Arriving at the Tirana Airport - What You Need to Know
The Tirana Airport (TIA) is easy to navigate and a breath of fresh air after navigating massive air hubs like London Heathrow or Chicago O’hare. Here’s what to expect at Nënë Tereza International.
Where is Albania’s Main Airport?
Tirana International Airport is about 20 minutes (17.5 km) northwest of the capitol of Tirana, 30 minutes (32 km) from Durres, and 2 hours (151 km) from Vlorë.
Short Taxi to a Small Airport
When your plane sets its wheels down in Albania, it generally takes less than 5 minutes for the plane to taxi to the gate and park. This is one of the benefits of flying into a smaller airport, everything moves faster.
Walk off the Plane onto the Albanian Tarmac
The way you get into the airport after disembarking can depend on which airline you’re flying with.
When we fly British Airways, the airplane usually parks right in front of the airport and passengers walk off the airplane, across the tarmac, and into the immigration area.
When we fly LOT (Polish Airlines), the plane usually parks further down the tarmac from the airport and we are brought by bus to the immigration area (see image below).
I prefer walking, because it’s super quick, but the bus option is easy and hardly a hassle.
Easy and Automated Entry for Many Visitors
Tirana recently updated their immigration process. It is now more efficient and more streamlined.
It used to be that each visitor had to speak with an immigration agent, but many of those agents have now been replaced with automated biometric machines.
Visitors now scan their passport on the machine and a camera takes a photo of their face. If everything checks out, the gate opens and grants them access to the country.
Use of these machines is limited to certain passport holders. Some visitors are still required to speak with an immigration agent.
Passport holders that can use the automated machines include those from:
Albania
Australia
Canada
EU
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Kosovo
Serbia
UK
USA
Baggage Claim
You won’t have any problems locating your bags after you get yourself through immigration. All the baggage claim belts are visible as soon as you clear immigration (they are impossible to miss).
Bags are generally unloaded quickly and wait times are reasonable (benefit of a small airport).
Get Some Cash at the ATM While You Wait for Your Bags.
Just inside the baggage claim area, on your left after getting through immigration, you’ll find a number of ATMs.
Albania is still largely a cash culture, especially outside of Tirana. You’ll probably want some cash no matter where you’re headed.
Pro Tip: ATM fees for foreign banks are pretty high in Albania, usually between 5-7 euros per withdraw. Try to limit your withdraws by getting as much cash as possible in the fewest transactions. In my experience, OTP Bank (green machine) and Credins Bank (not shown) have the lowest ATM fees.
Get a SIM Card At the Airport
If you want to buy a SIM card for your cell phone before leaving the airport, I recommend Vodafone. They have a store just outside of the baggage claim area before you exit the airport.
Buying a SIM card in Europe is much easier than in the USA. Tell the customer service agent you want a tourist SIM and they’ll have you out the door with cell phone service in about 10 minutes. Service for the month, with plenty of data, won’t cost you more than 30 USD.
My wife and I have used Vodafone for the past 2 years and have been generally happy with their services. They have a mobile app and a website that allow you to extend your service if needed.
They offer traditional SIM cards and eSIM options.
How to Get a Taxi from Tirana Airport to Your City or Hotel
There are authorized airport taxis right in front of the airport. They have fixed prices and they wont try to scam you. You’ll see a picture of the taxis and the price list below.
There are usually 1 or 2 men standing near the taxis to assist customers. Tell them where you want to go and they’ll tell you the price in LEK or in Euros.
My wife and I took a cab from the airport to Vlorë today, a 2-hour trip, for 11,000 LEK (about $120 USD). A trip into Tirana will cost you 2,200 LEK (about $25 USD).
Having a regulated taxi service at the airport takes the stress out of your arrival and relieves worries of being scammed.
Conclusion
Overall, Tirana International Airport is one of my favorite airports to fly into in the world. It’s straightforward, easy to navigate, and has all the necessities to set a visitor up for a successful trip. The airport is one of many things that makes Albania a great travel destination.
