Tourist guides: the guide ID and the register
Under the Tourism and Hospitality Act, only a guide holding a tourist guide ID (legitimacija) may guide tourists around towns, monuments and natural sights. It is issued by the Ministry of Tourism and requires a national tourist-guide qualification certificate and at least one foreign language. The guide must wear the ID where you can see it and issue a receipt, unless an agency does so. Guiding without the ID carries a fine of €200 to €2,000. All guides are entered in the public Central Tourist Register (ctr.gov.me), which in October 2026 listed 878 active guides, most of them in Podgorica, Kotor and Budva. A new tourism law is being prepared, so the rules may change.
Where a guide is required
For organised groups a guide is required at sites with a special regime, among them the old towns of Kotor and Budva, Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks, historic Cetinje, Lovćen and Njeguši, Ostrog Monastery, Durmitor with the Tara canyon, Biogradska Gora, Prokletije and Komovi. There the guide must be hired through a licensed travel agency. If you travel alone or with your family, a guide is not required.
Mountain guides, rafting and canyoning
Guides in the mountains and caves fall outside the tourist guide ID. The National Tourism Organisation recommends going into the mountains with a licensed mountain guide, and the list of licensed guides is kept by the Mountaineering Association of Montenegro (pscg.me). A rafting boat may only be steered by a leader with a national certificate or an International Rafting Federation licence, and canyoning requires two certified guides for a group of up to ten. The national parks have their own guides: on the 2024 price list a guide costs €40 for four hours and €80 for eight.
How to find a guide
The quickest way is through the local tourist board. The Kotor tourist board publishes a list of licensed guides with their languages and contacts, Budva has the Budva Tourist Guides Association, the Žabljak tourist board lists tour operators by activity, and the information centres of the Plav tourist board and Prokletije National Park help with guides and accommodation on the Peaks of the Balkans trail. If you plan to cross the border in the mountains away from an official crossing, ask the border police for a permit at least 15 days ahead; the Plav tourist board and licensed agencies can help.
Audio guides as a complement
For exploring a town or a drive on your own we have made free audio guides: Kotor old town and walls, Budva, Perast, Cetinje, Stari Bar, Herceg Novi and drives around Durmitor and the Bay of Kotor. They work offline, but they do not replace a guide in the mountains or on the river.
