Arriving at Tivat or Podgorica at night: getting to Budva after midnight (2026)

Tivat Airport closes after the last flight (usually by 01:00); Podgorica is open around the clock but almost nothing in the terminal is. At both airports at night: ATM — working; exchange desk — closed; SIM kiosk — closed (Podgorica sometimes until 23:00); car hire — by prior booking only, desks closed; café — closed.

Transport: no buses from the road-side stop near Tivat or from Podgorica bus station (last departures around 21:00–22:00). That leaves taxis at the terminal and cars arranged in advance.

The night surcharge on Montenegrin tariffs is 20–30% from 22:00 to 06:00, but at the airports it is not the tariff that applies but a negotiated price, and at night it sits near the top of the range. From Tivat to Budva drivers ask €70–80 (€50–70 by day), to Bečići and Rafailovići €75–90, to Kotor €25–35. From Podgorica to Budva €80–95 (€50–70 by day), to Petrovac €70–90.

Bargaining works less well at night: few cars, no queue, and the driver knows you have no alternative. Better to settle the price before you land.

In Budva Taxi App set the airport as the pickup, the hotel address as the destination, the scheduled arrival time and the flight number. The app shows the tariff estimate for the route; registered drivers see the request and whoever accepts appears with name, plate and a chat. The driver confirms the price before the trip and you pay them directly in cash afterwards — no passenger commission.

The flight number matters: the driver sees a delay and adjusts. When you get in, match the plate to the app — at night there may be “greeters” at the exit with other people’s names on boards.

The exchange desk is closed, so you need euros in cash — in small notes: nowhere to break €100 at night, and “no change” works especially well after midnight. The ATM in arrivals dispenses euros on UK and EU cards.

Data: SIM kiosks are closed at night; UK roaming in Montenegro is expensive and EU roaming does not cover it. Set up an eSIM (Airalo, Holafly and others with Montenegro coverage) before departure — the request, the driver chat and the map need data exactly at the moment you land. Save the hotel address and phone number offline.

Most small hotels and almost all apartments in Budva, Bečići and Sveti Stefan have no night reception. Message the host your exact arrival time and ask for instructions: key-safe code, who meets you, whom to call. The driver may need to ring the host on arrival — keep the number handy.

If you are staying in Budva Old Town, the car cannot drive in; the last 200–400 metres are on foot over stone streets with a suitcase at night. Ask the host where the best drop-off point is.

Tivat: 21 km to Budva, cheaper taxi, 35–45 minutes — but the airport closes after the last flight, and a badly delayed flight may be diverted to Podgorica. Podgorica: 60 km, 60–75 minutes, more expensive, but open around the clock with more cars at the terminal.

At equal fares, Tivat. In winter there is usually no choice: night flights land in Podgorica.

Five items before departure and a night arrival stops being a problem.