How to get from Tirana to Athens? Flight, Bus, Train, Taxi, Rental Car
If you are wondering how to get from Tirana to Athens, I will discuss how to get from Tirana to Athens by bus, by taxi, by rental car or by flight. I will compare pricing and the time required.
How to get from Tirana to Athens? You can get from Tirana to Athens by flight in 1 hour and 30 min with Aegean Airlines or Wizz Air. A bus trip costs 30-40 EUR and takes 15 hours. A taxi costs 450-600 EUR. There is no railway or train. A rental car costs 20-25 EUR per day + 20-25 cross border fee + 40-50 EUR Green Card.
In this blog post, I will discuss all the best ways to get from Tirana to Athens. I will discuss where to book a direct and non-stop flight from Tirana to Athens. Where to book a bus ticket from Tirana to Athens, what a bus ticket costs and bus timetables. I will compare taxi rates and discuss why it is difficult to find a taxi driver on this route. I will discuss the train and railway system in Albania and why buses are much more popular. And I will discuss what car rental companies say when you ask them for a rental car to drive from Tirana to Athens.
The best ways to get from Tirana to Athens
In this blog post, I will discuss the best ways to get from Tirana to Athens. These are the questions and topics I will answer below.
- Tirana to Athens flights
- Tirana to Athens bus
- Tirana to Athens bus ticket price
- Where can I buy a bus ticket from Tirana to Athens?
- Tirana to Athens bus timetable
- Can you rent a car in Tirana and drive to Athens?
- Can you take a rental car from Albania to Greece?
- How much does a taxi from Tirana to Athens cost?
- Is there a train from Tirana to Athens?
- Tirana to Athens distance
- How long does it take to get from Tirana to Athens?
- Bus from Athens to Tirana
- Is there a train from Athens to Tirana?
Tirana to Athens flights
The best way to get from Tirana to Athens is a direct flight, of course. You can book a direct flight from Tirana to Athens with Aegean Airlines, which is a Greek airline. Aegean offers a direct and non-stop flight from Tirana to Athens that takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The alternative to Aegean airways is a company called Wizz Air. Wizz Air is an airline from Budapest in Hungary. Wizz Air operates a direct flight from Tirana airport to Athens, this flight takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. The flight offered by Wizz Air from Tirana to Athens is a direct and non-stop flight.
Tirana to Athens bus
You can also choose to take a bus from Tirana to Athens. A bus ride from Tirana to Athens takes approximately 15 hours. You can book a bus ticket with Star Travel or Top-Lines AL. Below you will find more details about the bus timetables from Tirana to Athens and ticket prices.
Star Travel – Bus from Tirana to Athens
Star Travel offers a bus every other day from Tirana to Athens. So if the bus from Tirana to Athens departs today, then it won’t depart tomorrow and it will depart again the day after tomorrow.
The bus from Tirana to Athens operated by Star Travel departs at 7:00 AM in the morning every other day.
The bus departs from the International Bus Terminal in Tirana. The International Bus Terminal is called: Stacioni Qendror i Linjave Nderkombetare (in the English language: Tirana International Bus Terminal). The International Bus Terminal is located behind the Asllan Rusi Sports Palace on Rruga Ali Kolonja in Tirana. You can see the location of the International bus terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/xGEMjgQ8m2ScpkdY9
A bus ticket from Tirana to Athens with Star Travel costs 40 euros for a one-way ticket or 70 euros for a return ticket.
You can reach out to Star Travel by phone on this phone number: +355 69 960 5501.
Top-Lines AL – Bus from Tirana to Athens
Top-lines AL does operate 3 x daily buses from Tirana to Athens. The buses depart from Tirana at 4:00 AM in the morning, 15:00 PM in the afternoon and 17:00 PM in the early evening. A bus ticket from Tirana to Athens costs 30 euros per person. The bus journey from Tirana to Athens takes 15 hours.
If you take the bus that departs from Tirana at 4:00 AM, you will arrive in Athens at 19:00 PM. If you take the bus that departs from Tirana at 15:00 PM, you will arrive in Athens at 6:00 AM the next morning. If you take the bus that departs from Tirana at 17:00 PM, you will arrive in Athens at 8:00 AM the next morning.
You can find more information about the bus from Tirana to Athens on the website of Top Lines here: https://top-lines.al/
The International buses from Tirana to Athens do depart from the International bus station in Tirana. The name of the bus terminal is Stacioni Qendror i Linjave Nderkombetare (in the English language: Tirana International Bus Terminal). The International Bus Terminal is located behind the Asllan Rusi Sports Palace on Rruga Ali Kolonja in Tirana. You can see the location of the International bus terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/xGEMjgQ8m2ScpkdY9
Tirana to Athens bus ticket price
A bus ticket from Tirana to Athens costs 30-40 euros per person for a one-way journey. You can book your bus ticket with Top-Lines AL or Star Travel.
Where can I buy a bus ticket from Tirana to Athens?
You can buy a bus ticket from Tirana online or in person whilst you are in Tirana. If you want to book a bus ticket from Tirana to Athens online, you can have a look at these websites:
However, in Albania, it is very common practice to buy your bus ticket in cash from the agency or from the bus driver. So you can also simply drop into the agency’s office when you are in Tirana. Quite a few of the travel agencies have an office in the Bulevardi Zogu I in Tirana, this is the street above the central Skanderbeg Square in Tirana. You can see the Top-Lines AL office on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/DBdcWjhvSyJx9de76
Or you can walk to the International Bus Terminal the day before you want to travel and buy a ticket at one of the agencies there. The International Bus Terminal is located behind the Asllan Rusi Sports Palace on Rruga Ali Kolonja in Tirana. You can see the location of the International bus terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/xGEMjgQ8m2ScpkdY9
Tirana to Athens bus timetable
Buses from Tirana to Athens depart at 04:00 AM, 07:00 AM, 15:00 PM and 17:00 PM. You can book a bus ticket with either Top Lines AL or Star Travel.
Can you rent a car in Tirana and drive to Athens?
You can rent a car in Tirana and drive to Athens if the car rental company gives you permission. Not all car rental companies in Albania allow for their cars to be taken abroad to Greece.
A rental car in Tirana costs at least 20-25 euros per day. You may be charged an additional 20-25 euros per day for authorization or a cross-border fee to drive to Greece. And you will need to buy a Green Card insurance document to drive to Greece, which costs 40-50 euros.
- Avis Rent A Car Tirana airport charges 25 euros per day for an Opel Corsa Manual from the year 2022. If you want to take the rental car abroad to Greece this costs 20 euros per day for authorization. And you will spend 45 euros in total on a Green Card insurance document for Greece.
- Eurocar Rentals Tirana charges 25 euros per day for a Kia Rio 2021. A green card for Greece costs 40 euros and is valid for 15 days. The cross-border fee is 25 euros per reservation.
- Albania Airport Rent A Car charges 20 euros per day for a Skoda Fabia 2019. They also charge 50 euros for a Green Card insurance document for Greece.
Some car rental companies in Tirana simply do not allow for their cars to be driven to Greece. Many car rental companies in Albania do give permission for Kosovo, North Macedonia or Montenegro. However, for Greece, it is more difficult to find a car rental company that will allow you to cross the border to Greece.
- Hertz Tirana Airport said, “if you book a car at Hertz you can only go to Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro”. So Hertz Tirana airport does not allow you to drive their rental cars to Greece.
- Pepa Rent at Tirana Airport said it is not possible to take their rental cars to Greece.
- Green Motion at Tirana airport said, “No, it is not possible to take our rental cars to Greece.”
- ARA Auto Rental Albania Airport said that taking their rental cars to Greece is not allowed.
Can you take a rental car from Albania to Greece?
You can take a rental car from Albania to Greece if your car rental company gives you permission. Not all car rental companies in Tirana allow for their rental cars to be taken to Greece. So it is best to reach out to as many car rental companies in Tirana before you travel.
You may be charged an additional 20 euros per day for a cross-border fee or authorization. And you will definitely need to pay an additional 45-50 euros for a Green Card insurance document.
How much does a taxi from Tirana to Athens cost?
A taxi from Tirana to Athens does cost 450-600 euros for a one-way trip. Quite a few of the taxi companies in Albania, do not offer taxi services from Tirana to Athens. But if you reach out to Green Taxi, Ups Taxi or City Taxi, you will be able to book a taxi from Tirana to Athens.
- Green Taxi does offer a taxi from Tirana to Athens for 450 euros.
- UPs Taxi does offer a taxi from Tirana to Athens for 600 euros.
- City Taxi Tirana does offer a taxi from Tirana to Athens for 600 euros.
However, when you see how high the prices for a taxi from Tirana to Athens are, you might choose to book a direct flight instead. As this will save you money in most cases and a lot of time travelling. Since a flight only takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, whereas a car journey will take 15 hours.
Some taxi services in Albania will only offer a taxi to the Greek-Albanian border. Those taxi drivers only operate within Albania’s borders, so they are not going to cross into Greece. A taxi from Tirana to the border with Greece costs 111-165 euros depending on where you book your taxi.
- Tirana Airport Taxi Service does only offer taxi services within Albania’s borders. If you want a taxi from Tirana airport to the Greek border, it costs 165 euros.
- Do Taxi Tirana does not offer a taxi to Athens. But if you want a taxi from Tirana to the Greek border, you will be charged 13000 Leke (111 euros).
- Speed Taxi does not offer taxi services from Tirana to Athens. But if you want a taxi from Tirana to the Kakavia border crossing with Greece, you will be charged 16000 Leke or 140 euros.
Is there a train from Tirana to Athens?
There is no train from Tirana to Athens. Actually, Tirana does not have a railway station anymore. The old railway station was demolished in 2013. And it is now 2023, and no new railway station has been constructed. So you cannot take any train from Tirana.
Moreover, you cannot take a train from Albania to Greece at all. Because there are no railways across the border between Albania and Greece. So if you want to travel from Tirana to Athens by public transportation, you will need to look at a bus journey or flight ticket instead.
Albania also does not have railways to the South of the country. The old railway tracks lead down to Vlore city and no further south. However, the railway tracks to Vlore are not currently in use.
Train travel within Albania’s borders is very limited. As few as 2-3 trains operate in the entire country per week. Sometimes, you can take a train from Elbasan to Durres and back, but even this railway track is in operation 1-2 days per week only.
You can check the latest railway timetable on the homepage of Hekurudha Shqiptare (Albanian Railways) here: https://hekurudha.al/ Currently there is 1 x train per day every Saturday and Sunday between Durres and Elbasan.
Tirana to Athens distance
The distance from Tirana to Athens is 730 kilometres. The overland driving journey will take you approximately 15 hours.
How long does it take to get from Tirana to Athens?
If you book a direct flight from Tirana to Athens, your journey will take only 1 hour and 30 minutes. However, if you book a bus ticket, drive by car or book a taxi, the overland journey from Tirana to Athens will take you 15 hours.
IMPORTANT – If you look at Google Maps it will suggest, the overland journey from Tirana to Athens will take you only 8 hours and 45 minutes. This information is not correct. Google Maps frequently underestimates the amount of time it takes to drive through Albania and the Balkans. The journey from Tirana to the Greek Border alone will take you 5-6 hours. And you then still have a long journey through Greece ahead of you. According to the bus and taxi drivers, it will take approximately 15 hours.
Bus from Athens to Tirana
You can take a bus from Athens to Tirana.
Top Lines AL is a bus operator on the route from Athens to Tirana. Top Lines AL offers a bus departure from Athens at 8:30 AM, 19:00 PM and 19:30 PM. If you depart from Athens at 8:30 AM, you will be in Tirana at 23:30 PM the same day. If you depart from Athens at 19:00 PM, you will be in Tirana at 10:00 AM the next morning. And if you depart from Athens at 19:30 PM, you will be in Tirana at 10:30 AM the next morning.
A bus ticket from Athens to Tirana costs 30 euros for a one-way trip if you book with Top Lines AL. The bus journey will take you 15 hours.
You can also choose to travel from Athens to Tirana with Star Travel. Star Travel has a bus that departs from Athens at 12:30 PM every other day. So you will need to check the date with Star Travel by phone or via WhatsApp (+30 6984 733 901). A bus ticket from Athens to Tirana costs 40 euros per person for a one-way trip. The bus from Athens to Tirana departs from the Platia Karaiskaki.
Is there a train from Athens to Tirana?
There is no train from Athens to Tirana. Basically, Greece and Albania do not have international railway tracks over the border. Actually, Albania does not have any international passenger trains. So you cannot travel from Athens to Tirana by train.
When you travel through Albania, you will see some of the old railway tracks in the landscape. These were for national trains within Albania’s borders. However, many of these old railway tracks are currently not in use.
The railways were constructed by the communist regime that ruled Albania from the end of the Second World War until 1992. Because Albania was isolated from the rest of the world during this period, no international railway tracks were built.
Currently, there are as few as 2-3 operational trains per week in Albania. Usually, a train operates between Elbasan and Durres, 1-2 times per week. And sometimes a train runs between Shkoder and Lac.
You can check the latest railway timetable on the homepage of Hekurudha Shqiptare (Albanian Railways) here: https://hekurudha.al/ Currently there is 1 x train per day every Saturday and Sunday between Durres and Elbasan.
As a result of the limited train timetable, the Albanian people depend on minibuses, which they call “Furgons” to travel around the country.
Related Questions
Can you take a train from Albania to Greece? You cannot take a train from Albania to Greece. Because there is no railway connection between Albania and Greece. Albania has no international passenger trains and no railways in the South of Albania. The furthest railways are to Vlore and Pogradec, but those railways are not currently in use. So if you want to travel from Albania to Greece you can take a flight or bus instead.
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I am an Albania Tour Guide, who organizes 1-day, 2-day or multiple day private tours in Albania.
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