Most visits to Albania
are now trouble-free. Tiranė and Durrės are quite safe,
but check with the Foreign Office's travel advice
website,
www.fco.gov.uk,
before visiting some parts of Albania, particularly the border
regions in the North-East of the country.
Page last
updated:
3 January 2012. Train times valid
from 11 December 2011 to 9 June 2012.
Visiting Albania
The statue of Skėnderbeg, Albania's national hero,
in Skėnderbeg Square in Tiranė
Albania, which Albanians
call Shqipėria or 'Land of the Eagles', was once the most
mysterious country in Europe. It became a Stalinist
dictatorship in 1946, and for decades it was almost
completely shut off from the rest of the world. But
things have changed. The Communist regime was
overturned in 1991, and in spite of well-publicised troubles
in 1992 and again in 1997, most of Albania is now quite safe
to visit - you can check with
www.fco.gov.uk.
Albania is easy to reach from western Europe, either by train
to Italy then ferry across the Adriatic, or overland
by train to Montenegro then by bus or taxi across
the border into Albania. EU citizens
don't even need a visa, there is just a token
entry tax to pay, and it's a fascinating country that will
challenge your pre-conceptions of things Albanian.
There are some photographs of what
you might see in Albania at the bottom of this page.
There are no international passenger trains between Albania and
the rest of Europe, and travel in
some of the border regions is inadvisable (see
www.fco.gov.uk), so the fastest, easiest
and most comfortable way to reach Albania is to take a train to
Bari in Italy and sail overnight to Durrės on the daily
Tirrenia Line ferry. The journey from London to
Albania is quite straightforward and can all be booked from
the UK. If you'd rather travel overland by train to
Montenegro then by taxi or bus, see the
next
section.
London ► Tiranė
Day 1, morning:
Travel from London to
Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at
09:12 Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 Saturdays or 09:23 Sundays,
arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
12:47.
Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).
Day 1, afternoon: Travel from Paris to Milan by
high-speed
Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon at 14:41 and arriving at Milan Porto Garibaldi at 21:45.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis
tunnel through the Alps. The TGV has 1st and 2nd
class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks &
tray-meals.
Day 2, morning:
Travel
from Milan to Bari by air-conditioned Eurostar City
'Frecciabianca' train leaving
Milan Centrale at 10:35 and arriving Bari
at 18:12. There is a refreshment trolley, or feel
free to bring your own food & wine. The
train follows the Adriatic coast for much of the way,
past small towns and seaside resorts.
In Bari, you can
walk (25 minutes) or take a taxi to the ferry terminal, which is next
to Bari's attractive old town.
Day 2, evening:
Sail from Bari to Durrės in Albania on the overnight
Tirrenia Line (formerly Adriatica Line) ferry (www.tirrenia.it). The ship sails daily from Bari ferry
terminal at 23:00, arriving in Durrės at 08:00 next
morning (day 3 from London). A range of comfortable cabins is
available.
Alternatively, Agoudimos Line
(www.agoudimos-lines.com) also sail overnight Bari-Durrės 3-5 times per
week, to a similar schedule. Another option is
Venezia Lines (www.venezialines.com) who operate fast ferries from
Bari to Durrės in only 3 hours 30 minutes, but these
may leave too early for train connections, or get you
to Durrės late at night, so see what's available.
Day 3, morning: There are
eight trains a day from Durrės to Tiranė (Tirana),
see the
timetable below. The 09:45 from Durrės will get
you to Tirana at
10:45.
2-berth
cabin with shower/WC aboard the 'Sansovino'.
Tirrenia Line (formerly Adriatica
Line) operates daily overnight sailings Bari-Durrės.
This is the 'Sansovino' at Durrės.
Day 1, evening: Sail from Durrės to Bari
overnight on the
Tirrenia
Line ship, leaving Durrės at
23:00 and arriving Bari at 08:30 next morning. A
range of cabins is available. Alternatively, try
Agoudimos Line (www.agoudimos-lines.com)
or Venezia Lines (www.venezialines.com).
Day
2: Travel from Bari to Milan by
air-conditioned Eurostar City 'Frecciabianca' train leaving Bari at
11:43 and
arriving in Milan Centrale at
19:25. There is a refreshment trolley, or feel
free to bring your own food and wine.
Spend the night in a hotel in
Milan, a beautiful city that's well worth an extra
day for a stopover.
Hotels in
Milan.
Day 3
morning: Travel
from Milan to Paris by
high-speed
Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi station at
06:07 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
13:23. There is a bar car serving drinks, snacks and
light meals. If you'd prefer a leisurely breakfast
and later departure from Milan, there's also a TGV
leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi at 10:12 on Saturdays &
Sundays or 11:10 on Mondays-Fridays, arriving Paris
Gare de Lyon at 17:19 on Saturdays & Sundays, 19:07 on
Mondays-Fridays.
Day 3 afternoon:Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
15:13, arriving London St Pancras at 16:39. If you
chose the later 10:12 weekend TGV from Milan, you'll need the
19:13 Eurostar from Paris Nord, arriving London
20:36. If you chose the later 11:10
Mondays-Fridays TGV from Milan, you'll need the 21:13 Eurostar from Paris Nord, arriving London
22:36.
Cheap fares = 'Prems' or 'Leisure' fares = Book ahead,
price varies, limited places at each price, no refunds, no changes.
Full-price fare = Refundable and flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years (use an adult
special fare if cheaper). Children under 4 free.
Railpass fare: What you pay if you have
railpasses (Eurail, Interrail, etc) covering both
Italy & France. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher supplement.
Fares may vary: On certain dates, 10-20%
higher fares are charged.
£78 one-way or £156 return 2nd class, no
discounts.
£105 one-way or £211 return 1st class, no
discounts.
4. Bari to
Durrės
with
Tirrenia Line:
(formerly Adriatica Line)
Return
fare, including a basic cabin berth in 2, 3, or
4-berth inside cabin with washbasin: £82 low
season, £99 high season (July-September).
With a berth in a 2, 3, or 4-berth outside cabin
with shower & WC: about £125 return in high
season. 50% supplement for single
occupancy. With just a reclining seat, the
fare is about £75
return in the high season. Check current fares
at
www.tirrenia.it
or
www.agoudimos-lines.com.
How to buy tickets...
Above: The 09:30 to Durrės
at Tiranė.
Step 1, book the ferry
by calling Tirrenia Line's UK agents, SMS Travel & Tourism, on
020 7244
8422. SMS
Travel & Tourism have an online reservation system and can normally
confirm your reservation there and then. You can confirm prices and sailing times on the
Tirrenia
Line website,
www.tirrenia.it, but can't yet (except possibly in
Italian) book
online. Alternatively, you can book Agoudimos Lines and Venezia
Lines ferries online either at the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or at the operator's own websites, www.agoudimos-lines.com
& www.venezialines.com.
Step 2, book the trains from London to Paris & Paris to
Milan. It's easiest and cheapest to book online,
following the detailed instructions in the
London to
Milan section of
the London to Italy page and using either
www.raileurope.co.uk
(in English, for UK residents, tickets sent to any UK
address) or
www.tgv-europe.com (for any user, in several
languages, tickets sent to any
address worldwide except the USA).
Step 3, book the Milan to Bari train. The
easiest way is to stay on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book it there. However,
you can save a few pounds by booking direct with Italian
Railways at
www.trenitalia.com, especially if you choose a
limited-refund, limited-changes 'Mini' fare. You pay by credit card and
it's 'ticketless', you simply quote your reservation reference to the conductor on
the train. Before using
www.trenitalia.com, see
the advice on using
it.
Alternatively, you can book the trains by phone with any European rail
agency, such as Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766
512 340 or Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848.
Click
here for a list of
agencies and other information on how to book.
It's possible to travel overland to Albania, by train
from London or Paris via Belgrade to either Podgorica (in
Montenegro) or Bar, then by bus or taxi to the border and on
to Shkodėr, then train to Tiranė. There may be
security concerns in some border areas of Albania, so
double-check Foreign Office travel advice first, at
www.fco.gov.uk. The overland option generally
takes a day or two longer than the more straightforward
train & ferry option via Italy, but you can stop off and see
some remarkable parts of the Balkans on the way, for example
Belgrade and Montenegro. Why not go out by ferry and
back overland, or vice versa? Here's how to travel
overland:
London ► Tiranė
First,
travel from London or Paris to Belgrade
as shown on the London to Serbia
page. The journey takes 2 days and 1 night, or
2 nights. Arrange train tickets as shown on the
Serbia page. Allow at least 2 or 3 hours in
Belgrade for onward connections, as trains may arrive in
Belgrade an hour or two late.
Then
take a Serbian train from Belgrade to Podgorica or Bar.
There is a choice of daytime train or overnight sleeper
train on this route. The daytime train means a
long journey but it's a good choice for the fantastic
scenery along this remarkable rail line. However,
it requires an overnight in Podgorica or Bar. The
sleeper train is more time-effective and it puts you in
Podgorica or Bar in the morning with time to make your
way to Shkodėr in Albania that day. See the
Montenegro
section on the Serbia page. You can check
train times using
www.serbianrailways.com, and book the train from Belgrade to
Podgorica or Bar online at that site too. You have
a choice of going via Bar or Podgorica, as follows:
Option 1, get off at
Podgorica: Although there are no buses, you can take a
Montenegrin taxi
from Podgorica to the Albanian border at Han i Hot for around 20
euros, cross into Albania, then take an Albanian taxi
from Han i Hot to
Shkodėr for around 20 euros more. The total distance
from Podgorica to Shkodėr is 59.7 km, the journey should
take about 90 minutes including a change of taxis at the
border crossing. Stay overnight in Shkodėr.
Next day, take the morning train to Tiranė,
see the
train timetable section below.
Map of Podgorica/Bar/Shkodėr area.
Option 2, get off at
Bar: There are reasonably frequent buses from
Bar to Ulcinj, journey
time about 1 hour. Then there are 2 buses a day
from Ulcinj (Montenegro) to Shkodėr, via the Muriqan
border crossing, departing Ulcinj main bus station at
06:00 and 12:30, or you can take a taxi from Ulcinj to
Shkoder for around 15-20 euros. You can then stay overnight
and take the morning train to Tiranė.
Map of Podgorica/Bar/Shkodėr area.
Tiranė ► London
Day 1,
take the afternoon train from Tiranė to Shkodėr and stay
overnight.
See the train
times below.
On day 2,
you have two options:
Option 1
is to travel by taxi to Podgorica in Montenegro as
follows: Travel by taxi via the Han i Hot border
to Podgorica in Montenegro, or travel by bus to Ulcinj
then another bus to Bar in Montenegro. If you
choose the taxi option, the total journey from Shkodėr
to Podgorica is 59.7 km, and should take about 90
minutes including the need to change taxis at the
border. Each of the two taxis should cost in the
region of 20 euros.
Map of Podgorica/Bar/Shkodėr area.
Option 2
is travel by bus to Ulcinj in Montenegro then onwards by
bus to Bar. There are two buses a day from Shkodėr
to Ulcinj in Montenegro via the Muriqan border crossing
(but the bus times are not known), then reasonably
regular buses from Ulcinj to Bar. Alternatively, a
taxi from Shkodėr to the border at Muriqan and on to
Ulcinj should cost
about 15-20 euros.
Map of Podgorica/Bar/Shkodėr area.
Two daily
trains link Bar & Podgorica with Belgrade, one a daytime
train, the other an overnight sleeper with sleeping-cars
and seats. The sleeper train will save you time as
you can leave in the evening of day 2 and arrive in
Belgrade on the morning of day 3. But staying
overnight and taking the day train is good because of
the fantastic scenery along this route (you'd then arrive in
the evening of day 3). You can check train times
using
www.serbianrailways.com, and book the train from Belgrade to
Podgorica or Bar online at that site too.
Travel
from Belgrade to Paris or London as
shown on the London to Serbia page. The
journey takes 2 days and 1 night, or 2 nights.
Arrange train tickets as shown on that page.
Feedback from
travellers using this route would be very welcome.
Above: The view from the train from Durrės
& Tiranė to Pogradec. Photo courtesy of Gabriel Chew
Travelling by train in
Albania is an experience not to be missed. Second hand
coaches from Italy, Austria or Germany hauled by Czech-built diesels clickety-clack across the countryside at about 35 mph
(or less!).
Don't be surprised by torn seats or broken windows, but
then, what do you expect for 50p? You may be able to check
these train times
at
www.hsh.com.al (if it's working), but please also
double-check locally. All trains are one class only.
Durrės ► Tiranė
Durrės
depart
06:15
09:45
13:00
15:35
18:20
20:15
Tiranė
arrive
07:15
10:45
14:00
16:35
19:20
21:15
Tiranė ► Durrės
Tiranė
depart
06:00
07:30
08:40
14:20
17:00
20:00
Durrės
arrive
06:58
08:30
09:40
15:18
17:58
21:00
Tiranė
& Durrės
► Shkodėr
Shkodėr
► Durrės
& Tiranė
Tiranė
depart
-
13:10
Shkodėr
depart
05:40
-
Durrės
**
depart
13:00
|
Milot
depart
07:16
-
Vorė
arrive
13:35
13:35
Vorė
arrive
08:30
-
Vorė
depart
-
13:48
Vorė
depart
08:57
08:54
Milot
arrive
-
15:05
Durrės
*
arrive
|
09:40
Shkodėr
arrive
-
17:00
Tiranė
arrive
09:28
-
** to / from Durrės, change at
Vorė.
Tiranė
& Durrės
► Vlorė & Elbasan
Elbasan
& Vlorė ►
Durrės
& Tiranė
Tiranė
depart
06:00
14:20
14:20
Vlorė
depart
-
05:00*
-
Durrės
depart
07:15
15:18
15:18
Fier
depart
-
06:39*
-
14:50
Rrogozhinė
arrive
08:26
xx:xx
xx:xx
Lushnjė
depart
-
07:39*
-
xx:xx
Elbasan
arrive
10:10
18:23
|
Pogradec
depart
-
|
13:45
xx:xx
Pogradec
arrive
13:33
-
|
Elbasan
depart
06:40
|
17:09
18:23
Lushnjė
arrive
xx:xx
-
xx:xx*
Rrogozhinė
depart
08:25
08:22
18:31
-
Fier
arrive
18:30
-
18:30*
Durrės
arrive
09:34
09:34
20:08
-
Vlorė
arrive
-
-
20:10*
Tiranė
arrive
10:45
10:45
21:15
-
* = From/to Tiranė, Change at
Rrogozhinė.
Fares & buying tickets...
Fares are incredibly cheap.
Durrės to Tiranė one-way costs 70 Lek, or about 50p.
Durrės to Shkodėr is 160 Lek, about £1. Tiranė to
Vlore is 250 Lek, about £1.60. Tickets are not sold in advance, only for the next
train.
What are Albanian trains like?
Trains offer one class
only. Some trains use decrepit second-hand Italian coaches
with a side-corridor and compartments, like the ones
shown below on
the 14:10 train from Tiranė to Durrės.
Other trains use slightly newer second-hand Austrian
coaches with open seating, like these on a train
from Tiranė to Durrės. There are now
many second-hand German suburban coaches too.
There are no international trains to or from Albania, but
here's how to travel to neighbouring countries by bus, taxi
or ferry...
Travelling from Tiranė to Bar (Montenegro), Podgorica
(Montenegro) & Belgrade (Serbia)
Day 1,
take the afternoon train from Tiranė to Shkodėr and stay
overnight.
See the train
times above.
On day 2,
you have two options: Travel by taxi via the Han i
Hot border to Podgorica in Montenegro, or travel by bus
to Ulcinj then another bus to Bar in Montenegro.
If you choose the taxi option, the total journey from
Shkodėr to Podgorica is 59.7 km, and should take about
90 minutes including the need to change taxis at the
border. Each of the two taxis should cost in the
region of 20 euros. If you choose the bus option,
there are two buses a day from Shkodėr to Ulcinj in
Montenegro via the Muriqan border crossing (but the bus
times are not known), then reasonably regular buses from
Ulcinj to Bar. Alternatively, a taxi from Shkodėr
to the border at Muriqan should cost about 10-15 euros,
and a taxi from Muriqan to Ulcinj around 20-25 euros.
Two daily
trains link Bar & Podgorica with Belgrade, one a daytime
train, the other an overnight sleeper with sleeping-cars
and seats. The sleeper train will save you time as
you can leave in the evening of day 2 and arrive in
Belgrade on the morning of day 3. But staying
overnight and taking the day train is good because of
the great scenery along this route (you'd then arrive in
the evening of day 3).
International trains link Belgrade with Budapest,
Vienna, Zagreb, Bucharest and many other European
destinations. Use the journey planner at
www.bahn.de to find train times onwards from Belgrade.
Travelling from Tiranė to
Skopje (Macedonia)
Day 1,
take the daily morning train from Tiranė to Pogradec and
stay overnight.
See the train
times above. Note that Pogradec station is
about 2km from Pogradec town.
Day 2,
take a taxi from Pogradec to the border and on to Sveti
Naum just the other side in Macedonia.
Take
another taxi or bus from Sveti Naum to Ohrid, journey
about 1 hour.
There are
fairly frequent buses between Ohrid and Bitola.
Trains
link Bitola with Skopje 3 times a day, journey 3 hours
20 minutes. The 13:40 train from Bitola arrives
Skopje at 17:08; the 19:13 train arrives 22:35.
Buses from
Tiranė to Athens & Thessaloniki (Greece)
There are
daily buses between Tiranė and both Athens &
Thessaloniki in Greece. Tiranė to Athens is a long
journey, around 17 hours usually done overnight and with
frequent delays at the border, so it's not to be
undertaken lightly. The bus companies don't have
websites, so forget trying to book online, you simply
need to ask at any travel agency locally in Tiranė or
Athens.
Feedback from
anyone using these bus services would be very welcome.
Above
left, the statue of Skėnderbeg, Albania's national
hero, in Skėnderbeg Square in the centre of
Tiranė. George Kastrioti (1405-1468) was an
Albanian who at a very young age was handed over to
the Turks as a hostage. The Turks converted
him to Islam and gave him a military education in
Edirne in Turkey, where he became known as
'Alexander' ('Iskėnder') after Alexander the
Great. He was made a lord ('bey') by the Turks
before he turned against them, driving them out of
Albania. 'Iskėnder' + 'bey' =
'Skėnderbeg'. Above right, the communist mural on
the front of the National History Museum on Skėnderbeg Square.
Above
left, the former residence of Enver Hoxha
(pronounced 'Hodja') in Tiranė. Enver Hoxha
was Albania's president and dictator from 1946 until his
death in 1985. Above right, the former Enver
Hoxha museum, now home to several cafes.
Albania aligned itself with the USSR from 1944 until
1960, when the two countries fell out over
Khruschev's demands for a Soviet submarine base at
Vlorė. In 1961, Albania broke off diplomatic
relations with the USSR and re-aligned itself with
the Peoples Republic of China.
Above: The mosque of Ethem Bey, dating from 1793, on
Skėnderbeg Square in Tiranė. The clock tower
next to it dates from 1830.
There
are some 750,000 of these small concrete bunkers all
over the Albanian countryside. They
were built on the orders of Enver Hoxha after the Soviet
invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
The
Roman amphitheatre in Durrės, dating from the 2nd
century AD and first excavated in around 1960.
The
historic town of Kruja is 38km from Tiranė, and can
be reached by minibus-taxi in about an hour.
Skėnderbeg made Kruja his capital from 1443 to 1468.
The 14:15
train from Tiranė to Durrės calls at Vora.
'They went
that-a-way...' A statue in Durrės.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Travel insurance & health card...
Get travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
In
the UK, try
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
