Montenegro is a small country with an unreasonable amount of coastline, and almost all of it is worth driving slowly. The road from Kotor climbs in tight hairpins until the whole bay opens up behind you. South of Budva it drops back down to the sea and stays there. It is the kind of drive that makes people pull over for no reason, and it is better with the roof down.
Open-top cars are a small part of the Montenegrin fleet, so availability is limited and strongly seasonal. What we can always do is the harder part: pick the car up on one coast and leave it in another country. If the plan is Montenegro first and the rest of the Mediterranean after, that is the piece that usually gets in the way.
The drive
Most trips start at Tivat or Podgorica airport. From Tivat you are on the water within minutes.
Kotor and the bay
Park outside the old town — the walls are best on foot — then take the old Njeguši road up the mountain. Twenty-odd hairpins, each one showing you the same bay from a little higher up. Go early; the light is better and the road is emptier. car rental in Kotor.
Budva to Sveti Stefan
Twenty minutes of coast road with the sea on your right the whole way. Sveti Stefan is the islet everyone photographs, and the viewpoint above it is free.
Bar and Ulcinj
Quieter, longer beaches, fewer tour buses. Ulcinj is the last town before the border and a reasonable place to stop for the night if you are heading on.
South, into Albania
The crossing near Ulcinj puts you close to Shkodër within an hour or so, and the Albanian Riviera beyond it. Different country, same sea, noticeably cheaper coffee.
Or north, to Croatia
The road to Dubrovnik hugs the Adriatic almost the entire way. Border queues in July and August are real — cross early.
When to go
Honest answer: May, June and September.
July and August look ideal on paper, but between roughly 11am and 5pm the sun on the coast is punishing with the roof down, and you end up driving closed anyway. The shoulder months give you warm water, open roads, parking that exists, and light that lasts into the evening. If your dates are fixed in midsummer, plan the drive for early morning or after five. The Njeguši road in particular is a different experience at 8am than at 2pm.
What to know before you book
- Luggage. Two people and two small cases is realistic. A convertible boot is smaller than the same car with a fixed roof, and the roof itself takes some of it when folded.
- Old towns. Kotor, Budva and Sveti Stefan are pedestrian inside the walls. You will park outside and walk — factor that in.
- Sun. Sunscreen, a hat and water in the car. This sounds obvious until the third hour on an open coast road.
- The roof. Most soft tops must be operated stationary or below walking speed. Check the manual at pickup rather than at the first viewpoint.
- Availability. Open-top cars are a niche category here. Book earlier than you would for a standard car, and be flexible on the exact model.
Crossing the border
Taking a rental car out of Montenegro is normal and permitted, but it is not automatic. Three things matter:
- The supplier has to allow it, and not all of them allow every destination. This is set per offer, not per country.
- Insurance has to extend across the border. For some destinations that means a Green Card document travelling with the car.
- It has to be arranged before you collect the car, not at the barrier.
Tell us where you plan to cross when you book and we will confirm what applies to your specific offer, including any fee, before you pay anything. More detail: driving from Montenegro to Albania.
One-way: leave the car where the trip ends
This is the part most people assume is impossible, and it is the reason a lot of our bookings look the way they do. A meaningful share of open-top rentals here do not come back to the same desk — the trip carries on down the coast and the car is dropped somewhere else entirely. We can arrange:
- Within Montenegro — pick up at Tivat, drop at Podgorica, or the reverse
- Into Albania — Tirana and other Albanian points
- Into Croatia — Dubrovnik
One-way carries a fee that depends on the route and the supplier, and it is shown before you book, never added afterwards. Availability is narrower than for a round trip, so it is worth searching early. Start here: one-way rental in Montenegro.
Related: scenic drives in Montenegro · Tivat Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Convertible Car Rental in Montenegro
No — they are a niche category and most of the local fleet is standard hatchbacks and small SUVs. Open-top cars appear mainly between spring and early autumn, and they go quickly in peak weeks. Search your dates to see what is actually available rather than assuming; if nothing shows, moving your pickup by a day or two often helps.
For two people, yes. The coast road is slow, scenic and rarely the fastest route anywhere, which is exactly the kind of driving an open top is for. For four adults with luggage it is not the right choice — a standard car or an estate will serve you better.
Usually yes, provided the specific supplier allows that destination and cross-border cover is arranged before pickup. Rules are set per offer rather than per country, so tell us your route when you book and we will confirm what applies before you pay.
Yes. One-way rentals into Albania and Croatia are available, and one-way between Montenegrin airports is straightforward. There is a fee that varies by route and supplier, and it is shown before you book. Availability is more limited than for round trips, so search early.
May, June and September. Midsummer is hot enough on the coast that most people end up driving with the roof closed in the middle of the day. In the shoulder months the sea is still warm, the roads are quieter, and you can drive open from morning until late.
Find a car for the coast
Search Tivat or Podgorica, then compare total price, deposit and insurance before you book. Open-top availability is seasonal — if nothing shows, a compact or automatic still covers the same roads.
