operates a few months a year, so it’s best to time your trip with this if you’re looking for community.

Weather

We arrived in early October and left in early December. The start of October was still very hot: shorts and t-shirt weather in the day, but maybe a sweater or jacket needed in the evening. By the end of October, when the clocks changed, suddenly it felt much darker and cooler.

November was cold and I often had the heat blasting from the air con, and I needed a coat outside. Note that Kotor doesn’t have central heating, it’s more common to have air con, so it can feel very chilly inside. Important: November can be very wet and Kotor’s Old Town can be prone to flooding.

Cruise Ships

The cruise ships were getting fewer as October went on, but the crowds were still immense and the ships themselves look ridiculous in the tiny harbour.

In November, when the cruise ship season stopped, Kotor Old Town was lovely and quiet in comparison. However, many businesses close for the season, including restaurants and bars, and even my local gym.

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5. Practical Tips

Internet & SIM Cards

Wifi was reliable and data was great, though don’t expect coverage if you’re up in the mountains. I opted for an eSIM with One Mobile with unlimited data for EUR13 per month. They have a store in the Kamelija Shopping Mall if you need help getting set up.

Kotor Nest Coliving has a shared coworking space, or you can work in your room or the common spaces, such as the living room.

Finances

Even though Montenegro is not a member of the European Union, they still use the Euro (the country’s currency was previously pegged to Germany’s, and when Germany transitioned to the Euro an exception was made for Montenegro to follow with them).

There are plenty of ATMs around, but they all charge for cash withdrawals (usually EUR6 per transaction) and card payments are not accepted everywhere, so it’s good to have some cash on-hand.

Revolut is not common in Montenegro.

Health & Fitness

There are two gyms in Kotor: Zen Wellness in Kamelija Shopping Centre and Fitspot Kotor, which is a 20min walk out of town.

I chose Zen Wellness, which is older but a little larger and closer to Kotor. A day pass is EUR8 and a monthly pass is EUR55 for men and EUR50 for women. If you sign up with someone else you can get the EUR85 family package. They only accept cash and closed in mid-November.

After Zen Wellness closed, I went to Fitspot a couple of times. A day pass was only EUR5. The gym is more modern and busier, though quite small. Both gyms had machines that were broken.

We also went to padel a couple of times in Tivat at Padel Montenegro, though you need a car to get there.

Emergency Numbers

In Kotor, Montenegro, the emergency numbers are:

• Police: 122
• Ambulance: 124
• Fire Department: 123
• General Emergency: 112

Local Culture and Language

Balkan people in general can come across as quite gruff, but once you get to know them, they’re super warm and friendly. All the staff at Kotor Nest are the sweetest people. Even the cleaning staff that speak no English are so lovely and warm.

The Montenegrin language is very close to Serbian and Croatian, which are options on Google Translate (sadly Montenegrin is not).

• Hvala – Thank you
• Dobar dan – Good morning/hello
• Cao – Pronounced the same as the Italian greeting, an informal way to say hi or bye.
• Važi važi – A relaxed phrase meaning “Sure,” “Chill,” “Nevermind,” “Slowly, slowly”

Cats

Speaking of locals, if you don’t like cats, you may have a hard time in Kotor. The Old Town is full of stray (but very well looked after) cats. They mostly congregate in the Cat Park, which is great place if you want a cat cuddle. A local woman named Danijela looks after them and they are well fed; you can support her shop here.

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Conclusion

I really enjoyed my couple of months in Kotor and highly recommend it for digital nomads. With amazing mountain scenery and plenty of things to see, do and explore, I can see why my partner keeps coming back each year.

I would say that I’m not sure I would enjoy it so much staying alone, so the best place to start if you’re planning a trip is Kotor Nest Coliving (Coliving.com/Booking.com).

Have you been to Kotor or stayed elsewhere in Montenegro? Let me know your experience in the comments below.