Albania runs on furgons. A furgon is a minibus, usually white, usually with a destination written in the windscreen, and it works on a principle that visitors find either liberating or maddening: it leaves when it is full. There is no timetable, no booking, no ticket. You find the right corner or terminal, tell the driver where you are going, get in, and at some point in the next forty minutes the last seat fills and you set off. It costs almost nothing and it goes everywhere.
How the system works
Furgons between towns, leaving when full, no timetable, cash on board.
Larger buses on the main intercity routes, closer to a schedule, more comfortable.
City buses in Tirana, cheap and crowded, with cash fares.
Taxis, plentiful and inexpensive, negotiated or metered depending on the town.
The railway, minimal and intermittent, and not a practical option.
Ask, do not search, because the information does not live on the internet.
Using a furgon
Find the terminal or corner for your destination, which your accommodation will know.
Go in the morning, because departures thin out through the afternoon.
Tell the driver your destination before getting in.
Pay in cash, usually on arrival, and expect change.
Ask to be dropped anywhere along the route, which is normal and free.
Luggage goes on the roof or in the back, and comes with you.
What works and what does not
Works: town to town, on the main routes, cheaply and frequently.
Works: getting to Berat, Gjirokaster, Saranda, Shkoder, Vlore and Durres.
Works: getting into the Alps in season, by shared van from Shkoder.
Does not work: reaching the beaches between the Riviera villages.
Does not work: archaeological sites away from towns, including Butrint without a taxi.
Does not work: tight schedules of any kind, because departures are not times.
Practical notes
Cash, always, in small notes.
Mornings for departures; afternoons thin out sharply.
Air conditioning is not guaranteed on a furgon in August.
Luggage on the roof is normal and generally safe.
Journey times are longer than the distance suggests, as they are by car.
Sunday service is reduced on many routes.
Where this fits in an Albania trip
Perfectly workable for a town based trip, and limiting for a beach or hiking one.
For the alternative and what it costs, our guide to renting a car in Albania covers the contract.
For what the roads are like once you are on them, our guide to driving in Albania covers the conditions.
And for how cheap a carless trip here actually is, our Albania budget tips covers the numbers.
The short version
Use furgons, which are minibuses that leave when full, cost almost nothing and go everywhere between towns. Get the departure point and rough time from your accommodation the night before and confirm it in the morning, because no website has it. Travel in the morning. Carry cash in small notes. Forget the railway. And if you are travelling without a car, base yourself in one town per region rather than attempting day trips, which is what public transport here is bad at.
