Getting around Berat
From Tirana by bus or furgon in about two hours, two kilometres from the terminal to the old town, and from there only on foot over cobbles.
- From Tirana
- bus or furgon
- To the old town
- taxi €5.50–7.70
- In Tirana
- to the centre by taxi €12–15
Getting to Berat takes one bus, and getting around Berat takes your own feet. The town has no airport and no railway station, so Tirana is the gateway. The ride from Tirana is the easy part of the trip. The hard part is the steep polished cobbles behind a suitcase, so read the last sections before you pack.
From Tirana to Berat
Buses and furgons to Berat leave from the South & North Bus Terminal in Mëzez, in the Kamëz district, about 25 minutes by road northwest of Skanderbeg Square. From the terminal to the centre of Tirana you can take a taxi or a ride from an app, or the city bus towards Kamëz. The fare is €12–15 by taxi and €0.44 by bus.
The distance from Tirana to Berat is 123 km. The journey takes about 2 h and the fare is €5.50–7.70 (500–700 lek), paid in cash in lek, so keep small notes ready. About twenty buses run each day, roughly one every 30 to 40 minutes between 6.00 and 17.00 from Tirana. A furgon, the minibus that fills the gaps between them, leaves when it is full.
hostel, dorm bed, per night
The differences
A bus runs at intervals, and a furgon runs on a crowd. The furgon is a Mercedes Sprinter that carries 8 to 20 people, runs without a schedule and is most common in the morning, from about 6.00 to 10.00, with fewer departures in the afternoon. Large luggage goes at the back and sometimes costs a little extra. A morning start gives a choice of both.
From the terminal to the old town
The Berat terminal stands on Rruga Antipatrea, at the northwest edge of town, about 2 km from the old quarters. The city bus takes under 10 minutes, and its price is €0.33 (30 lek, old town). A taxi costs €5.50–7.70.
Walking is possible, 25 to 30 minutes over flat ground, and it is a pleasant way to meet the town if you carry only a day bag. With a suitcase, take the taxi and ask for the upper end of Mangalem or the castle gate, since the lanes above the river are the ones that punish wheels.
On foot
Everything is between 300 and 800 metres, and almost everything is steep. From Mangalem to the castle gate is about 1 km, 15 to 20 minutes uphill over polished cobbles. Shoes with a good sole matter here. Gorica lies across the stone bridge and takes minutes, not an effort, to reach.
A car is more of a burden than a help. Leave it on the flat streets below, or in the new town, where parking is easier, and confirm the place with your accommodation in writing. Driving to the castle gate is possible, but inside the walls everyone walks.
Onward from Berat
Furgons to Fier cost €2.20, and that is also the way to Apollonia, which sits beyond it. The Osum Canyon, the Bogova waterfall and Mount Tomorr have no public transport to the end point, so they need a taxi or a tour. The last bus back to Tirana leaves around 16.00, which is why a day trip from the capital gives up the evening and a night in Berat does not.
Where to next
Berat in 2 days
→Castle in the morning, Mangalem in the afternoon and Gorica at sunset on day one, then the Osum, Apollonia or the vineyards on day two.
Tirana · 70 km
→Skanderbeg Square, Enver Hoxha’s bunkers and a cable car up Dajti in one city, in two to three days
How well does Berat suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Berat
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
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