Of the five airports in Albania, only one has international status and may be of interest to foreign tourists. It is called Tirana Mother Teresa International Airport and is located in the capital.
Albania International Airport
The air gate of the country with this status is located 11 km north-west of Tirana in the village of Rinas. Albania's only airport terminal, apart from Albanian Airlines' own aircraft, receives flights from over twenty airlines. These carriers will help passengers from Russia to get to Tirana, because there are no direct flights to Albania from Moscow or St. Petersburg yet:
- Turkish Airlines flying through Istanbul.
- Malev, with a change in Budapest.
- Alitalia, with a connection in Milan.
- Austrian Airlines, via Vienna.
- British Airways, with the opportunity to see London.
- Olympic Airways offering connecting flights through the Greek capital.
- Aerosvit, via Kiev.
- Adria, with a stopover in Ljubljana.
Travel time from both Russian capitals to Tirana, taking into account the connection, is on average six to eight hours.
Internal infrastructure of the airport. Mother Teresa pleases the tourist. Built in 2007, the brand new terminal offers free Wi-Fi and currency exchange, a tourist information center and several restaurants, duty-free shops and a smoking area.
Passengers landing in Tirana will have to pay an airport tax, which is 10 euros (as of September 2015). Answers to any questions and information on departures and schedules can be obtained on the airport's official website - www.tirana-airport.com
Transfer to the city
The bus is the cheapest type of transfer. The center of Tirana and the airport terminal are connected by a bus route, the final stop of which is called the "National Museum". The ticket price is about two euros. The first bus leaves for the city at 6.00, and the last one - at 18.00.
A taxi to the center of the Albanian capital will cost from 15 to 20 euros, and the trip will take no more than half an hour. It is advisable to negotiate the price in advance and use the services of licensed vehicles that have a red ATEX logo on a yellow body.
You can rent a car at the Eurocar office located in the passenger terminal building. In recent years, the condition of Albanian roads has improved significantly, and in the area of the city where the airport is located, the highways look completely modern. It is best to book a car in advance using the website of the rental office. In this way, you can be guaranteed to "stake out" not only the desired car, but also the price for its rental.
