Airport in the city of Tivat: where is it and how to get there?

Montenegro has become an increasingly popular destination for beach tourism in recent years, so it is worth learning a little more about this country before traveling. For example, many flights to this country arrive at Tivat airport - if your knowledge of geography is not so limited, you know this is not the capital. Accordingly, a traveler who is accustomed to thinking independently asks about where he will end up in an unfamiliar country and is it not better to fly to Podgorica, which is the capital. Let's try to sort things out in order.

The first thing to say is that there are only two international airports in Montenegro, so from abroad you can fly either to the capital Podgorica, or, in fact, to Tivat... At the same time, do not rush to scold air carriers - if you are traveling just for the sake of a beach holiday, it will be much easier for you to get to most of the Montenegrin resorts on the coast from here. However, we will talk about this in more detail a little later.

For the first time in this place, a semblance of an airport was opened after the Second World War, but at that time there was no need for a large international destination for tourists - the socialist structure of the then Yugoslavia did not really contribute to international tourism at all. At first, the airfield was conceived more as a training ground for paratroopers, both civilian and military. However, the local authorities decided that the runway should not be idle without regular flights, and in 1957, the first passenger route to Belgrade, now the capital of neighboring Serbia, appeared here, and then the former capital of the whole united Yugoslavia. This route is still actively exploited.

Unable to become a full-fledged international tourist center, the Montenegrin Adriatic, on the other hand, became more and more interesting for the citizens of Yugoslavia itself, which was not such a small country. Since 1968, two more routes have been added, then considered internal - to Zagreb and Skopje (today these are the capitals of Croatia and North Macedonia, respectively). The authorities' awareness that the airport is becoming more and more popular is evidenced by the construction of a new airport terminal here, which opened in 1971. Together with him, they built a full-fledged asphalt runway 45 meters wide and two and a half kilometers long.

Both in Yugoslav times and today, about 80% of all arrivals and departures occur in summer time. This is due to the fact that Tivat itself is located in a relatively small town far from megacities, but not far from several popular resorts. The schedule of its passenger traffic clearly shows the periods of peak load and relative idleness, but in general the airport is able to work very productively, serving up to 6 flights per hour. In 2018, these air gates handled 1.25 million passengers - double the population of this tiny country.

For all its popularity, Tivat seems to be a very unusual international airport, since it basically does not work at night. The reason is simple and even trivial - over the decades of its existence, the runway has not bothered to equip with lighting. It was planned to carry out the corresponding modernization back in 2009, but as of today, things have not gone beyond the plans. But in the near future, they now want to build a new terminal that will be able to cope with the sharply increased passenger traffic - maybe then they will start lighting.

If you have flown by plane at least once, Tivat Airport will hardly surprise you with anything other than its modest size. In all other respects, this is a completely typical air station - for example, there is a car rental for arrivals and obligatory duty-free for those who fly away. In general, the procedures to be followed when using the airport are standard. Here are tips for newcomers:

• stay in your seat in the aircraft cabin until the ship comes to a complete stop and the crew advises that you can leave;
• going down the ladder, you need to get to the arrivals hall, however, there are no special buses, like in large air ports, so get ready to go on foot - fortunately, it will be relatively close here;
• in the arrivals hall, you must go through border control in accordance with the rules established in the framework of bilateral relations between Montenegro and the country whose passport you present;
• luggage can be obtained here;
• upon completion of all the formalities, you can go to the main hall, then go through the south side of the terminal to the street and then proceed according to your own plans.

For those flying away, the rules are also quite ordinary, they will not seem strange to a traveler with experience:

• you need to arrive at the terminal at least two hours before departure, especially if you are leaving in the midst of the tourist season;
• the entrance for departing is from the north side of the building, inside you need to find an unoccupied check-in counter or take a queue if everyone is busy;
• check in for boarding, check in and check in large bags and suitcases as luggage;
• complete all the necessary procedures with local border guards - in particular, go through pre-flight inspection for the legality of your departure and the absence of items prohibited for export, also go through passport control;
• after successfully passing all the checks, you should have been given a special boarding pass - you need to show it to the staff at the entrance to the plane in order to prove that the border guards have no complaints about you.

The schedule and set of directions at Tivat airport changes regularly, since it is a rather busy international airport, especially on the scale of such a small country. Local authorities have done a lot for the development of the Montenegrin tourism industry, the country gladly welcomes foreign guests, therefore, in the summer, the choice of travel destinations is very impressive. But in winter it is impossible to get here directly from any airports, except for Belgrade and Moscow Sheremetyev, but planes fly to these points all year round and quite often.

In the summertime, Tivat literally comes to life, so it is no longer necessary to get to Moscow to fly here. The list of destinations for Russians is getting much wider - seasonal and charter flights now also fly to St. Petersburg, and two other Moscow airports, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, are also connected. Such flights are operated by both Russian airlines and Montenegro Airlines.

If you are traveling, you may be interested in some other destinations where direct flights go. Please note that the current schedule may change almost every week, but in general, from about April to October, you can use routes to the following countries and regions:

• Ukraine (Boryspil, Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Dnipro);
• other post-Soviet countries (Moldavian Chisinau, Armenian Yerevan, Azerbaijani Baku, Estonian Tallinn);
• Poland (Warsaw (Chopin), Katowice, Poznan);
• Germany (Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Hanover, Leipzig / Halle);
• Western Europe (Belgian Brussels, British London (Gatwick) and Manchester, Swiss Geneva, Dutch Amsterdam and Eindhoven, French Paris);
• Northern Europe (Swedish Stockholm and Gothenburg, Danish Copenhagen, Finnish Helsinki, Norwegian Oslo);
• Middle East (Emirati Dubai and Israeli Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion).

Thanks to such a variety of destinations, a huge number of tourists come to Montenegro even from those countries and cities with which there is no direct air connection. In general, Tivat airport is connected with all the main European logistics centers, therefore, you can usually get here from any city that has its own air terminal with a maximum of one change.

The big advantage of the air terminal in Tivat is that it is very small, and therefore it is unrealistic to get lost here - you simply will not have much choice of wrong paths to turn the wrong way. The big drawback of this same building is that with the current intensity of work, the airport of this small town in terms of service level is still deeply provincial, and one cannot count on any decent service here.

Since this airport is used only by those who just got out of the hotel room, or locals, something like a shower at the airport has not yet appeared. You can have a bite to eat in a local cafe, but there are no higher level food establishments like a restaurant here either. There are also no special recreation areas - inside the hall for the huge crowd of tourists, regularly observed in recent years, only a few chairs are provided, which creates an increased demand for the services of a cafe where you can still sit. For this reason experienced travelers usually advise against arriving at Tivat airport in advance - of course, it is better not to be late and go through all the procedures without undue haste, but not everyone will like standing for two hours or longer.

You can navigate in the building itself and outside with the help of codes placed everywhere, which explain in an accessible language of symbols to a native speaker of any language where the infrastructure of interest may be located. As you already understood, there is very little of it here, so it is really difficult to get lost here - unless you will be sincerely surprised not being able to find a storage room. The reason, alas, lies not in your inability to navigate, but in the fact that it is not at this amazing airport either.

After all of the above, it is hardly surprising that neither at the airport of Tivat nor in the immediate vicinity there is nothing like a hotel or any other place to spend the night... In principle, such an infrastructure is not really needed here, since there are no night flights, and upon arrival or before departure, it is better to spend the night in a pre-booked hotel in the resort that you have chosen at home - fortunately, in Montenegro they do not know about large distances.

What the local authorities did take care of was the mother and child room - it can be found on the second building of the station, near the cafe and the waiting room. Recently, they even put up beds here, which a mother and baby can apply for. Theoretically, even anyone else can lie down here, but not all ordinary people know about this innovation yet, and rest in the company of crying babies is not always so attractive.

If the rest of the infrastructure is poor, then everything is done pretty well for children and their parents. For example, there is a kitchen nearby where you can warm up formula for your baby, and there is a small dining room. Naturally, there are also changing tables, as well as furniture for storing various hygiene items.

If a child has already passed out of infancy, this does not mean that no one is interested in his needs. For example, there is also a small children's library nearby, access to which is free. At the same time, parents can even go away for a short while on their own business, leaving the child in the children's room under the supervision of a professional educator. This option is very convenient for those who want to visit duty-free or decide the issue with a rented car. True, admission to this room is not yet so simple - the baby will be allowed there only upon the fact of a medical examination and the presence of the appropriate certificate, but on the other hand, this entire procedure can be quickly passed right at the station's medical center.

Despite all its old-fashionedness and the lack of many basic amenities, Tivat Airport was nevertheless equipped with wireless Internet. By the standards of most modern people, communication here does not shine with speed at all, but when there is practically no other entertainment, even such a bonus seems very important.

Many locals, especially taxi drivers, park right outside the airport building without going to a paid parking lot. According to some tourists, it is difficult to find a place for yourself, but it is still possible. The local police do not seem to make comments on this matter, but only you yourself decide whether to do so. As for the paid parking, it is relatively small - a little more than two hundred cars and a dozen buses can be accommodated here at the same time. Judging by the reviews, with a lag of less than a quarter of an hour, you do not pay anything at all; in the future, payment is calculated from 60 euro cents per hour.

Tivat Airport is located on the shores of the Bay of Kotor, in the vicinity of the city of the same name. The distance to the city center is only a couple of kilometers, so you can cover the distance in any convenient way - by taxi, regular bus or rented car, the journey will take very little time. Getting from other cities is also not so difficult - the fact that it is one of only two international airports in the country affects, but more on that later. It is important to note that the busy highway connecting the city of Tivat with the rest of Montenegro runs literally a hundred meters from the terminal building.

If you look at the map, Tivat is located in the southwestern part of Montenegro, relatively close (but across the bay) from the border with Croatiaas well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a rule, beach tourists go somewhere further, but if you are not traveling on a voucher from a travel agency, be sure to take the time to the town itself - with a modest population of 13 thousand people for the entire municipality, including the surrounding villages, there is simply an amazingly high concentration attractions. By the way, the nearest beach is located directly behind the airport, and the town itself and its surroundings can delight the traveler with picturesque mountain landscapes, warm water in the bay and ancient architecture, because the settlement on this place has existed for more than 2 thousand years.

It is quite obvious that a million and a quarter of passengers a year is too much for a ten-thousandth Tivat. Travel companies use this airport as the closest one for many other resorts, like the popular Budva, and if you are traveling in an organized manner, on a voucher, then there is probably a transfer to the hotel. If you are an independent traveler, pay attention to buses, taxis or the possibility of car rental.

The bus is considered the cheapest solution, its cost is from 2 euros per person. The stop at the airport looks like a characteristic yellow mushroom, but the airport itself is not the final destination for any route - there are all passing ones. Transport will have to be slowed down by raising a hand - it will not stop itself, but it will not refuse to give up a wishing traveler. The interval of movement is about half an hour. The direction to Budva, Kotor, Podgorica and most other famous resorts suggests that you don't even have to cross the road from the airport, Tivat itself is, accordingly, in the opposite direction.

Taxi drivers are waiting for you even right in front of the airport, boarding costs from 0.5 euros, then you need to pay from 80 euros per kilometer. Experienced tourists warn that at the peak of the season, drivers often call inflated prices, so for a 40-minute trip, the cost can be several tens of euros. To avoid unnecessary extra charges, it is advised to book a taxi in advance through the website - there the price is fixed, and you can choose the passenger capacity of the car, as well as other conveniences, such as a working air conditioner.

If you want to move around the country freely, independently determining the route at any time of the day, it would be most practical to rent a car. Such a service is provided directly at the airport, but in the summer season it is better to make an order in advance by calling the contact phone number, otherwise there may not be free transport at the right time. The cost of such a service ranges from 12 to 20 euros per day, depending both on the chosen car model and on the company that provided the transport, since the competition for the client is quite high here.

Travel tips for Tivat in the video below.