There is no simple "board in Dubrovnik, step off in Kotor" boat that we know of, and we do not run one: a sea crossing between countries is its own paperwork, not just a passage. What people actually do is get to the Bay of Kotor by land and board the yacht in Tivat. After that the whole question comes down to how much of the day the road eats and what still fits on the water. Here is our arithmetic.
Can you sail from Dubrovnik to Kotor?
A scheduled boat that takes you from the Dubrovnik waterfront to the Kotor waterfront is not something we know of. Operator timetables change from season to season, so check with the operator itself. We do not sell that leg: our trip starts and ends at Porto Montenegro in Tivat, and we will not promise anything else.
The reason is simple. A passage between two countries involves formalities on entering port, and the route has to be built around them rather than around scenery. If what you want is the sea and not the transfer, it is easier and more honest to split the job: cover the land by land, and keep the water for water.
What people do in practice
Three workable options, and none needs a boat found at the border.
| Option | How it looks | What the day goes on |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer or your own car | Dubrovnik to Tivat by road, board at the marina | the morning for the road and the border queue |
| Fly into Tivat | Land at Tivat airport, the marina is close | almost nothing: you are on the water from early |
| A night in the bay the day before | Arrive in the evening, leave early next morning | the road happens yesterday |
The third is the most underrated. If you know you will be on the water at 9 a.m. and cross the border the day before, the window at the Blue Cave stays open. How the marina works and where to find the pontoon is in our Porto Montenegro guest guide.
How much of the day is left on the water
The arithmetic turns on one number: what time you reach Tivat. The Blue Cave needs the light between 11:00 and 12:00, and to be there the western route has to start early (details in our Blue Cave timing guide). If you arrive around lunch, that route is not for you, and that is fine: the eastern one is not tied to an hour.
What each format costs, from the price breakdown:
A private charter is priced per boat, not per person. For eight guests, four hours at €2,600 comes to €325 each, and eight hours at €3,000 to €375. For a group that has already paid for a transfer from Dubrovnik, that is the number worth holding: same boat, your day, only the length changes.
The working rule from our own trips: coming from Dubrovnik, take four or six hours on the eastern side. Oysters are ordered from the water at Kamenari, Perast is an hour at the quay, then a swim. What fits in each length is laid out in the hour-by-hour route.
A day or a night aboard
If the road eats half the day, a single outing can be a poor use of it: you arrive, board, and it is already evening. Then a night aboard starts to make sense. You reach Tivat in the evening, sleep on the boat and head out in the morning without a rush. Two days with one night cost €6,800, three days with two nights €10,200, and up to six guests sleep aboard.
How those trips are built and what the second day holds is in our piece on overnight charters.
Where to start
Tell us where you are travelling from, when you expect to be in Tivat and how many of you there are. From those three facts we will say which route fits your day and send the boarding time and place. Prices and terms are on the Tivat yacht rental page.
Frequently asked questions
We do not know of one and we do not run one. Operator timetables change from season to season, so check with the operator itself rather than an aggregator. We do not carry guests across the border: our trip starts and ends in Tivat.
By land is the practical way: a transfer or your own car over the land border. Allow the morning for the road and the border queue, especially in July and August. We send the Tivat boarding point and the time in advance so your driver knows where to go.
Only if you set off early. The light in the grotto matters between 11:00 and 12:00, and by then the yacht has to be at the mouth of the bay. If you reach Tivat closer to lunch, take the eastern route, which has no such window.
Four or six hours of the eastern route: oysters at Kamenari, Perast and a swim. Eight hours only make sense if you are in Tivat in the morning. The yacht is yours as a whole, so the price is one figure and does not change with the number of guests.
