Airport in Tivat: where is it and how to get to it?

Montenegro in recent years has become an increasingly popular destination for beach tourism, because before the trip you should learn a little more about this country. For example, many flights departing to this country arrive at Tivat airport - if your geography is not so meager, you know that this is not the capital. Accordingly, a traveler accustomed to thinking on his own wonders where he will go to an unfamiliar country and whether it is better to fly to Podgorica, which is the capital. Let's try to figure everything out in order.

The first thing to say is that in Montenegro there are only two international airports, 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 specifically for a beach holiday, it is from here that it will be much easier for you to get to most Montenegrin resorts on the coast. However, we will talk about this in more detail later.

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

Unable to become a full-fledged international tourist center, the Montenegrin Adriatic, however, became increasingly interesting for the citizens of Yugoslavia itself, which was not such a small country. Since 1968, two more routes were added, then considered internal - to Zagreb and Skopje (today it is the capital, respectively, of Croatia and Northern Macedonia). The authorities realize that the airport is becoming more and more popular, is evidenced by the construction of a new airport terminal, which opened in 1971. Together with him, a full-fledged asphalt runway was built with a width of 45 meters and a length of two and a half kilometers.

As in Yugoslav times, today about 80% of all arrivals and departures are in summertime. This is due to the fact that Tivat itself is located in a relatively small town away from megacities, but not far from several popular resorts. In the schedule of its passenger traffic, periods of peak load and relative idle time are clearly visible, but in general the airport is able to work very productively, serving up to 6 flights every hour. In 2018, 1.25 million passengers passed through this air gate - twice as much as the entire 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 banal - over the decades of existence, the runway has not bothered to equip with lighting. They 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 want now to build a new terminal that can cope with the sharply increased passenger flow - maybe then they will take up the lighting.

If you have flown an airplane at least once, Tivat Airport is unlikely to surprise you with anything else besides its modest size. In all other respects, this is a completely typical air terminal - for example, there is a car rental for arrivals and a mandatory duty free for those who fly away. In general, the procedures that must be followed when using the airport are standard. Here are tips for arrivals:

• stay in place in the cabin until the ship stops completely and the team tells you that you can leave;
• going down the ramp, 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 - good, it will be relatively close;
• 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 are presenting;
• luggage can be obtained here;
• upon completion of all formalities, you can go to the main hall, after which go out onto the street through the south side of the terminal and then proceed according to your own plans.

For flying away, the rules are also quite ordinary, they will not seem strange to an experienced traveler:

• You need to arrive at the terminal at least two hours before departure, especially if you fly away in the midst of the tourist season;
• entrance for departers is from the north side of the building; inside you need to find an unoccupied reception desk or take a queue if everyone is busy;
• Check-in, check-in and hand over large bags and suitcases to your luggage;
• follow all the necessary procedures with local border guards - in particular, go through a pre-flight search for the legality of your departure and your absence of items prohibited for export, also go through passport control;
• based on the results of successfully passing all the checks, you should have been given a special boarding pass - you need to show it to the employees at the entrance to the plane to prove that the border guards have no complaints against you.

The timetable and set of destinations at Tivat airport changes regularly, as it is a rather lively international airport terminal, 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 is pleased to receive foreign guests, because in the summertime the choice of travel destination is very impressive. But in winter it is impossible to get here directly from any airport, except Belgrade and Moscow Sheremetyev, but aircraft fly to the mentioned points all year round and quite often.

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

If you travel, you may be interested in some other destinations where direct flights depart. Please note that the current schedule can change almost every week, but in general, from April to October, you can use the 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 (Emirate of Dubai and Israeli Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion).

Due to such a variety of destinations, a huge number of tourists arrive in Montenegro even from those countries and cities with which there is no direct air communication. In general, the Tivat airport is connected to all major European logistics centers, so you can get here from any city with its own airport terminal, usually with a maximum of one change.

The great advantage of the Tivat airport terminal is that it is very small, and therefore it is unrealistic to get lost here - you simply will not have much choice of the wrong ways to turn the wrong way. A big drawback of this building is that at the current intensity of work, the airport of this small town remains deeply provincial in terms of service level, and you can’t count on any decent service here.

Since only those who have just got out of the hotel room, or locals, use this airport, something like a shower has not yet appeared at the airport. You can grab a bite to eat at a local cafe, but there are no catering establishments at a higher level, like a restaurant. There are no special recreation areas - inside the hall for a huge crowd of tourists, regularly observed in recent years, only a few chairs are provided, which creates an increased demand for cafe services, where you can still sit. For this reason Experienced travelers are usually advised not to arrive 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 to stand two hours or longer.

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

After all of the above, it is hardly worth wondering that neither at the Tivat airport itself, nor in the immediate vicinity there is nothing like a hotel or any other place for an overnight stay. In principle, such infrastructure is not really needed here, since there are no night flights, and on arrival or before departure it is better to spend the night in a pre-booked hotel in the resort that you chose at home - fortunately, Montenegro is completely unaware of the big distances.

What the local authorities nevertheless took care of was the mother and child’s room - it can be found on the second station building, near a cafe and a waiting room. Recently, they even put beds here, which can be claimed by a mother with a baby. Theoretically, even anyone who wants to can lie down here, but far from all inhabitants know about this innovation, and rest in the company of crying babies is not always so attractive.

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

If a child has already come out of infancy, this does not mean that no one is interested in his needs. For example, nearby is also a small children's library, access to which is free. At the same time, parents can even go away for a short time on their 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 solve a problem with a rented car. True, admission to this room is not so simple - the baby will be allowed to go there only upon the fact of a medical examination and the availability of the relevant certificate, but you can quickly go through this whole procedure right at the station’s first-aid post.

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

Many locals, especially taxi drivers, park right at the airport, without stopping at the paid parking lot. According to reviews of some tourists, finding a place for yourself is difficult, but 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 paid parking, it is relatively small - a little more than two hundred cars and a dozen buses can simultaneously be accommodated here. Judging by the reviews, if you suck less than a quarter of an hour, you do not pay anything at all, in the future, payment is from 60 euro cents per hour.

Tivat Airport is located on the shore 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 overcome the distance in any convenient way - by taxi, regular bus or rented car, the road will take very little time.To get from other cities is also not so difficult - it is affected by the fact that this is one of only two international airports in the country, 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 going on the ticket 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, which also includes neighboring villages, there is simply an amazingly high concentration sights. By the way, the nearest beach is located directly behind the airport, and the town itself and its surroundings can please 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 obvious that a million and a quarter of passengers a year is a bit much for the ten thousandth Tivat. Travel companies use this airport as the closest to many other resorts, such as the popular Budva, and if you are traveling in an organized way, you will probably have 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 has the appearance of a characteristic yellow mushroom, however, the terminal itself is not the final route for any route - here everything passes. Transport will have to be slowed down by a show of hands - he himself will not stop, but he will not refuse to throw up a willing traveler. The interval of motion is about half an hour. The direction to Budva, Kotor, Podgorica and most other famous resorts suggests that you do not even have to cross the road from the airport, Tivat itself, respectively, is in the opposite direction.

Taxi drivers are waiting for you even right in front of the airport, landing costs from 0.5 euros, then you need to pay from 80 euro cents per kilometer. Experienced tourists warn that at the peak of the season, drivers often call inflated prices, because for a 40-minute trip, the cost can be several tens of euros. To avoid unnecessary extra charges, it is advised to order a taxi through the site in advance - there is a fixed price, and you can choose the passenger capacity of the car, as well as other amenities, 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 is most practical to rent a car. A similar service is provided right at the airport, but in the summer season it is better to make an order in advance by calling the contact phone, otherwise there may not be any free transport at the right time. The cost of such a service ranges from 12 to 20 euros per day, depending on both the chosen car model and the company that provided the transport, since the competition for the client is quite high.

Tips for tourists traveling to Tivat in the video below.