Travel Guide
Kotor Water Taxi: Boat Taxis Across the Bay — Routes & Prices (2026)
How water taxis actually work in the Bay of Kotor — the €5 boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, private boat taxis from Kotor, the Luštica beach boats from Herceg Novi, what each costs and what you can book ahead.
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The quick answer: there is no scheduled water taxi network in the Bay of Kotor — no timetable, no ticket office, no water bus between the towns. What exists is three different things people all call a water taxi: the constant €5 shuttle boats at Perast that cross to Our Lady of the Rocks, private skippers who will run you anywhere in the bay for a negotiated fare (typically €70–€150 for the boat, not per person), and the taxi boats out of Herceg Novi to the Luštica beaches that no road serves properly. Prices below are typical ranges and move with season, fuel and how busy the quay is — treat them as planning guides, not quotes.
The thing worth knowing before you budget. Quayside boats are priced per boat, not per person, and negotiated in the moment. Two people almost always do better on the bus plus the cheap island shuttle, or on a booked group bay boat tour. Four to six people are the point where hiring the whole boat starts to look sensible.
The three things called a “water taxi” here
| Route | Typical cost | How you pay | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perast → Our Lady of the Rocks | ~€5 pp return | Cash, at the quay | No — continuous in season |
| Kotor → Perast / across the bay | ~€70–€150 per boat | Cash, negotiated | Only by chartering a boat online |
| Herceg Novi → Rose, Žanjic, Mirište | ~€10–€25 pp return | Cash, at the quay | Rarely; charters yes |
| Kotor → Prčanj, Muo, Dobrota | ~€30–€70 per boat | Cash, negotiated | No |
| Kamenari → Lepetane car ferry | ~€4.50 per car | Cash at the ramp | No — runs 24 hours |
Only the last one is a real scheduled service, and it’s a car ferry across the Verige strait, not a passenger taxi. It’s in the table because half the people searching for a Kotor boat crossing are actually looking for it. Nothing else here can be booked before you arrive — if you want a boat with a fixed price and a departure time, that means a bay tour or a private skipper.
Perast to Our Lady of the Rocks: the €5 one
This is the boat almost everyone means. Small open boats leave the Perast waterfront continuously through the day in season, cross to the man-made island of Our Lady of the Rocks in about five minutes, and bring you back whenever you’re ready — roughly €5 per person return, cash, no ticket, no booking. Entry to the church and its little museum is a separate couple of euros.
You don’t need a tour for this. Get to Perast on the Blue Line bus (€1.50–€2, 20–30 minutes) as covered in our Kotor to Perast guide, then walk the waterfront and pick a boat. That combination — bus out, shuttle across — is the cheapest way to see the bay’s signature sight, and it’s why we don’t push a boat tour at readers whose only goal is the island. If you want the fuller experience with a guide and the bay loop, the Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks tour review is the honest version.
Hiring a boat across the bay from Kotor
There’s no public boat from Kotor to Perast, Prčanj, Muo or Dobrota. Skippers along Kotor’s marina wall and at the small quays will take you, but you’re chartering the boat: expect roughly €30–€70 for a short hop to Muo or Prčanj and €70–€150 to Perast or for a couple of hours pottering, depending on the boat, the season and your negotiating. Agree the number — and whether it’s return or one way — before you step aboard, and expect cash.
Two practical catches. Small open boats don’t run in a bura or heavy chop, so a windy morning cancels your plan with no refund policy to appeal to. And the fare is a spot price: in peak August the same trip costs meaningfully more than in May.
Book the boat before you’re standing on the quay
Booked online you get a fixed price, a known boat and free cancellation instead of a negotiation in the sun. A private skipper for a half day covers the same water as a taxi boat, and a group boat tour usually costs less per person than chartering.
Private boats & skippers Compare bay boat tours
Herceg Novi and the Luštica beaches
The outer bay is where water taxis genuinely earn their keep, because the roads don’t go where the good swimming is. From the Herceg Novi waterfront, small boats run across to Rose on the Luštica peninsula and along to Žanjic and Mirište — usually €10–€25 per person return, more if you want a specific pickup time. In season the same skippers will run out toward the Blue Cave, though that trip is weather-dependent and the Blue Cave tour from Kotor is a better-organised way to do it.
If beach access is the whole point of your day, our Kotor beaches guide has which coves are worth the boat fare and which are a short walk from a bus stop.
Cruise days and tight schedules
Arriving by ship? A negotiated taxi boat is the wrong tool for a port day — there’s no schedule to hold anyone to, no refund if the sea turns, and no one waiting for you. Book something with a stated return time instead; the Kotor shore excursions page covers what safely fits inside typical port hours, and the cruise port guide covers the walk-off logistics.
Not getting overcharged
- Confirm per boat or per person. The single most common misunderstanding at the quay.
- Confirm return or one way, and roughly when you’ll be collected.
- Carry cash in small notes. Change is nobody’s priority.
- Ask about the wind before you commit to a plan later in the day.
- Compare against a booked tour for anything over an hour — for two people it’s usually cheaper, and it comes with cancellation terms.
For the wider picture on buses, taxis, transfers and the ferry, see getting around Kotor and Kotor without a car.
Doing the bay by water for a day
If the boat is the day out — Perast, the island, a swim stop, maybe the Blue Cave — a booked tour beats a hired taxi boat on price per person and on certainty. Compare what’s running on your dates.
Bay of Kotor boat tours Compare on Viator
FAQs: water taxis in the Bay of Kotor
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water taxi in Kotor?
Not as a scheduled service with a timetable. What exists is a fleet of small private boats — skippers who will run you across the bay on demand, plus the constant shuttle boats at Perast that cross to Our Lady of the Rocks. You agree a price at the quay rather than buying a ticket, and there is no year-round water bus between the bay's towns.
How much is the boat to Our Lady of the Rocks?
Roughly €5 per person return from the Perast waterfront, paid in cash to the skipper. The crossing takes about five minutes and boats leave continuously through the day in season, so you don't book — you walk up. Your entrance to the church and museum on the island is a separate few euros.
Can you get from Kotor to Perast by boat?
Only by hiring a boat — there's no public boat between them. A private taxi boat or small charter is typically €70–€150 for the boat one way or as a half-day, depending on size and season, so it makes sense for a group and rarely for two people. Most visitors take the €1.50–€2 Blue Line bus and then the cheap shuttle boat out to the island.
Is there a water taxi from Tivat to Kotor?
There's no dependable scheduled boat. Seasonal shuttles appear some summers and vanish the next, so don't build a plan or a flight connection around one. Private boat taxis will do the run for a negotiated fare; the reliable options are the road — bus, taxi or transfer — or the Kamenari–Lepetane car ferry if you're driving from Herceg Novi.
Do you need to book a Kotor water taxi in advance?
Not for the Perast island shuttle — turn up and pay. For anything else, booking ahead is the only way to fix the price and the timing: a private boat tour or bay charter booked online costs a known amount with free cancellation, while a quayside negotiation in August is a seller's market.
What's the difference between a water taxi and a boat tour in Kotor?
A water taxi moves you from A to B and stops there. A boat tour adds a route, a skipper who narrates it, swim stops and usually the Blue Cave or Our Lady of the Rocks — for often less money per person than chartering a taxi boat for the same hours. If you want the journey to be the day out, book a tour; if you only need to reach a beach or a village, take the taxi boat.