I used the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry during my Montenegro road trip, crossing the Strait of Verige in the Bay of Kotor by car on my way towards Tivat.
Mistakes I Made Using the Kamenari-Lepetane Ferry
I made a couple of mistakes on my first crossing that made the whole process far more awkward than it needed to be. Most came down to travelling solo and getting the wrong information about where to buy the ticket.
Don't Join the Ferry Queue Without Buying a Ticket First
I was driving towards the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry when I saw the queue of cars ahead, so I pulled straight in and joined it. The Iberostar Waves Herceg Novi hotel had already told me I could buy my ferry ticket onboard, so I had no reason to think I needed to stop anywhere first.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be wrong.
By the time I reached the front of the queue, I discovered that I actually needed to buy my ticket from the small ferry kiosk, which was now behind me, before boarding. Because I was travelling solo, that immediately created a problem. If I had been travelling with a passenger, they could simply have got out of the car, walked over to the kiosk and bought the ticket while I stayed in the queue.
Instead, I had to pull out completely and continue driving for around 250 yards before I eventually found a small public car park on the right hand side. This car park has a distinct World War 2 pillbox relic to one side. In fact, it reminded me of the wartime fortifications I have explored in Jersey. There was nowhere obvious closer to the ferry where I could safely stop, so I parked there and walked all the way back to the kiosk and bought a one-way ticket for €4.
What made the whole thing feel even more bizarre was that there were probably around 20 guys standing around near the ferry. I could not help wondering why nobody was simply taking card payments from the cars in the queue, but that is not how they do it here. I also explain this part of the experience in my video because, had I known in advance, I could have avoided the whole detour.
Current Kamenari-Lepetane Ferry Tickets and Prices
The Kamenari ferry crossing is opposite Boutique Heritage Hotel Blanc & Bleu – Capitano.
If you are making the crossing now, it is worth checking the official Kamenari-Lepetane ferry website before you arrive. The current information shows a €3 fare for residents of Tivat and Herceg Novi, while pedestrians, cyclists and several other exempt groups can cross free of charge.
You can also now buy tickets online through the official ferry website, which would have saved me all the messing around I went through when I arrived without a ticket.
Getting Back Into the Kamenari Ferry Queue Wasn’t Straightforward
Buying the ticket solved one problem, although it immediately created another: I still had to get myself back into the ferry queue. After walking back to the car, I waited for a gap in the traffic and pulled onto the road again. However, when I reached the ferry entrance, there was a large sign saying no left turn into the ferry queue.
That meant I could not simply cross the road and rejoin where I had left. Instead, I had to drive past the ferry queue entrance, find somewhere to turn around and eventually used someone’s driveway before crossing the carriageway again and approaching the ferry from the correct direction.
After all that unnecessary messing about, I somehow ended up right at the front of the queue for the next ferry.
What Happened Once I Reached the Ferry
Once I finally had the correct ticket, I managed to get myself back into the ferry queue. Thankfully, crossing the bay was much easier than getting onto the ferry.
As it happened, I was now the first car waiting for the next ferry, so the crew would direct me onboard first.
Being Directed onto the RoRo Ferry
Then, one of the ferry workers shouted at me in the local language while they prepared the ferry for boarding. Although, I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, so I largely ignored him.
Thankfully, one of his English-speaking colleagues then came over and explained everything much more politely. When the other worker waved his hand, I needed to drive onto the ferry first. Then, I had to position the car in the middle at the front. Once I was in place, the remaining cars would follow me onboard.
The Kamenari-Lepetane ferry is a RoRo ferry, meaning Roll On/Roll Off, with an open vehicle deck. In other words, you drive directly onto the ferry at one side and drive straight off again at Lepetane.
Once I parked on the deck where the crew directed me, I switched off the engine. Then, I could get out of the car during the crossing.
The white car at the front was my hire car that I booked from BESTRENT (Hana Zaton d.o.o.) at Dubrovnik Airport DBV. I only booked it the night before I arrived, so I was pleased the rental process went smoothly. More importantly, the rental included cross-border travel into Montenegro and all the paperwork I needed for the car at the border crossing.
The Eight-Minute Crossing to Lepetane
The ferry crosses the Strait of Verige, the narrow section of the Bay of Kotor between Kamenari and Lepetane. At its narrowest point, the strait is only around 250 to 350 metres across. Therefore, the ferry journey is short.
In fact, once we actually departed, my crossing only took around eight minutes.
I had also heard beforehand that there was a toilet on the ferry. However, there are no public toilets onboard, which is useful to know before you join the queue. You do not want to discover that once onboard and really need one.
Apart from that, the crossing itself was simple. After reaching Lepetane, I got back into the car, drove off the ferry and continued my journey towards Tivat.
My Return Crossing From Lepetane-Kamenari
On my return journey from Lepetane later in the evening, there appeared to be fewer ferries making the crossing.
This time, at least, I knew I needed to buy another one-way ticket before joining the queue. I therefore pulled into the car park near the Lepetane ticket kiosk, where I could buy another €4 single ticket.
The ticket element was straightforward. The parking arrangement was not.
Where I Nearly Got a Parking Fine at Lepetane
The car park beside the Lepetane ticket kiosk was almost completely empty. There looked to be around 50 free spaces. So, I pulled my Croatian-registered hire car into one while I bought my ticket.
Almost immediately, a gentleman appeared from seemingly nowhere and told me I had parked in the staff parking area. He then threatened to fine me.
There was a sign nearby, although I could not read the language on it. However, it did not look like an obvious warning sign either. More importantly, the entire area was practically empty, so I asked him where exactly I should park instead.
His response was probably the most ridiculous part of the whole situation. He told me to reverse out of my bay and move into the next bay, about a metre away. With around 50 empty spaces and nobody else parked nearby, I thought the whole thing was incredibly petty.
If you need to park near the Lepetane ticket kiosk, use the right-hand side of the car park. I initially parked on the left-hand side.
