1. Why charter from Tivat
The marina hub. Porto Montenegro holds 450+ berths and the full spectrum from a six-metre RIB to a 250-metre super-yacht in the same basin. Most catamarans and motor yachts in the local fleet are berthed here year-round. When you rent a yacht in Tivat the daily rate normally does not carry transit - the boat is already at the pier when you arrive.
Five minutes from the airport. Plane to pier in a five-euro taxi. Useful if you land in the morning and want a sunset cruise the same day, or if a hold-up at the gate would otherwise push your half-day charter to evening.
Both ends of the bay from one harbour. Tivat sits on the southern shore of the inner Boka, with the Verige strait three nautical miles north and the open Adriatic four miles west via Lustica. You can head deeper into the bay - Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks, Kotor - or out to Mamula and the Blue Cave on the same morning, depending on the wind. The choice gets made over coffee, not the night before.
2. What is around Tivat by boat
Verige strait and Perast. Half an hour north through the narrow throat of the bay - 300 metres wide at the choke, with the mountain walls stepping straight up either side. Perast lies just past the narrows; the village is a single quiet promenade of 17th-century captains' houses.
Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela). The only artificial island in the Adriatic - built by Perast fishermen dropping stones onto a reef over four centuries. Anchor in the channel, dinghy across, fifteen minutes inside the church and museum, swim back to the boat.
Kotor. An hour from the marina, at the deepest end of the bay. The medieval walled town under Lovcen mountain. You can drop the dinghy at the city pier and walk into the old town in five minutes.
Stoliv and Prčanj. The two old sailors' villages on the western shore between Tivat and Perast - traditional konobas on the waterfront, quieter anchorages than the Perast frontage, and the chestnut groves above Stoliv are worth a short walk.
Mamula island. Austro-Hungarian fortress on a small uninhabited island just outside the bay's mouth. Now a luxury hotel; the perimeter swim and the anchorage south of the Mamula island are open to anyone.
Blue Cave (Plava Špilja). Shallow sea cave under the western tip of the Lustica peninsula. Sunlight refracted through the underwater entrance turns the inside electric blue between roughly eleven and one - the boats motor straight in.
Žanjic and Mirišta. Two small beaches on the inside of the Lustica peninsula - shallow, clean, reachable by boat or by the slow road through the peninsula villages.
3. Half day, full day or full week
Half day inside the bay (3-4 hours). Tivat through Verige to Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks. Anchor, dinghy, return. The calmest water, the best photographs, the standard Tivat yacht rental for first-timers in Boka.
Half day outside the bay (3-4 hours). Tivat past Krašići and the long Lustica coast, anchor at Žanjic for a swim, run on to Mamula. The blue-water version - bigger feel, longer fetches, faster boats reward you here.
Full day (7-8 hours). Both directions. Inner bay in the morning when it is still glassy, Lustica in the afternoon once the day-trip cruisers have backed up the Perast frontage. Lunch on board or at one of the Stoliv konobas.
Sunset cruise (1.5-2 hours). A slow loop into the bay catches the light on the mountain wall above Perast before the harbour goes dark. The 90 minutes before the sun touches the horizon is the part that photographs.
Full week. The classic Boka itinerary - Tivat, Kotor, Perast, Herceg Novi, Mamula, Žanjic, then south to Budva, Sveti Stefan, Petrovac, Bar, and back. Catamaran or sailing yacht with skipper, six or seven nights on the boat.
4. Two routes I book most often
Route A - Verige and Our Lady of the Rocks, half day
Porto Montenegro pier two or three, through Verige strait into the inner bay, anchor off Perast, dinghy across to Our Lady of the Rocks. Fifteen minutes inside the church and museum, swim from the boat in front of the village, slow run back. The inner bay is glassy almost every morning before the southerly thermal builds.
Route B - Lustica, Mamula and the Blue Cave, full day
Out of Porto Montenegro, past Krašići and the long Lustica coast. Anchor at Žanjic for a morning swim - the water on this side is the cleanest in the country. Continue to Mamula, walk the island perimeter or swim around the walls. Time the Blue Cave for late morning when the light inside is at its strongest. Lunch at anchor in Mirišta. Slow return up the Lustica villages.
5. Which boat fits your group
Tivat's home advantage is that the boat does not have to come from anywhere - whichever you book is already on the pier when you arrive. The choice comes down to group size and how much time you want to spend on the water.
Speedboat or RIB (2-8 guests). Aktiv 605, Loving Speed RIB. Picked up at the Porto Montenegro guest pontoon. Half-day to Žanjic or Perast and back, easy to board, the fastest way to fit a lot of stops in a morning.
Motor boat with a small cabin (6-10 guests). 38-42 ft cruisers - Sea Ray Sundancer 375, Fairline 42, similar. Galley on board, shaded aft, a toilet you can use - the right size for a full-day Mamula and Blue Cave loop with a mixed group.
Catamaran (10-13 guests). Bali Catspace, Aventura 36, Nautitech 40, Lagoon 45. The full-week and family-day choice. Wide deck, room for kids, stable platform. As the home marina, there is no transit charge to anywhere along the coast.
Sailing yacht (4-12 guests). Jeanneau Sun Odyssey, Bavaria, Dufour monohulls including the Dufour 46 Grand Large. The proper sailing option - the afternoon thermal down the mountain is reliable from about two in the afternoon, and the inner bay is the calmest place in the Mediterranean to learn on.
Larger motor yacht (8-12 guests in comfort). Princess 62, Azimut 62 and 98, Marquis 50, Fairline 42. The standard option for a corporate sunset cruise or a milestone-birthday Tivat yacht rental - berthed at the super-yacht piers four and five.
To see the full fleet with photos, cabin layouts and daily rates, open the Montenegro yacht charter page - eighteen boats, each with its own detail page.
6. Where you board in Tivat
Pickup is always at Porto Montenegro. The marina has five piers. Day charters normally embark at pier two or three; the larger motor yachts at pier four or five. You will see the pier number on the booking confirmation - the gate guard will let you through with the confirmation on your phone.
From the airport. Tivat Airport (TIV) is five minutes by taxi to the marina gate - around EUR 5 in a registered cab. If you are arriving on a private jet, the FBO handles the transfer to your boat.
By car from Kotor, Budva or Podgorica. The public car park is at the southern end of the marina, paid by the hour. From there it is a five-minute walk along the promenade to most piers.
7. Pricing and how to book
Rough starting rates, high season, in euros. The actual quote moves with the dates, the skipper choice and how far ahead you book.
| Speedboat / RIB | 250-350 half day · 400-500 full day |
|---|---|
| Motor boat with cabin (8-12 m) | 450-750 per day |
| Sailing yacht (36-50 ft) + skipper | 350-700 per day + EUR 150-200 skipper |
| Catamaran 36-46 ft | 600-900 per day · home marina, no transit charge |
| Larger motor yacht (50-100 ft) | 1500-3500+ per day |
| Sunset cruise (2 hours) | 250-500, boat-dependent |
Shoulder months (May, June, September, October) run 20 to 30 percent below summer peak. A skipper is normally EUR 150-200 per day and is required on most boats unless you hold an ICC or RYA Day Skipper licence; on the speedboats and RIBs it is included.
To rent a boat in Tivat for the day, or to organise a longer Tivat yacht rental over a week, send three things on WhatsApp: dates, group size, and the type of boat you have in mind. We confirm availability with the operator the same day and send a firm quote with the pier number, what is included in the rate, and the skipper option.
See all yachts to rent in Montenegro.