Albania Bus Timetable: Buses from Tirana, Routes, Prices

Many buses run between Tirana and the larger cities in Albania. Travelling by bus is inexpensive and a good way to explore the country. The buses almost always run during the day, but not all of them follow a regular timetable. A long-distance journey, e.g. from Tirana to Saranda, costs between 1,000 and 1,200 lek. Many travellers prefer to use the many private minibuses, which compete with the larger coaches but operate almost without timetables and fixed fares.

Busbahnhof Nord/Süd Tirana

Tip: Buses to the larger towns leave every half hour or hour, some smaller buses wait until they are full to leave. Someone always speaks English and the fare is simply collected on the bus during the journey.

In my experience, the drivers and fellow travellers were always friendly and happy to help us figure out how to get to our destination, even if I didn’t speak the same language.

I think some people tend to worry too much about local transport, but here in Albania what seems obvious is actually what’s likely to happen, so just find the right bus and enjoy a cheap ride to your next town.

Busbahnhof Nord/Süd Tirana

Tirana – Bus Terminals

There are two large bus stations in Tirana for travelling within the country:

• Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut or North/South Terminal
• Terminali i Autobuzëve Juglindje or Regional Terminal for the southeast of Albania

Albania is a very small country where you can reach everything within five hours. Buses to larger cities such as Durrës, Berat, Shkodër and Fier depart from the North Terminal bus station.

Similar to the North Terminal, there is a smaller version of the bus station in the south-east of Tirana. From here, buses depart for places such as Pogradec and Korçë.

At both bus stations, numerous Furgons are waiting to depart. The destination is indicated on each one. If you can’t find your bus, don’t worry. The drivers will call out the name of the city loud and clear. In most cases, the owners of the buses are also the drivers.

Tip: There are no night buses travelling from Tirana or any other city in Albania. The last bus should leave at 18.00 or 18.30. So have a look at the timetable and plan accordingly.

International Bus Terminal – Travel from/to Albania

In addition to the two bus stations for domestic transport, there is the Terminali i Autobuzave Ndërkombëtarë bus station for international transport to many European countries such as Montenegro, Germany, Greece,…

Tirana Bus Terminal North and South (Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut)

It is fairly easy to get to the Albania Bus Terminal North and South from the city centre. A road leads almost directly there from Skanderbeg Square, and several of the local bus lines will take you to the bus terminal.

Just go to the bus stops on the northern edge of Skanderbeg Square and look out for buses with signs saying „Kamez“, or ask the people at the bus stop which buses go to „Terminali“ + destination.

The Tirana city bus costs 40 Lek per person (about 40 cents), a ticket inspector collects the fee on the bus and gives you a small paper ticket in return.

Once you arrive at the bus station, it is very easy to find the right bus, as all buses have a large sign with the destination on the windscreen. So if you want to go to Durres, look for a bus with a Durres sign on the windscreen, and so on.

There is a bus from Tirana to Shkoder every 30 minutes between 6:30 hrs and 17:00 hrs.  The bus from Tirana to Shkoder takes 2 hrs.

There are 4 x buses from Tirana Airport to Shkoder each day. Buses depart from Tirana Airport to Shkoder at 11:15 am, 12:45 pm, 17:30 pm and 20:10 pm. The ticket from Tirana Airport to Shkoder costs 1000 Lek (€ 10) per person.

For your stay in Shkoder I can recommend InTown Guesthouse, is very central but quietly located on the Rruga Lole Idromeno. The owners are very dedicated hosts. There is a car park in front of the door. Spacious rooms, beautiful garden, lovingly restored historic house. Very good value for money. ☑ Check availability and prices here.

The bus from Tirana to Kruje departs at 14x a day every 30 minutes between 7:00 am and 18:00 pm. The ticket costs 150 Lek (1.5 EUR).

Tirana City Center (Qendër) – Museum BunkArt1 / Dajti Express Cable car

The bus stop is located behind the Opera, line L11 Porcelani. You can either get off at the last stop and walk 1 km or wait a bit for the bus to continue to a stop called BunkArt1/Teleferik. The ticket price is 40 lek. Travel time is around 20 minutes. I recommend combining your visits to BunkArt and mount Dajti.

The bus from Tirana to Vlore leaves from the South and North Bus Terminal. The ticket price is around 500 Lek and travel time is about 3 hours. The bus stop in Vlorë is on Rruga Demokracija. You can find it on Google Maps as „Bus Terminal Vlora„.

Departure: Every 30 minutes between 5:00 and 17:30.

Return: Every 30 minutes between 4:00 and 16:00.

The Tirana Bus Terminal to Saranda is the South and North Terminal.

There is also an express bus that departs from this Bus Terminal at 12:30 pm and stops at Saranda Center. The trip is express and takes 5 hrs. To travel to Ksamil you can change at Saranda Bus Station.

The bus from Tirana to Himarë departs at 5:30 AM and 13:00 PM. A bus ticket costs 1000 Leke (€10). The bus takes 4hrs.

Similar to the North Terminal, there is a smaller version of the bus station in the south-east of Tirana. Buses leave from here for destinations such as Pogradec and Korçë. At both bus stations, there are many Furgons waiting to depart. The destination is written on each one.

The Tirana International Bus Terminal is located behind the Ring Shopping Centre (Zogu i Zi Square).

Tirana International Airport (TIA) to Tirana city centre

The airport shuttle bus runs daily from Tirana city centre to the airport and vice versa. During peak hours there are large buses, at other times the shuttle is a minivan or a Furgon.

As soon as you come out of the terminal, simply turn left directly to the car park to find a Furgon marked TIRANA, or ask a local to take you there.

Price and journey times of the Tirana Airport shuttle

Price: 300 Lek/person (one way), buy directly from the driver
Tirana -> TIA – 7.00 to 23.00 every hour
TIA -> Tirana – 8.00 to 24.00 every hour

Taxi airport – Tirana

A taxi journey from the airport costs around €20. You can find all information about airport shuttles, car hire and taxis on the Tirana Airport website.

Starting in 2024, there will now be a direct bus from Tirana Airport to Shkoder. The bus departs from Tirana airport at 11:15, 12:45, 17:30 and 20:10. A bus ticket costs 1000 Albanian Lek (10 Euro) and you have to pay in cash. The bus journey from Tirana airport to Shkoder takes about 2.5 hours.

There is a direct bus from Tirana airport to Durres (beach). Tirana airport is located between north of Tirana on the road to Durres on the coast, so Durres is also a good option for your first night in Albania!

Timetable: The bus from Tirana airport to Durres departs at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30, 17:00, 19:00 and 21:00. A bus ticket costs 600 leke (6 euros) per person. You pay cash to the bus driver.