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Tirana

From Wikitravel

Europe : Mediterranean Europe : Albania : Tirana

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Understand
[+] Get in
- By train
- By bus
- By plane
- By boat
Get around
See
Do
Learn
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[+] Eat
- Budget
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- Splurge
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A view of downtown Tirana from Skytower

Tirana is the capital of Albania.

[edit] Understand

Tirana is the capital of Albania. Located in Southeastern Europe, between Greece in the south, Montenegro and Kosovo to the North, and Macedonia in the Northeast. Tourists usually find Tirana a beautiful and charming city, with a lively night life. Tirana suffers from pollution problems, mainly due to the rapid increase in cars in the city. There are many excellent, inexpensive restaurants in Tirana serving all kinds of food (but good luck finding a taco!). Tirana also features many historical buildings, and a strange sensation of the meeting between Europe and the Orient. About 70% of Albania's population are nominally Muslim, but very few practice their religion. The BBC called Albania a rich blend of cultures and religions with breathtaking natural beauty and pristine beaches.

The city and country are very friendly to tourists. They are completely closing the central square to autos soon which will make the center of town even more pedestrian and tourist friendly. The average citizen speaks little English.

[edit] Get in

An Albanian visa costs €10, payable upon entrance to the country. At the port in Durres, they might not charge an American citizen to enter. It has happened at least once.

Tirana has no international train connections, so be ready to fly or for a long bus ride to or from the country. Tirana's makeshift restaurant/station is downtown, behind the Triana International Hotel, and costs €20 to either Skopje, Macedonia (about 300 km, 6 hours) or to Prishtina, Kosovo (It was a horrible 10 hour long trip for just 320 km - DO NOT, DO NOT take this route).

[edit] By train

Railway service in the Balkans (former Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria) was drastically reduced in the 1990s. Albania, which never had a particularly good railway service, is left with just about nothing these days. International train service does not exist. So, you can only reach Tirana from another Albanian city, and, until now, train service only operates to Durrës, Shkodër (Shkodra), Elbasan, Vlorë and Pogradec. Even though train services are very poor, when compared to West Balkan stadards, they are strangely frequent - with up to 8 services a day to Durrës.

While slower and perhaps more worn than the bus, the train ride from Tirana to Shkodër(or vice versa) makes up for this not only in cost (120 lek) but also in scenery. The 3 1/2 hour ride north enables you to enjoy the scenery of this unique country, sometimes even without the hindrance of glass between you and the world.

[edit] By bus

Intercity buses near Tirana's main stadium

You can travel by bus to Tirana from other Albanian towns, or from Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, and Greece by international roads. There is usually one service per day from the afore-mentioned countries. Get current information about Tirana at the bus station before you leave that country. There is no regular bus service to Tirana from other parts of Europe. Buses to and from Kosovo depart from downtown (behind museum where one also can find buses to Rinas airport)

Buses are generally the best method for traveling in Albania, but the traveler should note that they are not in the best of shape. There are few bus companies - buses are usually private coaches. There are no set schedules - coaches depart when they are full, or at the whim of the driver (usually at 6AM).

In Tirana there are no bus stations, just simple bus stops (usually consiting of a bench and a pole), even for international bus lines. Beware of pickpocketers when using the buses. Do not keep valuables and money on the easily accessible pockets. But remember, this is Albania, if you want to have fun here you need to take things with good humor and not get too annoyed.

[edit] By plane

Tirana is served by Mother Teresa Airport (TIA), 25 km from the center of town. Flights arrive from many European destinations, so in many cases if you are coming from Europe or even other continents, flying may be the most common and certain way to arrive in Tirana. There is no public transportaion from Rinas to Tirana - you have to hire a taxi, which costs about 15 Euros, but you can try and bargain with the drivers. This is a bit expensive, but other options are generally not available. Some times ago a private company have established a regular bus line Rinas-Tirana-Rinas. The buses part every hour till 18:00 after that usually you have to take a taxi. The ticket costs 200 lek (1,60 euros - All above information regarding bus service was valid in summer 2007 do check upon your arrival for changes). The journey last 1/2 hour normally.

[edit] By boat

Tirana is not a port, so you can't get there directly by boat. There are, however, reasonable sea routes from Italy (from the ports in Bari, Trieste, and Ancona) to Durrës, from where you can take the train (which comes approximately every two hours) or a bus to Tirana. You could also rent a car and be in Tirana in about 20 minutes. Traveling by boat is a pretty good alternative to traveling to Tirana, especially if you are arriving from Italy.