One of the cheapest and easiest ways to travel around the Balkans is via bus. A common route is travelling north from Albania to Montenegro, from Tirana to Tivat. Here’s everything you need to know about the bus journey from Albania’s capital to the charming town of Tivat in Montenegro.
BOOKING TICKETS
You can buy tickets at the bus station day of, but for peace of mind during high season we opted to book our tickets online here, using GetByBus. Our bus operator was Jadran Express.
The summer months are the busiest season, so make sure you book your tickets in advance if you’re on a tighter schedule.
COST
The bus cost 27 euros per person, excluding baggage cost. We had to pay an extra 2 euros per bag (cash) for each bag we stored under the bus in the luggage compartment.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The bus journey begins at Tirana’s Central Bus Station. It’s easily accessible from the city, and the station serves as the departure point for buses heading out of Albania.
It’s a long bus ride with infrequent stops, so make sure you’re stocked up on snacks, drinks, and food for the day (our driver only stopped twice on the nearly 11 hour bus ride and there is no bathroom on board).
Our bus had basic amenities such as air conditioning and window shades, but did not offer extras like wifi or charging ports.
Our bus departed shortly before 11 am, and it took over 6 hours just to get to the Montenegrin border. The bus ride was very beautiful, and we caught stunning views of the Albanian countryside, featuring rolling hills and olive groves. Roads are narrow and winding through most of the country, so the journey will take longer than you think.
BORDER CROSSING
As neither Albania nor Montenegro are in the EU, you’ll need to stop at the Albania-Montenegro border for passport inspection. Make sure you’re prepared with your travel documents/visas required for the border crossing.
The passport inspection process on our bus was fairly quick. Everybody was expected to leave their bags on the bus and disembark (unless you had mobility issues). We lined up one by one to get stamped in by immigration, and waited on the other side of the immigration kiosk until the entire bus had been checked. A border patrol officer checked the bus luggage storage compartment to make sure nobody was smuggled in, and the bus was waved through the checkpoint. We got back on the bus, drove ~30 metres to the Montenegrin side, and repeated the process to be stamped into Montenegro.
ARRIVAL IN TIVAT
The remaining drive through Montenegro is absolutely stunning! From the border, it took us about 2.5 hours to arrive in Tivat. The scenery highlight of the journey was driving up through the mountains looking down on Kotor Bay. It was right at sunset, and we had an amazing view of the picturesque bay and surrounding mountains.
We arrived at the Tivat bus station just past 9 pm, and were able to flag a taxi down to take us to our accomodation.
In total, it took about 10+ hours to arrive in Tivat from Tirana.
To check out our full Tivat gallery, click here!