Car Hire in Bar

Bar, Montenegro's Port with Ancient Roots

Bar is an overlooked coastal town that most guidebooks race past on the way from Budva to Ulcinj. That's to your advantage. It has the best-preserved royal palace in Montenegro, the oldest olive tree in Europe, the only international ferry port in the country, and — in the hills above — the ruins of a medieval city that feel like a small Pompeii.

The modern town (Novi Bar) is a working port city, not a resort. It's compact, walkable, and genuinely Montenegrin rather than tourist-tailored. Four kilometres inland, Stari Bar (Old Bar) is the atmospheric counterpart — abandoned after an earthquake in 1979, preserved as an open-air museum, and one of the most photogenic ruins on the Adriatic.

Why Bar is a smart driving base

Bar sits at a natural hinge point on the Montenegrin coast. North you have the Bay of Kotor; south you have Ulcinj and the Albanian frontier; inland you have Skadar Lake and the ferry terminal gives you a clean exit to Italy if you want to continue onward. Prices for accommodation and restaurants are meaningfully lower than Budva or Kotor, and parking is actually available in the centre.

Pickup options

Tivat Airport is 58 km north, 1 h 5 min by road. Podgorica Airport is 42 km north-east, under an hour. We also deliver to the Bar ferry terminal and the train station — useful if you're arriving from Belgrade by rail or Bari by sea. Cross-border drop to Albania or Bosnia is offered one-way with advance notice.

The right car for Bar

The coastal road and the road up to Stari Bar are paved and gentle — any car works. If you intend to push inland to Rumija mountain or to the lesser-used road from Virpazar around Skadar Lake, a mid-size or SUV gives more comfort. Bar's port area has genuine multi-storey paid parking (rare on this coast), so a slightly larger car isn't a handicap. Browse the fleet.

What to see

King Nikola's Palace on the Bar waterfront was built in 1885 as the summer residence of Montenegro's last monarch — its Botanical Garden still has the original Japanese pomegranates and cedars from the 1880s. The palace is now a museum with coin and ethnographic collections. Stari Bar, 4 km inland, is a walled medieval city of 600 buildings across 4 hectares — climb the clock tower for the panorama.

Stari Maslina — the 2,000-year-old olive tree

Two kilometres outside Stari Bar, the Stari Maslina ("old olive") is a living tree over 2,000 years old — one of the three oldest in Europe and the national symbol on the Bar municipal crest. It's surrounded by a small walled grove open to visitors for €1. Combine with the ruins for a short half-day visit.

The Bari ferry — Italy, overnight

Bar's port is the only Montenegrin ferry link to Italy. Jadrolinija and Montenegro Lines run overnight sailings to Bari (10–11 hours) several times a week in summer, less often off-season. You can take a rental car aboard only with an international permission letter (we arrange it); most travellers drop the rental in Bar and walk on as a foot passenger.

Driving tips for Bar

The E80/M2 coastal road through Bar is four-lane with hard shoulders — easier than the narrow two-lane north of Budva. Parking is free on most residential streets and paid (€1/hour) along the port waterfront. The climb to Stari Bar is 4 km of gentle inland road with adequate signage. For the train station, there's a dedicated pickup bay for rental returns.

Day trips by car

Skadar Lake from the south — 25 km via the Virpazar road, ending at the famous horseshoe river bend.

Stari Bar + Stari Maslina — 4 km from the port, a relaxed half-day. Fewer crowds than Kotor's walls for similar atmosphere.

Ulcinj + Velika Plaža — 26 km south; combine with dinner at Ada Bojana. More detail in our Ulcinj guide.

Ostrog Monastery — 87 km north via Podgorica, Montenegro's most important Orthodox pilgrimage site clinging to a cliff face.

Driving times from Bar

Frequently asked questions