Renting a boat in Herceg Novi means a private charter with us: your group, the captain and the steward, one boat and one departure a day. The price is for the whole boat rather than per seat, and starts at €2,600 for four hours.
Herceg Novi has one structural advantage over every other town on this coast, and it decides what fits into a day. It sits at the mouth of the bay, right where the western route begins.
Why the mouth of the bay is the useful end
Everything on the western route is close by: the former submarine docks cut into the cliffs, the Austro-Hungarian fortress on Mamula island, the Blue Cave, and the swimming at Žanjic and Rose. From our berth in Tivat the cave is about two hours away, and Herceg Novi lies along that leg rather than beyond it.
That matters because the Blue Cave is a timed stop, not a place you drift into. The blue light only appears while the sun reaches into the grotto, roughly between 11:00 and 14:00, and the rest of the day is planned backwards from that window. Starting closer to it buys margin.
Boarding in Herceg Novi is arranged in advance and charged separately — it depends on where the boat is on your date. Send us the date and we will tell you plainly whether it works.
What the day looks like
- Submarine docks — tunnels driven into the rock at a former military base, off the tourist run.
- Mamula island — a 19th-century fortress you swim around; snorkelling gear is aboard.
- Blue Cave — inside the light window, not whenever the queue allows.
- Žanjic or Rose — lunch ashore, or at anchor from the grill on the stern.
- Stradioti — a swim on the way back, when the water is at its warmest.
The timing is set out hour by hour in our piece on the Blue Cave and its light window.
Prices
Rate card for the 2026 season. One range for the whole season: we do not raise it in August and do not cut it in May.
Berthing at Porto Montenegro is included. Port fees at the Herceg Novi marina are not, and are passed on at cost.
Marea is in refit until September 2026. For earlier dates we act as broker and find a comparable boat in the bay, confirming the price before you book rather than after.
Who this suits and who it does not
It suits a group of six to sixteen who want the western route without spending the morning getting to its start, and anyone whose day depends on making the cave's light window.
It does not suit two people for whom price decides. Group boats run from Herceg Novi and Kotor from around €30 a seat — the same water, the same views, someone else's timetable. We would rather say that before the booking. The full comparison is in our piece on a boat, a group tour and a yacht.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, arranged in advance. Herceg Novi sits at the mouth of the bay, so unlike the southern towns it costs the day almost nothing in transit. It is agreed per charter and charged separately, because it depends on where the boat is that date.
The whole western route: the submarine docks in the cliffs, the Mamula fortress, the Blue Cave, Žanjic and Rose. From Tivat the cave is about two hours away, and Herceg Novi lies along that leg rather than past it.
Per boat. Four guests or sixteen, the figure does not move. At eight people that is roughly €375 a head for an eight-hour day. For two people a private charter is expensive, and we say so before you book.
Yes. The blue glow only happens when the light enters the grotto, roughly between 11:00 and 14:00, and the whole day is built backwards from that. Starting from Herceg Novi makes that window easier to hit.
Berthing at Porto Montenegro is included. Port fees at the Herceg Novi and Kotor marinas are not, and are passed on at cost with no markup.