Dubrovnik to Montenegro

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but I wouldn’t. There is plenty to enjoy there for 2 1/2 days.

The views as you travel around the Bay of Kotor are stupendous. You don't need a tour to see them. There are public buses from Dubrovnik to Kotor, though I don't know how often they run. You can leave the question open and see how you feel after your first full day in Dubrovnik.

We did a day tour from Dubrovnik. In retrospect not worth it. A long day. Kotor is fine, but more or less same same as any older town. Restaurants and shops. Prices are cheaper than Dubrovnik. View around the bay can be obscured by houses. Road is not always along the edge. We were in a van. A bus sitting higher would have been better. A cruise ship was in town as they frequently are and right at the edge of Kotor, so it looked up and was offensive to the view.
Had I known all the above from posts here I would still be wondering if I should go. Like you. Sometimes best not to know anything and have better expectations.

I have heard that there are currently longer delays at the border crossings with Montenegro. Dubrovnik is beautiful and worth 2.5 days (or more).

Thank you to everyone for their input.

We visited both. I'd consider Kotor to be quite similar to Dubrovnik, but not as good. If you were staying 4 days, I'd do Kotor. But 2.5 days is too short.

Stay in Croatia. You dont have enough time to do a trip to Montenegro well. A shame too, becuase Montenegro is worth visiting for a week or two

We did a day trip to Montenegro with Dijana Krkotic Doclea travel and enjoyed it. However we had 4 days in Dubrovnik. I would not go to Montenegro with only 2.5 days. Like others have stated just stay in Dubrovnik.

I disagree with the people who are telling you not to visit Montenegro for a day, but I also agree that there is no right or wrong answer.

We spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik, so we basically had 2.5 days. On our first full day in Dubrovnik, we walked along the walls, had lunch, visited War Photo Limited, which I highly recommend, visited the Franciscan Monastery, and we took the cable car to the top of Mt. Srd to have drinks and enjoy the view.

The next full day, we visited the Bay of Kotor. We hired a private driver so my husband could enjoy the scenery and not have the hassle of parking. We selected our itinerary: Budva, Kotor, and Perast. Our driver was warm, friendly, and very knowledgeable. He gave us lots of history of Croatia and Montenegro. This was one of the best days of our trip.

I think you need to ask yourself if you will return to this region of Europe again. If this is your only chance to see Montenegro, then perhaps you should do it.

Which private driver did you use to Kotor? Cost? Thanks!

To nmdhoff,
I contacted Julija Antunovic. I found her on Trip Advisor. She was not available the day we wanted to do the drive around the Bay of Kotor, but she recommended her colleague, Stepjan, who was wonderful. If you google her name, you should find her Facebook page.

I didn't write down the cost but I think it was $200 for the day but I am not 100% sure about that.