How to get from Tirana to Elbasan? Bus, taxi, car

If you are wondering how to get from Tirana to Elbasan, this blog post outlines all the details for you. I will describe how to get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus, by taxi or by rental car. 

How to get from Tirana to Elbasan? You can get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus, by taxi or by rental car. The bus from Tirana to Elbasan cost 200 Leke (1.70 EUR), departs every hour between 5:45 and 20:00 PM from the Southeastern bus terminal. A taxi costs 21-30 euros. A rental car costs at least 20-25 euros + 25 euros for petrol.

In this blog post, I will give you all the details you need to travel from Tirana to Elbasan. I will outline bus timetables, bus ticket prices, and the bus terminal location, compare taxi prices, compare car rental rates and discuss what driving in Albania is like. I will also discuss train travel in Albania and how to travel directly from Tirana airport to Elbasan.

The best way to get from Tirana to Elbasan

You can get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus, by taxi or by rental car. Let me give you a quick summary of your options. Then I will get into more detail below.

Tirana to Elbasan by bus (quick summary)

  • A bus ticket costs 200 Leke (1.70 euros).
  • Buses depart between 5:45 AM and 20:00 PM.
  • The bus departs from the Southeastern Albania Regional Bus Terminal
  • The journey takes approximately 50 minutes

Tirana to Elbasan by taxi (quick summary)

  • A taxi from Tirana to Elbasan costs between 21 – 30 euros
  • Cheapest taxi rates with Do taxi, Speed Taxi and City Taxi

Tirana to Elbasan by rental car (quick summary)

  • A rental car in Tirana costs at least 20-25 euros per day
  • Petrol 25-30 euros to drive from Tirana to Elbasan
  • Price comparison of car rental companies below

How to get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus?

You can get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus from the Southeastern Albania Regional Bus Terminal. Buses depart between 5:45 AM and 20:00 PM. A bus ticket from Tirana to Elbasan costs 200 Leke (1.70 euros).

The bus from Tirana to Elbasan departs at 5:45 AM, 6:45 AM, 7:45 AM, 8:45 AM, 9:30 AM, 9:45 AM, 10:45 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM, 13:45 PM, 14:45 PM, 15:45 PM, 16:00 PM, 16:45 PM, 17:45 PM, 18:45 PM, 19:45 PM and 20:00 PM. The buses from Tirana to Elbasan are operated by Era Travel Sh.p.k. And Tirana bus. 

I have personally verified the timetables with Era Travel Sh.p.k and Tirana bus over the phone. But if you want to double-check bus timetables for Albania, you can go online on the website of Gjirafa Autobus. This is the website of Gjirafa Autobus -> https://travel.gjirafa.com/ Or you can simply go to the bus terminal, I mention below and take the first available bus.

By bus, it will take you approximately 50 minutes to get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus. 

IMPORTANT! The buses from Tirana to Elbasan depart from a separate bus terminal. This bus terminal is called: Terminali i Autobusëve Juglindje in the Albanian language. And in the English language, it is Southeastern Albania Regional Bus Terminal

You can see the location of the Southeastern Albania Regional Bus Terminal on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/mp7GYXhcMVeUyYxQA Basically, the Southeastern Regional Bus Terminal is located quite close to the Air Albania Football Stadium, the Grand Park of Tirana and the Polytechnic University of Tirana. Just to give you some points of recognition. 

This bus terminal is only for buses that go to the South-East of Albania. So buses to places like Elbasan, Cerrik, Gramsh, Erseke, Librazhd, Korce, Belsh, Pogradec, Perrenjas, Leskovik, and Bilisht. So if you are going to other places in Albania, like Berat or Gjirokaster or Shkoder, you will need to go to another bus terminal.

In Albania, you do not book your bus ticket online or pay by card for a bus ticket. Bus travel in Albania is rather old-fashioned. You take cash money to the bus terminal and pay for your ticket in cash with the driver. Many buses are not equipped with a credit card machine, so card payment won’t be possible in most cases.

How much does a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan cost?

A taxi from Tirana to Elbasan costs between 21 – 30 euros. And it will take you approximately 50 minutes to get from Tirana to Elbasan.

To give you a good insight into what a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan costs, I did reach out to some of the most popular taxi companies in Tirana and asked them for their rates.

  • Speed Taxi charges 2800 Leke or 24 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan
  • City Taxi Tirana charges 3000 Leke or 25 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan
  • Do Taxi Tirana charges 2500 Leke or 21 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan
  • Merr Taxi Tirana charges 3000 Leke or 26 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan
  • Ups Taxi charges 3500 Leke or 30 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Elbasan

If you want to take a taxi directly from Tirana airport to Elbasan, you can take the official Tirana airport taxi service. The Tirana airport taxi service charges 55 euros for a taxi from Tirana airport to Elbasan. The airport is further away from Elbasan than the city centre of Tirana.

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

It does cost at least 20-25 euros per day to rent a car in Tirana and drive from Tirana to Elbasan. For petrol, you may need around 25-30 euros to drive from Tirana to Elbasan.

To give you a good insight into the prices for car rental companies in Albania, I did reach out to several car rental companies and compared their rates. To each car rental company, I asked for their cheapest rates. Of course, you can always spend more on a luxurious car.

  • Albania Airport Rent a Car charges 20 euros per day for a Skoda Fabia with manual gear from 2019.
  • ARA Auto Rental Albania at Tirana airport charges 20 euros per day for a Fiat Punto from 2018. 
  • Avis Rent a Car Tirana Airport charges 25 euros per day for an Opel Corsa manual gear from 2022.
  • G Rentals Tirana airport charges 20 euros per day for an Opel Corsa from 2021. 
  • Green Motion Tirana airport charges 20 euros per day for a Skoda Fabia.
  • Hertz Tirana airport charges 22 euros per day for a Suzuki Ignis from 2019. 
  • Eurocar Rentals Tirana charges 25 euros per day for a Kia Rio from 2021.
  • Easy Rent Tirana charges 30 euros per day for a Fiat Panda.
  • Eagle Rent Car Renting Albania charges 20 euros per day for a manual Volkswagen Up.

IMPORTANT – If you are travelling to Albania in July or August, it is the absolute top of the high season. So you will most likely pay more for a rental car since the cheapest cars won’t be available anymore. And as a result, you will only be able to rent a more expensive rental car.

IMPORTANT – I highly recommend you reach out to car rental companies in Albania before you travel. I have received messages from travellers who paid 50-70 euros per day for a rental car. There might be a better deal out there for you, but you must reach out to several car rental companies and compare their offers, to get a good deal.

IMPORTANT – Driving in Albania as a foreigner can be daunting and challenging. 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.

What is the distance from Tirana to Elbasan?

The distance from Tirana to Elbasan is 40 kilometres. The drive from Tirana to Elbasan will take you around 50 minutes. But of course, it depends on how much traffic you will face in the city centre of Tirana and at what time of the day you are travelling. 

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

It takes around 50 minutes to get from Tirana to Elbasan by bus, by taxi or by car. Elbasan is quite close to Tirana. However, some sections of the road are still older national roads, which will slow down your driving time.

Can you get from Tirana to Elbasan by train?

You cannot get from Tirana to Elbasan by train. Because Tirana does not have a train station anymore. Therefore you cannot take any train from Tirana to anywhere else.

The Albanian railway network and trains are run by Hekurudha Shqiptare (in English: Albanian Railways). If you look at the Albanian railway network map below, it is misleading because you would see that there is a railway connection between Tirana and Elbasan. And think you could take a train, right?

However, most of the railway tracks shown on the above “System Map” are not in use. The railways in Albania and trains were built during the communist period. Between the end of the Second World War and 1992, Albania was ruled by communism. 

However, since the fall of communism in 1992, the railways have not been invested in, refurbished or upgraded. As a result, many of the railway tracks are still in the landscape but not actually being used. 

Therefore, the Albanian people travel from A to B with the “Furgon” minibus. Albanian people don’t even think about taking the trains. 

If you as a foreign traveller would like to experience the trains in Albania. You can find the latest train timetable on the homepage of Hekurudha Shqiptare (In English: Albanian Railways). There may be as few as 3 x operational trains per week. Usually, 2 x trains per week run between Elbasan and Durres. And 1 x train per week runs between Lac and Shkoder. You can find the website of Hekurudha Shqiptare (In English: Albanian Railways) online here: https://hsh.com.al/index.php/projekte/ 

How to get from Tirana airport to Elbasan?

You can get from Tirana airport to Elbasan taking a taxi. A taxi from Tirana airport to Elbasan costs 55 euros. There is no direct bus from Tirana airport to Elbasan.

Tirana airport has a licensed taxi service. And these taxis are always parked right in front of the Arrivals Hall at the airport. So you can simply take one of the taxis waiting in front of the airport or you can book a taxi online in advance. You can also check their taxi price list online, which gives you peace of mind -> https://tiataxi.al/travel/ 

There is no direct bus service from Tirana airport to Elbasan. There are some direct shuttle buses from Tirana airport to the city centre of Tirana, Durres, Fier and Vlore. So if you are travelling by public transportation, it does make sense to book your first night’s accommodation in one of those cities. You can find the airport shuttle bus timetables online here -> https://www.tirana-airport.com/en/transport-and-directions/15/By-Bus 

About me

About me

I am an Albania Tour Guide, who organizes 1-day, 2-day or multiple day private tours in Albania. I arrange your transportation and I am your English speaking guide. So that, you get to experience the most beautiful places in Albania!
Kind regards, Manon

Welcome to Albania!

I am a Tour Guide in Albania

I am an Albania Tour Guide, who organizes 1-day, 2-day or multiple day private tours in Albania.

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