If you’re one of the many travelers who have been curious about Albania since the Balkan nation’s surge as the next big travel destination on the internet, there’s a chance you’ve booked a cheap flight to Tirana, the country’s capital city.
Before flying into TIA, however, there’s a few things you’ll want to know and do to make your visit as awesome and hassle-free as possible. Read on to find out!
Getting To Tirana From The Airport: Skip The Taxi, Book The Bus.
If you’ve been doing tons of research for your upcoming trip to Albania, you’ll no doubt have noticed that there’s a ton of information on the internet talking about a nebulous “airport bus” with no name that allegedly only accepts cash, has limited hours, and leaves from somewhere, with no exact locations or details.
Don’t Believe Outdated Information: How To Book The Bus from TIA to Tirana City Center
Contrary to popular belief, the bus service that services the route between Tirana International Airport and the city of Tirana accepts cash (in LEK and EUR) as well as card payment and even GPay.
In fact, you even have the option to book the Luna bus from TIA to Tirana online on their site with card or GPay directly (“Rezervoni Tani”) or with card through Booking.com’s Taxi feature if you so choose. The price is 4 EUR single or 8 EUR round trip.
The bus company that runs on this route is called Luna, and as of 2023, service runs 24/7 between the city and airport due to increased demand. This was explained to me by multiple operators, the bus company, and a travel agency contact.
Where is the Tirana Airport Bus Stop?
You can find the bus to Tirana by exiting the airport building and continuing straight through the parking lot until you reach the bus area for the Luna bus. You can find the Luna bus’s stop on Google Maps under the name “Bus Tirana-Airport” by following this link. Additionally, you can see the screenshot below.
Top Tip: Check the weather before you fly into Tirana.
This piece of advice came to me while at a week-long stay at a wonderful hostel on Tirana’s west side. I had the pleasure of bumping into a Ryanair flight attendant who was visiting family in the south of the country and flew into the capital on one of the low-cost carrier’s new routes to Albania.
He let me know that he’d been expecting a simple flight into TIA, but it quickly turned into a nightmare when the city was covered in a thick fog. Unfortunately, this meant that the plane was unable to land in Tirana, and was forced to deviate to Podgorica, the capital of neighboring Montenegro.
Our intrepid flight attendant arrived at the hostel eight hours later than he expected, thanks to border controls, bus transfers, traffic, and the deviation.
Luckily, Albania’s weather is normally fantastic, and the likelihood of experiencing this kind of issue is low. But you’ll want to double-check your itinerary for inclement weather, particularly if you’re flying in from November to March.
Thanks For Reading!
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Regards,
Zach – The Life Abroad