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Kotor to Dubrovnik

My husband and I are on a cruise ship that is going to stop at Kotor twice so we are thinking of going to Dubrovnik on one of the stops does anyone know how to do it without problems?

Posted by
6113 posts

All options may have their problems.

It’s about a 2 hour drive minimum, so that’s a lot of travel for a one day shore excursion. Hiring a car will be the quickest option, although parking in Dubrovnik is an issue. Hiring a driver is expensive.

There are only a few buses a day on this route. I think there maybe local boat trips, but these may or may not tie into your timescale.

Posted by
2699 posts

Remember you are crossing a border between tow countries that were at war not all that long ago. The border crossing can be a 20 minute affair or several hours. Google it. So, whatever you do, allow for that when returning to the ship. If the cruise line does not have an excursion to Dubrovnik then there is probably a good reason for that, having to do with potential border delays. We drove from Dubrovnik to Kotor and the border crossing that day was about 2 hours. As an alternative consider a really fun day with these folks: https://www.montenegro4sail.com

Posted by
5687 posts

There is an alternative border crossing between Croatia and Montenegro near Konfin - I used it in 2015. Buses can't use it, so it can't get backed up with tourist buses. But, I recall reading that this crossing was temporarily closed - open again yet? Not sure.

Posted by
330 posts

“ an alternative border crossing between Croatia and Montenegro near Konfin” Used it today, only had one car in front of us. Took only a few minutes. The drive from Dubrovnik to Kotor was very long, about 2 hours. We did save some time, but still packed with the summer crowds on the one lane road.
Maybe your cruise ship offers a day tour to Dubrovnik. That way, the ship won’t depart without you.

Posted by
5 posts

Thanks very much we just came back and did take the risk of going to Dubrovnik
It wasn’t hard leaving Kotor and passing the border but coming back the wait was horrible triple the time. The risk was worth taking.