PARKING IN MONTENEGRO - PAID AND FREE

Parking in Montenegro - paid and free

In Montenegro, as in any other country, there are a large number of different types of parking. 

They are located throughout the country, and there are especially many of them in large cities in the central part of the country (Podgorica, Niksic, Cetinje, Zabljak, Kolasin), as well as in resort towns (Budva, Kotor, Tivat, Bar, Herceg Novi) on the Adriatic coast. Parking here can be both paid and free, and in this article we will talk about them in more detail.

Free parking in Montenegro.

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So, to begin with, it is worth noting that most parking in Montenegro is free. You can park in various places, these can be courtyards, hotels, cafes and restaurants, areas near beaches, the side of the road, as well as special places allocated for free parking. It should be noted that parking in Montenegro, as in any country in the world, is possible almost everywhere, but there is one condition: it should not be prohibited by traffic rules.

However, despite the fact that parking may be prohibited by local traffic rules, not all residents of Montenegro strictly follow them, and can park their car in such a way that it will interfere with the movement of cars or even become an obstacle to the exit of the car.

 But let's say right away that in addition to the general rules enshrined in law, this country has its own unspoken rules among the local population.

For example, in the fall and winter, when the tourist season is over, city residents can park in the wrong places under prohibition signs and even at intersections and roads with one-lane traffic.

This is due to the fact that in winter there are practically no cars on the roads, and very few pedestrians, and an incorrectly parked car will not particularly bother anyone.

In such cases, the police usually turn a blind eye to the violation, and local residents actively take advantage of this. With the onset of warm weather, these rules become stricter, and no one will turn a blind eye to an incorrectly parked car.

Local residents are well aware of this, so with the onset of the so-called tourist season (May-April), they often stop parking their cars in the wrong places or are nearby to remove the car in time. Of course, we advise you not to follow the example of local residents, because if you park incorrectly, there is a very high probability that the car will be taken away by a tow truck.

It can come itself, driving around the city, or it can be called by an enterprising "well-wisher" who does not like something about a car parked incorrectly.

The tow truck works very quickly and takes the car away within 1.5-2 minutes!!!, and the cost of the fine is about 100-150 euros. Do you need it? 

Therefore, we strongly recommend not to take risks without special need and follow the parking rules or use paid services, especially if you are not in your own country.

Of course, as in any other country, in Montenegro paid parking is a popular and thriving business that brings in good income. Therefore, the closer you are to the center, beaches, shopping centers, shops or famous attractions, the more paid parking appears around.

However, it is worth remembering that, as a rule, 10-15 minutes from the center you can always find free parking and leave your car there, especially since the cities here are not that huge...

Paid parking in Montenegro.

Paid parking is quite common in every city in Montenegro. They can be of two types:

1. Parking with a barrier. This is a separate area, the entry and exit of which is blocked by a barrier.

2. Parking along the road with spaces on the sidewalks and automatic parking meters for payment.

Each of these options has its pros and cons. For example, parking lots with barriers are much larger and more spacious than sidewalk parking lots, and you can leave your car here for an unlimited number of hours. At the same time, their prices are almost 50% higher than when parking on the street. 

Also, in such separate parking lots with barriers, there is almost always a free space, unlike parking on the street, where it is always quite difficult to find a place for your iron horse. If we talk about prices, then in the summer they are almost the same within each city and can vary, on average, from 0.5 to 2 euros per hour. In winter, parking is cheaper, usually 1.5-2 times, but the minimum cost is still 0.5 euros per 1 hour of parking. In addition, in winter, most paid parking "turns" into free by simply raising the barrier or its complete absence. 

Each type of paid parking has its own advantages and disadvantages, which the driver focuses on when choosing a parking place based on the situation at a particular time. Let's consider these points, as well as their operation, in more detail.

Parking with a barrier.

This is the most common type of parking in Montenegro. Most often, these are special, separate , restricted areas or underground parking, the exit and entry to which is blocked by a barrier. They can be automatic, semi-automatic and mechanical (private).

Automatic parking can often be found in shopping centers and government agencies. This means that at the entrance there will be a special machine that counts the number of hours spent in the parking lot, and you can also pay for parking with it. 

Before entering such a parking lot, you must press a special button and get a receipt indicating the entry time. After that, the barrier will rise and you can enter. Usually, a special board at the entrance indicates the number of free parking spaces in the parking lot, as well as the cost per hour.

Semi-automatic parking is very similar to automatic parking and when entering, you must also press a button to get a ticket indicating the start time of using the service. 

The only difference is that when leaving or at the cash desk inside the parking lot, the driver drives up to the operator and gives him a receipt. Then the operator calculates the cost of parking based on the time, and only after calculating and issuing a receipt for payment does he open the barrier.

It is worth noting that the minimum payment is taken for one hour, regardless of how many minutes you were there - 10 or 59. And even if the car was in the parking lot for exactly 1 hour and 1 minute, you will still have to pay for a full 2 hours of parking. Therefore, it is better to keep an eye on the time so that you do not have to pay for parking for nothing. Also, it is worth noting that for losing the receipt you will have to pay a large fine, from 10 to 50 euros, so you need to be careful and it is better to leave the receipt in the car.

Completely mechanical or private parking can be found in Montenegro, near large and popular beaches (Jaz, Becici, Kamenovo, etc.) outside the city. They "become" paid only in the summer season, when tourists flee en masse from crowded city beaches and demand for such hard-to-reach resort areas increases. As a rule, when approaching such a beach, there is a person with a cash register on the road or a booth with a barrier.

Before entering, you pay the price for the day, receive a receipt for payment (mandatory!) and freely drive into the parking lot. Note that the cost of such parking zones is uniform, calculated for the whole day and is 3-5 euros, regardless of whether you arrived at 7 am and stayed until the evening or want to visit the beach at lunchtime and leave in 2-3 hours - the price will remain unchanged. There are no restrictions on leaving the parking lot and you can freely leave without showing the receipt. Let us say in advance that the entrance and exit are in the same place and are monitored by the same person.

Many enterprising people (mostly locals) leave their cars in front of the entrance to the parking lot and then walk to the beach. This route is not short, but the sun, air and walks have never hurt anyone... The only thing you should keep in mind before your trip is that there are quite a lot of such "thrifty" people and in order to find a place for your iron friend, you need to arrive at the beach in the morning.

Paid parking on the street.

Street parking is also quite popular in all cities of Montenegro. Usually they are located in close proximity to the city center, a historical monument or a landmark. At the beginning of such a parking lot, there is always a sign indicating that this parking is paid.

The spaces in such a parking lot are strictly divided for each car. It is worth noting that in large cities of Montenegro, for example in Podgorica, such parking lots are even divided into 3 main zones - red, yellow and green. The red zone is the most expensive, and is usually located very close to attractions. Yellow is a little cheaper, and green is the cheapest.

Naturally, the cheaper the parking, the further it is from the city center. But do not forget that even the largest cities in Montenegro are not very large in area and therefore it will not take much time to get from the parking to the desired place. In addition, in some zones you can park your car for free on weekends and outside working hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Under the parking sign there is a plate with the color of the zone, exact conditions of use, detailed instructions, prices and payment method, so that motorists can more easily navigate.

Paid parking on the street in Montenegro

Methods of payment for street parking.

Street parking can be paid for using two methods, each of which we will consider in more detail.

1. Payment by SMS. This is a very simple and convenient method, but you can only pay for parking with it from a local number. Plus, each such parking lot has detailed instructions on how to do this. Usually, you just need to send an SMS to a special phone number, indicating the state registration number of your car. The cost of an SMS is equal to one hour of parking. 

If you forgot or got carried away, then in a few minutes before the end of the time, you will receive a message on your phone reminding you that the time is running out. Then the driver must either leave the parking lot or extend the time in the same way as the first time. It is worth noting that the messages come in Montenegrin, but it is usually very easy to understand their meaning even without knowing the language. The minimum payment time is 1 hour.

2. The second method is payment using a parking meter, which is installed at the beginning of the parking. This method, like the previous one, is quite simple and clear. The cost for 1 hour is indicated on the parking meter screen, based on this, you need to pay for as much time as you need. 

This can be any amount of time starting from 10 minutes. After payment, a receipt is issued, which must be placed under the car window so that the inspector can see until what time the parking has been paid.

 If you need to extend the time, you just need to pay for parking again in the same way and place a new receipt under the window. This is the easiest payment option, and here you can immediately select the amount of time you need. Just note that the parking meter does not give change, so you will need to have change to pay.