How to get from Skopje to Tirana?
If you are planning to travel from Skopje to Tirana, you might be wondering what is the best way to get from Skopje to Tirana. In this blog, I will discuss getting from Skopje to Tirana by bus, train, taxi and by rental car.
How to get from Skopje to Tirana? You can get from Skopje to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by rental car. There are no trains. The bus from Skopje to Tirana costs 20 euros p.p. one-way. A taxi costs between 150-180 euros. A rental car costs at least 30-35 euros per day + 20-50 euros for a green card.
In this blog post, I will discuss the best ways of getting from Skopje to Tirana. I will discuss the prices, bus timetables, bus operators, car rental prices, trains and taxi prices. At the end of this blog post, you know what you can expect to pay, where to book and how long your journey from Skopje to Tirana will take.
The best ways to get from Skopje to Tirana
You can get from Skopje to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by rental car, let me give you a quick summary of the pricing, advantages and disadvantages.
Getting from Skopje to Tirana by bus (quick summary)
- A bus ticket from Skopje to Tirana costs 20 euros per person for a one-way trip.
- You can book a bus ticket with Drita Travel, Ido Tours or Hak Bus.
- Busses depart from Skopje at 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM and 21:00 PM.
- The bus journey from Skopje to Tirana takes roughly 7 or 7.5 hours.
Getting from Skopje to Tirana by taxi (quick summary)
- A taxi from Skopje to Tirana costs between 150 euros and 180 euros.
- By taxi, it will take you roughly 4.5 or 5 hours to get from Skopje to Tirana, depending on how long the wait at the border will take.
- Insider tip: Reach out to several taxi drivers by WhatsApp for instance price quotations.
Getting from Skopje to Tirana by rental car (quick summary)
- You can hire a rental car in Skopje and drive to Tirana, but you must have permission from the car rental company to cross the border.
- A car rental will cost you at least 30-35 euros per day, but I was also quoted prices around 50 euros per day.
- Your car rental company will sell you a Green Card insurance document which will show the border patrol offers that your car is also insured when you drive in Albania.
- A Green card costs between 20-50 euros varying by car rental company.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to get from Skopje to Tirana by train. Because Albania does not have any international rail connections. Since Albania does not have rails that lead across the border with North Macedonia, you can only travel from Skopje to Tirana by car or by bus.
How to get from Skopje to Tirana by bus?
You can get from Skopje to Tirana by bus. The companies that operate a bus from Skopje to Tirana are:
1) Drita Travel
2) Ido Tours
3) Hak Bus
Getting from Skopje to Tirana with Drita Travel
Drita Travel has 2 x daily busses from Skopje to Tirana. The first bus departs from Skopje at 8:00 AM and it arrives in Tirana at 15:00 PM. The second bus departs from Skopje at 21:00 PM and it arrives in Tirana at 4:00 AM. It takes roughly 7 or 7.5 hours to get from Skopje to Tirana by bus.
A bus ticket from Skopje to Tirana costs 20 euros per person for a one-way journey. Or you can buy a return ticket from Skopje to Tirana and back for 30 euros.
You can find more information on the website of Drita Travel here: https://www.dritatravel.com/ It is also worth contacting Drita travel via WhatsApp as you can usually get a quick response. Furthermore, Drita Travel also advertises their bus timetable on Gjirafa Autobus here: https://travel.gjirafa.com/
The bus from Skopje to Tirana departs from the Skopje Bus Station. The address of the bus station is: Skopje Central Bus Station, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia. You can see the location of the bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/bJtUNgbk6mumbJ6Y8
The bus from Skopje to Tirana drops passengers off at the Tirana International Bus Terminal. The International Bus Terminal in Tirana is located behind the Asllan Rusi Sports Palace (in Albanian: Pallati Sportit). The International Bus Terminal is located on Rruga Ali Kolonja in Tirana. You can see the location of the bus terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/YqTQfLK2qAn2uKd68
Getting from Skopje to Tirana with the bus from Ido Tours
Ido Tours also offers a bus from Skopje to Tirana. The bus departs at 8:00 AM every day from Skopje. The bus arrives in Tirana at 15:30 PM. It takes roughly 7 or 7.5 hours to get by bus from Skopje to Tirana.
A bus ticket from Skopje to Tirana costs 20 euros for a one-way journey or 30 euros for a return trip.
You can find more information on the website of Ido Tours here: https://idotours.com.mk/ You can also reach out to Ido Tours by email at info@idotours.com.mk Moreover, Ido Tours advertises their bus timetable on the website: https://busticket4.me/AL
The bus from Skopje to Tirana departs from the Skopje Bus Station. The address of the bus station is Skopje Central Bus Station, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia. You can see the location of the bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/bJtUNgbk6mumbJ6Y8
The bus from Skopje to Tirana drops passengers off at the Tirana International Bus Terminal. The International Bus Terminal in Tirana is located behind the Asllan Rusi Sports Palace (in Albanian: Pallati Sportit). The International Bus Terminal is located on Rruga Ali Kolonja in Tirana. You can see the location of the bus terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/YqTQfLK2qAn2uKd68
Getting from Skopje to Tirana with Hak Bus
Hak Bus offers 2 x daily busses from Skopje to Tirana. The first bus departs from Skopje at 9:00 AM in the morning and arrives in Tirana at 16:30 PM. The second bus departs from Skopje at 21:00 PM in the evening and arrives in Tirana at 4:00 AM in the morning. It takes roughly 7 or 7.5 hours to get from Skopje to Tirana by bus.
A bus ticket from Skopje to Tirana costs 20 euros for a one-way journey.
The easiest way to get in touch with HAK bus is via their Facebook Business Page here: https://www.facebook.com/HakBus.mk/ You can click the WhatsApp or Messager button to ask questions about the bus availability and timetable.
The bus from Skopje to Tirana departs from the Skopje Bus Station. The address of the bus station is Skopje Central Bus Station, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia. You can see the location of the bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/bJtUNgbk6mumbJ6Y8
The bus from Skopje to Tirana drops passengers off at the Tirana International Bus Terminal. The International Bus Terminal in Tirana is located behind the Asllan Rusi Sports Palace (in Albanian: Pallati Sportit). The International Bus Terminal is located on Rruga Ali Kolonja in Tirana. You can see the location of the bus terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/YqTQfLK2qAn2uKd68
Is there a bus from Skopje airport to Tirana?
There is no direct bus from Skopje airport to Tirana. The international busses from Skopje to Tirana depart from the Central Bus Station in Skopje. So you need to take a taxi from Skopje airport to the bus terminal to catch the bus.
The address of the bus station is Skopje Central Bus Station, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia. You can see the location of the bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/bJtUNgbk6mumbJ6Y8
How much does a taxi from Skopje to Tirana cost?
A taxi from Skopje to Tirana costs between 150 euros and 180 euros, depending on which driver you book.
- Taxi Skopje Airport charges 180 euros for a taxi from Skopje to Tirana
- Bel Skopje Taxi MK charges 170 euros for a taxi from Skopje to Tirana
- Taxi Skopje Mercedes MK charges 150 euros for a taxi from Skopje to Tirana
- Saso VIP Taxi Skopje charges 160 euros for a taxi from Skopje to Tirana
- Taxi Service Skopje Airport charges 160 euros for a taxi from Skopje to Tirana
It takes 4.5 to 5 hours to get from Skopje to Tirana by taxi, depending on how long the taxi needs to wait at the border crossing. The taxis from Skopje to Tirana cross the border at Struga – Kafasan border crossing.
How to get from Skopje to Tirana by train?
You cannot get from Skopje to Tirana by train. Because Albania does not have rails that lead across the border with North Macedonia to Skopje.
Albania does only have a very small number of national trains, that operate only within the Albanian borders. Albania does not have any international passenger trains. So it is not possible to travel by train to Albania from any of the neighbouring countries, like Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia or Greece.
If you want to find out more information about the national trains within Albania, you can read my blog post here: https://albaniatourguide.com/can-you-take-a-train-to-albania/
Can I rent a car in Skopje and drive to Tirana?
You can rent a car in Skopje and drive to Tirana. But of course, you must ask the permission of the car rental company in Skopje for driving the car across the Albanian border.
To give you a good indication of the prices, I reached out to several car rental companies in Skopje. I would definitely recommend reaching out to several car rental companies before you travel. Because the prices vary significantly.
In order to give a fair comparison of the prices, I asked all the car rental companies the exact same question: How much would it cost to rent a Volkswagen Golf from the 1st of July for 14 days and drive it accross the border to Albania?
- Europcar Macedonia offered a Volkswagen Polo for 573.48 euros, which is roughly 41 euros per day
- Sixt Macedonia offered an Audi A3 Sedan for 45 euros per day
- Sixt Macedonia offered a Golf 7 Toyota Corola for 35 euros per day
- Interways Rent a Car in Macedonia offered a Volkswagen Golf 7 for 735 euros, which is 52.50 euros per day
- Interrent Macedonia offered a Volkswagen Golf 7 for 500 euros, which is 35 euros per day
- Enterprise Macedonia offered a Skoda Rapid for 390 euros, which is roughly 28 euros per day
- Enterprise Macedonia offered a Volkswagen Golf for 705 euros, which is roughly 50 euros per day
Moreover, you also need to ask your car rental company for a green card, which is needed to cross the border (see below).
Do I need a green card to drive from Skopje to Tirana by car?
You do need a green card to drive from Skopje to Tirana by car. A green card is a document that proofs that you have vehicle insurance when you are driving abroad.
When you inform the car rental company that you will be driving from Skopje to Tirana with the rental car, they will sell you a Green Card. So that, when you will cross the border, you can show the Green Card to the border control officers.
You would think that a Green Card costs the same at every car rental company. But the prices for issuing a Green Card vary by company. Every car rental company told me a different price for the Green Card. Prices for Green Cards varied between 20 euros – 50 euros.
Of course, it is also possible to check the prices for a Green Card online. When you go on a car rental website, you can put in the dates and search for a vehicle. Usually, in the next step you can add-on extras like Border Crossing Fee or Green Card.
“For renting a car for North Macedonia and going abroad you should take green card and authorization for the other country which cost 30 Euros per country you decide to visit.” by Elite Co Rent a Car North Macedonia
How many km is it from Skopje to Tirana?
Skopje is 290 kilometres from Tirana if you drive via Struga. Skopje is 335 kilometres from Tirana if you drive via Kosovo. Some taxi drivers prefer driving via Kosovo, because there are better highways on this route, even though this journey is a bit further in terms of kilometers.
How long does it take to get from Skopje to Tirana?
It takes 4.5 to 5 hours to get from Skopje to Tirana by taxi, depending on how long the taxi needs to wait at the border crossing. By bus, it takes longer. A bus journey from Skopje to Tirana takes around 7 hours. Of course, the bus journey takes longer, since the bus makes more stops along the journey.
How much does it cost to get from Skopje to Tirana?
It costs at least 20 euros per person to get from Skopje to Tirana. The cheapest way to travel from Skopje to Tirana is the bus, of course, an international bus ticket costs 20 euros per person.
A taxi from Skopje to Tirana costs between 150 euros and 180 euros, depending on which taxi driver you book.
And a car rental will cost you between 28 euros and 50 euros per day. Plus a Green card insurance document to cross the border will cost you between 20 – 50 euros varying by car rental company.
Related Questions
How to get from Ohrid to Tirana? You can get from Lake Ohrid to Tirana by bus, by taxi or by rental car. The bus from Ohrid to Tirana costs 12-15 euros (May-Sept). The bus from Struga to Tirana costs 15 euros (yearround). A taxi from Ohrid to Tirana costs 90 euros. A rental car costs 30-45 euros per day.
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