23 Things To Know Before You Visit Albania — ALONG DUSTY ROADS

Getting Around With Buses & Furgons

Backpackers and slow travellers can absolutely get around Albania by public transport, with a little patience and flexibility.

There’s no passenger train system in Albania, so most journeys are going to be by road with long-distance buses, taxis, rental scooters, and the country’s scrappy network of minibuses known as furgons.

A furgon is essentially a shared minibus – usually a battered Mercedes Sprinter or Ford Transit – that runs between towns and villages, filling up with passengers as it goes. They’re a fun and affordable way to get around, and have regular daily departures for key routes. However, planning can be a little challenging due to there not being a national furgon timetable, no guarantees on seat availability, and pickups/stops often informal and unclear. Locals and guesthouse owners can absolutely help point you in the right direction though, or keep an eye out for A4 schedules taped to walls and lampposts.

Basically, it’s like Latin America.

Alongside furgons, Albania has a network of modern intercity buses that link up the main tourist routes. Tirana is the main hub, with frequent departures to Shkodër (2 hours), Berat (3 hours), Gjirokastër (4 hours), and to the coast, but you don’t always have to connect via Tirana to go between destinations.

On the coast, there are regular services running between Sarandë, Himarë, Dhermi, and Vlorë, but departures are usually limited to once or twice a day in each direction, typically in the morning. No single coastal bus runs the whole length of the Albanian Riviera.

Where relying on public transport becomes more of a challenge is if you’re based in or hoping to visit the more remote beaches like Gjipe, Jale, or Borsh on day trips. There are no direct buses to the beaches – only to the nearest village on the main coastal road, from where you’ll need to walk, hitchhike, or arrange a lift. In some cases, you’ll also have to connect via Sarandë or Vlorë to reach other Riviera towns, adding several hours and making spontaneous detours awkward.

All of this absolutely feasible, but the main drawback is that reliable online schedules, route information, and reservations are still a bit rough around the edges for Albania’s buses, so advance planning an itinerary shaped around public transport can require more time than you’d like.

HOWEVER, last year the government launched a potential game-changer for independent travellers. Their website eTransport.al is offers a way to plan and book all major long-distance buses and some furgons across Albania. While it’s far from perfect – it’s slow, quite buggy, and and not all routes and companies are on it – it does offer a more reliable first stop when trying to get around by public transport.

Travel Tip // Uber is illegal in Albania, but there are now a few similar local alternatives: Patoko and Clust.