Durres Travel Forum

Hey everybody!

I'm planning to visit a friend of mine in Bitola, Macedonia, in April and then go to another friend in Perugia, Italy. My idea was to go from Bitola to Durres and then take a ferry to Ancona. But my Macedonian friend warned me that it would be too dangerous / impossible to make that trip...

My questions:

1. Is there a bus connection between Bitola and Durres? Or can I change somewhere (like Tirana)?

2. How would you rate the safety of such a trip?

3. How are my chances to get a ferry from Durres to Ancona without a reservation? (I assume that I can't schedule everything because from what I heard, schedules are not quite reliable in that area)

If you could help me out with any of these questions, I would be very grateful!

Axel

i have done that trip by bicycle and had no problems at all.
the region has some internal turmoil and there is a lot of hatred between some of the nationaliites there.

it's very unlikely to affect you though.
people are extremely hospitable in both macedonia and albania.

you would probaply need to change bus twice.
first you would need to take a bus from bitola to ohrid and then dhange in to a bus to tirana.
from tirana you have connections to durres all the time with both bus and train (the train is very old and slow though).

There are daily buses that leave from Skopje to Ohrid via Bitola and you explain to the driver to stop you on the crossroad where you have to take another bus to Tirana, and wait buses from Skopje and Prishtina. Also you could get to Kicevo and there change to tirana if you don't want to wait on the road.Once you arrive in Tirana there are dozens of buses and minivans that will ake you to Durres for less than 15 min for less than 1 EUR.
If you still do not feel good travelling trough FYR of Meacedonia there is an option of taking the train from Bitola to Thessaloniki and from there another one to Athens and from there ferrie to Ancona.
As far as i know there are no frequent ferries to Ancona in April but not sure. Anyway, april is low season and tickets will be cheaper and no problem even without a reservation.Ferry Durres-Ancona will take around 20 hrs and Patras-Ancona around 22 hrs. Tickets for Durres-Ancona ferries will be probably more expensive than Patras-Ancona (starting at 52 EUR for deck, no taxes included).
I would also encourage to you to check flying options from Skopje airport to Malpensa ( Milano). If you are younger than 26 you might get a RT ticket starting at 190 EUR.

Thanks a lot, cachaseiro and tinushi! The whole thing sounds quite doable, so I think I will try it. With the help of my Macedonian friends it shouldn't be a problem to get on the right bus in Bitola.

Just one more question though: How long do you think it will take for the whole trip, from Bitola to Durres with changes in Ohrid and Tirana? Are the busses regular so that I can make it in one day?

Would be great to hear from you again about that (or also from anyone else out there!)

Thanks,

Axel

Hello,

I travelled extensively throughout Albania and neighbouring countries (including Macedonia) - mainly by public transport, but I also hitchhiked - without any difficultiesv at all. Safety is no problem in the area, as far a you keep a bit low-profile.

Safety on ferries is also ok - I took the ferry Bari-Dürres line - no difficulties only the ship was a bit randown (at least the one I took). Dürres harbour is safe too, but unbelievable chaotic (even to Albanian standards) - the only place I didn't like at all in Albania. Don't know whether it's possible to buy ferry ticket upon arrival (I booked it some weeks in advance) but I guess they won't to difficult if you don't mind to sleep on the deck as I did, although August and beginning of september can be very busy.

Thanks Rico!

I think I will first pick one of the ferry companies and then check with them if I should make a reservation beforehand. I could imagine that in April it won't be such a problem, especially since I intended to buy just a deck ticket anyway.

Thanks again!
Axel

Around the Dürres ferry terminal, there are several dozens of travel agencies selling tickets for the different lines. When I was there - on 30th of August last year, that's in the middle of the busy season - quiet a lot of people buyed their tickets there, just a few hour before the embarkment. So I think, in April there won't be a problem at all, although maybe Easter holidays can be busier too. Deck or 'pulman seat' passages will probably never be refused.