How to get from Tirana to Vlore? By bus, by taxi, by car

Vlore is a beautiful beach about 3 hours driving distance from Tirana. So how do you get from Tirana to Vlore? And is it best to travel from Tirana to Vlore by bus, by taxi, by train or with a rental car? Let me answer your questions in this blog post.

How to get from Tirana to Vlore? You can get from Tirana to Vlore by bus, by taxi or in a rental car. The bus from Tirana to Vlore costs 500 Leke (4.10 euros) or the bus from Tirana Airport costs 1000 Leke (8.20 euros). The bus journey takes 3 hours. A taxi from Tirana to Vlore costs 66 – 107 euros depending on the taxi company. A car rental costs 20 euros per day + 25 euros for petrol.

If you are staying in Tirana or you are flying to Tirana International Airport, you will certainly be wondering how to get to the Albanian Riviera. Because Vlore is the closest Albanian Riviera beach if you are coming from the North of Albania or Tirana. Let me take you through the best ways to get from Tirana to Vlore so that you can decide what suits you best.

The best way to get from Tirana to Vlore

You can get from Tirana to Vlore by bus, by rental car or by taxi. Let me take you through the costs, advantages and disadvantages of each manner of transporation. So that you can decide the best way to get from Tirana to Vlore for yourself.

Option 1: Getting from Tirana to Vlore by bus

• Advantage: Taking the bus is the cheapest way to get from Tirana to Vlore. A bus trip from Tirana to Vlore only costs 500 Leke (4.10 euros) for a one-way journey. And if you want to take a bus directly from Tirana Airport, the bus journey costs 1000 Leke (8.20 euros) for a one-way journey.
• Disadvantage: The bus from Tirana to Vlore departs from the Regional Bus Terminal. So if you are staying in Tirana’s city centre, you must first travel to the Regional Bus Terminal. So you do not have a direct journey by bus. And you spend extra time and money on a city bus or taxi journey to get to the Regional Bus Terminal.
• Disadvantage: If you want to travel from Tirana International Airport to Vlore, you are in luck, because there is a direct bus. However, there are only 6 departures per day from the airport, so you may have to wait a while for the next direct bus to Vlore.
• Disadvantage: Taking the local bus from Tirana to Vlore is not a luxury journey. The local busses are often older minibuses, which may or may not have air conditioning. It is absolutely possible to travel by bus, but expect the basics, not a luxurious trip.

Option 2: Getting from Tirana to Vlore by taxi

• Advantage: The easiest, stress-free and most comfortable way to travel from Tirana to Vlore is by taxi.
• Disadvantage: Taxi journeys in Albania are pricy. A one-way trip with a taxi from Tirana to Vlore will cost you between 66 euros and 107 euros. Which is a large amount compared to the 4.10 euros for the local bus! Scroll down, to see the taxi prices quoted by different taxi companies.

Option 3: Getting from Tirana to Vlore with a rental car

• Advantage: Having your own rental car is a great way to travel along the Albanian Riviera. Because you can drive along the coastal road and make stops at the little beaches and sightseeing locations on the route.
• Disadvantage: Renting a car and paying for petrol on a daily basis is relatively expensive. Moreover, make sure you compare the prices of various car rental companies before your trip. Because car rental prices vary massively, so that could make a big difference if you rent a car for several days.
• Disadvantage: Driving in Albania as a foreigner can be daunting and challenging. Because the Albanian drivers have a chaotic driving style. You must be an alert and experienced driver because Albanian people often do not follow the rules of the road.

How to get from Tirana to Vlore by bus?

You can get from Tirana to Vlore by bus in 3 hours. However, the bus from Tirana to Vlore does not depart from the city centre. Actually, the bus departs from the Regional Bus Terminal North and South Albania, which is approximately 20 minutes driving from the city centre of Tirana.

Step 1: Travel from the city centre of Tirana to the Regional Bus station with a taxi or city bus
Step 2: Take the bus from the Regional Bus Station to Vlore

Attention! If you are travelling from Tirana International Airport to Vlore, please scroll down for more information about the direct bus from the airport to Vlore.

How to get from Tirana’s city centre to the Regional Bus Station?

If you want to travel from Tirana’s city centre to another city in Albania, you must always travel to the Regional Bus Terminal North and south Albania. This bus terminal is a 20-minute drive from the city centre of Tirana.

Regional Bus Terminal – North and South Albania
In Albanian language: Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut

You can see the location of the Regional Bus Terminal North and South Albania on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/6E1rETJH76i5irWj8

To get to the Regional Bus Terminal, you can either take a short taxi ride for 20 minutes or take a city bus. A taxi ride from the city centre of Tirana to the Regional Bus Terminal costs 5 euros.

If you would like to take the city bus to the Regional Bus Station, you must go to the National History Museum on Skanderbeg Square in the centre of the city. The bus departs from the Dede Gjo Luli Street (In Albanian: Rruga Dede Gjo Luli). The Dede Gjo Luli Street is on the back of the National History Museum.

You must take the bus in the direction of Instituti Bujqesor, which stops at the Regional Bus Terminal North and South. This bus trip will cost you less than 1 euro.

How to travel from the Regional Bus Terminal to Vlore?

It takes 3 hours to travel from Tirana to Vlore by bus.

The bus from Tirana to Vlore departs every 30 minutes between 5:00 AM and 17:30 PM. So there is a bus from Tirana to Vlore at 5:00 AM, 5:30 AM, 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:30 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:30 PM, 13:00 PM, 13:30 PM, 14:00 PM, 14:30 PM, 15:00 PM, 15:30 PM, 16:00 PM, 16:30 PM, 17:00 PM and 17:30 PM.

You can check the most up-to-date bus timetable from Tirana to Vlore on the website of Gjirafa Autobus. Click this link to open the website with the bus timetables in Albania: https://gjirafa.com/autobus

A bus ticket from Tirana to Vlore costs 500 Leke (4.10 euros). Remember to bring some cash Albanian Leke with you to the bus station. Because you will pay for your bus ticket in cash to the driver of the bus. Albanian bus drivers do not accept debit or credit card payments.

You do not need to reserve your bus ticket online. Albanian people simply show up at the bus station, pay for their ticket in cash with the driver and wait for the bus to depart.

How to get from Tirana airport to Vlore by bus?

You can get from Tirana Airport to Vlore by direct bus.

There is a daily direct bus from Tirana airport to Vlore. The bus from Tirana airport to Vlore departs 6 x times per day. The bus departs from Tirana International Airport at 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 13:30 PM, 14:30 PM, 16:30 PM and 22:00 PM.

The bus from Tirana airport to Vlore costs 1000 Leke (8.20 euros) for a one-way journey.

The bus from Tirana airport to Vlore is operated by “Hermes Airport shpk”. You can find the contact details of the company here: https://www.tirana-airport.com/c/16/bus

How much is a taxi from Tirana to Vlore?

A taxi from Tirana to Vlore costs between 66 euros and 107 euros for a one-way trip. I have asked the most well-known taxi companies in Albania for a quote. As you can see the taxi prices vary significantly by company.

• Taxi from Tirana to Vlore with Merr Taxi costs 107 euros for a one-way trip.
• Taxi from Tirana to Vlore with Tirana airport taxi costs 86 euros for a one-way trip.
• Taxi from Tirana to Vlore with UPs Taxi costs 85 euros for a one-way trip
• Taxi from Tirana to Vlore with Speed Taxi costs 66 euros for a one-way trip

If you would like to check taxi prices in Albania online, you can do so on two websites.

Merr Taxi is a well known branded taxi company in Albania. On their website, Merr Taxi has a taxi fare calculator, which you can use here: https://merrtaxi.com/tirana-taxi-fare-calculator  Please bear in mind that usually, Merr Taxi’s rates are relatively high. But somehow that is also good because when you calculate your budget with the Merr taxi rates, you always have enough cash with you.

The official Tirana Airport taxi service has a price list online, which you can access here: https://tiataxi.al/travel/ . Bear in mind that Tirana airport is maybe 30 minutes from the city centre of Tirana by car.

Can I use UBER in Albania?

I received many questions asking: “Can I use UBER in Albania?” And the answer is: “You cannot use UBER in Albania, because UBER does not exist in Albania.

A few years ago UBER did announce plans to come to Albania. However, so far UBER has not launched in Albania.

However, if you do want to use a Taxi App, you can download one of the popular Albanian taxi apps.

Taxi APPs in Albania:
1. UPs Taxi App – UPs Taxi charges 85 euros for a one way trip from Tirana to Vlore.
2. Speed Taxi App – Speed Taxi charges 66 euros for a one way trip from Tirana to Vlore.
3. Taxi.al App

The UPs taxi app is similar to UBER. Because it will connect you to a taxi owner near your location. If you request a taxi through UPs taxi, it is always a licenced taxi.

Speed Taxi is a branded taxi company, who has its own taxi app. So if you request a taxi through the app, you will get a branded taxi and the driver is an employee of the Speed taxi company. Which is a bit different from UBER.

The Taxi.al App is very similar to Uber. Because drivers register on their website and these are private drivers with their own cars. You will most likely pay for your taxi in cash.

How to get from Tirana to Vlore with a rental car?

You can rent a basic car in Albania for 20 euros per day. And for your trip from Tirana to Vlore, you will spend approximately 25 euros on petrol.

If you are planning to rent a car in Albania, I do recommend you reach out to car rental companies before your holiday. Because car rental prices can vary significantly. You can find the email addresses of all the well-known car rental companies here: https://www.tirana-airport.com/en/partners/3/Car-Rentals 

But I would also recommend that you type “Makina me qera Tirane” (Albanian language for “Car rental Tirana”) in Google. Because you may get better deals if you rent a car from a local car rental provider.

Before you drive in Albania, I must make you aware that driving in Albania can be daunting and challenging. The Albanian drivers have a very chaotic driving style. And unfortunately, many Albanian drivers do not follow the rules of the road. So there may be times, where Albanian drivers surprise or scare you with their moves.

Of course, I cannot possibly know your experience and confidence whilst driving a car. But at the very least, I would recommend that you are an experienced driver. And that you only drive in Albania, when you are very alert and awake.

The quality of the road between Tirana and Vlore is good. First, you take the highway that connects Tirana with Durres beach. Then from Durres beach, you drive southwards along Kavaje, Lushnje, Fier and finally Vlore. Do not take the road via Elbasan, because the road via Durres is in better condition than the road via Elbasan.

Can I get from Tirana to Vlore by train?

You cannot get from Tirana to Vlore by train for several reasons.

Firstly, the Albanian government demolished the train station in the city centre of Tirana. So there is no place to get on the train in Tirana. The closest station is in the Kashar neighbourhood, which is 10 kilometres from the city centre.

Secondly, I would not recommend travelling by train in Albania. The train and rail network was built during the communist period. And since communism ended in 1992, the trains and rail network have not been upgraded, maintained, expanded or refurbished.

As a result of the lack of maintenance, the trains started travelling slower and slower. And fewer people travel by train. So there are fewer departures.

Therefore, Albanian people don’t really travel by train. The Albanian people always prefer a car journey. And their second choice is the Furgon Mini-Bus, which travels faster than the trains in Albania.

The only reason why you would take the train in Albania is that you want to experience a communist train. But do not take the train as an effective way of transportation, because you will get from A to B faster by bus.

What is the distance from Tirana to Vlore?

The distance from Tirana to Vlore is 157 kilometres. By car, by bus or with a rental car, the journey will take you 3 hours. Your journey may be a bit slower or quicker depending on traffic. Traffic can be heavy in Tirana’s city centre and at the coastline in Durres.

Is Vlore worth visiting?

Vlore is absolutely worth visiting. It is a beautiful coastal city around a large bay. There is a lovely promenade alongside the coast with many restaurants, bars and hotels.

Moreover, there are great things to do around Vlore. Let me give you a short overview of the best places to visit when you are staying in Vlore.

Vlore is the starting point of the Albanian Riviera

The Albanian Riviera is a beautiful stretch of coastline in the South of Albania. And the Albanian Riviera starts in Vlore. From Vlore, there is a coastal road to Saranda in the South of Albania.

If you are flying to Tirana International Airport, you can stay 1-2 nights in Vlore. Then go on a 1-day car journey along the Albanian Riviera. And then stay 1-2 nights in Saranda. With this itinerary, you get to see all the beautiful beaches and historical sightseeing locations in the South of Albania.

Apollonia

Apollonia is an impressive archaeological park about 1 hour driving from Vlore. If you are travelling from Tirana to Vlore, you can make a stop in Fier city and visit Apollonia on your way to Vlore.

At Apollonia, you can see the massive ruins of an ancient Greek and Roman city. Apollonia used to be a very important city. It was an economic and trade centre with a famous school of Philosophy. You can walk through the old town centre of the Roman city and imagine what life was like centuries ago.

Zvernec island

Zvernec is a very picturesque little island about a 30-minute drive from Vlore beach. The little island is surrounded by the water for the Nartha Lagoon. The island is connected to the mainland via a long wooden bridge. Walk to the island and explore the tiny monastery. I recommend visiting Zvernec island for 1 hour in the morning and then spending your afternoon relaxing on the beach in Vlore. A perfect day!

Karaburun Peninsula

If you would like to go on an adventure, you can take a boat trip to the Karaburun Peninsula. The Karaburun Peninsula is a massive pier that points into the Ionian Sea. Along the peninsula, there are some beautiful sightseeing locations, that can only be reached by boat. You can explore the magical Gramata Bay, the Haxi Ali Cave and the Blue Cave. Boat trips are available from Vlore beach and from Dhermi beach.

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