Our reason for riding the Kotor Cable Car had nothing to do with the cable car itself.

Opened in summer 2023 - remarkably just over a year after construction started - Montenegro's newest attraction was created to give locals and tourists quick, easy access to the summit of Mount Lovćen and its breathtaking panoramic views over the Bay of Kotor, surrounding mountains, and the Adriatic coast.

The cable car makes its dramatic 3.9km journey over the steep terrain in a zippy 11 minutes, offering a memorable way for everyone - regardless of age or fitness - to enjoy one of the most famous vistas in Montenegro from 1,350 metres above sea level. For families, those focussed on coastal trips, and any traveller unable to access the country’s gorgeous mountains and hinterland hikes, the reason to ride up is clear: epic views without the hike.

But, in our case, the main reason was to ride an Alpine rollercoaster.

For, whilst the Kotor–Lovćen cable car is itself becoming one of the most popular things to do in Montenegro, for many it's just as much about what else it leads you to atop the mountain. The unimaginatively named Kotor Cable Car Complex is a modern, well-executed space - part-shopping mall plaza, part-adventure park - and the place to be for sunset drinks.

A word of warning though: some of the prices are as steep as the mountainside, and if you eat, drink and do a few activities it will end up being a very expensive day out.

Despite its many positives, the reality is that the cable car complex won’t suit or appeal to everyone, nor be something that all travellers will want to prioritise on their Montenegro itinerary - both for budget reasons and because of the type of experience it offers.

Our concise and practical guide to visiting the Kotor Cable Car in Montenegro will help you decide. We'll cover transport links, tickets, things to do whilst up there, and the best drink spot for views (and value).

We've also got some insider tips for those who want to enjoy the views without spending a small fortune.

The Kotor Cable Car Essentials

· A panoramic 11-minute ride up to Mount Lovćen
· Does not start or end in the town of Kotor
· Season operating hours and price tiers, starts later on Tuesdays
· Shuts down in winter (Nov-April)
· Adult round-trip ticket costs €23 in summer; €12 children
· Clear skies essential - check weather forecast before visits
· You’ll need a minimum of 2 hours for the ride and the complex, but possible to spend much longer with activities
· Alpine Rollercoaster costs €8 extra - but worth it!
· No service on v. windy or poor weather days
· Arrive via 15-minute drive from Kotor or take the official shuttle bus
· Buy tickets in person, on the official website or with free cancellation on GetYourGuide

How To Get There & Opening Hours

The Kotor Cable Car doesn't actually start from the historic town of Kotor.

This is a common and understandable misconception and the marketing doesn't do anything to dispel it!

The cable car ride actually begins inland from a place called Dub, which is in the Kotor municipality but 10-15 minutes by car from Kotor town and actually closer to Tivat. From there, it goes straight up to Kuk Station on Lovćen mountain.

· find the Kotor Cable Car Lower Station (Dub Station) here on Google Maps

· find the Kotor Cable Car Upper Station (Kuk Station) here on Google Maps

For those staying in and around Kotor town - or visiting on a day trip - you’ll therefore still need a quick transfer to reach the lower station. The main options are:

Drive / As we were on a three-week Montenegro road trip, this is what we did. Forget about going anywhere near the famous Serpentine Road, and take the flat E80 straight out from Kotor. It should only take 10 minutes if you’ve got a clear run, but there’s almost always some form of gridlock on the way out of Kotor, so factor in 20 minutes.

You’ll arrive at very large official car park for the lower station where, rather annoyingly, it’s €1 per hour. You need to take a ticket on entry and pay on exit at the kiosk (card + cash accepted). If you’re really watching the pennies though, there is the option to park at the roadside opposite the car park, before going in the entrance.

Lots of people do this, but it’s at your own risk.

Bus / There’s no public transport out here, so you need to opt for official Cable Car shuttle bus service from Kotor. In the summer season, it offers departures every half hour from 8am from the main bus station (here on Google Maps). The station is about a 10-minute walk from the historic centre.

Shuttle bus tickets are €10 single or €15 round-trip, or you can save by choosing the €30 cable car + shuttle combo ticket. For children under 12 years old, it’s €5 one-way, €10 round-trip. You can buy them online, but there’s also a ticket office at the station.

Taxis / Uber and most other ride-hail apps don’t work in Montenegro, but you’ll find regular taxis outside Kotor’s walls and some with “Shuttle Service” insignia. Unfortunately we don’t know the typical fare, so do let us know in the comments!

Plan // The Very Best Things To Do in Kotor

Travelling from Tivat, Budva or Elsewhere?

It’s just 10km from Tivat to the lower station, so definitely a good choice for a day trip activity.

For anyone based in Budva or further along the coast, we’d question whether you should actually want to visit the Kotor Cable Car on a day trip.

Once the highway is fully upgraded, it’ll still be about an hour’s drive and pairing it with a visit to the historic town of Kotor (or a boat trip in the bay) is likely to be too ambitious and / or end up being unenjoyable. The only way we can really see it being feasible, is if you headed up for sunset - this would mean you still get a full day to explore the town and bay proper.

If you are laser-focussed on it though, you should consider the cable car shuttle from Budva. Available as a bundle with your cable car ticket, it’s €31.50 - €35 for adults and the route is Dub> Budva > Rafailovići > Sveti Stefan > Petrovac > Čanj > Petrovac > Sveti Stefan > Rafailovići > Budva > Dub Lower Station.

Find out more details on the official website.

Opening Hours

One snag is that the schedule is seasonal and subject to change.

In the summer months, it generally operates from 9am to 10 pm, with the last gondola up between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, and the last down between 9pm and10pm. The longer the nights are, the later the last departure will be!

On Tuesdays, the service starts at 10.30am.

Once the main tourist season winds down (from October onwards), the timetable shortens, with the last up at 5.30pm and the last down at 6pm.

It closes completely in winter, but we haven’t been able to source dates.

As the schedule shifts with daylight, season, and weather, it’s best to confirm hours and the last up/down times here on the official website before setting out. This is especially important for off-season visits and if there are windy or wet conditions forecast and doubts on whether the cable car will be running.

There would also be little point spending a lot of money to head up there if there’s significant cloud cover, poor visibility, or fog.

We'd recommend setting aside two hours max, if you don't plan to do much else whilst up there.

Travel Tip // Arriving early or late afternoon with give better light and fewer crowds. It’s also really important to have an idea or what activities you’d like to do whilst you’re up there - if you just have a little mooch, you may feel you’ve wasted the quite pricey ticket cost.

Kotor Cable Car Tickets & How To Buy

There are several price brackets, depending on whether you go one-way or round-trip, take the shuttle bus service, or take advantage of various special offers and promotions.

Whatever way you work it out though, it’s really expensive: for two round-trip adult tickets in summer, it cost €46 just to ride up and down, before factoring in any parking or food, drink, and activities up there.

Note that prices reduce slightly for visits outside the April-October season, and we’ve also included them below.

Ticket Prices

• Adult one-way: €13 (summer) / €11 (off-season)

• Adult round-trip: €23 / €18

• Disabled visitor one-way: €7 / €5

• Disabled visitor round-trip: €12 / €9

• Child one-way (2–12 yrs): €7 / free

• Child round-trip (2–12 yrs): €12 / free

• Children under 2: free during summer; after summer season, all children under 12 ride free

As mentioned, the round-trip shuttle bus + cable car combo ticket is €30 for adults, which does at least mean a saving of €8. There are also frequent promotions if you buy tickets online using a Mastercard or visit on certain days (we were actually given a discount of 15% from our car rental company), and it’s also possible to buy VIP tickets.

No specific time slot is required and, once you show up on site and have your tickets scanned, it’s first-come-first-served on the constant loop of 48 gondolas. Each accommodates up to 10 passengers, meaning it’s capable of transporting up to 1,200 people per hour, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long once you’re through.

We were fortunate enough to have an gondola to ourselves on the way up + down.

How To Buy Them

1. Online in advance via the official Kotor - Locven Cable Car website | the best place to find discounts or special offers, but non-refundable once purchased

2. Online in advance on GetYourGuide | sold by the official operator for the same price, but these round-trip tickets include free cancellation

3. In person at the Dub Station or Kuk Station ticket office | very straightforward but, as there are only two desks, there can be queues. If you turn up and there’s a big line, we recommend looking for the two hidden away self-service ticket machines to the right of the desks, opposite the toilet entrances.

Know // The Cable Car Complex is technically within Lovćen National Park, but one isn’t required to also buy the €3 ticket for the national park.

However, if you plan to walk/cycle/drive from the complex further into Lovćen, you will need to cover it. As we recommend in 23 Things To Know Before Visiting Montenegro though, some of you may be better off purchasing the €13.50 annual pass that covers unlimited entries to all five national parks.

The Kotor Cable Car Complex | Things To Do

Bars & Sunset Spots

Forza Kuk is the first place you’ll stumble upon after stepping off the cable car. It’s a sleek, high-end restaurant & bar with a view to match but, unfortunately, the prices are equally elevated. Drinks and dishes come with a very lofty markup - think €12 for a glass of wine that cost us €5 a bottle in the supermarket, or €60 for the same bottle if you want to share and sip with a view! The setting is undeniably impressive, but for most travellers, it’s simply not going to worth the prices.

That’s why we will instead point you toward Monte 1350 Bar (maps), which is a ten-minute walk along the 01 trail or five minutes along the main tarmac road. It’s a much more relaxed open-air hangout named for its setting 1,350-metre above sea level, and its prices are very reasonable. It’s got loads of seats, all sorts of drinks, and a simple food menu. €12 for a passable spritz felt fair to us given the location. Service can take a while though.

Monte 1350 is also the place to go for a sunset view and cocktail - just make sure you triple check the time of last cable-car down (and leave with a few minutes to spare).

Travel Tip // It’s super important to share that you can also reach Mount Lovćen and everything else within the Kotor Cable Car Complex by car. For those of you with your own wheels, you can skip the cable car and drive up to the small car park right next to Monte 1350 (here on Google Maps). This is via the notorious Serpentine Road though, so isn’t for the faint-hearted or inexperienced driver, and note that the estimated travel time of 1 hour can double if there’s congestion on that road.

Read our guide to driving in Montenegro before you make the decision!

The Alpine Coaster at Mount Lovćen

We’d seen videos of the Alpine Coaster before and were excited to give it a go - and it’s every bit as fun (and mildly terrifying) as it looks. The ride’s short but full of twists, turns, and a few bum-clenching moments.

The 1km ride may only last for about 5 minutes, but we reckon most people who skip it will regret the decision later.

Each small cart fits two people, though we decided to ride solo to avoid mid-ride arguments or debate about whether the front or back is better. It also meant one person could stay with the bags.

The coaster runs daily from 10am to 8pm in peak summer, and hours also change according to the season.

Tickets can bought in advance via the official website or in-person from the kiosk at the top: €8 per ride, or €14 with the skip-the-line option. We personally saw no need for the fast-track option as we even when we left at 12pm the queues were fairly manageable, but if you’re tight on time or happen to be there during a particularly busy period, it may be worth it.

The minimum age to ride solo is 8 years, but children aged 3-7 can ride if accompanied by an adult.

Pro tip // Leave plenty space between yourself and the car in front and push both the side handles forward + down so you can really fly on the bends at top speed - but just remember to pull them back if it gets too much! Phones aren’t technically allowed, but everyone uses them (just don’t expect to get yours back if it falls).

Walking Trails

We spent the first ten days of our Montenegro road trip hiking out in the mountains, so we’re not going to put over the short nature trails up here as anything more than short, pleasant walks for all ages (but they’re officially named ‘hiking pathways’).

Yet, as you’re up here you should definitely walk one if not both to enjoy the views and link together the complex.

01 Hiking Pathway Boka | Join it from Kuk Station and it will take you to a viewpoint of Kotor and another of the Boka bay, and up to Monte 1350 for a timely coffee or beer.

02 Hiking Pathway Budva | On the other side of the main road, this is a slightly longer walk to the modern amphitheatre and a Budva viewpoint.

If in doubt, keep an eye out for the various colour-coded maps of the Complex which show you the routes and viewpoints.

Know // Despite their brevity, the paths are a little slippy and uneven in parts, so wear shoes or trainers rather than flip-flops and watch your step! We also feel it’s important to add that these trails are not part of or joined with the Ladder of Kotor (you could theoretically get from one to the other, but it’s not an official route or anything we would recommend).

E-Bike & ATV Rental

Velo offers e-bike rentals, allowing you an easy cycle 13km further into Lovćen National Park and visit Njegos’s Mausoleum.

If we’d scheduled more time, this is 100% the activity we’d have chosen to do, but the price of €45 each was just ridiculous. They do have cheaper mountain bikes available though (€18 for 3 hours), so definitely worth checking out and they can probably advise on many more cycling trails in Lovćen National Park that you can access up there - visit their website for further info.

They also have a purpose-built pump track, which would be a cool option for kids.

You’ll also find ATV/quad-bike rental offered nearby for €80-€100, but only one of the four trails is off-roading proper.

Travel Tip // Even in summer, you should bring a layer up here as it can get a little chilly. This is especially true if you’re timing your visit for sunset.

The Mausoleum & Locven National Park

Perched above the Bay of Kotor, Lovćen National Park is a landscape of limestone ridges and quiet forest, scattered with old highland pastures. A place of meaning as much as scenery, is forever tied to Petar II Petrović Njegoš, the 19th-century poet-prince whose legacy runs through Montenegro’s modern identity.

A popular area for hiking, with several well-marked trails leading through its karst terrain and beech forests, the reason that most people visit is to pay their respects at the Njegoš Mausoleum. Completed in the 1970s on the site of his original chapel and requiring a climb of 461 stone steps, for many Montenegrins it’s as much a pilgrimage as it is a sightseeing stop.

It is however important to note that you don’t need to take the Kotor Cable Car to visit Lovćen National Park - it’s easily accessible by car from Kotor via the Serpentine Road to Ivanova Korita and the main visitor centre (here on Google Maps). Alternatively, you can drive there after visiting Cetinje.

There is a shuttle, run by FUNIVIA Transfers, that connects the Cable Car Complex and the Lovćen Visitor Centre, but it’s really quite overpriced (we were quoted €30 for the two of us, and that doesn’t include the National Park entry fee).

If you want to see both, it’s usually easier (and cheaper) to treat them as separate trips, or skip the cable car, drive up to the complex, explore, and then continue over to the visitor centre.

Entry to Lovćen National Park currently costs €5 per person, with parking charged separately.

Know // There’s a pretty impressive looking children’s play area on-site which - yes, you’ve guessed it - has an entry charge of €4 during high season.