How far is Durres from Tirana?

If you are planning to travel to Durres from Tirana, you might be wondering how far Durres is from Tirana. In this blog post, I will discuss the distance and kilometres to Durres from Tirana. And how to get to Durres from Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car.

How far is Durres from Tirana? Durres is 37 kilometres from Tirana. It will take you roughly 45-60 minutes to get to Durres from Tirana. You can get to Durres by bus, by taxi or by car. A bus ticket costs 150 LEK (1.25 EUR). A taxi costs 21-29 EUR. A rental car costs at least 20-25 EUR per day.

In this blog post, I will discuss how far Durres is from Tirana. I will discuss the Port of Durres, the Roman Amphitheatre and the coastal promenade. Then I will discuss how to get to Durres from Tirana by local bus. What you can expect to pay at each taxi company for a ride to Durres from Tirana. And I will explain how you get directly from Tirana airport to Durres by bus.

How far is Durres from Tirana?

Durres is 37 kilometres from Tirana. By car, it takes 45-60 minutes to drive to Durres from Tirana. 

From Tirana’s central Skanderbeg Square it takes approximately 45 minutes to drive to the city centre of Durres. However, I would recommend you calculate about 60 minutes because traffic can be heavy in the city centre of Tirana and in the city centre of Durres. This traffic can slow your journey to Durres from Tirana down. 

Durres has two main areas:
1) The city centre and Port of Durres
2) The coastline and beaches

The city centre of Durres is close to the Port of Durres. The Port of Durres is the large harbour where the big ferry ships from Italy come in. The city centre is also the area where you can visit the Roman Amphitheatre and the Venetian Tower, which are the historical sights of Durres. Actually, the Roman Amphitheatre is a UNESCO heritage site.

However, if you want to go to Durres to visit the beaches, you must drive further to the south. The main coastal promenade is located to the south of the Port of Durres and the city centre. 

Durres is a well-known beach destination in Albania. Many of the locals from Tirana go to Durres on their days off to enjoy the seaside. 

Insider tip! The most beautiful beaches of Durres are located further to the south in the “Golem area”. It will take you approximately 1 hour to drive from Tirana to Golem, but if you are mainly visiting Durres for a day of swimming, it is well worth driving onwards to Golem!

How many km is it from Tirana to Durres?

It is 37 kilometres from Tirana to Durres. 

It is very easy to drive from Tirana to Durres because the city centre of Tirana and the city centre of Durres are connected via the SH2 Highway. This highway leads from the central Skanderbeg Square in Tirana directly to Durres. Moreover, you will have already seen this highway, since Tirana International Airport is located along the SH2 highway in between Tirana and Durres.

The road from Tirana to Durres has clear signage and indications to show you how to drive from Tirana to Durres. 

Important: Once you get closer to Durres, don’t follow the signage for the city centre of Durres (“qender”) if you are planning to go to the beach. Continue following the highway to the south to get to the beach promenade of Durres. In Google Maps, you can enter either “Beach of Durres” or “Plazhi i Golemit” (Golem beach), to get to the beach area where you can swim and sunbathe!

How to get to Durres from Tirana?

You can get to Durres from Tirana by bus, by taxi or by rental car. 

Getting to Durres from Tirana by bus (quick summary)

• A bus ticket from Tirana to Durres costs 150 LEK (1.25 EUR)
  
• The bus departs 2-4 times every hour between 5:00 AM and 21:00 PM. Detailed bus timetable below.
  
• Disadvantage: The bus terminal is located outside the city centre of Tirana. So you need to take a taxi to the bus terminal to catch the bus.

Getting to Durres from Tirana by taxi (quick summary)

• A taxi from Tirana to Durres costs between 21 – 29 euros.
  
• Scroll down for a list of the most affordable taxi companies in Tirana.

Getting to Durres from Tirana by rental car (quick summary)

• A rental car in Albania costs at least 20-25 euros per day.
  
• Petrol from Tirana to Durres will be around 15 euros.
  
• So a taxi ride from Tirana to Durres is more affordable.
  
• Compare rates of taxi companies, before renting as rates can vary significantly. Particularly in the high-season month, like July and August, some car rental companies only offer high rates for their car rentals.

How to get to Durres from Tirana by bus?

You can get to Durres from Tirana by bus. A bus ticket to Durres from Tirana costs 150 LEK (1.25 EUR). 

Tirana to Durres bus timetable

The first busses from Tirana to Durres depart at 3:30 AM and 4:45 AM. Then there are busses from Tirana to Durres at 5:00 AM, 5:30 AM, 5:40 AM, 5:45 AM, 5:55 AM, 6:00 AM, 6:10 AM, 6:15 AM, 6:20 AM, 6:30 AM, 6:40 AM, 6:45 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:05 AM, 7:10 AM, 7:15 AM, 7:19 AM, 7:30 AM, 7:35 AM, 7:40 AM, 7:45 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:10 AM, 8:15 AM, 8:19 AM, 8:20 AM, 8:25 AM, 8:30 AM, 8:33 AM, 8:40 AM, 8:45 AM, 8:50 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:10 AM, 9:15 AM, 9:20 AM, 9:30 AM, 9:40 AM, 9:50 AM, 10:00 AM, 10:05 AM, 10:10 AM, 10:20 AM, 10:30 AM, 10:35 AM, 10:45, 10:49 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:10 AM, 11:18 AM, 11:30 AM, 11:34 AM, 11:40 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:15 PM, 12:20 PM, 12:30 PM, 13:00 PM, 13:30 PM, 13:34 PM, 13:40 PM, 13:45 PM, 14:00 PM, 14:03 PM, 14:15 PM, 14:20 PM, 14:30 PM, 14:34 PM, 14:45 PM, 14:50 PM, 15:00 PM, 15:15 PM, 15:30 PM, 15:34 PM, 15:40 PM, 16:00 PM, 16:10 PM, 16:15 PM, 16:20 PM, 16:24 PM, 16:30 PM, 17:00 PM, 17:30 PM, 17:40 PM, 18:00 PM, 18:20 PM, 18:30 PM, 19:00 PM, 19:45 PM, 20:00 PM, 20:30 PM and 21:00 PM. 

There are literally a hundred busses to Durres from Tirana everyday. Because many busses to other destinations in Albania make a stop in Durres along their journey.

So when you get to the bus terminal, do not go looking for a bus that indicates Durres yourself. I recommend you ask the local bus drivers at the bus terminal to direct you to the first bus that departs and that will make a stop in Durres along the route. This may for instance be a bus in the direction of Vlore, Gjirokaster, Fier, Berat, Permet, Lushnje, Rrogozhine etcetera.

You can always double-check the latest bus timetables for Albania on the website of Gjirafa Autobus here: https://travel.gjirafa.com/ Click on the top right corner to change the language to the English language.

Where do the busses to Durres from Tirana depart?

The bus to Durres from Tirana departs from the Regional Bus Terminal. 

The Regional Bus Terminal is officially called:
In Albanian Language: Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut
In the English Language: Regional Bus Terminal – North and South Albania

You can see the location of the Regional Bus Terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/Jso228CjaScxrMGS6 

The Regional Bus terminal is located outside the city centre of Tirana. So if you are staying at a hotel near the central Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, you will need to take a taxi to the regional bus terminal. 

Because the Regional Bus Terminal is not within a walking distance from the city centre of Tirana. A taxi ride from the city centre of Tirana to the bus terminal will take between 5-15 minutes depending on how heavy the traffic in the city centre of Tirana is at the moment you travel.

Where is the Durres bus station?

The Durres bus station is located near the Port of Durres in the city centre of Durres. 

The official name fo the Durres bus station is: Terminali i Autobusave Durres. The bus terminal is located in Rruga Adria in Durres. You can see the location of the bus station in Durres on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/zaXx1pRwT7FF73NeA 

The bus station in Durres is located in the city centre, so the beach areas are further to the South of the Port of Durres and the city centre. I recommend you take a 5-minute taxi ride from the city centre of Durres to the beach if that is your destination.

How much is a taxi from Tirana to Durres?

A taxi from Tirana to Durres costs between 21 euros – 29 euros. 

• Merr Taxi charges 29 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Durres
• UPs Taxi charges 3128 ALL (26 euros) for a taxi from Tirana to Durres
• Speedtaxi charges 2500 Leke or 21 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Durres
• City Taxi charges 2500 Leke (21 euros) for a taxi from Tirana to Durres
• Euro Taxi charges 25 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Durres

By taxi, it will take you 45 minutes to travel from Tirana to Durres. If you are travelling to Golem beach, it will take you approximately 1 hour. 

How to get to Durres from Tirana by rental car?

You can get to Durres from Tirana by rental car. A rental car in Albania costs at least 20-25 euros per day. 

If you are wondering which car rental companies to reach out to, I have a price comparison of some of the most popular car rental companies in Tirana in this blog post -> https://albaniatourguide.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-rent-a-car-in-albania/

I highly recommend you reach out to car rental companies before you travel to Albania. Because car rental prices in Albania do vary significantly. So contact car rental companies via email or WhatsApp before you travel to get a good deal. Particularly in the high-season months, like July and August, some car rental companies only offer high rates for their car rentals.

It is worth considering though, that a taxi ride from Tirana to Durres, is probably cheaper than renting a car for this journey only. A taxi will cost 21 – 29 euros for a one-way journey. Whereas a rental car will cost 20-25 euros for a day + insurance + petrol. 

Of course, renting a car can be convenient for a longer distance journey towards the Albanian Riviera for instance. Since long-distance taxi rides are very pricy in Albania. For instance, Tirana airport taxi charges 175 euros for a ride from the airport to Ksamil.

And a final note is that you must be an experienced and confident driver in order to drive in Albania. The Albanian drivers have a chaotic and aggressive style of driving. Although there are rules in place, these rules of the road are often not followed. The Albanian government has hired a lot of traffic police, but the driving culture has not changed very much yet.

Can I get to Durres from Tirana by train?

You cannot get to Durres from Tirana by train. Although there used to be a railway to Durres from Tirana, the train station in Tirana was demolished in 2013. I am writing this blog post in 2022, and the train station in Tirana has not been rebuilt. So there are currently no trains in operation from Tirana to Durres. 

There are only two train lines in operation in Albania at the moment. There is a train between Lac and Shkoder on Tuesdays only. And there is a train between Elbasan and Durres on Saturday and Sunday only. In essence, train travel is not an effective manner to get from A to B in Albania. If you want to use public transportation, I recommend you take a mini-bus instead.

How to get from Tirana airport to Durres?

You can get from Tirana airport to Durres with the airport shuttle bus or by taxi. 

The airport shuttle bus from Tirana airport to Durres is operated by Adis shpk. The bus departs from Tirana airport at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 14:00 PM, 15:30 PM and 17:00 PM. A bus ticket from Tirana airport to Durres costs 600 Leke (5.05 euros) for a one-way journey.

A taxi from Tirana airport to Durres will cost you between 21 euros – 30 euros. 

• Tirana Airport taxi charges 25-30 euros for a taxi from Tirana airport to Durres
• Merr Taxi charges 23 euros for a taxi from Tirana airport to Durres
• UPs Taxi charges 2603 ALL (21.50 euros) for a taxi from Tirana airport to Durres
• Speedtaxi charges 2500 Leke or 21 euros for a taxi from Tirana airport to Durres
• City Taxi charges 3000 Leke (25 euros) for a taxi from Tirana airport to Durres
• Euro Taxi charges 30 euros for a taxi from Tirana airport to Durres

It will take you 30 minutes by taxi to travel from Tirana airport to Durres. If you are staying in Golem, which is further to the south, it will take you around 45 minutes.

What is Durres like in Albania?

Durres in Albania is like a big coastal town. In essence, Durres is one of the most conveniently located beach areas in Albania. Durres is only a 45 minute drive from the capital city Tirana, so it is the place where the locals from Tirana go on their day off. 

The coastline of Durres is built up with apartments, hotels, restaurants, coffee houses and shops. So you will find all the facilities you need right next to the beach area of Durres. 

You can split Durres into 3 x areas:
1) The city centre and the Port of Durres to the North
2) The main beaches of Durres to the South of the Port
3) Golem beach further to the South of the main beaches

The city centre of Durres is a busy place. There is a large harbour where the ferry ships from Italy come in, so the city feels a bit industrial when you drive in. In the city centre of Durres, you can visit the Roman Amphitheatre which is a UNESCO heritage site and the Venetian Tower which remains of the former Castle of Durres. 

The main beach area of Durres is located to the South of the Port of Durres and the city centre of Durres. Durres is a large coastal town, so there is a variety of apartments and hotels located along side the coastline. There are sunbeds and parasols that you car rent on the beach in the summer months. And you can eat some lovely seafood in Durres.

Golem beach is a highlight. Many of the locals from Tirana find it worth driving a bit further to the south to Golem. Golem has stunning white beaches and it is a bit less built up then the main beach of Durres. 

Related Questions

Where is the Dogana roundabout in Tirana? The Dogana roundabout in Tirana does not exist anymore. The roundabout has been replaced by a tunnel crossing. The bus terminal that used to be near the Dogana roundabout has been moved up the road. The new bus terminal is: Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut (Regional Bus Terminal – North and South Albania) You can see the location of the Regional Bus Terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/Jso228CjaScxrMGS6 

How to get from Durres to Vlore? You can get from Durres to Vlore by bus, by taxi or by car. A bus ticket from Durres to Vlore cost 400 Leke (3.36 EUR). It takes roughly 1.5 hours to get from Durres to Vlore by bus. You can check the bus timetable here: https://travel.gjirafa.com/ 

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