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Get in - Albania

Visas

There is no longer a visa charge for any foreigners entering Albania.

U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand nationals can enter Albania without obtaining a visa but you'll have to pay an entry fee of €1 (if you visit Albania on a daytrip it can be free, for short stays it can be €1). Be sure to receive a receipt and keep it with you, as guards may request it upon exiting the country as proof of payment. The Albania guards are very nice and do their best to help out and will, on occasion, allow fees to be paid in dollars or will forget to charge you. It's worth making sure you've got the Euros on you as the customs officers at Mother Teresa airport don't give change.

As well as paying to get in, you need to pay €1 to leave the country; although, on occasion, tourists are allowed to leave via the Macedonian border without paying. When crossing the border with Macedonia on foot, the guards only accept €1 and €2 coins, you cannot pay with two €0.50 coins.

Nationals of the European Union don't have to pay the fee since early 2009.

By plane

Tirana's "Mother Teresa" International Airport [2] is located just 15 minutes away from the city. It is served by numerous European flag carriers such as British Airways, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Austrian, and the low cost carrier Germanwings. A new, larger terminal opened in 2007.

At the airport exit, there are numerous taxis 24/7 that can take you to the city. The taxi fee to the city center is €25. Taxi fees to other locations are posted on a placard just outside the exit doors.

There is a bus that runs once an hour between the airport and Skanderberg Square in the centre of Tirana. It costs 200 lek each way, leaves on the hour from the airport and at 25 past the hour from Skanderberg Square. It runs from about 8AM to 7PM.

By train

It is not possible to enter or leave Albania via train. There are, however, trains that operate within the country.

By bus

You can reach Tirana by coach from

Istanbul, Turkey (20hr, €35 one-way)

Athens, Greece (10 hr, €20-30)

Sofia, Bulgaria (22 hr, €25)

Tetovo, Republic of Macedonia (7 hr,€ 15)

Prishtina, Kosovo (6 hr, €20)

There is now a daily bus link between Ulcinj in Montenegro and Skhoder. But there are no scheduled buses from any other point in Montenegro into Albania.

By boat

Ferries to Durrës arrive from Bari (9h, €50) and Ancona (19h, €70). A high-speed service operates from Bari (3h, €60).

There is also a reliable overnight ferry service operated by Skenderbeg Lines from Brindisi to Vlore Skenderbeg Lines [3].

Ferries from Corfu to Saranda every day.

By car

You can reach Albania by car from:

Podgorica, Montenegro

Ohrid , Macedonia

Prizren, Kosovo

Ioannina, Greece

where pass the National Roads.

There is a 10-euro/person tax, which must be paid upon entering Albania. After payment of the tax to the police, the customs officer will issue a "road tax certificate", which you must keep until you leave the country. When you exit the country, you'll pay €2/day and return the certificate.

To enter the country, ensure that your International Motor Insurance Card is valid for Albania (AL) along with the Vehicle Registration and a Power of Attorney from the owner if the car is not yours. The border guards are very strict about allowing cars through without these documents.

The road between Struga, Macedonia and Tirana (E852/SH3) is not to the levels of quality found in other parts of Europe but it is sufficient. There are a lot of slow moving vehicles along the curvy mountainous route so extra caution must be exercised especially around corners or during over-taking.

The road between Prizren(Kosova) and Tirana (Albania) is not to the levels of quality found in other parts of Europe but it is sufficient especially Albanian part. Extra caution because in some parts near the Kosova border the work on the road is still going on. There are a lot of slow moving vehicles along the curvy mountainous route so extra caution must be exercised especially around corners or during over-taking.

The road between Shkoder (border of Montenegro) and Tirana (E762/SH1) is of sufficient quality for driving but there are a lot of slow moving vehicles and un-controlled access points so extra caution must be exercised especially during over-taking.

There are two border control points in the north of Albania with Montenegro. The narrow road from Shkoder to Ulcinj, Montenegro via Muriqan, is used mainly by locals and is worth a try to avoid heavier traffic on the main road (E762/SH1) to Hani i Hoti. Ask any police officer to point you in the right direction from Shkoder. They are helpful, courteous and friendly

By taxi

Albania is geographically a small country and as such it is possible to leave by taxi. Note, however, that the roads are not of western standard and can take several times longer than expected to traverse.

Your hotel will be able to arrange a taxi to the border, where you should be able to change to a taxi at the other side. For example, a taxi from Tirana to the Macedonian border, a distance of 70 miles, will take three hours and cost about €100. A Macedonian taxi from the border onwards to Struga would cost €20 and take 20 mins, while a taxi on to Skopje would take 3 hours on much better roads and would cost about €120 (Prices January 2008). Passport control will take about 30 mins.

More about Accomodation in Albania

About the Author

How to address someone who abuses handicap parking?

Where I work, there is a lady who "floats" to different offices filling in, and when she comes to our office, she parks in the handicap space closest to the employee entrance. She does have the placard hanging on her mirror, but she is not handicapped in the least. The handicap placard belongs to a family member, and she just uses it to park in handicap spaces. This irritates everyone who works here, but nobody wants to say anything so as to keep the peace. It really ticks me off as it's a pet peeve of mine, & I want so bad to say something to her, but I'm not sure the best way to approach it. Any suggestions?

Report it to someone. But before you do you need to be 100% sure that nothing is wrong with her and that the card is someone elses. I have a brother in-law who was in a wreck a few years ago and it really messed up his foot. He isn't able to work because he can't stay on his foot for long periods of time and he can't walk around on it a whole lot. He has one of those cards and he parks in the handicap spot where he goes to college. If you saw him park there and get out and walk in you would probably think that he is just doing that same thing, but if you knew him you would know that there is something really actually wrong with him. My point it, just because someone may look perfectly fine, it doesn't mean they actually are so make 100% sure that you are right about this woman before you take any actions.

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