293 km of coastline, a UNESCO-protected bay, and a sailing season that runs six months. Montenegro is one of the few places on the Mediterranean where you can still find an anchorage to yourself.
The Bay of Kotor — Europe's southernmost fjord — sits just 7 nautical miles from the charter base at Porto Montenegro. It's enclosed on three sides by mountains, which means you're sailing in flat water even when the open Adriatic is blowing. That makes it unusually good for beginners, families, and anyone who wants the scenery without the swell.
South of Tivat the coast opens up. Budva is the main resort town and a busy charter hub with a well-equipped marina. Past Budva: Sveti Stefan, the island-hotel on a causeway; then Bar, a quieter overnight stop; then Ulcinj near the Albanian border, with a long sandy beach and almost no superyachts.
The whole coast is short enough that a week covers most of it at a relaxed pace. Two weeks and you can do it twice, more slowly, stopping at every bay that looks right.
The right answer depends on your licence, group size, and how much you want to handle yourself. Here's how each option works in practice.
You hold a valid certificate (ICC or equivalent) and take the vessel unsupervised. Monohulls from 38 to 52 ft, all from 2019 onwards. Best for groups with at least one experienced helmsman and a co-skipper who can navigate.
Captain included. Fully crewed options add a chef and steward. You don't sail — you travel. Covers motor yachts, sailing yachts with skipper, and superyachts out of Porto Montenegro. APA-based running costs.
More living space than a monohull of the same length, shallower draft, and no heel underway. Popular with groups of 8–10 and families. Available bareboat or with skipper. Lagoon and Leopard models in fleet.
Day boats and RIBs from Budva or Tivat. Skipper required unless you hold a valid boat licence. Good for covering the coast quickly, reaching sea caves, and islands that are too shallow for larger vessels.
Traditional wooden motor-sailors built wide and low. Large stern platform, proper en-suite cabins, a shaded aft lounge. Slow by design — meant for anchoring and staying put. Popular for groups of 8–12 and flotilla holidays.
No licence, no planning, no provisioning. A local captain collects you from Budva or Tivat, takes you to beaches and sea caves, and includes a lunch stop at a waterfront konoba. Back by evening.
The coast runs from the Croatian border at Herceg Novi down to Ulcinj near Albania. Every stretch is worth stopping.
Europe's southernmost fjord. Mountains rise to 1,700 m on three sides. Medieval Kotor, the island church at Perast, and Herceg Novi — all accessible by sea.
Old town directly on the water. Sveti Nikola island 800 m offshore. Active marina, sea caves north of town.
Converted Yugoslav naval base. Berths up to 250 m. Best provisioning facilities on the coast.
Island-hotel on a causeway. Anchor 200 m off the rocks and swim in — no reservation required.
Montenegro's quietest stretch. River delta island, long sandy beach, almost no charter traffic.
Board at Porto Montenegro, run through the handover, and motor into the bay. Arrive in Kotor by early afternoon. Walk the walls before the day-trip buses leave at 17:00 — it's a different place with fewer people.
Short hop to Perast. Row the tender out to Our Lady of the Rocks — a 15th-century church built on an artificial island that locals have been adding stones to for six centuries. Anchor in the bay overnight; it's flat and calm.
The strait narrows to 340 m at Verige — it's the pinch point between the inner and outer bay. Worth timing for morning light. Herceg Novi is often skipped in favour of Kotor, which is a mistake. Forte Mare is 10 minutes' walk from the water.
Exit the bay and run south down the open Adriatic. First significant sailing of the trip. ACI Budva is central; Petrovac marina is quieter if you want to anchor rather than berth. Evening in Budva old town is worth it once.
Use the tender to reach Sveti Nikola island (800 m offshore), explore the sea caves north of Budva, or just anchor in a quiet cove somewhere on the riviera and stay there. You don't have to go anywhere. Some of the best days on a charter are the ones with no plan.
Anchor off Sveti Stefan for the morning swim. Continue to Bar — smaller, quieter than Budva, and the fish restaurant on the waterfront charges what fish should cost. Good overnight spot before the return leg.
Final swim at anchor, then the return passage north. Stop in Budva to fuel up if needed. Porto Montenegro by late afternoon — enough time to clean the boat, settle the APA, and make an evening flight from Tivat airport (8 minutes by taxi from the marina).
A selection from our current fleet. All vessels are insured, safety-equipped, and inspected before every charter. Fuel, marina fees, and provisions are additional.
"The Bay of Kotor is one of those places that makes you recalibrate your expectations of what a sailing destination can be. Mountains, medieval towns, flat water, and almost no crowds. It's unlike anywhere else in the Adriatic."
Unsolicited feedback collected after charter completion. We don't filter or edit.
We'd done Croatia for three summers. Someone in our sailing club mentioned Montenegro and we almost didn't go because it felt too unfamiliar. The Bay of Kotor on the first morning sorted that. We've booked again for next June and told everyone who'll listen.
Our captain was from Kotor — grew up sailing the bay. On day two he took us to a fisherman anchored off Perast who sold us enough sea bass for the whole crew for about €20. That's the kind of thing that makes the difference between a good charter and a trip you actually remember.
First bareboat charter for our group. We were anxious about the anchoring. The team gave us GPS waypoints for every good anchorage on the route, were on WhatsApp throughout, and picked up the phone immediately when we called at 11pm about a fender issue. Solid operation.
Three days on a RIB out of Budva. We covered more ground than I expected — sea caves north of the old town, an anchorage in a cove with two other boats, a lunch stop that wasn't on any tourist map. The boat was clean and ran without any drama. Good value.
Ten days Tivat to Ulcinj and back on a catamaran. We'd been comparing Croatian and Montenegrin prices for months. Montenegro was cheaper by a meaningful margin — similar boat, lower marina fees, far fewer charter vessels on the water. Should have done it years ago.
We had eight people including three kids aged 6–11. The catamaran gave the adults enough room to not be on top of each other. Swimming off Sveti Stefan was the highlight — you just anchor nearby and get in. The kids haven't stopped talking about it six months later.
Everything we get asked regularly before booking. If your question isn't here, the contact form below takes about two minutes to fill in and we reply within a few hours.
Drop us a line — we know the coast well and can help you plan a route that matches your experience level and group.
charter@yacht-charter-montenegro.com →Fill in the form with your dates, group size, and what kind of charter you're thinking about. We'll come back with availability, a shortlist of suitable vessels, and a clear quote — usually the same day.
We've been operating on this coast since 2014. If you're not sure what type of charter makes sense for your group, just ask — that's a normal question and we're used to helping people figure it out.