Country Guides
Albania
Getting There
Getting There
Albania
Getting There by Air
The national airline is Albanian Airlines (LV) (website: www.albanianairlines.com.al), which operates direct flights to London Stansted from July to September. British Airways (BA) (website: www.ba.com) has a year-round direct service from London Gatwick.
Approximate Flight Times
From London to Tirana is 3 hours on a direct flight.
Main Airports
Tirana International Airport (TIA) (website: www.tirana-airport.com.al) is 25km (16 miles) from the capital. To/from the airport: An hourly bus service runs into the city centre between 0700 and 1900 (journey time - 30 minutes if traffic is light). Taxis are also available. Facilities: Small duty-free shop, ATM (in arrivals terminal), newsagents, souvenir kiosk and cafe.
Departure Tax
US$10 is levied on all foreign nationals. Nationals of Albania pay Lek1,000.
Getting There by Water
Main ports: Durrësi, Vlora and Shëngjini.
Durrësi has connections to Bari (journey time - 9 hours), to Ancona (journey time - 18 hours) and to Trieste (journey time - 24 hours) in Italy (website: www.cemar.it/dest/traghetti_albania.htm). It is also possible to travel from Durrësi to Bari via catamaran (journey time - 3 hours) (website: www.venezialines.com).
Vlora has ferry connections to Brindisi (journey time - 6-8 hours) (website: www.agoudimos-lines.com and www.skenderbeglines.com).
Saranda has a hydrofoil service (journey time - 30 minutes) and a ferry service (journey time - 90 minutes) to Corfu. The ferry companies Finikas and Albkorfuz have ticket-offices in Corfu town.
Getting There by Rail
There are no international passenger services at present.
Getting There by Road
The main road crossings into Albania are from Ulcinj (Ulqini) and Podgorica in Montenegro; Prizreni in Kosova; Debar, Struga and Ohrid in Macedonia; Kastoria (Kosturi) and Ioannina in Greece. Drivers bringing their own car into Albania pay a nominal circulation tax, which is valid for 60 days. Guarded parking is essential; mid-range hotels (and better) usually provide this to guests.
The main international bus routes to Tirana are from Prishtina via Prizreni in Kosova; from Tetova via Debar in Macedonia; and from Thessalonica, Ioannina and Athens in Greece. There are also buses from Ulqinj to Shkodra.
Travel Essentials
Getting There by Air
The national airline is Albanian Airlines (LV) (website: www.albanianairlines.com.al), which operates direct flights to London Stansted from July to September. British Airways (BA) (website: www.ba.com) has a year-round direct service from London Gatwick.
Approximate Flight Times
From London to Tirana is 3 hours on a direct flight.
Main Airports
Tirana International Airport (TIA) (website: www.tirana-airport.com.al) is 25km (16 miles) from the capital. To/from the airport: An hourly bus service runs into the city centre between 0700 and 1900 (journey time - 30 minutes if traffic is light). Taxis are also available. Facilities: Small duty-free shop, ATM (in arrivals terminal), newsagents, souvenir kiosk and cafe.
Departure Tax
US$10 is levied on all foreign nationals. Nationals of Albania pay Lek1,000.
Getting There by Water
Main ports: Durrësi, Vlora and Shëngjini.
Durrësi has connections to Bari (journey time - 9 hours), to Ancona (journey time - 18 hours) and to Trieste (journey time - 24 hours) in Italy (website: www.cemar.it/dest/traghetti_albania.htm). It is also possible to travel from Durrësi to Bari via catamaran (journey time - 3 hours) (website: www.venezialines.com).
Vlora has ferry connections to Brindisi (journey time - 6-8 hours) (website: www.agoudimos-lines.com and www.skenderbeglines.com).
Saranda has a hydrofoil service (journey time - 30 minutes) and a ferry service (journey time - 90 minutes) to Corfu. The ferry companies Finikas and Albkorfuz have ticket-offices in Corfu town.
Durrësi has connections to Bari (journey time - 9 hours), to Ancona (journey time - 18 hours) and to Trieste (journey time - 24 hours) in Italy (website: www.cemar.it/dest/traghetti_albania.htm). It is also possible to travel from Durrësi to Bari via catamaran (journey time - 3 hours) (website: www.venezialines.com).
Vlora has ferry connections to Brindisi (journey time - 6-8 hours) (website: www.agoudimos-lines.com and www.skenderbeglines.com).
Saranda has a hydrofoil service (journey time - 30 minutes) and a ferry service (journey time - 90 minutes) to Corfu. The ferry companies Finikas and Albkorfuz have ticket-offices in Corfu town.
Getting There by Rail
There are no international passenger services at present.
Getting There by Road
The main road crossings into Albania are from Ulcinj (Ulqini) and Podgorica in Montenegro; Prizreni in Kosova; Debar, Struga and Ohrid in Macedonia; Kastoria (Kosturi) and Ioannina in Greece. Drivers bringing their own car into Albania pay a nominal circulation tax, which is valid for 60 days. Guarded parking is essential; mid-range hotels (and better) usually provide this to guests.
The main international bus routes to Tirana are from Prishtina via Prizreni in Kosova; from Tetova via Debar in Macedonia; and from Thessalonica, Ioannina and Athens in Greece. There are also buses from Ulqinj to Shkodra.
The main international bus routes to Tirana are from Prishtina via Prizreni in Kosova; from Tetova via Debar in Macedonia; and from Thessalonica, Ioannina and Athens in Greece. There are also buses from Ulqinj to Shkodra.
Travel Essentials
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