Tirana Travel Forum

I read that there are no direct buses and it is necessary to change in Struga, is this correct?

Does anyone know the departure time of buses from Tirana to Struga/Ohrid? How long does it take by bus? (I read somewhere that it is 3.5 hrs but have also heard it is 5.5 hrs) Planning to travel in June.

Many thanks

i cycled that route last october and you should expect a bit of delay, as parts of the road is quite bad.
it's being rebuild, but it will take some time before it's finished.

I made this trip in 2003 the other way round. I think something between 3.5 and 5.5 hours is it, probably closer to the 3.5 hours. However, my trip took much longer because we had a long delay at the border due to a lady not possessing the right Visa. she was left there in the end... there are many things that can cause changes in this part of the world.
Heading from Skanderbeg square to the train station you pass all those busses going somewhere. ask around there and you will get to know the schedule. I think the bus makes each way twice a day. Actually this bus links Tetovo with Tirana, Struga is only a stop. My bus left Struga around 1pm.
Struga to Ohrid is no problem, there are local busses every 15min or so
sorry, I can't remember more... ;)

take care!
Mischka

Thank you Sympathisant and cachaseiro for your reply. I still couldn't find the schedules. If anyone has any additional information, it'll be much appreciated.

I know there are buses from Tirana to Ohrid every night, around 10.00 pm. A few days a week you can find buses at miday as well, but not sure exactely when.
The trip to Struga takes about 5 and a half hrs. There you can get a taxi for 3 eurs and you will be in Ohrid in 15 min.
Enjoy ur trip!
suela.

hi - yeah, I took a bus that left Tirana around 9 or 10pm to Struga last fall... I guess it took about 5 1/2 hours, and yes a long stretch of the road through the mountains was pretty rough (don't look down!). - then it drops you on the side of the highway about 3am right outside Struga, you can walk into town from there... I just slept out by the lake that night and went to Ohrid in the morning... if you have trouble finding the bus, go ask at the travel agencies around the center in Tirana, they were all very helpful and they finally pointed me to the right one which the bus leaves from... have fun!

Thank you Skinz and Junkyard for your answer. 9pm bus is quite late considering it takes 5+ hours. I am hoping to travel during daylight hours and am wondering if anyone has taken a shared taxi or taxi from Tirana to Macedonian border (border crossing Qafa e thanes) instead of the bus. Please share your experience and the costs.

hi - no, I have not taken a shared taxi in Albania, but I took a shared taxi in Macedonia from Ohrid to Skopje, just me and four guys none of whom I knew and none spoke english, and it was totally fine... took a shared mini-bus in Kosovo too and that was fine... Albania I don't know, probably the same...

oh yeah, the taxi and the mini-bus were around the same price as the regular bus, maybe a dollar more, or not even... (if the taxi/mini-bus is not completely full with passengers, then it will cost more per person)...