The train station in Durres
If you haven’t tried yet traveling by train in Albania, probably you have seen around that is an experience not to be missed. It’s extremely cheep, just 110 Leke (about 1 USD) for a return ticket Tirana-Durres, while by bus or minibus you would pay 300 Leke.
While is extremely slow for the long distances (4 hours Tirane-Shkoder and by minibus about 2 hours), it’s so convenient for short distances. It takes just one hour to get to Durres from Tirana while by bus or minibus you will get there for about 45 minutes.
Personally I prefer the slow and old train to get to Durres from Tirana. Not only because it’s cheep and you get there for about the same time as you do with bus but also because it has a timetable. The bus and minibuses depart when they are full and I don’t like it. At least by train I know when I depart.
Oh…forgot to mention, the train crosses the country side and you will have the views you won’t get by bus.
If you have time, I would also recommend using the Albanian train for long distances as well. As I mentioned you will have the views you won’t get by bus and very very cheep prices – almost 3 times cheaper than the bus. 😉
The view from the broken window of Tirane-Durres train
Well…I didn’t want to tell you this little secret, just wanted to leave it as a surprise when you hop the Albanian train but I can’t really stay without saying it. 🙂 In these trains you won’t find a single unbroken window. There is a big game among children. They through stones when the train is moving. Don’t be scared and leave this wonderful experience. The glasses of windows are strong and the stone can’t go through.
The train station in Tirana
The train station in Tirana
All the windows are almost like this
Inside the train
After one hour we arrived in Durres
Looking better than the previous one 🙂 - taken near Tirana train station from the broken window of our train
Time table, prices and destination at Seat 61 site. The official railway site of Albania (www.hsh.com.al) isn’t working at the moment.
Are you going to take this train?
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I never knew the waggons and seats look so comfortable! Must do this sometime…
The seats of the Tirane-Durres train are comfortable. I haven’t been for a long time to other trains but I saw the Tirane-Shkoder train and it wasn’t as good as Tirane-Durres train. It’s with cabins and looks old. Thanks for stopping by!
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