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Due to the bad condition of the roads there were no buses in the afternoon, evening or night in Albania. The first bus leaves when the sun rises and the last at noon. Why noon? Because the minimum the bus takes is about 5 hours to go anywhere!
I took a look at the bus station to find out about transports in Albania. The first challenge was to find the station itself... there is not really a bus station (I mean a building), just a corner where the buses stop, and a sign with the timetable. You buy the ticket on board.I just took a quick look at the buses, but what I saw didn't make me wish a long travel by road in one of those cars...
The only commercial airport in Albania is the Mohter Teresa/Rinas Airport in Tirana. It is not a very big or particularly efficient airport--our flight was delayed 40 minutes because the president of the country had flown in at some point that day. There are regular flights from Rome, Budapest, and other nearby cities. To get around Albania, you have to take the bus.
there's a lot of mini-bus travelling around albania. in tirana for example there's a kind of terminal bus for every destination. must be full for the departure. usually quickly. very cheap and fast. the drivers are very experimented to drive in this kind of road.there's a only one highway (tirana-durres) finishing at mid-way. the same way to go to the airport.
If you want to tour Albania, hire a car with a driver from a reputable agency That way you will get a car and a driver who can cope with the local roads.We travelled from Tirana to Durres to Berat to Vlore to Saranda to Gjirokaster and back to Tirana and had a great time, but aside from a small section between Tirana and Durres the roads were pretty rough in places. I would have been a total nervous wreck if I had had to drive.
On the subject of Albanian rural motoring, there is the question of which side of the road do they drive. The answer is actually neither. The state of the roads means that it’s only feasible to drive at any speed straight down the middle. Most roads are steeply cambered on each side making them look like a transverse hump backed bridge. Any attempt to drive to one side will soon have the car in the ditch. If a car comes the other way I'd suggest the ditch option as you'll see a number of car wrecks on the side of the road where the driver has lost a game of chicken.
Roads are on some places very bad, but anyway no problems driving a car in Albania. It only goes slow sometimes.On the picture: Sometimes better not to see where you are driving-better to drive with closed eyes:))
The ride up to Pogradec near the border is slow but passes through quite good scenery as it slowly climbs.There are currently two trains a day at about 6AM and Noon. They take about 7 hours if there are no problems.Pogradec is something of a hell hole but you can walk from here into Macedonia. If you head south you can get a bus once over the border near the monastry in Macedonia.I can't get hold a timetable at the moment. You may have to hitch it (about 30KM)Last time I was here we cycled North and passed into Macedonia through a small pass in the mountains and round the lake into Ohrid.
A sturdy car is a must if you do a road trip through Albania. Many roads are in a bad state of disrepair and driving is downright dangerous and a constant adrenaline rush. Locals drive like lunatics and most roads are hardly wide enough for two cars.Apart from that, there are no problems. To bring your private car into the country, you only need a 'green insurance card' and pay a road tax of 1€ per day.I wouldn't worry too much about theft, you will see more brand-new luxury cars in Tirana than elsewhere in Europe.
without any special problem (may 2002),from malaga to heraklion through barcelona-marseille-nice-genova-trieste-rijeka-zadar-split-sarajevo-dubrovnik-podgorica-skodra-tirana-pogradec-kastoria-athinai-heraklion.albania:the worst european roads....but,sometimes,nearly the best ones!(maybe,then used as field airport strip,as near korce?)when in albania,secure parking is important!at night,better for vehicles to be locked up in a compound (hotel,for instance)our car:peugeot 307 unleadedpassport+visas/car insurances at bosnia-herzegovina,montenegro and albanian (10$/person) borders.montenegro:eurosalbania:dollars
Sheraton Tirana Hotel and Towers Tirana
4 Reviews and 70 Opinions Having spent approximately 5 months in the Sheraton-Tirana, I know the "ins" and the "outs" of the...
Hotel Berati Berat
3 Opinions
Grand Hotel Europa Shkoder
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Reviews and photos of Albania attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Albania sightseeing.
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Q: Hello all I'm planning to visit Albania in 2012 and i need every bit of advice going. There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of...
A: I have been to Albania several times over the years and i would say you should try and make a visit to Berat aswell as Girokaster. These places are very scenic places...
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