Tivat

Tivat (Serbian Cyrillic: Тиват; Italian: Teodo; Venetian: Teodo) is a coastal town of 9,400 people (2011) in Montenegro in the Bay of Kotor.

Understand

Visitor information

• 1 Turistička Organizacija Tivat (Tourist information), bb Palih Boraca 19, ☏ +382 32 660 165, info@tivat.travel. M-F 07:00-20:00, Sa 08:00-14:00 (closed Su). A small office where the staff is more concerned with collecting the tourist tax than providing helpful information. (updated Apr 2023)

Get in

By plane

• 1 Tivat airport (TIV ^IATA) (4 km (2.5 mi) from the city centre). Year-round connections with Belgrade and Istanbul, as well as a variety of seasonal European destinations, including Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, Warsaw, Zurich. There is no public transport from the airport, but all the buses going through Tivat bus station (from Budva, Kotor etc) can drop you on request near the terminal. (updated Aug 2022)
• You can come from Dubrovnik Airport, crossing the border. A taxi will cost you €65.

By boat

Although its website is still online and showing a schedule, the solar-powered ferry Bella Boka that used to connect Tivat with Herceg Novi no longer runs.

By bus

From Kotor

Local bus operator Blue Line has a regular service (at least in high season) operating daily, starting at Kamp (Dobrota) in the northern suburbs of Kotor, passing by the old town and continuing via Prčanj towards Tivat; the final stop is at bb Palih Boraca.

There is one bus per hour. Although a schedule exists, in high season, the bus might be anything from punctual – one's best bet for this are the early morning hours – up to well over one hour behind schedule, due to the massive traffic that also affects the one-lane road around the Vrmac range.

Only a few proper bus stops exist in Kotor and also Tivat; on most of the route though, one can stand anywhere on the roadside, signal the bus to stop and get on board. As of 2022, a ticket costs €1.50; you must pay the driver directly when boarding.

From further afield

• 2 Autobuska stanica (Bus station), Bonići I, ☏ +382 67 617 650. 07:00-21:30. Intercity buses from destinations outside the Bay of Kotor (such as Budva) will arrive here. (updated Mar 2016)

By car

By the Adriatic Motorway, connecting Dubrovnik and Podgorica.

Get around

The town centre is small enough to get around on foot.

A few local bus lines without numbers depart from 3 bb Palih Boraca, opposite Hotel Magnolia Place. Their destination is written on a sign in the windscreen. A ticket for a destination within Tivat municipality costs €1.

See

• Porto Montenegro - a marina for billionaires' superyachts with luxury restaurants and shops.
• 1 Gornja Lastva (Gornja Lastva). Small, lovely medieval village just up the hill from Tivat in the Vrmac range. 
• 2 Ostrvo cvijeća (Flowers Island). Small island with sacred monuments, connected to mainland by a bridge.  
• Boat tours to Kotor, Herceg Novi and other destinations are offered at the main port. Most are large boats than can hold a few dozen people.

Do

• 1 Župa Park. (updated Dec 2023)

Buy

Given the clientele, everything in Tivat tends to be on the expensive side.

Eat

Budget

In the city centre

• 1 Buregdzinica "AS", bb Palih Boraca. (updated May 2022)

Near the city centre

• 2 Sidro. (updated May 2022)

Mid-range

• 3 Big Ben (Биг Бен), 21 Šetalište Seljanovo, Tivat. Daily 07:00-01:00. Beachfront pizzeria and restaurant, nice in fine weather when you can eat outside. (updated May 2022)
• 4 One (Jedan), Porto Montenegro Marina, ☏ +382 67 486 045. Daily 08:30-01:00. Med style food, gets good reviews for food, service and ambiance. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Pizzeria KLM. Daily 07:00-00:00. Lounge bar and pizzeria, no sea view gives prices the edge. (updated May 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Hostel Anton, Mazina BB, ☏ +382 69261182. Check-in: 11:00, check-out: 11:00. A locally owned family hostel and art club. With a large green garden and stunning views down to Boka Bay, it sits between the mountains and the sea for those who like an independent atmosphere. Live music, dinners and a relaxing yet vibrant atmosphere. From €11 per night. 
• 2 Hotel Astoria, 15 Marshal Tito Coast, ☏ +382 32 662 192. Here you get some really swank views of the bay from your room and the dining hall. Plus you can wake up to a complimentary breakfast. €100. (updated Sep 2022)
• 3 Apartments Teodo, 23 Staničića, ☏ +382 69 810 655. Here is a homey place in a quiet backstreet but still very close to the town center. €30. (updated Mar 2021)

Connect

A free WiFi network with the name "Tivat - no stress zone" is available at the 2 main port (south of Porto Montenegro), and possibly other locations around town.

Go next

• Kotor is a charming old walled port nearby. Come in the evening when the day-trippers have gone home.
• Perast in the Bay of Kotor is an attractive small village.
• Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, is mostly modern but with a small old quarter.
• Dubrovnik in Croatia is a must-see, but it's very touristy.