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The planning stages of my Albania trip had me scratching my head. How on earth do people get around Albania without a car?? I’d heard that travellers often used the bus to get around in Albania but it was almost impossible to find information online.
Luckily, I have quite a bit of travel experience under my belt by now so I figured I would just arrive in Albania and hope for the best. Things like this often have a way of working themselves out.
Unsurprisingly, things did work themselves out, and I travelled around Albania by bus for two weeks. That said, my trip planning would have been SO much easier if I knew what I know now about getting around Albania by bus.
So, to plug the information gap online about getting around Albania by bus, I decided to share everything I’ve learnt. Hopefully this will make your Albania trip planning a lot easier!
During my time in Albania I took the following bus journeys:
- Gjirokaster to Sarande
- Sarande to Himare
- Himare to Vlore
- Vlore to Berat
- Berat to Tirana
How Does the Bus System in Albania Work?
The best way to describe the bus system in Albania is organised chaos. It doesn’t make much sense and doesn’t follow any set rhyme or reason, but it somehow still works.
The buses in Albania are mostly privately-owned minivans that have big paper signs in the window with the name of the destination they’re going to. There are around 16 seats in most of these minivans, they usually don’t have aircon, and they don’t have much legroom!
How to Use the Buses in Albania
If you need to travel somewhere by bus in Albania the first step is to arrive at the bus station as early as possible. I usually started my travel days at around 8am when I didn’t know the bus departure times.
When I knew the departure times I still opted for an early-ish bus, but often only at 10 or 11am. It’s always best to set off early as sometimes the last bus of the day could be as early as 2 or 3 pm!
Once you’ve arrived at the bus station (which is often just a car park with a few “buses” in it) there will usually be a bunch of drivers shouting the name of the destination they’re going to.
If you don’t hear your destination, simply ask one of the drivers and they’ll point you in the direction of the right bus. In the worst-case scenario, just look at the front windows of the buses and find your destination.
If your destination isn’t there, you’ll probably have to catch a connecting bus to somewhere else before carrying on to your destination. Ideally, you’ll know where you need to connect beforehand but if not, just ask one of the drivers. They’re super helpful and know their stuff.
On the Bus in Albania
Your bus might not depart for a while, so your driver will take your luggage and put it in the back of the bus (but make sure you keep your valuables with you) and you can go get a coffee or just hang out until the departure time. If you don’t have plenty of water and bus snacks then now is the time to stock up.
You can then board the bus, which will set off. You might circle around town for a while trying to pick up other passengers, stopping at the driver’s favourite byrek shop or waiting whilst your driver chats to his friends on the side of the road, but eventually you’ll hit the road properly.
At some point during the journey the driver’s assistant will come around to collect money for the journey. They’ll tell you the price which you need to pay in cash, and they usually have change.
If you get motion sickness take some medicine before the journey – the drivers in Albania are pretty crazy, and many of the routes involve mile after mile of winding mountain roads.
People flag the bus down from the side of the road, so even if you start with two seats to yourself, you’ll probably have to move over at some point as extra passengers get on board. Even if all seats are taken the driver will still allow more passengers on board to sit on the floor, so be prepared for crowding in the busy summer months.
Where Can I Find Bus Timetables for Albania?
Up until recently it was nearly impossible to find Albania bus timetables online, but nowadays the website Gjirafa Travel is surprisingly good! I used this to help me plan my journeys and found that the departure times were mostly accurate. Of course, though, this is Albania, so I would use the online timetables as a guide only rather than as bible.
The best way to get up-to-date timetables is to ask the staff at your accommodation. Most hostel, guesthouse, and hotel owners will have a list of departure times to popular spots or at least know what time you should be at the bus station.
What if There Are No Direct Buses?
There often won’t be direct buses between where you are and where you want to go. The Gjirafa Travel website will give you all of the different transfer options you could opt for, but the best way to work out where you need to catch a connecting bus is to ask the staff at your hostel, guesthouse or hotel.
This is because some connections will have more frequent departures than others, and the staff will probably know which route this is.
If they’re not sure I recommend just turning up at the bus station and asking the bus drivers what the best route would be.
On arrival at your connecting location you’ll see other buses ready to depart, and hopefully one will have your final destination in the window. If not, just ask a bus driver and they’ll point you in the right direction. I got very lucky in Albania and never had to wait more than half an hour for my connection, but you could have to wait up to a couple of hours.
For this reason, it’s important not to have to be at your destination by a certain time. The departure and travel times are totally out of your control!
How Much Do Buses Cost in Albania?
The bus prices vary in Albania, and it’s not easy to know how much it’ll cost beforehand.
I paid between 400-700 LEK per bus journey. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason behind how much each journey costs. My most expensive journey was just 90 minutes, so your best bet is to make sure you have plenty of cash on you before any bus journeys.
Click here to read my full guide on how much to budget for your trip to Albania!
Is Travel by Bus Safe in Albania?
I found bus travel in Albania to be very safe. At first, I was slightly concerned with my luggage being stored at the back of the bus but soon relaxed. I didn’t have any issues using the buses in Albania and didn’t hear of any other travellers having any either.
In fact, I felt really looked after on the buses in Albania. Often, an Albanian on the bus or the bus driver would “adopt” you and make sure that you found your connecting bus on arrival. A very sweet woman even gave me a wet wipe and some gum on a particularly hot bus journey!
Albanians are excited about the growing tourism industry in their country, and they’re keen to make sure that you have a great time and spread the word. I’ve travelled to 35 countries by now and I have never felt as looked after as a tourist as I did in Albania!
The biggest danger of taking the buses in Albania would be the driving standards, which are a far cry from what you’re probably used to. Some of those mountaintop roads can be hair-raising, but I took comfort from the fact that the bus drivers have probably driven these roads thousands of times and are still alive.
Another thing to be aware of is the lack of aircon or heating on many of these buses. In summer, when temperatures in Albania can reach 40°C, I’ve heard that taking the bus can be horrendous. In winter, I’ve heard of people feeling like they were going to freeze. Pack accordingly, and always have plenty of water with you!
International Bus Routes in Albania
Albania borders four countries, so there are lots of different international bus routes linking Albania with other countries. These buses work slightly differently.
In almost all cases you can book your tickets online for these routes simply by Googling them. It’s also far easier to find timetables online for them and they’re more likely to depart on time.
In Tirana, the international buses depart from the international bus station. This is different to the one you use to get buses to elsewhere in Albania. Aside from that, there’s not much difference between national and international bus journeys in Albania.
Top Tips for Bus Travel in Albania
I’ve covered pretty much everything you need to know in this post, but here’s the TL;DR!
- Have plenty of cash available
- Arrive at the bus station as early as you can
- Pack plenty of water and snacks, and warm clothes in winter
- Take motion sickness medicine in advance if you need it
- Don’t have any fixed plans for your arrival destination on your arrival day. The bus departure time and journey time are unpredictable and out of your control.
