User Rating: 5 / 5

Star ActiveStar ActiveStar ActiveStar ActiveStar Active
 

 Albania does not have a lot of trains in the first place, and the speed is so slow that walking may be a faster solution. But, if one must take a train, it is a pretty straight forward issue. Get a ticket and get on the train. Though, be advised that there are no bicycle compartments on their trains.

 My experience is limited with the train that goes from Tirana, via Dures, to Librazd. The train was in a terrible state: bullet holes in the glass, dirty, no lights, etc. It moved incredible slow. Yet, my greatest surprise was the fact that it made such a big round about travel, even starting to a completely opposite direction. This had me confused that I may be on a wrong train. Because Librazhd is on the completely opposite side to Tirana than Dures is.

Window of a train in Albania

 The train ticket looks very cheap. In fact, it is cheap. It cost only 230 Albanian Lek, which was at that time about 1,6 € or 2 US$

Albanian train ticket

 I simply put the bicycle in a small corridor where the toilet was. The lady conductor, I believe, tried to explain to me something, perhaps that there is a fee for the bicycle. But, because of my lack of knowledge of Albanian language, and her lack of knowledge of any of the languages I knew, all turned out fine. Ignorance is the greatest gift one can have.

Train station in Elbasan, Albania

 It may be worth saying that 'Stacioni Hekurudhor' is Railway Station in Albanian. But due to the incredible amount of Albanian people that go to Italy for work, vacation or family, Italion language or any form of Latin, may be equally useful. In fact, much of the words in the Albanian language I find that have Italian similarity.