Getting to Vlora

By air: fly into Tirana

Tirana International Airport (TIA, at Rinas) is the airport for Vlora. It is the only Albanian airport with scheduled passenger flights.

Some travellers combine a flight elsewhere with a ferry: into Brindisi or Bari in Italy and across by sea, or into Corfu and over to Sarandë, then north by road over the Llogara Pass. See By sea.

Tirana airport to Vlorë

The airport is about 155 km from Vlorë. Four ways to cover it:

• Airport bus. Hermes Airport runs a direct shuttle: 1,200 lek single, nine departures a day each way (from the airport at 03:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 22:15, 00:45). Allow about three hours. Full timetable.
• Airport taxi. Fixed fare about €105–110 per car, published by the airport’s taxi service. Usually the quickest door-to-door option.
• Pre-booked transfer. A driver waiting at arrivals with your name — agree the price, vehicle and meeting point in writing.
• Hire car. Rental desks operate at the airport; see Car hire for documents and driving notes.

From Tirana city by bus

Intercity buses to Vlorë leave from Tirana’s South & North bus terminal (Terminali i Autobusëve të Jugut dhe Veriut), on the Kamëz side of the city. Departures are frequent through the day; pay the driver or the kiosk in cash, in lek. Guides disagree on fares and journey times, so we do not quote them: check lines and times on eTransport, the national intercity bus platform (in English too), or ask at the terminal which bus is next for Vlorë.

By sea

• Brindisi → Vlorë is the direct crossing into Vlorë’s own port. Booking sites list around four sailings a week for autumn 2026, taking roughly 6–8 hours. Operators and days change with the season. Ferries.
• Bari or Ancona → Durrës: Durrës, on the coast west of Tirana, is Albania’s main ferry port; continue south to Vlorë by road.
• Corfu → Sarandë: short crossings to Albania’s far south, then north along the Riviera and over the Llogara Pass.

By road

• From Tirana and the north the main road runs via Durrës and Fier, then south to Vlorë.
• From the south the coast road from Sarandë and the Riviera climbs over the Llogara Pass (1,027 m) and drops to Orikum and Vlora Bay: slow, beautiful, best in daylight.
• UK advice describes driving in Albania as hazardous — poor surfaces, unlit roads, aggressive overtaking. It also advises carrying a 1968 international driving permit and a green card with a UK licence.

Arriving in Vlorë

Intercity buses and minibuses stop on the approach roads rather than on the waterfront, and stops have moved in recent years — ask the operator exactly where the Vlorë stop is, and have the name of your accommodation ready for a taxi. Ferries berth at the port on the north side of the city, the one you can see on the live camera.