Popular rental cars in Montenegro
Where to pick up a car in Montenegro
This hub lists every place you can collect or return a hire car with us, so you can match the pickup point to your route before you book. Most drivers start in Podgorica or at one of the two airports, then drive out toward the coast, the mountains, or a neighbouring country. City delivery on most cars and one-way rentals between locations mean you are not tied to returning where you started. Pick the point below that lines up with your arrival and where you actually want to drive.
Compare pickup points at a glance
Every point below is a real LocalRent pickup. The Podgorica area and the two airports have full guides; the rest you can select straight in the booking search.
| Pickup point | Area | Nearest airport | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Podgorica | Capital, inland | Podgorica, 12 km | On most cars |
| Podgorica Airport | Airport | On site | At the terminal |
| Tivat Airport | Airport, coast | On site | At the terminal |
| Kotor | Bay of Kotor | Tivat, 8 km | On request |
| Budva | Riviera | Tivat, 20 km | On request |
| Herceg Novi | Western bay | Tivat, 25 km | On request |
| Bar | South coast | Podgorica, 55 km | On request |
| Ulcinj | South coast | Podgorica, 70 km | On request |
Before you book
A few practical points that apply wherever you collect the car.
Insurance and deposit
Every car includes basic cover, and you can raise the protection or bring the excess down at checkout. A refundable deposit sits on the main driver's card unless you choose a zero-deposit rate, and the amount is shown against each car. Our insurance page walks through the tiers so you can decide before you travel.
One-way and drop-offs
You can collect in one place and hand the car back in another, for example landing at Tivat and leaving from Podgorica Airport before you fly home. Any one-way fee and the available combinations appear when you search your dates. See one-way rentals for the detail.
Delivery and airport meet
City delivery is offered on most of the fleet, within Podgorica and at both airports, where you are met with the car ready to go. Choose your exact pickup point during booking so the handover lines up with when you land, and any delivery charge is shown against the car before you confirm.
Start in Podgorica, the capital
Podgorica sits inland in the centre of the country, which makes it a practical base for reaching both the northern mountains and the Adriatic coast on the same trip. Collecting a car in the city centre works well if you are already staying there, arriving by bus or train, or spending a night before heading out. Delivery to hotels and addresses within the city is offered on most cars and keeps the handover simple, so you can walk to your car rather than transferring out to an airport. From here the road south toward Lake Skadar and the coast is straightforward, and the run north to Kolasin and the Tara canyon is one of the most scenic in the region.
Podgorica Airport: inland and close to the capital
Podgorica Airport lies about twelve kilometres south of the city, so it is the natural choice if your route leans toward the capital, the east, or the north-east of Montenegro. Picking up at the TGD terminal puts you a short drive from the city centre and gives quick access to Lake Skadar, Ostrog monastery, and the mountain roads beyond. It tends to be quieter than the coastal airport, which can mean a calmer collection when your flight lands. If your holiday is built around the interior rather than the beaches, this is usually the airport that saves you driving time.
Tivat Airport: the coast, Kotor and Budva
Tivat Airport sits right on the Adriatic coast, which makes it the closest arrival point for the Bay of Kotor and the beach towns of the Budva riviera. Collecting at the TIV terminal means you can be in Kotor, Tivat marina, or Budva within roughly half an hour of picking up your keys. Choose this airport when your stay is coastal and you want to spend more time by the sea and less time crossing the country. Bear in mind the coastal roads are winding and busy in high summer, so allow a little extra time for the scenic stretches.
Driving across the whole of Montenegro
Montenegro is compact, so a single hire car can reasonably cover the coast, the capital, and the northern national parks within one trip. The country-wide overview sets out the main driving distances and the roads that link the airports, Podgorica, and the mountain areas. Distances look short on the map, but the terrain is mountainous and many routes are single-lane, so journey times run longer than the kilometres suggest. Planning your pickup point around where you will spend most days, rather than where you land, usually gives the shorter overall drive.
One-way rentals and dropping off elsewhere
You do not have to return the car to the same place you collected it, which suits trips that arrive at one airport and leave from another. With one-way rentals you can, for example, land at Tivat, tour the coast and the interior, then drop the car at Podgorica Airport before flying home. This saves you doubling back across the country on your final day, when time is usually tight. Availability and any one-way conditions are shown when you search, so you can see the exact options for your dates before you commit.
