In 2025, foreign citizens are not restricted from entering Ukraine. However, travel remains somewhat complicated due to closed airspace, meaning there are still no direct flights to or from Ukraine. Travelers heading from Montenegro to Ukraine will need to fly to a nearby European country and continue their journey by train, bus, or car.
Ukraine shares borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, all of which have active airports connected to Montenegro. Below are the most convenient routes and current entry rules.
Montenegro – Poland
Warsaw:
There are direct flights from Podgorica to Warsaw three times per week (Monday, Thursday, Sunday).
Flight time: about 2 hours
Ticket price: from €110
Krakow:
Flights from Podgorica to Krakow operate with a transfer in Vienna.
Travel time: about 8 hours
Ticket price: from €80
From Poland, travelers can easily reach Ukraine by train or bus from Warsaw, Krakow, Przemysl, or Chełm.
Montenegro – Moldova
Flights from Podgorica to Chișinău operate with stopovers in Istanbul, Milan, or Vienna.
Travel time: about 4 hours 25 minutes
Ticket price: from €50
The Palanca checkpoint on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border is about 130 km from Chișinău, making this route ideal for travelers heading to Odesa and southern Ukraine.
From Chișinău, there are direct trains to Kyiv and bus transfers to Odesa.
Montenegro – Slovakia
Flights from Podgorica to Košice (the Slovak city closest to the Ukrainian border) operate with transfers, most often via Vienna.
Travel time: about 6 hours 45 minutes
Ticket price: from €170
From Košice, you can travel to Chop and Mukachevo in western Ukraine by train or bus.
Montenegro – Hungary
There are direct flights from Podgorica to Budapest twice a week (Monday and Friday).
Flight time: about 1 hour 20 minutes
Ticket price: from €15
From Budapest, there are direct trains to Kyiv and Mukachevo, as well as connections from Debrecen and Záhony to the Ukrainian border town of Chop.
Montenegro – Romania
Flights from Podgorica or Tivat to Bucharest are available with connections.
Travel time: from 4 hours
Ticket price: from €80
You can also fly to Suceava (with transfers) and take a daily bus to Chernivtsi, a journey of 2–3 hours.
Traveling by Bus from Montenegro to Ukraine
A convenient and affordable option is to travel by bus. The journey takes around 29 hours and costs approximately €120.
Buses depart from Podgorica and Budva with arrivals in Kyiv.
Modern buses are equipped with comfortable seats, climate control, Wi-Fi, and luggage storage, ensuring a comfortable journey.
Tickets can be purchased online. FlixBus has a route from Podgorica to Kyiv — offering tickets starting from around €106.97.
Namaste is an operator for Budva/Podgorica → Kyiv route: ticket price ~ USD 171 (~€160) for the ~2,094 km journey.
Traveling by Train from Montenegro to Ukraine
While there are no direct trains from Montenegro to Ukraine, travelers can connect via major European railway hubs:
Poland: Trains run from Warsaw and Przemysl to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia.
Hungary: Direct trains from Budapest to Kyiv and Mukachevo; connections from Debrecen and Záhony to Chop.
Austria: Direct Vienna–Kyiv and Vienna–Chop routes.
Czech Republic: Daily RegioJet “Prague–Chop” service.
Moldova: Direct Chișinău–Kyiv train.
Slovakia: From Košice to Mukachevo.
Tickets can be compared and purchased online via Visit Ukraine, where travelers can review train schedules, prices, and book directly.
Traveling by Car from Montenegro to Ukraine
The distance from Podgorica to Kyiv is about 1,880 km (22–24 hours of driving), and to Lviv about 1,370 km (16–19 hours).
The most direct route passes through Serbia, Romania, and Moldova.
Estimated cost: €300–€450, depending on fuel prices.
Border wait times are often longest at the Rososhany checkpoint. Travelers can check live waiting times on the official border monitoring websites.
Travel tip: To avoid long queues, it’s best to cross the border Monday–Wednesday. Weekends see significantly heavier traffic.
While Ukraine’s border checkpoints operate 24/7, remember that a curfew remains in effect within Ukraine due to martial law.
Rules for Entering Ukraine by Car
Foreigners may bring a personal car into Ukraine for up to one year and use it only for personal purposes.
If staying longer than two months, drivers must register their vehicle temporarily at an MIA Service Center.
After one year, the car must leave Ukraine.
An insurance policy is required. Travelers can also purchase Mini CASCO, a voluntary policy covering not only road accidents but also risks related to the ongoing war.
