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Car rental in Bar is the short cut from a medieval hill fort to the wine villages of Lake Skadar, and from the 12-kilometre Velika Plaža beach to a ferry across the Adriatic. Bar is the only Montenegrin port with seasonal sailings to Bari and Ancona, and the southern terminus of the Belgrade–Bar railway. That mix turns it into a useful hub, where a car stitches scattered places into a single trip.
About 270 clear days a year give Bar its reputation as Montenegro's sunniest town — the sea stays swimmable well into May and back through October.
Compared with Budva, prices in Bar are noticeably softer: accommodation, dinner and the car itself. The town sits a little apart from the coastal crowds — less noise, fewer queues, while everything tourists usually drive to is right next door: Stari Bar, the ancient olive tree at Mirovica, Sutomore, Ulcinj and the Albanian border.
What makes Bar different
Italy ferry from Bar
In summer, Jadrolinija sails from the Port of Bar to Bari (about 8 hours) and Ancona (about 13 hours). A passenger ticket costs around €78–80, taking a car across runs about €100. No other Montenegrin city offers this option.
A couple combined Apulia and Montenegro in one trip — picked the car up at the Jadrolinija quay at 6am after the overnight crossing, drove straight to Stari Bar before the heat. Saved a return flight and a day of logistics.
Stari Bar — open-air UNESCO
Five km uphill from the modern town stands Stari Bar, an archaeological site with 240 stone buildings from the 6th century, abandoned after the 1979 earthquake. Entry is a few euros, parking at the lower gate is free. Allow 1.5–2 hours.
Stara Maslina olive tree
A 2,000-year-old olive tree with a trunk of about 10 metres stands in Mirovica, 5 km from Bar. Entry around €1. Pairs naturally with a Stari Bar visit on the same loop.
Accommodation, coffee and car hire in Bar run roughly 30% below Budva. That gap is the reason travellers pick the town as a quiet base for trips around the south.
Volkswagen Touran in Montenegro
We had a great experience renting a car from TakeCars.com. They delivered the rental car by the cruise terminal as promised. Communication with their representative was smooth and easy. Their rep was very responsive. The vehicle we had was not exactly new but it was reliable and got us where we wanted to go without any issue. We would definitely consider TakeCars.com again in the future and would recommend it to anybody we know.
Peugeot 207 in Montenegro
There are no questions about the rental, everything was at the highest level. No delays. Returning the car was no problem. Thank you
Volkswagen Eos in Montenegro
Unfortunately, we had a headlight smashed in the parking lot and incurred expenses Too bad we were paying for it.
Citroen C4 in Montenegro
All good, thank you. :)
Toyota Auris in Montenegro
that was all ok , but the car delivered was not a Toyota Auris it was a Volksvagen Touran.
Peugeot 107 in Montenegro
General was Ok. Just air condition in car was nad
Opel Vivaro in Montenegro
Everything was perfect. The price, the van and the service We got stopped by the road Police and we could not find the rental contract. We called the owner of the car and he helped us to solve the problem
Toyota Auris in Montenegro
All worked super well, Very good service and top car. Thank you and until the next time
Citroen C4 in Montenegro
We had a good experience, we rented a Citroen c3 but when we came the car you gave us was a Minicooper S at the same price. And everything was okay.
Citroen C4 in Montenegro
Couldn't have asked for better customer service - I would recommend them without a doubt. 👌
Volkswagen Eos in Montenegro
Everything went well, the car was fully functional and in good condition. Looks well-groomed. She was delivered on time and the owner was in touch with us.
Peugeot 208 in Montenegro
We are very satisfied. The car is clean, in good condition. The car was received quickly at the hotel. We also returned it at the hotel. Price as arranged. Everything was great. Goran, the manager who gave the car, was polite and friendly. Highly recommend!
Mercedes-Benz A180 cdi in Montenegro
My opinion about renting this car is ambiguous. To begin with, I was not met at the airport, although the owner offered this service and this greatly influenced my choice. However, it should be noted that my taxi expenses were discounted from the remaining payment for the car. But the fact itself made me nervous and I wasted quite a lot of time waiting. By itself, the car is not bad, but its condition was expected to be much better. The power window button on the driver's door was broken (I can't imagine how it could be broken), so at every paid parking place I had to get out of the car for a ticket. When the car was started in the morning after a long parking, the sound of a slipping belt was noted, while turning on the go, there was also an extraneous low squeak of high frequency. Also on the instrument panel showed a message in German about some kind of malfunction. Since I do not know German, I had to call the owner of the car and find out the cause of the fault. I was informed that the instrument panel transponder states that there is no connection with the pressure sensor on the wheel and this does not affect the safety of the machine. The hatch in the roof of the car did not close completely. In connection with the foregoing, I had doubts about the car’s good condition, although the owner insisted that all of his cars were in good condition. In general, I first got a rented car in this condition. Despite the fact that when ordering a car, I chose the option to travel outside of Montenegro, the document for traveling to another country was not provided. The site states that the owner supports communication in Russian, which is not true. When the vehicle was handed over to me and when I subsequently asked for clarification about the cause of the malfunction, the staff of the rental agent tried to communicate in English. In spite of all the indicated disadvantages, there is one big advantage – I still drove this rented car to all the places where I wanted and it didn't break. But if I come to Montenegro again, I will use the services of a more responsible rental provider.
How to get to Bar
Bar doesn't have its own airport, but three arrival points work well. Podgorica is the closest at 32–50 km, around 40 minutes by road, with one paid stretch — the Sozina tunnel at €2.50, which saves about 20 minutes. Tivat is further out at 47–60 km and 1–1.5 hours, but a sensible choice if your trip starts via Budva.
A guest landed in Podgorica at 23:40, met the host outside arrivals, signed the contract under the awning. In Bar by 00:30, suitcase in the apartment in Šušanj. Cheaper than a one-way transfer and no stress on the hairpins.
The third option is the Belgrade–Bar railway. Bar is the southern terminus of that famous line through Serbia and Montenegro's mountains, and suppliers will drop the car off at the station. The same goes for arriving by ferry from Italy — delivery to the port quay is a standard service.
If your accommodation sits in Šušanj or closer to Stari Bar, door delivery is usually free. On TakeCars the pickup point and the time appear in the listing, so there are no surprises on collection.
Rates in Bar vary throughout the year depending on the season and the rental length.
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How expensive is renting a car in Bar: average daily rates for a one-week car rental, across all car classes.
Why TakeCars in Bar
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Delivery to the port, the railway or your door
Keys can be handed over at the Jadrolinija quay, the Belgrade–Bar station or your apartment in Šušanj.
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No-deposit options on the listing page
Selected cars in Bar carry a tariff with zero excess on the body, so you don't have to freeze a deposit on a card.
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Real reviews on the specific car
Not just an overall supplier rating, but feedback from guests who hired the very same Octavia or Yaris in Bar.
Parking, Sozina and rush hour
Parking in the centre
Central Bar charges €0.50–1.50 per hour — noticeably cheaper than Budva or Kotor. Paid bays line the seafront and the area by the fish market. Parking at Stari Bar is free, but in summer arrive before 11am or the lower lot fills up.
The Sozina tunnel
The single paid stretch on the Bar–Podgorica road, €2.50 for cars. It saves about 20 minutes versus the old mountain route through Virpazar. Pay by card or cash at the booth and keep the receipt.
The Jadranska Magistrala is predictable about traffic: 7:30–9am and 4:30–6pm. In peak season the short 7 km through Sutomore can stretch to half an hour inside that window.
Parking at the port
If you're catching the Italy ferry, the Jadrolinija terminal has a guarded car park at around €5–7 a day. Free spaces near the entrance fill up first thing on departure days.
Frequent Questions
Most suppliers in Bar block this by default — taking the vehicle out of Montenegro on a ferry has to be agreed in advance. A small number of tariffs allow it: a €100–150 cross-border supplement plus a Green Card. The car itself rides the Bar–Bari ferry for around €100 one way.
A passenger ticket to Bari is around €78 (8 hours), Ancona around €80 (13 hours). A car costs about €100. The line runs mainly July to September, with Jadrolinija schedules shifting week by week — check before you book and arrive 2–3 hours before departure.
The Jadrolinija terminal has a guarded car park at roughly €5–7 a day. Free spaces near the entrance are gone early on departure days. If you're only popping in for a ticket, park along the seafront and walk in 5–7 minutes.
It's 5 km uphill from modern Bar, 10–15 minutes by road. Parking at the lower entrance is free and almost always available outside the summer peak. In high season, arrive before 11am — later you'll have to park further down and walk 200–300 metres.
Around €3–5 per adult, children under 7 free. Inside, 240 stone buildings on four hectares of open ground. Wear sturdy shoes — the stonework is uneven. Allow an hour and a half to two, ideally in the morning before it heats up.
Stara Maslina sits in Mirovica, 5 km from Bar on the road towards Stari Bar. Parking is right at the entrance and usually free. Entry is around €1. Most travellers combine it with Stari Bar in one short loop, with about two hours total for both.
Yes. Bar is the southern terminus of the line from Serbia, and local suppliers routinely deliver to the station. On TakeCars the pickup point and time are shown in the listing. It's the simplest option if you're arriving by train and don't fancy hailing a taxi with bags.
32–50 km and around 40 minutes via the Sozina tunnel (€2.50). Podgorica is generally cheaper than Tivat, and for routes Bar–south–Lake Skadar it's the more sensible choice. Tivat makes sense only if your holiday is built around Budva and the Bay of Kotor.
On the coastal road and through the centre, peak hours are 7:30–9am and 4:30–6pm. Summer weekends add the flow towards Velika Plaža. Drive before 8am or after 7pm if you can, especially through Sutomore.
The Sukobin crossing is 30–40 km and roughly 40 minutes from Bar. It usually moves faster than the summer crossings near Lake Skadar. From the border, Shkodër is another 25 minutes. Albania is visa-free for most European nationalities.
Yes — Godinje is about 35–40 km via Virpazar and a short stretch of mountain road. There's no public transport to the village, so the wineries are essentially car-only. Tastings are best arranged in advance, particularly in August and September.
Sutomore is closer (6–7 km) with clearer water and a fine-pebble entry. Velika Plaža, 30–40 minutes south, is 12 km of sand with a gentle entry — easy with kids, though water is murkier from the sandy bed. Many travellers do both: morning swim in Sutomore, sunset on Velika Plaža.
Paid zones along the seafront and the fish market run €0.50–1.50 per hour, on average 1.5–2× cheaper than Budva. Pay at the meter by card or coins, or buy a paper ticket from a duvan kiosk. Pay-by-SMS only works on a Montenegrin SIM (+382).
Early November, usually in the first half of the month. It centres on Stara Maslina and the town centre — an oil market, tastings and local wines. During the festival the parking near Stari Bar fills early, so plan to walk in from Šušanj.
Yes. In Bar the standard meet-and-greet works by flight number at Podgorica or Tivat, by Belgrade–Bar train arrival, and by Jadrolinija ferry timetable. A 30–60 minute waiting buffer for late arrivals is built into the standard tariff.