How to Get From Tirana Airport to Vlorë by Bus?
Albania is Europe’s hottest new tourist destination and for good reason. Beautiful beaches with crystal clear sea water, the friendliest people and a rich historic and cultural side.
Vlorë, often also referred to as Vlora, marks the beginning of the Albanian Riviera – the stretch of the Albanian coast home to the gorgeous coastal towns that make for the perfect beach getaway.
Currently, there are no direct flights to Vlorë, however a new international airport is in the early planning stages. For now, the closest airports are Tirana International Airport (TIA) near the capital Tirana and Corfu Airport (CFU).
The fastest way to reach Vlorë is to fly into Tirana International Airport and then travel on via bus or rental car.
It’s cheapest to get the public bus, however, there isn’t a lot of information on it out there yet. I tried to figure out timings and costs before travelling, yet what I could find was outdated and turned out to be incorrect on arrival.
So, here is my ultimate guide on getting the bus from Tirana Airport to Vlore – I even hunted down the most up-to-date time-plan for you:
Once you land at Tirana Airport, you go through security. After that, you will find a big hall with a few baggage claim carousels, toilets and ATMs.
Collect your luggage and head through the Nothing to Declare exit at the far end of the hall. You will most likely be greeted by a large group of people waiting for arrivals. Ignore this group (and all the taxi drivers that try to sell you a taxi) and head out of the big doors to your left. So out the baggage claims exit and immediately left.
You will find even more taxi drivers, a Vodafone stand and a row full of rental car agencies. Walk straight along the row of rental car agencies all the way till you reach the buses (there are a lot). You will see them pretty quickly – it’s less than a 2 minute walk.
Now start looking for a bus that says Vlore or Vlora. When I was there that meant heading left for a few rows of buses. You can also ask the bus drivers there – they usually speak minimal English but understand the city’s name, which is the main thing.
Once you have found the correct bus, double check the sign in the front window (!!!!) and load your luggage in the back. Space is limited for both luggage and seats so try and get there nice and early.
If you are unsure at any point, I recommend asking the car rental agencies for directions. They will speak some English and know at least the basic directions for where to find the buses.
It depends on the exact location as you can ask to get off a little earlier than Vlore (if your hotel is outside the city), however the full trip from Tirana Airport to Vlore Centre cost me 1200ALL or 12 Euros (summer 2023).
You pay when you get off the bus in cash to the driver. You can pay in Albanian Leke or Euro.
This is currently the cheapest option – double check this price before getting on the bus as there are also private companies which charge much more. The price may vary slightly at peak season but should be within this range.
I cannot tell you how difficult it was to find the actual timetable for the bus Tirana Airport – Vlore but here it is:
Which I found on the bus companies Instagram page. They are called HERMES AEROPORT and like most businesses in Albania use Instagram and WhatsApp to update their timetable and information.
So, prior to your trip make sure to check their Instagram for any new timetables. This one was updated on June 1st 2023. From previous posts it looks like this changes every 3 months, so I would expect a new one in September.
Around 3 hours, though it can be done in 2 – 2.5 hours if traffic is good.
If planning tours or transport onward, I would always allow some extra time in case the bus doesn’t leave when it’s supposed to (at least one extra hour).
There is a bus terminal, however my bus just dropped us off in the city centre. You can request a specific area in Vlorë but they will only do stops until a certain point.
I would recommend to download an offline map of Vlorë to your phone and especially your accommodation and have some idea of how to get there.
There will be taxis waiting right where the bus stops which take you to your accommodation for about 5-10 Euros, depending how far it is.
Vlorë is also very safe to hitchhike and the locals are always happy to help if you find yourself in a pickle.
Most of the buses going longer distances from city to city will, however they are often older vans and it may not be working.
The local buses rarely have air-conditioning so bring a fan.
Here are a few hotels in Vlorë I can recommend from personal experience or feedback from friends:
- Valza Boutique Hotel – super clean, friendly owners and incredible breakfast. It is a little out of town but there are beautiful paid and public beaches nearby.
- Yacht Hotel – if you want true luxury at a fair price, this is the hotel for you.
- Vlora Backpackers Hostel – for all my solo and budget travellers, this hostel is central, clean and offers free breakfast.
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5 Comments
thanks for the great article, keep up the good work
Thank you for your lovely comment!
This is a very descriptive guide, this is very helpful. Thank you
I leave on Tuesday, this has been super helpful 🙏
Thanks so much for the quick and very helpful info!