How to get from Kukes to Tirana? Bus, Taxi, Car, Train, Prices

If you are planning to travel from Kukes to Tirana, this blog post will be helpful. I will describe how you can get from Kukes to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car.

How to get from Kukes to Tirana? You can get from Kukes to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car. No trains available. Bus tickets cost 500 Leke (5 EUR), bus timetables below. A taxi from Kukes to Tirana will cost you 90-123 EUR. Renting a car will cost you at least 20-25 EUR per day, more in July and August. Kukes airport is not operational.

In this blog post, I will share all you need to know to plan your trip from Kukes to Tirana. I will share bus timetables, bus ticket information and how to pay for your tickets. I will also compare taxi prices and car rental rates. I will explain how long the journey will take you and go into some detail about Kukes Airport. Let’s begin.

The best ways to get from Kukes to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car

You can get from Kukes to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car. In this first paragraph, I will give you a quick overview of the best ways to travel from Kukes to Tirana. I will go into further detail below.

Kukes to Tirana by bus (summary)

• You can travel from Kukes to Tirana by bus. Buses depart between 5:30 AM and 14:15 PM. 
• A bus ticket from Kukes to Tirana will cost you 500 Leke (5 euros) per person.
• You are expected to pay cash in the hand of the bus driver. Buses cannot be booked or paid online in advance.
• The bus driver will drop you off at the Tirana Bus Terminal North and South Albania, which is a 15 minute drive from the city centre of Tirana. So you must take a city bus or taxi to get to the city centre.

Kukes to Tirana by taxi (summary)

• A taxi from Kukes to Tirana will cost you between 90 euros and 123 euros. 
• Taxi prices vary by taxi company of course. 
• UBER taxis do not operate in Albania. 

Kukes to Tirana by rental car (summary)

• Renting a car in Albania costs at least 20-25 euros per day for the cheapest rental car available. 
• That being said, renting a car will be much more expensive in July and August, as it is the tourist high season. And most likely, basic rental cars will have already been rented. 
• Driving in Albania can be challenging and daunting for a foreigner. So I recommend you only drive in Albania if you are a confident and experienced driver. 
• If you scroll down, you will find a price comparison of rental cars in Albania.

Kukes to Tirana by train (summary)

• There is no train between Kukes and Tirana, because there is no railway connecting the two cities. 
• Kukes does not offer any trains, as it has no railway connections and no train station.
• Train travel is very limited within Albania’s borders. So if you are looking for public transport, you will end up travelling by bus.
• As of 2024, a new railway is being built between Durres, Tirana airport and Tirana. Perhaps in 2025, there will be trains connecting the airport in Tirana with both Durres and Tirana.

How to get from Kukes to Tirana by bus?

You can get from Kukes to Tirana by bus. Buses from Kukes to Tirana depart at 5:30 AM, 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:45 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:15 AM, 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:15 PM, 13:00, 13:15, 13:45, 14:00 and 14:15. 

A bus ticket from Kukes to Tirana will cost you 500 Leke (approximately 5 euros) per person. You can only pay for your bus ticket in cash. So it is best to always carry some cash euros and cash Albanian Leke with you when you are travelling by bus in Albania. Most bus operators in Albania do not have a website and do not take online bookings, so you can expect to pay for your bus tickets in cash.

Kukes to Tirana bus timetables

The Kukes to Tirana bus timetable is buses from Kukes to Tirana depart at 5:30 AM, 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:45 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:15 AM, 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:15 PM, 13:00, 13:15, 13:45, 14:00 and 14:15.

You can also see all the bus timetables for Albania on the Albania Bus Timetable App here: https://albaniatourguide.com/albania-bus-timetable-app 

The bus journey from Kukes to Tirana will take you approximately 2 hours. At the end of the bus journey the bus driver will drop you off at the Tirana Bus Terminal North and South Albania. The bus terminal is located outside the city centre of Tirana. So if you are staying in the city centre near Skanderbeg Square, you must take a city bus to “Qender” (Albanian for “Center”) or you can take a 10-15 min taxi on the metre. 

How much does a taxi from Kukes to Tirana cost?

A taxi from Kukes to Tirana will cost you between 90 euros and 123 euros. 

Some taxi companies in Albania have published their price lists online. For instance, the Tirana Airport Taxi Service quotes online that a taxi from Tirana Airport to Kukes will cost you 90 euros. 

Merr Taxi Service in Tirana has also published a taxi price list online. Merr Taxi quotes that a metered taxi from Tirana to Kukes will cost you 12320 Lek (approximately 123 euros) per taxi. 

UBER taxis do not operate in Albania. Some taxi companies like Speed Taxi, UPs Taxi, Taxi.al and Merr Taxi have their own taxi apps. However, these taxi apps usually offer regular taxi prices, not reduced or discounted rates, like UBER usually does.

How much does it cost to rent a car and drive from Kukes to Tirana?

It costs at least 20-25 euros per day to rent a car in Albania for the most basic rental car. That being said, you will pay much more in July and August for a rental car, due to the tourist high season. Most likely in July and August, basic rental cars will not be available anymore or priced higher. 

There is a helpful list of car rental companies on the website of Tirana Airport. You can find mobile numbers and email addresses for all the car rental companies at Tirana Airport. 

To give you an insight into what it would cost to rent a basic rental car, I did reach out to several car rental companies at Tirana Airport.

Tirana Airport car rental prices (starting from):

• Albania Airport Rent a Car charges 20 euros per day for a manual Skoda Fabia from 2018.
• Avis Rent a Car Tirana Airport charges 20 euros per day for a manual Opel Corsa or 25 euros per day for an automatic Opel Corsa. 
• Pepa Rent a Car Tirana Airport charges 20 euros per day for an economy car, like a Skoda.
• RCA Rent a Car in Albania Tirana Airport charges 15 euros per day for a small manual car, like a Mitsubishi Spacestar or Citroen C1 or Peugeot 108.
• Green Motion Rent Car Tirana Airport charges 15 euros per day for the economy category. It can be an Opel Corsa or Dacia Sandero or Skoda Fabia.
• Viaggia Rent Tirana Airport charges 18 euros per day for a manual Fiat Panda from 2023.
• ARA Auto Rental Tirana Airport charges 17 euros per day for a small manual car or 20 euros per day for an automatic car. Brands like Citroen or Peugeot are available.
• G Rentals Tirana Airport charges 20 euros per day for a Dacia Stepway.
• Sixt Car Rental Tirana Airport charges 15 euros per day for a Mitsubishi Space Star. 

Of course, it is important to bear in mind that car rental rates can be a lot higher in the tourist high season. The summer months like July and August are the top of the high season, so car rental can be a lot pricier. Especially, since the basic or cheap rental car may not be available anymore and only a more luxurious and expensive car is available. 

Do reach out to several car rental companies before you travel. I have spoken to tourists who paid 50-70 euros a day for a rental car. So it is best to do your research before you travel.

IMPORTANT! Driving in Albania can be challenging for a foreigner. The Albanian drivers do have a chaotic and sometimes aggressive style of driving. So if you have any doubts about driving, do not do it! Hire a taxi, book a tour or travel by bus instead. Safety comes first.

Moreover, car rental companies in Albania are usually small independent operators. Which means that the car rental agency expects you to return the car rental in the same city. So car rental would only be an option if you are planning to make a round trip by car. A one-way trip may not be possible, as car rental drop-off in a different city may not be available or could be expensive.

Is there a train from Kukes to Tirana?

There is no train from Kukes to Tirana. Because railways between Kukes and Tirana were never constructed. Kukes does not offer any railways and it has no train station. As of right now in 2024, Tirana does not offer any railways and there is no train station.

Train travel is very limited within Albania. During the communist period in Albania, from the end of the Second World War until 1992, some railways were built in Albania. There used to be trains connecting Shkoder, Tirana, Durres, Elbasan, Pogradec and Vlore. Even though some of those old railways are visible in the landscape, most of them are currently not in use. 

Right now, there are 2-3 trains per week between Durres and Elbasan. And 1-2 trains per week between Shkoder and Lac. The remaining railways are not in use and in need of refurbishment. 

UPDATE for 2025 (next year): A new railway is being constructed connecting Durres with Tirana Airport and Tirana. Right now, you can see the railway being built, so it is not operating yet. But perhaps in 2025, there will be trains between Durres-Tirana Airport-Tirana.

How long does it take to get from Kukes to Tirana?

It will take you around 2 hours to travel from Kukes to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car. 

How far is Kukes from Tirana?

Kukes is around 151 kilometres from Tirana, it will take you around 2 hours to travel from Kukes to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car. 

Does Kukes in Albania have an airport?

Kukes in Albania does have an airport, however, at the time of writing this in 2024, there are no flights in operation and the airport is closed.

The airport in Kukes called “Kukes International Airport Zayed” was opened in April of 2021. The aim of the airport was offering low cost flights to mainly European countries. The airport in Kukes was supposed to be an alternative to flying to Tirana Airport. 

However, the airport in Kukes was closed in 2023, when the Hungarian airline company Wizz Air withdrew. Wizz Air has operated flights to Kukes airport for roughly a year, but stopped operating flights to Kukes airport. That left only a few flights operated by the Turkish-Albanian airline Air Albania. And Air Albania soon after also stopped operating flights to Kukes Airport. As a result Kukes Airport has no operational flights and the airport is closed. 

So as of right now, you can fly to Tirana Airport and take a taxi, bus or car to Kukes instead.

Related Questions

How much is a taxi from Tirana Airport to Kukes? A taxi from Tirana airport to Kukes will cost you 90 euros. Tirana has a licensed taxi service called “Tirana Airport Taxi Service”. This taxi service has a price list online on which they quote a taxi from Tirana Airport to Kukes costs 90 euros. 

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