What this journey involves
Mostar and Kotor are in different countries with a third, Croatia, close by. Mostar is in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kotor is on the coast of Montenegro. Neither country is in the EU, so the trip involves at least one border crossing. Take your passport and keep it to hand, because it is checked at each border.
The practical choice is the bus. We did not find a verified rail link, and we found no day tour that covers this route in either direction, so no tour cards appear on this page. The getting there page lists the other starting points for Mostar.
The bus
FlixBus lists a Mostar to Kotor service with these details:
- One trip a day.
- A fastest journey of 6 h 10 min.
- Departure from Mostar Istočni kolodvor (the East station) or Mostar Zapadni kolodvor (the West station).
- Arrival at Kotor bus station.
The page shows 06:00 as the first departure and 16:00 as the last. For a route with one trip a day, those two figures contradict each other, so we cannot tell you which is right. Look up your date on FlixBus before you plan around either.
FlixBus also notes a bus station entrance fee of EUR 2 for departures from Kotor bus station. That matters on the way back to Mostar.
We found no fare we could state, so check the price on FlixBus for your date before you plan the budget for the leg. We also did not read any other operator’s timetable for the route, so we cannot say whether a second company runs it.
If 06:00 is the real departure, you will need an early start from Mostar. Staying the night before makes that easier, and you can see the Old Bridge the evening before you leave. See where to stay for places to base yourself. Ask your accommodation to confirm the station your ticket names, because the bus can leave from either of the two.
The road and the border
We could not confirm which roads or border crossings the Mostar to Kotor bus uses. FlixBus does not say, and we did not find an official source for this route. We therefore do not name a crossing or a driving time.
What we can say about the Bosnian side comes from GOV.UK:
- You need an entry and exit stamp for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Travelling without an exit stamp can mean a fine.
- Landmines remain from the 1992 to 1995 war in rural areas. Stay on roads and paved areas.
For Montenegro, GOV.UK adds a warning: the authorities may close land border crossings at short notice. A bus operator is the better source for whether your crossing is open on the day.
If you plan to drive, a UK driver who rents or uses someone else’s vehicle in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs the 1968 International Driving Permit, which must be obtained in the UK before you travel. Insurance is also compulsory there, at a minimum third-party cover. We have no verified information on driving rules or hire-car terms for Montenegro, so check with your hire company before you book, and ask whether it allows a car to cross both borders.
Entering Montenegro from the UK
GOV.UK sets out these entry rules for UK passport holders:
- No visa is needed for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for tourism, family visits, business meetings, events and short study.
- Time spent in Montenegro does not count toward your Schengen 90 days, and the reverse is also true. Montenegro is not in the Schengen area.
- Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you enter and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave.
- You must register with the local tourist office or the police within 24 hours. Hotels usually do this for you. In private accommodation you register yourself, and failure can mean a fine.
GOV.UK does not mention the Entry/Exit System or ETIAS on its Montenegro page. Other nationalities should check their own government’s advice. Our entry requirements page covers Bosnia and Herzegovina, and money and currency explains what to carry there. We did not verify which currency Montenegro uses.
Combining Mostar, Dubrovnik and Kotor
Many people see all three on one trip through the Adriatic. Verified links:
- Dubrovnik to Mostar: FlixBus lists a minimum journey of 3 h 15, with two departures a day (first at 16:00, last at 17:15 as listed). Our Dubrovnik to Mostar page covers the tour, bus, car and transfer options.
- Mostar to Kotor: the FlixBus service above.
We found no verified timetable for Dubrovnik to Kotor, so we leave out the time, cost and border details of that leg. Check an operator.
The order matters for the border. Going Dubrovnik, Mostar, Kotor takes you from Croatia into Bosnia and Herzegovina and on to Montenegro, which means Mostar breaks the journey in the middle. The listed Dubrovnik to Mostar departures are in the afternoon, which points to a night in Mostar before the Kotor bus. See the Mostar itinerary for how to use the time.
If you are coming from Split or Sarajevo instead, read Split to Mostar or Sarajevo to Mostar.
Which to choose
The short answer is that the bus is the only option we could verify, and the rest is planning around it.
- Mostar to Kotor and nothing else: the FlixBus service, after checking its time for your date.
- Kotor, Mostar and Dubrovnik in one trip: treat each as a leg, and give Mostar a night.
- Driving: read the permit and insurance points above, and confirm cross-border terms with the hire company.
