Albania Travel Forum

I am spending seven days in Albania and Macedonia in May, travelling from Tirana to Skopje. Am planning on a couple of days in Tirana, before hitting the road to Lake Ohrid, where I will be based for a couple more days and then making my way up to Skopje, possibly via the Mavrovo National Park for a day or two.

What would you recommend as the best sights/things to do in that timeframe? Any good hostels/hotels/restaurants/bars to stop off at along the way.

Also, what is the best form of transport, when does it run and how far/long does it take to get between these places?

Hello everybody! This is the first time i use virtualtourist.com, so i wish there is somebody to give me the advice i need. What I'm up to is a trip from Larissa,Greece to Dubrovnik,Croatia. I have found most bus links, but not yet anything referring to the route between Shkoder,Albania and Podgoritsa,Montenegro. Does anyone know something about this? And secondly, I think there are regular bus routes from Podgoritsa to Hergec Novi or Dubrovnik, but i haven't find some schedule in the net.

any information is most welcomed,
thanking in advance,
sotis

Hi,
Looking for any info on the buses from Ulcinj in Montenegro to Shkoder in Albania. Been looking for up to date timetables and can't find any. Anybody have info on times and where to get the bus from? Do the buses go all the way to Shkoder or do I have to change buses at the border?

What would a taxi cost all the way to Shkoder?
Thanks
Brian

looking for bus timetable for bus from tirara to pristina and from tirana to ohird
thanks benen

We are four guys from Denmark, coming to visit Tirana for 5 nights in May. We are looking for an apartment with 4 bedrooms centrally located in downtown Tirana.

Can anybody help us out?

Thanks
Johan

Hi,
We are four guys from Denmark visiting Tirana this May. We are looking for an apartment with 4 bedrooms in central Tirana. Can anybody help us out? We may also need a guide for some trips etc.

Thanks

Johan

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience with traveling from Tirana to Berat? What is the best transport to take?

- city Bus/ mini bus or train? (do they approx. take the same route? If not, what is the most interesting track?)

- www.hsh.com.al doens not seem to work, does anyone have an alternative?

- What are the best stops inbetween Tirana and Berat for sightseeing?

Looking forward to some inside information...
Tine

Doja te dija nese dikush nga ju ka qene ne restorantin Jurden dhe n.q.s. po, a mund te me jepni pershtypjet per ambjentin, ushqimin, cmimet, etj. Arsyeja qe pyes eshte sepse une jam jashte Shqiperise dhe kam degjuar qe restorant Jurden eshte i mire per dasma.
Faleminderit

My sister and I are planning to cross into Albania in a couple of days. We will be entering through the port that connects with Corfu, Greece. Any specific recommendations on places to stay or things to see? We will probably be spending our time south of Tirana. Albania still seems a rather unfrequented country, and any tips would be appreciated, specifically on cheaper accomodation.
We also hope to take the bus out of Tirana to Thessiloniki. Does anyone know an approximate timetable and cost? Does it leave from the central bus station?
Thanks in advance.

I am planing a trip to Albania, Kosovo, Montengro, Bosnia and perhaps Macedonia. I need some help.

1)I read some where that No one needs a visa to Kosovo, is that true?
2) Would there be difficulty getting into Montenegro after visitng kosovo?
3)Is it possible to cross between Kosovo and Montenegro?

Thanks

Hi there! I need a bit of help i will travel with my family all around europe i will be staying in albania for few days. Me and my folks are jazz lovers.
Could you please recomand any jazz venues maybe websites or links with info about jazz clubs/festivals???
thank you

hi there wonder if anyone can help. We would like to travel from Korce to Leskovic - we did this last September but the section of road from Erseka south was very bad. Has anyone done this recently or know of any improvement to the road since then?

Thanks

I am currently planning a trip to Albania and would like to visit Sarander so we can catch the ferry to Corfu. Does anyone know of an alternative way of getting from Tirana to Sarander, that does not involve travelling by bus? Are there taxi transfers or private companies that offer this service? Thanks!

I will soon be attending a wedding in Tirana. Are there any traditions I should be aware of (colors to avoid wearing, gifts to give or avoid giving, etc.)? What do people typically wear to a formal wedding in Albania? Do you have any recommendations for thank you gifts to bring with me? Anything else I should know before going? Thanks!

Dear all,

This is not a question, so I do not expect any reply on that.

Simply, just to tell you that there is a general strike (protest) of Greek custom officers. So in the next 24 hours it is impossible to go in or out of Greece by vehicle, except through Bulgaria. Trough Bulgaria is possible because both countries are members of EU and there is no necessity for custom checking, and only police officers are in charge for the passengers. Thanks god that police is not on strike as well.

Please can someone help me i am planning to travel to albania with my newborn baby who is fed on formula milk. The formula milk is called Aptamil. I need to know if this is going to be available to buy in tirana. Many thanks..

I will be traveling to Ireland and Albania for a vacation.

I will buy a cheap mobile telephone in ireland and change sim card when in albania.

is there anything I should know before I buy this cell phone in Albania. Are any certain carriers more compatible with other short term cellphones.

any thoughts or suggestions

I“m interested in crossing the border Greece-Albania at Sagiada. I would like to know if there are local Albanian tour operators who pick individual tourists up from the border and can take them to the places worth seeing: Butrint and Saranda and back again to the border / Sagiada.

Thank you for all information and contact info!

Direct bus from Elbasan, Albania to Orhid, Macedonia.

I need last minute advice about taking a furgon (or long distance bus) from ELBASAN, ALBANIA to ORHID, MACEDONIA. I know the bus leaves from TIRANA, and the road to MACEDONIA passes through ELBASAN so I'm hoping to catch it in ELBASAN and go all the way to ORHID.

I don't want to go to POGADEC, or take an expensive TAXI from the border. There must be a bus connecting TIRANA and SKOPJE, and I'd like to hop on board that bus in ELBASAN and get off at ORHID, if possible.

Please let me know ASAP, because I have to leave tomorrow (and I just found out today).

Thanks.

Hi to All!
I want to go to Himara-Albania at the end off August.
Can anyone tell me is there low-price accomodation in Himara,is there any night-life?
I want to go there with my girlfriend, so should I or not?
Thanks in advance

I would like to know how to get from Igoumenitsa to Albania over land. I heard it's possible via Sagiada? I would like to know what areas are nice to hike ,where to find nice hotels and beautiful sceneries and maybe if visiting Lake Butrint is worth a visit?

Thank you for information

Hi i will be travelling from Kotor to Tirana on Sunday 28 September and cant seem to find any details on the internet.

Can someone give me tips on buses, trains even plane i can take to get me into Tirana by this date from Kotor.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

looking for a Cuban alll girl band called the Caribean Hurricane and where they are playing.
thanks

Hi I am travelling to Albania for the first time towards the end of the July. I am concerned about getting from the border to my hotel in Tirana. Any advice? I am heading to Macedonia after this. Anyone any good ideas how to get to Skopje?

hello friends!
in august we're going to enter albania the first time in our lives ;) we're going to have around 6 days until we continue travelling to montenegro. at first i'd like to ask you what you think about our route and destinations where we planned to stay:

-crossing the border at pogradec from there to GJIROKASTRA
-stay in GJIROKASTRA for one night
-the to SARANDE for 2 nights (party in SARANDE swimming in KSAMIL, maybe to BUTRINT)
-from SARANDE to BERAT just for the day and leaving to TIRANA in the afternoon
-stay in TIRANA for 2 nights
-then to SHKODRA (maybe one night?) and then to CRNA GORA

what i'd like to know is: are the destinations well chosen for that period of time? we don't want to get in a total hurry but want to see some important places. is it worth to stay in gjirokastra for one night or is there a better place to visit on the way to sarande? and is it worth to see lake shkodra? what do you think about our trip in general? would you change any destination(s)?

my second question is about public transportation in albania. how often do busses normally leave to the destinations i mentioned? is it possible to get a direct connection from pogradec to gjirokastra and when do the busses leave (we don't want to miss it when we've crossed the border cause we don't like to spend a night in pogradec)? and: is it possible to get a connection from sarande to berat in the morning and from berat to tirana in the afternoon? how long will all the rides last in average?

I need to do this trip, and after some research, this is what I know:

1. There is a bus that leaves a certain bus stop in Tirana EVERY DAY?
2. It leaves at 9pm?
3. It goes via Struga.
4. It takes ages, and arrives in Skopje around 4am.
5. It costs about 20 Euros one way.
6. It is the main way of travelling between these cities.

Okay, are there any errors in the above?

Also, I have some further queries.

Me and a friend will have an expensive hotel waiting for us in Skopje, so we don't want to waste our money, so...

1. Does the bus actually leave every day?
2. Does in leave at 9pm on the dot, or is this say, quite flexible?
3. Will there be space on the bus, or is it just turn up and hope for the best?
4. How much luggage will we be allowed? We will have a rucksack each.
5. Are the Macedonian/Albanian border formalities a pain, or fairly straight forward?
6. If we miss the bus, or it's full, is it possible to catch a taxi to the border, then cross on foot and then catch either a bus or another taxi to Skopje? If this is possible, how much would it cost?

Many thanks!

By the way, I'm not doing this trip until next May!

Jason

Hi,

My question's quite similar to Petalkins', but the other way round!

In August I'll be travelling down the coast from Vlore and I want to make a stop in either Dhermi or Himare. So... does anyone know where a bus might leave from in Vlore, direction Sarande down the coast, and what time it might leave? 6 a.m. (seems typical)? (Samarkand2 for example might know, he provided all that excellent information answering the last question...). Or if there's any kind of tourist information office in Vlore?

My other question is about hotels. Albania-hotel.com booked me places in Tirana, Vlore and Sarande but they say they can't book anything in Himare or Dhermi for only 2 nights, and they say that in August the hotels don't except bookings for so few days. I want to stop off at either Himare or Dhermi (and I will!) and stay for one or two nights, but at the moment I have no accommodation sorted out. It'd be great if I didn't have to ask around at all the hotels when I get there, which could be an arduous task if everything is full. And I don't fancy the prospect of having to sleep on the beach if I can't find anything! Does anyone know of a hotel or similar in Himare or in Dhermi which has an e-mail address to try and book something, or any way of getting somewhere in advance for 1 or 2 nights in either of these two places?

Thanks in advance to all for your help.

Pau

Hello - me and my boyfriend are thinking of travelling to Albania via Corfu next month. I've been looking up info online for a few months now but there's so little information!

I've got the ferry timetable, so that's ok, but I've got loads more questions and wondered if anyone was able to help:

(1) Buses generally - are they ok? We'd like to get the bus from Sarande to Dhermi, but can't work out where they go from, frequency etc. Any advice here? And does the bus go directly to Dhermi, or will we need to change/ask to be dropped off on the road and walk down?

(2) Dhermi hotels - I know that July is the big season, so I'd really like to try to book something in advance if possible. I'm not in the luxury market - something like a basic, family-run pension is my kind of thing. Really grateful for any hints and tips here.

(3) Money - I've read on lots of fora that you shouldn't take loads of money around with you, but I'm concerned that somewhere like Dhermi won't have banks etc. Is it best to take Albanian Lek?

I think that is enough questions for now - thank you in advance for any advice!

Are there any buses that run from Shkodra to Prishtina in Kosovo? If so when are they and how long is the trip?

Thanks !

I'm going to be in Tirana for a few days and will be heading off to Skopje afterwards.

Okay, and I know this questions has been asked lots of times already,but I want the latest information.

Ideally, me and my friend would love to get a train but I know this is impossible.

Second choice would be flying, but again, impossible.

So that leaves the bus and the taxi.

Taxi actually sounds quite appealing. But a number of questions:

1. Is it possible to hire a taxi for such a long international journey?
2. How lomg would the journey take?
3. How much would a one-way trip be?
4. Which taxi firms are reputable?
5. At the Albanian/Macedonian border, will there be any problems?
6. It is best to do this in one single journey or split it into 2 (i.e. Tirana to Albanian border. Clear customs and get an other taxi to Skopje?

Failing all of this, how horrible is the bus journey. Also, we cannot afford to miss the bus or not get on it because of a flight in Pristina a few days later.

Regards

Jason