From the airport to the city centre Albania

Located in Rinas, 18 km north of the center of Tirana, Mother Teresa airport is quite small, with just one terminal, but modern and highly functional. On arrival, formalities can take a little time, but the journey to the capital is easy.

Bus. The Rinas Express company connects the city center. Buses leave every hour between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and tickets cost 250 lek (less than €2). The journey takes 30 to 45 minutes.

Cabs. The official airport cab service (ATEx) is available 24 hours a day and charges 2,500 lek (€19) for a 25-30 minute journey during the day, and 3,000 lek between 9pm and 7am.

Rental. There are eight agencies on site, including four international ones: Hertz (✆ +355 42 38 19 54 - [email protected]), Sixt (✆ +355 42 22 39 96 - [email protected]), Avis (✆ +355 42 23 50 11 - [email protected]) and Europcar (✆ +355 42 24 65 11 - [email protected]). There's also the excellent local agency Eurocar (✆ +355 67 600 5454 - [email protected]), which offers contracts in French.

Arrival by train Albania

No - or at least no more - trains for the time being. No international connections. Albania once had some 470 km of track, which has fallen into disuse since the 1990s. What's more, a huge construction project underway in the city center has led to the destruction of several buildings, including Tirana's only railway station.

Arrival by boat Albania

Ferry services from several Italian cities to the ports of Durrës and Vlora operate all year round. Durrës is the country's main port. Ferries arrive from Italy at the ports of Bari, Ancona and Trieste. By bus, all the country's main towns are linked to the Durrës bus station, located in the parking lot in front of the railway station on Bulevardi Deshmorët. You can also fly to Corfu and take the regular ferry to Saranda in the south of the country, which is often the cheapest way to reach southern Albania from Western Europe.

Public transport Albania

Since the fall of the Communist regime, Albania has had no national transport companies, but each town has its own small bus station. Everything is still very chaotic: small companies or private drivers (sometimes without professional licenses or genuine driving licenses), out-of-date minibuses (the dreaded furgonëve), impossible-to-know timetables, departures only once the vehicle is full, and so on. Here, however, the chaos is more or less organized and fares are still low. All you need to do is find out about the collection points, which are often scattered throughout the towns. Generally speaking, tickets can be bought inside the bus. On long-distance routes, you can buy your ticket in advance, but don't forget to print it out, or they won't let you on.

Bike, scooters & co Albania

Tirana has had its own self-service bicycle rental system since 2012. You'll need to leave a photocopy of your identity card or driving license at one of the stations, where the staff generally speak English. Don't forget to ask for a lock, and return the bike to where you picked it up before the end of the day. For frequent use, we recommend a season ticket, which costs 100 lek per day. The main stations are in Rinia Park and Skenderbeg Square.

With a driver Albania

The city has few cabs (around 500), but they're not very expensive and become the only way to get around after 10pm. Only yellow cabs are licensed. They are a little more expensive than the others, but they are the only ones equipped with a meter. The charge is 300 lek (350 lek between 10pm and 7am) for the first two kilometers (sufficient for most trips in the city center) and 95 lek/km thereafter (count 500 to 700 lek for a trip to the outskirts). From the airport to the center, you'll pay 2,500 lek during the day and 3,000 lek between 9pm and 7am. Few drivers speak English, so it's a good idea to write down the address or show it on your phone. Numerous vehicles are parked all around Skanderbeg Square, in front of the major hotels, on the main boulevards, and so on.

By car Albania

Traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death in Albania, both for motorists and pedestrians. Travelers are therefore advised to be constantly and extremely vigilant. Unless you have an experienced local driver, daytime travel is absolutely essential throughout Albania, mainly because of the poor state of the road infrastructure and the often dilapidated cars themselves.

Driving in Tirana requires a certain amount of control and composure. Respect for the highway code is very relative for most drivers, especially in the anarchic traffic circles. Traffic lights are generally respected, but the use of indicators is rare. Signage is kept to a strict minimum. It is also advisable to leave your vehicle in a guarded area. While large hotels often have a few parking spaces, this is rarely the case for smaller establishments. Elsewhere, parking is generally free, not to say uncontrolled, but more and more areas are now pay zones, indicated by white P signs on a blue background with the precise words Me Paghese. In this case, you have to pay an employee on site.

Elsewhere in the country, in any case, we advise against travelling at nightfall, as the state of the roads is often disastrous and you'd better be prepared for anything (huge holes in the pavement, vehicles parked with their lights off on the road, donkeys sleeping on the asphalt, herds of sheep, vendors, pedestrians, etc.). Another thing to know: good drivers are rare. In 1990, Albania had just 2,000 cars, compared with 2 million today. And the first real driving schools only appeared in the 2010s..

Accessibility Albania

This former communist country, still very poor, does not shine for the quality and modernity of its infrastructures in general. Even less so, a fortiori, when it comes to making life easier for people with reduced mobility. Unless you have a driver and an adapted vehicle (and even then), disabled travellers planning to visit Albania should be aware right away that they are likely to find it an incredibly difficult experience.

Tourist traps Albania

You will see them very quickly: ignore all the pseudo taxi drivers who harass new arrivals in the arrivals hall and airport and take the shuttle bus or an official yellow taxi, the only ones with a license. They are a little more expensive than the others (but still very affordable), and above all they are the only ones with a meter.