Saranda to Tirana bus: timetable, price, station, duration

If you are planning to travel from Saranda to Tirana by bus, this blog post is for you. I will describe how you can get from Saranda to Tirana by bus, including the timetable, bus station, costs and duration.

Saranda to Tirana bus – The Saranda to Tirana bus departs at 5:00 AM, 5:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 14:00 PM and 22:00 PM. A bus ticket from Saranda to Tirana costs 14 euros p.p. The journey takes app. 5 hours. Busses depart next to Friendship Park in Saranda’s city centre.

I know that as a foreign traveller, figuring out the bus timetables, bus stations and booking a ticket can be a challenge. That is why I have written this blog post including the prices, the bus station, the timetable, the bus station in Tirana upon arrival, train information, taxi prices, how to buy a bus ticket and much more to help you plan your trip.

Saranda to Tirana bus information

Below I will give you all the information you need to travel from Saranda to Tirana by bus. But first, let me give you an overview of what you kind find in this blog post:

  • Saranda to Tirana bus schedule or timetable
  • How much does a bus ticket from Saranda to Tirana cost?
  • How long does it take to travel from Saranda to Tirana by bus?
  • Where is the Saranda bus station?
  • Where is the Tirana bus station?
  • How do I buy a bus ticket?
  • Saranda to Tirana by train
  • How much does a taxi from Saranda to Tirana cost?
  • How do I get from Saranda to Tirana airport?

Saranda to Tirana bus schedule

Let’s take about the Saranda to Tirana bus schedule. The bus from Saranda to Tirana departs at 5:00 AM, 5:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 14:00 PM and 22:00 PM. 

It takes approximately 5 hours to travel from Saranda to Tirana by bus. So if you depart from Saranda at 9:30 AM, you arrive at the Tirana bus terminal around 14:30 PM. But of course, it depends on the traffic along your journey. 

You can always double-check the Saranda to Tirana bus schedule on the website of Gjirafa Autobus: https://travel.gjirafa.com/ Gjirafa Autobus is the website where Albanian bus drivers can publish their bus timetables. 

How much is it from Saranda to Tirana by bus?

A bus ticket from Saranda to Tirana costs 14 euros per person for a one-way journey. Compared to other bus journeys in Albania, the bus ticket from Saranda to Tirana is quite expensive. However, the alternatives like renting a car cost at least 25 euros per day + petrol. And a taxi from Saranda to Tirana will cost you between 130-150 euros (see below).

You will need to pay for your bus ticket in cash to the driver of the bus. Paying by card for your bus ticket may not be possible, since many bus drivers do not have a card payment system. And booking a bus ticket online is not common practice in Albania. I must admit that Albania is a bit of an old-fashioned country, where most transactions are done by cash.

You can pay for your bus ticket from Saranda to Tirana in euros or in Albanian Leke as you prefer, both will be accepted.

How long does it take to get from Saranda to Tirana by bus?

It does take approximately 5 hours to get from Saranda to Tirana by bus. Of course, it depends on how heavy the traffic is on the day you are travelling. July and August are high season months in Albania, so there is definitely more traffic in those months.

Where is the Saranda bus station?

The Saranda bus station is located in the city centre of Saranda, next to Friendship Park in Saranda.

The address of the Saranda bus station is Friendship Park, Rruga Telat Noga 5, Sarandë 9701, Albania. Basically, the Saranda bus station is located next to Friendship Park in Saranda. In between the Rruga Onhezmi (Onhezmi Street) and the Rruga Skanderbeu (Skanderbeu Street). 

You can see the location of the Saranda bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/FiTJe5cbCbkYMdKHA 

Where is the Tirana bus station?

The bus from Saranda to Tirana arrives at the Tirana bus station. The Regional bus station in Tirana is located approximately 15-20 minutes away from the city centre of Tirana. 

The Tirana bus station is called: Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut (in the Albanian language). So in English, the official name of the Tirana bus station is South and North Albania Bus Terminal. 

The address of the Tirana bus terminal is Kthesa e Kamzës, Rruga Kastriotet, Kashar, Shqiperi, Tiranë. You can see the location of the Tirana bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/RN6pw84c94DUuR6i8 

The Tirana bus station is about 15-20 minutes by bus or taxi from the city centre of Tirana. So if you have booked a hotel in the centre of Tirana near Skanderbeg Square, you will need to take another bus to the city centre or a taxi, because the city centre is not within a walking distance of Tirana’s city centre. 

If you would like to take a bus from the Tirana bus terminal to the city centre, you need to cross the road. Walk to the exit of the Tirana bus terminal and cross the road to the other side. There is a hotel called “Hotel Terminal Tirana” with a petrol station, the bus to the city centre departs right in front of this hotel. 

How do I buy a bus ticket in Albania?

The best way to buy a bus ticket in Albania is by paying cash at the bus station. I know that as a foreigner you are used to buying your bus ticket online and perhaps bringing a printed or a mobile ticket to the bus station. 

However, Albania is a more old-fashioned country, where paying by cash is still the norm. So I highly recommend you do not book your bus ticket online. But instead, you simply exchange a small number of euros, pounds or US dollars for the Albanian Leke currency. And then you buy a bus ticket from the driver of the bus in cash. 

If you do manage to buy a bus ticket online, you will be one of the few this year. Because Albanian people pay for 99% of their expenses by cash, that is what the bus drivers are used to. 

Albanian buses are not equipped with credit card processing machines, so most buses cannot be paid by card. Unless you go to the ATM and withdraw some cash, that will work of course. 

Saranda to Tirana train

You cannot travel from Saranda to Tirana by train, because there is no railway between Saranda and Tirana. 

Albania was a communist country from the end of the Second World War until 1992. In this communist period, railways were built in Albania for the first time. However, these railways never extended to Saranda. The railways did connect Vlore, which is to the North of Saranda. 

However, there are currently no trains between Durres and Vlore. Since the fall of communism, there has been little investment in the railway network and trains. As a result, very few trains are operational in Albania currently. More information here -> https://albaniatourguide.com/can-you-take-a-train-to-albania/ 

How much does it cost to get from Saranda to Tirana by taxi?

A taxi from Saranda to Tirana costs between 130 euros and 150 euros. 

To get you a good indication of what you can expect to pay for a taxi from Saranda to Tirana, I did reach out to several independent taxi drivers in Saranda. 

I received these quotes:

  • A taxi from Saranda to Tirana costs 135 euros. If we mention the normal price that we offered last year when diesel was cheaper.
  • A taxi from Saranda to Tirana for 2 people costs 150 euros. 
  • Hello, it’s 130 euros. The prices are higher because of the petrol prices increases.
  • The normal price for a taxi from Saranda to Tirana is 150 euros.
  • The price from Saranda to Tirana is 150 euros total. If the price of fuel will increase in the next days, the price for a taxi will increase again.

To be honest, these are the prices from independent taxi operators. And it is difficult to distinguish between the taxi companies online because they all call themselves “taxi Saranda”, “Saranda taxi” or “taxi in Saranda” online.

How do I get from Saranda to Tirana airport?

You can get from Saranda to Tirana airport direct if you take a taxi, if you take a bus you will need to transfer buses.

You can get from Saranda to Tirana airport directly by taxi. A taxi from Saranda to Tirana airport will cost you between 130-150 euros according to independent taxi drivers. The official Tirana airport taxi service charges 165 euros.

There is no direct bus from Saranda to Tirana airport. There are some shuttle buses from Tirana airport to cities in Albania, but Saranda is not offered. These are the shuttle buses to Tirana airport.

  1. Shuttle bus from Tirana’s city centre to Tirana airport (and reverse)
  2. Shuttle bus from Durres’ city centre to Tirana airport (and reverse)
  3. Shuttle bus from Fier’s city centre to Tirana airport (and reverse) 
  4. Shuttle bus from Vlore’s city centre to Tirana airport (and reverse)

So if you want to travel from Saranda to Tirana airport by bus, you will need to transfer buses. 

Option 1: Take a bus from Saranda to Vlore and transfer to the airport bus in Vlore

You can check the bus timetable from Saranda to Vlore on the website of Gjirafa Autobus here: https://travel.gjirafa.com/ Then in Vlore, you transfer onto the shuttle bus to the airport. The airport shuttle bus departs from Vlore at 05:00 AM, 07:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 14:00 PM and 17:00 PM. 

Option 2: Take a bus from Saranda to Durres and transfer to the airport bus in Durres

You can check the bus timetable from Saranda to Durres on the website of Gjirafa Autobus here: https://travel.gjirafa.com/ The bus from Durres to Tirana airport departs at 08:00 AM, 09:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 13:00 PM and 15:00 PM.

You might think it is logical to take a bus from Saranda to Tirana and then take the bus from Tirana’s city centre to Tirana airport. However, this does not make the most sense, since Tirana’s city centre is further than Tirana airport if you are starting from Saranda. 

Moreover, the Saranda to Tirana bus will drop you off at the Regional bus terminal, so you will need to take a taxi or bus to the city centre, and then the shuttle bus from the city centre to Tirana airport, so that is an extra transfer, more travelling time and more room for delays.

Tirana to Saranda bus

You can get from Tirana to Saranda by bus 7 x times per day. The bus from Tirana to Saranda departs at 6:15 AM, 7:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:45 AM, 12:30 PM, 16:00 PM and 22:00 PM. You can always double-check the bus timetable on Gjirafa Autobus here: https://travel.gjirafa.com/ 

A bus ticket from Tirana to Saranda costs 14 euros per person for a one-way trip. 

You can get on the bus from Tirana to Saranda at the Tirana bus station. The bus station is called: Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut (in the Albanian language). So in English, the official name of the Tirana bus station is South and North Albania Bus Terminal. 

The address of the Tirana bus terminal is Kthesa e Kamzës, Rruga Kastriotet, Kashar, Shqiperi, Tiranë. You can see the location of the Tirana bus station on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/RN6pw84c94DUuR6i8 

The bus terminal is located outside the city centre of Tirana, so you will need to take a taxi to the bus terminal. Or you can take the bus which departs behind the National History Museum to Instituti, which makes a stop at the bus terminal.

How long is the bus from Tirana to Saranda?

It takes approximately 5 hours to travel by bus from Tirana to Saranda. Although traffic may delay your bus journey of course.

Is there a train from Tirana to Saranda?

There is no train from Tirana to Saranda. Because there is no railway from Tirana to Saranda. In the communist period, which ended in 1992, some national railways were constructed in Albania. And the furthest south these railways went was Vlore. However, there are currently no trains in operation between Durres and Vlore or between Tirana and Vlore. This stretch of railway is currently not in operation. 

So you can only travel from Tirana to Saranda via the road, with a car, a bus or a taxi. 

Related Questions

How to get from Gjirokaster to Tirana by bus? You can get from Gjirokasterto Tirana by bus. The bus departs at 5:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 13:15 PM, 14:30 PM, 15:30 PM and 17:00 PM. A bus ticket costs 12 euros per person. Busses depart from Stacioni i Autobuseve nderqytetas ne Gjirokaster on Autostrada Sarande-Tepelene, Gjirokastër

How to get from Saranda to Ksamil by bus? You can get from Saranda to Ksamil by bus. The bus departs next to Friendship Park in the centre of Saranda. Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/3BvwBHZL9YogpaZP6 The bus from Saranda to Ksamil departs at 6:30 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 13:30 PM, 14:30 PM, 15:30 PM, 16:30 PM, 17:30 PM and 18:30 PM. A bus ticket from Saranda to Ksamil cost 150 Leke (1.28 Euro).

How to get from Saranda to Gjirokaster by bus? You can get from Saranda to Gjirokaster by bus. The bus departs from the Saranda bus station next to Friendship Park (see above). You can check the bus timetable on Gjirafa Autobus: https://travel.gjirafa.com/  Bear in mind you might need to take a bus in the direction of Elbasan, Berat, Korce, Fier etc that makes a stop in Gjirokaster.

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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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