How to get to Albania: airports, flights and border crossings

Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA) is the default for a first trip. It handles the great majority of Albania's traffic, has the widest choice of airlines and fares, and sits about 15 km northwest of the capital, a 20–30 minute drive depending on traffic. Buses and taxis run to the city centre; a taxi is the simple option after a late landing.

Kukës International Airport (KFZ) in the northeast opened for commercial traffic in 2021 and serves a small set of routes, mostly tied to Kosovo and nearby markets. It is useful if you are heading straight to the Albanian Alps or into Kosovo, but it is not a substitute for Tirana on a normal itinerary. Check schedules before you build a trip around it.

There is no airport on the southern coast. Travellers bound for Sarandë, Himarë or Ksamil fly to Tirana and take a bus or hire a car, or arrive by ferry from Corfu. Some use Corfu airport plus the ferry as an alternative in summer.

Albania has no nonstop service to North America, Australia or New Zealand. Every long-haul trip connects through a European hub, most often Istanbul, Vienna, Munich, Rome, Milan, Zurich or London. Add a connection of one to four hours to the times below.

From the UK, nonstop flights to Tirana run from several London airports and take about three hours. From Ireland and from most of Western Europe the pattern is similar, with nonstops from a growing list of cities. Fares swing hard with season: July and August cost the most, and May, June, September and October are cheaper and quieter.

Albania shares borders with Montenegro (northwest), Kosovo (northeast), North Macedonia (east) and Greece (south and southeast). All four are open to foreign travellers and are crossed daily by buses, minibuses (furgon) and private cars. Crossings are generally quick outside summer weekends, when the coast routes back up.

The busiest and most useful crossings for travellers are Hani i Hotit (Montenegro, on the road from Podgorica and Shkodër), Morina (Kosovo, on the Pristina–Tirana corridor), Qafë Thanë (North Macedonia, near Pogradec and Ohrid) and Kakavijë (Greece, on the Gjirokastër–Ioannina road). Buses run on fixed schedules between the main cities on each side; furgons fill up and leave when full.

If you drive, bring your vehicle registration and insurance documents, and confirm that your policy covers Albania. Green Card coverage is not automatic with every European policy.

Ferries cross the Adriatic from Italy to Durrës and, in summer, to Sarandë. The main Italian ports are Bari, Ancona and Brindisi; crossings take from around 8 hours (Bari–Durrës) to overnight. These are useful if you are travelling overland through Italy or bringing a vehicle.

In summer there are also short passenger ferries between Corfu and Sarandë, which take under an hour and are the easiest way to combine the Greek islands with the Albanian Riviera. Services are seasonal, so check dates and book ahead in July and August.

For most Western passports, Albania is straightforward: your passport should be valid on arrival, and short tourist stays are generally visa-free. Rules differ by nationality and can change, so confirm against your own passport before booking. See the visa page for the detail.

Two practical points. First, Albania is outside the Schengen area, so a Tirana flight does not use a Schengen entry, and days spent here do not count against Schengen limits. Second, the currency is the lek, and while euros are sometimes accepted in tourist areas, you will get a better rate changing or withdrawing locally. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants; carry cash for buses, furgons and small guesthouses.

Buy travel insurance that covers the activities you plan, including hiking in the Alps and any driving, and check that it covers Albania specifically.