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Car rental in Podgorica is the most logical entry into Montenegro for anyone heading for the mountains, Lake Skadar or onwards into Albania. Podgorica airport (TGD) sits 11 km from the centre, and rates here run roughly 10–20% below Tivat — the tourist load is lighter, and suppliers price accordingly.
A guest from Manchester picked up an Octavia at TGD at 11pm, drove to Kolašin by half past midnight. The Tivat alternative would have meant an extra 1.5 hours on the Sozina road in the dark.
The city itself is a working capital, not a resort: wide boulevards, parks, an Orthodox cathedral and a calm rush hour. Most travellers treat it as a starting point for the rest of Montenegro, and for that it works.
Price, mountains, and the A1
Montenegro's mainland airport
TGD handles flights from European hubs and Turkey. The drive to the centre is 11 km, about 15 minutes, no tolls, no hairpins. Most suppliers meet you by flight number and hand the car over at the airport itself.
Podgorica suppliers undercut Tivat for one plain reason: less tourist load, less seasonal pressure, no August scarcity.
The best base for the mountains and Skadar
This is where the easy road north begins: through Kolašin and the Tara canyon to Durmitor, Žabljak and the Đurđevića Tara Bridge (the highest road bridge in Europe at 166 m). Lake Skadar and the wine village of Godinje sit about an hour away via Virpazar.
The new A1 motorway
Since 2022 the first stretch of the A1 has been open from Podgorica to Mateševo — roughly 40 km of tunnels and viaducts. Toll is €4.50 per car. It saves close to an hour and skips most of the hairpin descent towards Kolašin and Žabljak.
A1 limit is 100 km/h and there are speed cameras. In winter, ice on the higher sections is real — drive in daylight.
Mercedes-Benz A180 cdi in Montenegro
I took Renault - was ok👍
Skoda Citigo in Montenegro
everything is fine.👍😁
Hyundai i20 in Montenegro
Took diesel new Renault Clio in Podgorica (Montenegro). The car was brought on time, full tank, clean interior and perfect technical condition of the car. It is convenient that it was possible to communicate both in Russian and in English. Thank you!
Volkswagen Golf Variant in Montenegro
Everything went well, we took the Golf 7 twice and were very pleased with it.
Audi A3 Sedan in Montenegro
Everything went great, thank you so much!
Volkswagen Polo in Montenegro
All good 👌 The car was in good and serviceable condition, clean. The renter is a nice person, had no problem adjusting to us when turning in the car. The process of pick up and drop off of the car was not time consuming! I am satisfied, thank you 🙏
Volkswagen Eos in Montenegro
I recommend these guys. I took a convertible with my wife. They came directly to the airport, convenient and easy. No hassles or pitfalls. Good value and service. Highly recommended
Skoda Rapid in Montenegro
I liked everything, thanks. The cost for minor damage to the bumper seemed a little expensive. But this is a trifle. Otherwise, everything is in accordance with the promises.
Volkswagen Polo in Montenegro
I had a Skoda Fabia) instead of the ordered Polo. The car did not disappoint! The price is good. Friendly staff thanks! Next time i will book with you again)
Volkswagen Golf 8 in Montenegro
Instead of a Volkswagen golf 7, they gave me another car. It was in a bad shape
Volkswagen Eos in Montenegro
Everything went as planned. Good service and polite personel. Just one problem: the car which we rented, had 2 spare tires on it. One of the tires was also missing a bolt. Spare tires are not meant to be driven on for long. They can only go to 80km/h. This is very very dangerous. We were not informed of this, and only discovered this ourselves. This is in no way acceptable, and could have resulted in accident, injury and death. Best regards Carl Holm Both of the front wheels were spare tires. The right front wheel was missing a bolt.
Citroen C4 in Montenegro
Everything is fine.
Hyundai i20 in Montenegro
everything was fine with the car😊 Only 95% gas would been only thing to complain about so Id say 4,7⭐
Where to drive from Podgorica
North: Durmitor, Žabljak, Tara Bridge
The headline route runs north. Via the A1 to Mateševo and on through Kolašin, you reach Žabljak in about 2.5 hours. On the way: the Tara canyon, the Đurđevića Tara Bridge with its viewing platform, and Biogradska forest near Kolašin.
Plan Durmitor for at least two days. You can be there in 2.5 hours, but Black Lake, the Sedlo pass and the high villages all need slow time.
Lake Skadar and Godinje
An hour southwest via Virpazar lies the largest lake in the Balkans, the Crmnica vineyards, and the wineries of Godinje village. Boat tours run €20–30; the Godinje tastings are best booked ahead.
Albania: Tirana and Shkodër
Podgorica sits closer to Albania than Tivat or Kotor. Hani i Hotit, the Tirana crossing, is about an hour out. Shkodër via Sukobin runs about the same. Albania is visa-free for most European travellers, and a day trip from here is realistic.
A couple drove from Podgorica to Shkodër for lunch and were back by 6pm. From the coast that same trip needs a full day with the mountain roads thrown in.
How to reach Podgorica and pick up the car
Podgorica airport (TGD) is the country's mainland hub. The drive to the centre is 11 km and around 15 minutes on a straight road, no tolls. Most suppliers run a meet-and-greet by flight number right at the airport — straight pick-up, no chasing a town-centre office.
A family of four landed at TGD on a delayed Wizz Air flight at 1am. Supplier waited inside arrivals with the keys; they were in their Kolašin guesthouse by half three.
In the city itself there are few permanent rental offices, but free delivery is standard for most central hotels. On TakeCars the pickup point and time appear in the listing, so there are no day-of WhatsApp calls or address-swap surprises.
Tivat sits further out — about 90 km and 1.5 hours via the Sozina tunnel (€2.50). If the trip is mostly coast and the Bay of Kotor, fly into Tivat instead. A neat alternative: take the car at TGD on arrival and drop it on the coast as a one-way (supplement €30–60 depending on supplier).
Rates in Podgorica vary throughout the year depending on the season and the rental length.
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How expensive is renting a car in Podgorica: average daily rates for a one-week car rental, across all car classes.
Why travellers choose TakeCars in Podgorica
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Immediate pick-up at TGD
The car meets you in arrivals by flight number; you skip the run to a town-centre office.
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No-deposit options visible in the listing
Selected cars in Podgorica carry zero excess on the body, so no card freeze.
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Reviews on the specific car
Feedback from guests who hired the very same Octavia or Yaris in Podgorica, not a generic supplier rating.
Parking, the A1 and rush hour
Parking in the centre
Podgorica runs colour-coded zones: red (centre) at around €1/h with a time limit; yellow and green are cheaper and without a hard cap. Pay at the meter by card or coins, or grab a paper ticket from a duvan kiosk. Pay-by-SMS only works on a Montenegrin SIM (+382), so most visitors stick to the meter or the kiosk.
A couple parked on Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog at 11am, paid by card at the meter, walked to lunch. Spaces were free even on a Saturday — this isn't Budva or Kotor.
A1 — the shortcut to the mountains
The Podgorica–Mateševo paid stretch (€4.50) cuts about an hour off the run to Kolašin, Žabljak and Durmitor. In winter, keep your receipt and check the supplier has fitted winter tyres before you sign — the A1 isn't somewhere to head out on summer rubber.
Rush hour
The city slows from 7:30–9am and 4:30–6pm, mainly on the approaches from Tuzi and Nikšić. Typical city density, easy enough to adapt to. The one thing to plan around is an early-morning airport run.
Frequent Questions
Podgorica is typically 10–20% cheaper than Tivat and is the better fit for routes into the mountains (Durmitor, Kolašin, Žabljak), Lake Skadar and Albania. Tivat works better if the bulk of the trip is coast and the Bay of Kotor. The TGD–Budva run takes about an hour via the Sozina tunnel (€2.50).
By licensed-taxi meter, €10–15; through Bolt, €7–10. The drive is 11 km and around 15 minutes. If you're hiring for more than two days, picking up the car at the airport is the better value — most suppliers offer a meet-and-greet by flight number with immediate pick-up.
Budva sits 65 km away, around an hour via the Sozina tunnel (€2.50). Kotor is 90 km and 1.5 hours along the same road plus the bay stretch. In summer add 30 minutes for the coastal-road queues. If the coast is the focus of your trip, flying into Tivat usually works out better.
Take the A1 motorway to Mateševo (€4.50, around 40 km), then on through Kolašin and Mojkovac — about 2.5 hours total to Žabljak. In winter, winter tyres and chains are essential. Allow at least two days for a serious Durmitor visit; turning round in one isn't worth the effort.
The Đurđevića Tara Bridge is the highest road bridge in Europe at 166 m above the canyon. From Podgorica it's two hours via Kolašin on the road towards Žabljak. Free parking at the bridge, with a viewing platform, café and a zip-line across the canyon. Naturally combines with a Durmitor day.
For a longer stay it's a workable strategy: rooms in Podgorica run 30–50% cheaper than Budva and Tivat, and so do groceries and dinner. The coast is an hour each way via the A1 and the Sozina tunnel. The downside is losing an hour each direction daily — worth it from two weeks upwards as a base for radial trips.
Take the A1 to Mateševo and continue on the regional road — about an hour to Kolašin in total. Biogradska Gora National Park sits next to Kolašin, with another 15 minutes on a forest road to the lake. Park-entrance parking is €3 per car. Up to 7 °C cooler in summer than the coast.
Hani i Hotit, the Tirana-bound crossing, is around an hour out (50 km). Sukobin via Bar runs about an hour and twenty. That's closer than from Tivat or Kotor. A day trip to Shkodër or Tirana from Podgorica is realistic — leave at 8am, back for dinner.
The city is divided into colour-coded zones: red (centre) at about €1 per hour with a time limit, yellow and green cheaper and without a hard cap. Pay at the meter by card or coins, or use a duvan-kiosk ticket. Major shopping centres (Delta City, Mall of Montenegro) offer 2–3 hours of free parking for guests.
A day, perhaps. The Stara Varoš old quarter, the Millennium Bridge, the Cathedral of Christ's Resurrection, lunch on Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog, a walk along the Morača river. Podgorica isn't tourist-coded in the classic sense, but as a contrast point between the sea and the mountains it's interesting.
Enter from the regular road on either the Podgorica or Mateševo side and pay at the exit — €4.50 per car, by card or cash. Speed limit 100 km/h with cameras. Many tunnels — automatic dipped headlights handle them. Short closures happen in winter due to weather; check the forecast.
Yes — most suppliers offer one-way: pick up at TGD, drop off in Tivat, Budva or Kotor. Supplement €30–60 depending on supplier and distance. Useful if your route is "mountains → coast": you don't lose a day on the return and you drive only downhill.
Via the old serpentine road — about an hour to Cetinje. From there it's another 30 minutes on a mountain road with hairpins to Lovćen National Park. A neat loop: Podgorica → Cetinje → Lovćen → Kotor → back via the Sozina tunnel. A full day, but you don't double back to any single point.
Virpazar is 35 minutes via the Sozina tunnel (€2.50) — the closest base for boat tours on the lake (€20–30 per person) and for the Crmnica wineries. Godinje village with its winery cellars is another hour, taking the serpentine along the western shore.
Yes, and it's the most convenient scenario. Most suppliers run a meet-and-greet by flight number with immediate pick-up in the arrivals area. Documents are signed at the supplier's desk or in the meet-and-greet zone, with the keys handed over against an inspection sheet. A 30–60 minute waiting buffer for delays is standard.