{"id":323447,"date":"2025-11-28T21:38:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T21:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/everything-you-need-to-know-10\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T21:38:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T21:38:11","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=323447","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"


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If you\u2019re planning a trip to Albania, your biggest decision is going to be whether to travel by bus or hire a car.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, both options come with considerable downsides.<\/p>\n

Renting a car gives you the freedom to stop wherever you like, exploring the country in depth while not being at the mercy of a complex bus system. But on the other hand, local drivers are aggressive, parking is so sparse you may not be able to find a space anywhere near your accommodation, and mountain roads can involve steep gradients, sheer drops, and tight hairpin turns.<\/p>\n

Taking the bus offers an inexpensive way to get around the country, where you don\u2019t have to worry about dealing with scary drivers, scarier roads, or spend hours looking for a parking spot. And yet, bus stations can be located on random stretches of highway in the middle of nowhere, with no indication you\u2019re in the right place. The inability to reserve a seat in advance can make for stressful travel days, while the lack of air conditioning can be uncomfortable in summer.<\/p>\n

Dave and I decided to navigate Albania by bus, primarily because neither of us have much experience driving on the right-hand side of the road, and we didn\u2019t want to learn while being surrounded by impatient, honking drivers.<\/p>\n

Having said that, I was definitely concerned we were making a big mistake. In fact, I arrived in Tirana with visions of Dave and I stranded on the side of a motorway with no idea how we\u2019d get to our next destination, but good news! That only happened to us once.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true: I had a couple of terrible bus-related experiences in and around Albania, but I learned a lot from my disasters. Had I known what I know now, in fact, I fully believe I would have had a smooth trip overall, which is exactly why I\u2019m publishing this article.<\/p>\n

And you know what? If Dave and I were planning a return trip to Albania, we would absolutely make the same decision again. I do believe that travelling the country by bus is a better option than by car.<\/p>\n

And so, if you\u2019re heading to Albania and considering using public transport, I\u2019m hear to tell you that it\u2019s absolutely doable. And as long as you keep a few key things in mind, you\u2019ll be able to have a trouble-free trip, too.<\/p>\n

In this article, I\u2019m going to cover absolutely everything you need to know about how the bus system works in this country. I\u2019ll share all of my transportation disasters, along with why they happened and how I could have prevented them. And I\u2019ll share my exact itinerary, too, so that you can copy it and know that the buses I recommend do exist, are comfortable, and run on time.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

Gjirafa is Going to Be Your Big Travel Essential<\/h2>\n
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Gjirafa Travel is the best way to find out which buses are running and when<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I couldn\u2019t imagine travelling around Albania without access to Gjirafa Travel<\/a>! While this website certainly has its flaws, it\u2019s still the most reliable way to find out which buses are running between two destinations.<\/p>\n

Gjirafa is best-used for its timetables. While it doesn\u2019t list every bus company that\u2019s operating on a specific route, it does show most of them, and the times listed are accurate. What is less<\/em> accurate is the location of the stations, and this ended up being the main cause of my many misadventures.<\/p>\n

I can tell you that the departure bus station locations listed on Gjirafa Travel were correct for Tirana, Berat, Gjirokaster, Sarande, Ksamil, and Himare. In terms of where the buses arrived<\/em>, that was a little more vague. Sometimes drivers would just drop us off in town on a random street that wasn\u2019t actually the bus station, but it was usually close enough.<\/p>\n

In both Fier and Prizren (which yes, is in Kosovo, but I\u2019m including it here, as it still involves Gjirafa Travel) the departure point of the bus station was actually 10 kilometres (6 miles) from where it was marked on Gjirafa. And that\u2026 was a huge problem.<\/p>\n

In both of those cities, I ended up missing my original bus, having to troubleshoot on the fly, and arriving in my next location hours after I was supposed to. It was stressful, confusing, expensive, and wasted so much time.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, after I complained to Gjirafa, they have since updated the location of the Prizren bus to be correct, but the Fier departure point is still wrong. (I can\u2019t even tell you where the correct Fier departure point is, because it\u2019s on the side of the highway, not marked on Google Maps, and with no visible sign so you know where to stand.)<\/p>\n

How can you prevent this from happening? <\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to be travelling to\/from anywhere that I haven\u2019t confirmed is marked in the correct location, you\u2019ll want to double-check everything with the locals. Ask your guesthouse owner if the departure point for your bus is correct. When you arrive at a bus station, ask a staff member or another driver if you\u2019re in the right place. If you can find the contact details of the bus company, you can send them a WhatsApp message in advance to double-check the departure location.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a headache, but not the end of the world, and if you\u2019re only venturing to the places I mentioned above, this isn\u2019t something you\u2019ll need to worry about.<\/p>\n

You Can Sort-of-But-Not-Really Book in Advance<\/h2>\n
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The minivan that whisked us from Tirana to Berat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once you\u2019ve finalised your itinerary, you\u2019ll probably think your next step is going to be booking everything. And the good news is that, unlike in the past, you can<\/em> buy bus tickets online, through Gjirafa<\/a> \u2014 I had zero issues doing so for the two bus journeys I booked \u2014 and you can pay by foreign bankcard.<\/p>\n

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that bus drivers do not accept digital versions of tickets. They all require you to hand over a paper copy, as they\u2019ll need to keep it as proof that you travelled on board. Given that it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll have access to a printer as you travel around the country, you\u2019ll therefore need to make sure you\u2019ve booked and printed all of your tickets before you leave home.<\/p>\n

But is there any real benefit to booking in advance?<\/p>\n

In Albania, the main one is being able to pay by card. This is a country that is very cash-focused (we even had to pay for all of our accommodation in cash!) and that means making sure you always have plenty on your person. And yes, bus drivers in Albania also only accept cash as payment.<\/p>\n

You might think the other benefit would be having peace of mind that you\u2019ve got a seat on your chosen bus. The reality, however, is the exact opposite.<\/p>\n

Having a Bus Ticket Does Not<\/em> Guarantee You a Seat on the Bus!<\/h2>\n
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Dave queueing to buy a ticket from the driver for the Gjirokaster to Sarande route<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bus travel in Albania is more than a little casual.<\/p>\n

You may<\/em> have bought a bus ticket in advance, but you shouldn\u2019t expect the driver to know about it, wait around for you, or prevent other passengers from taking your seat. Yes, seriously.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it usually works: buses arrive at their stop, passengers get on, the driver waits until the vehicle is full, then leaves. What that means is that if the bus arrives 10 minutes early and there\u2019s enough people waiting around to fill the vehicle, the driver will take payment from everyone and set off. Yep, it\u2019ll leave when it\u2019s full, whether you have a ticket or not, or whether you\u2019re on board or not.<\/p>\n

(This also means that on quiet routes, you might find yourself waiting around for enough passengers to fill the bus.)<\/p>\n

For this reason, there really isn\u2019t much point in buying a bus ticket in advance, as if you miss the bus you\u2019re meant to be on, you\u2019ll have to pay for another one. While we were travelling in Albania, I don\u2019t recall seeing any other passengers with booked bus tickets \u2014 everyone just turned up half an hour before the departure time and paid the driver in cash.<\/p>\n

The Buses are Extremely Inexpensive<\/h2>\n
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I always take a photo of the currency whenever I arrive in a new country!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One huge advantage of travelling Albania by bus is getting to save so much money! This country has a seriously inexpensive bus network, and I couldn\u2019t believe how little money I was paying for each journey. Here\u2019s exactly what I paid for every bus ride I took within the country:<\/p>\n