How to get from Shkodër to Ulcinj? Bus, Taxi, Car Rental

If you are wondering how to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj, this blog post is for you. I will describe how to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus, by taxi or by rental car and compare prices.

How to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj? You can get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus, by taxi or by rental car. A bus ticket costs 7 EUR p.p. The bus departs at 9 AM from Hotel Rozafa in Shkoder. A taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj costs 35-50 euros. A rental car costs at least 20-25 euros per day + 15 euros for a Green Card. 

In this blog post, I will describe how you can get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus, taxi or rental car. I have personally reached out to the bus driver to get up-to-date bus timetables, bus ticket prices and journey times. I have also made a comparison of taxi prices from Shkoder to Ulcinj. And I have a price comparison of car rental rates, Green card costs and cross-border fees below.

How to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus, by taxi or by car rental?

In this paragraph, I will give you a quick overview of how to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus, by taxi or by rental car. If you have already decided how you would like to travel from Shkoder to Ulcinj, you can scroll further down for more details. 

Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus (quick summary)

• A bus ticket from Shkoder to Ulcinj costs 7 Euros per person.
• The bus from Shkoder to Ulcinj departs at 9 AM and arrives in Ulcinj at 10 AM.
• The bus is operated by Vllazen Lluja.
• The bus from Shkoder to Ulcinj departs from Hotel Rozafa in Shkoder.

Shkoder to Ulcinj by taxi (quick summary)

• A taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj will cost you between 35-50 euros depending on which taxi operator you book. 
• You can reach out to Albanian taxi drivers via WhatsApp and request quotes yourself. I also have an overview of the prices I was quoted below (scroll down).

Shkoder to Ulcinj by rental car (quick summary)

• A rental car in Albania costs at least 20-25 euros per day for a basic car rental.
• Car rental rates do go up in July and August as it is the tourist high season.
• You need to pay 15 euros at the border with Montenegro for a Green Card insurance document.
• You need permission from the car rental company to drive across the border to Ulcinj. 
• Some car rental companies charge a “border crossing fee”, other car rental companies do not charge a border crossing fee.

How to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus?

You can get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus. A bus ticket from Shkoder to Ulcinj will cost you 7 euros per person for a one-way ticket. 

Shkoder to Ulcinj bus timetable
9 AM Shkoder -> 10 AM Ulcinj

The bus from Shkoder to Ulcinj departs at 9 AM from the Shkoder. The bus journey from Shkoder to Ulcinj takes roughly 1 hour. So you will arrive in Ulcinj at 10 AM. 

The bus from Shkoder to Ulcinj departs from Hotel Rozafa in Shkoder. You can see the location of Hotel Rozafa on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/5rWhjiU7gumrsaBw9 

At the end of the bus journey, you will be dropped off at the Ulcinj bus station. You can find the Ulcinj Bus Station on Google Maps here: https://goo.gl/maps/RCzbAt77Bn6hEQQv9 The locals in Montenegro call this bus station: Autobuska Stanica Ulcinj. 

The name of the bus operator from Shkoder to Ulcinj is “Vllazen Lluja”. I have personally double-checked the timetable and pricing with the bus driver. 

You can also double-check the Albanian bus timetables on the website of Gjirafa Autobus. However, I will say that the bus timetables on Gjirafa Autobus are not always up-to-date. So use Gjirafa Autobus as a rough indication. And then ask around in person once you are at the bus terminal to get more accurate and up-to-date information.

Also, always carry some cash money with you in Albania. You will be expected to pay for your bus ticket in cash Albanian Leke, when you get on the bus. Many buses in Albania are not equipped with credit card machines, so paying by card is often not an option.

Final note, there are different spellings of the city “Ulcinj”, so you may come across “Ulqin”. Ulcinj and Ulqin are different names for the same city.

How to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by taxi?

A taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj will cost you between 35-50 euros, depending on which taxi company you book. 

To give you a good insight into what you might pay for a taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj, I have reached out to some taxi operators in Shkoder. Below is an overview of the prices that I was quoted.

• Speed Taxi Shkoder charges 5000 Leke (47 euros) for a taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj. 
• Premium Taxi Shkoder charges 40 euros for a taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj.
• Lux Taxi Shkoder charges 50 euros for a taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj.
• Taxi Internacionale Shkoder charges 35 euros for a taxi from Shkoder to Ulcinj.

Many taxi drivers in Albania can be reached via WhatsApp or Messenger. You can find phone numbers on Google or Google Maps easily, and get some taxi quotes for your date and journey.

How to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by car rental?

A rental car in Albania will cost you at least 20-25 euros per day for a basic rental car. In July and August, the car rental prices tend to be higher, as it is the tourist high season. 

Apart from the rental car, you will also need to pay 15 euros for a Green Card at the border. A Green Card is an international insurance document. You need a Green Card because the Albanian rental car will only be insured for Albanian territory. 

So with the Green Card, your insurance is extended to Montenegro. You can buy a Green Card for Montenegro at the border by paying 15 euros. 

Another thing to consider is that you need the permission of the Albanian car rental company. You need to inform the car rental company that you plan on driving the rental car across the border to Montenegro. All the Albanian car rental companies I have personally approached were willing to give permission for Montenegro.

Some car rental companies do charge a “border crossing fee”, if you want to take an Albanian rental car abroad to Montenegro. Some car rental companies do not charge a border crossing fee at all, however, other car rental companies charge 10-50 euros for a border crossing fee. So this is important to ask before you rent a car and give your credit card details. 

To give you an indication of what a car rental costs in Albania, I have added a list of car rental offers below. I did personally reach out to several car rentals at Tirana airport and in Tirana city. These give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay if you plan on renting a car in Albania and driving through Albania and to Montenegro. 

• Avis Rent a Car Tirana charges 25 euros per day for an Opel Corsa Manual 2022. A Green Card for Ulqin in Montenegro costs 15 euros.
• G Rentals Tirana airport charges 20 euros per day for an Opel Corsa 2021. It is allowed to take the car to Ulqin in Montenegro.
• Green Motion Tirana airport charges 20 euros per day for a Skoda Fabia. Plus an additional 50 euros for a cross border fee.
• Eagle Car Rental Tirana charges 25 euros per day for a Hyundai i10. A Green Card for Montenegro costs 15 euros at the border.
• Sixt Car Rental Tirana charges 25 euros per day. A Green Card at the border with Montenegro costs 15 euros. And you need to pay 15 euros extra to get permission from Sixt to cross the border.
• Easy Rent Tirana charges 30 euros per day for a Fiat Panda. It is allowed to drive the car to Ulqin, but it costs an additional 10 euros per day for authorization to drive in a foreign country. You will need to buy a Green Card at the border yourself.
• Albania Airport Rent a Car charges 20 euros er day for a Skoda Fabia 2019. And a Green Card costs an additional 15 euros. 
• Hertz Tirana Airport charges 22 euros per day for an Opel Corsa, 10 euros for full insurance and 15 euros for a Green Card. 
• City Rent Albania charges 25 euros for a Ford Fiesta. And a Green Card for Montenegro costs 15 euros, which you pay at the border.
• ARA Auto Rental Albania charges 20 euros per day for a Fiat Punto 2018. And Green Card Insurance costs 15 euros at the border with Montenegro.

Of course, these prices are just indications. I do highly recommend, you reach out to several car rental companies in Albania yourself before you travel. This is especially important if you are travelling to Albania in July and August when it is the high season and prices for car rentals do go up. 

IMPORTANT – Driving in Albania as a foreigner can be daunting and challenging. The Albanian drivers have a chaotic and sometimes aggressive driving style. Of course, there are rules on the road, but Albanian drivers often do not follow these rules. 

That being said, you are the only one who can judge your driving experience and ability. But I will say that if you have any doubts about driving in Albania, I recommend you take a bus or taxi instead.

Can I get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by train?

You cannot get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by train, because there is no railway track connecting the two cities. 

Albania is not connected to any other country via railways. So you cannot travel to or from Albania from any other country.

When you travel through Albania, you may see some of the old railway tracks. These old railway tracks were constructed when Albania was a communist country, between the end of the Second World War and 1992. 

However, many of the old railway tracks are not currently in use. This is due to a lack of interest, maintenance and investment in the railway tracks. As a result, as little as 2-3 national trains operate within Albania’s borders per week. Usually, a weekly train runs between Durres and Elbasan.

How long does it take to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj?

It takes 1 hour to get from Shkoder to Ulcinj by bus, by taxi or by rental car. Of course, your journey time depends a bit on how long you will need to wait at the border crossing. If you are driving a private car or rental car, you will need to buy insurance at the border, which costs 15 euros. 

How to get from Ulcinj to Shkoder?

You can get from Ulcinj to Shkoder by bus, by taxi or by rental car.

The bus from Ulcinj to Shkoder departs from Ulcinj at 12:30 PM. The bus journey from Ulcinj to Shkoder takes 1 hour. So you will arrive in Shkoder at 13:30 PM. A bus ticket from Ulcinj to Shkoder costs 7 euros per person for a one-way trip. 

The bus departs from the Ulcinj Bus Station. You can see the location on Google Maps here: https://goo.gl/maps/RCzbAt77Bn6hEQQv9  The locals in Montenegro call this bus station: Autobuska Stanica Ulcinj. 

The bus from Ulcinj to Shkoder is operated by Vllazen Lluja. I have personally spoken with Vllazen Lluja to double-check the timetable and pricing.

Related Questions

How to get from Tirana to Ulcinj? You can get from Tirana to Ulcinj by bus, by taxi or by rental car. The bus from Tirana to Ulcinj cost 20 EUR, departs at 6 AM and takes 2h 45min. A taxi costs between 95-125 EUR. A rental car costs at least 20-25 EUR + 15 EUR for a Green Card at the border.

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