In order to get around the Balkans, buses are your friend. This was reinforced during my recent trip to Montenegro (and Croatia and Albania), but a friend just asked me the other day to share my advice on the overall experience. He then proceeded to inquire about making day trips, which is where the inspiration for this post came from.

Simply put, it’s very easy to buy tickets. While you can buy tickets directly from the bus station’s website (busticket4.me), I found that just walking over and buying them a few hours in advance sufficed. The bus schedules going to/from Kotor were pretty well marked, in both Montenegrin and English, and there was a surprising amount of routes that were offered; if you wanted, you pretty much could travel around the entirety Balkans by bus. As with most of the country, people there spoke English, and even if they didn’t, simply saying the name of your destination was enough to be pointed in the right direction. One blessed thing is that I was able to buy tickets with my card, which bailed me out when I stupidly used my euros to buy souvenirs in Albania. Accessibility is definitely friendly, and it made getting around a cinch. 10/10 would recommend!

The stations themselves are fairly big, and they house mini-marts and small cafes in addition to the ticket booths. It was interesting to note the sizes of the waiting rooms in both Kotor and Ulcinj, as the former was a bit smaller. Given the reliance on buses, it was neat seeing how some semi-rural stretches had these disproportionately large stations. The thought actually crossed my mind that, god forbid I got stranded, I’d be able to bunk down for the night in them-they were that spacious. Said space came in handy when I had an hour and a half to kill before one of my buses back to Kotor, so I got to stretch out and relax.

But what about the buses themselves? They actually were pretty comfortable, and I never had any issue with the passengers. Most of the time, the models were newer, but every now and then you found yourself in a slightly musty bus. Nothing bad mind you, but the fleeting thought of, “how often is the fleet updated?” would hit you. So, if you’re expecting Balkan-style (i.e. “not like stuff back home”) travel, it’s not gonna happen!

Overall, I can describe my week of traveling around by bus as nothing short of fantastic. Transportation was super efficient and prompt, and summarily I got to see a lot more than I had ever planned! So what are you waiting for? Explore!