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Car rental in Tirana is where most journeys through Albania begin. TIA remains the country’s only international airport, so even travellers heading for the Albanian Riviera or the mountains around Theth usually collect their car here first. The airport is around 17 km from the city centre, with the drive taking roughly 20–30 minutes via the SH60 outside rush hour.
Tirana also tends to offer the lowest rental prices in Albania. In low season, economy cars can start from as little as €5–10 per day, while July and August usually sit closer to €15–30. The capital also has the country’s widest choice of automatic cars, as both international chains and larger local suppliers are concentrated around TIA.
Tirana is cheaper and offers far more choice than anywhere else in Albania. The smartest approach is often to collect the car on the day you leave the capital, rather than immediately after landing.
If your flight is delayed, just send the flight number on WhatsApp. We track arrivals and wait at no extra cost when we’ve been informed in advance.
Tirana is the one place in Albania where you genuinely may not need a car
Local guides say this all the time — and they are largely right. Skanderbeg Square has been pedestrian-only since 2017, Blloku is packed with cafés and bars but notorious for impossible parking, and places like Bunk’Art, the Et’hem Bey Mosque and the Pyramid are either walkable or a short taxi ride away. If you’re spending only one or two days in the capital, having a car often creates more hassle than convenience.
The usual approach is simple: land at TIA, take a €20–25 taxi into town, spend a day or two exploring Tirana, then collect the car when it’s time to head towards Berat, Krujë or the coast. Most TakeCars partners support exactly this setup, with collection available both at the airport and from city offices near Kavaja Street.
Only paying for a car when you truly need it is unusual advice in the rental world, but in Tirana it can easily save travellers €100–150 over a short stay.
If you’d rather avoid taxis, the LUNA Express bus runs between TIA and Skanderbeg Square 24/7. Tickets cost 400 lek and the journey takes around 30 minutes.
SEAT Ibiza in Albania
Excellent experience: we made a booking 2 hour in advance only. Fast response from website, easy registration and we got our car at pick up place. No credit cards, no complication with return process: easy and fast. Very recommended for road trip through Albania
Nissan Micra in Albania
They met us in accordance with the arrangements at the airport, drove us to the office without any problems, processed the documents. They also helped us with refueling the car and there were no problems with returning the car at the appointed place and returning the deposit Now about the car itself, although I realize that this is probably the cheapest offer on the market and I have no claims, but in general. The car is burning a bunch of errors, the bumper was not fixed properly (fixed it myself when it began to sail strongly in the road and make an unpleasant sound). At one of the parking lots the ulems from the battery came off, the car stopped starting. There was a problem with the hood closing. And probably the most important thing - the car can be normally traveled on normal roads. We drove from Vlora to Saranda on a road that goes uphill - the car just wouldn't go. The speed uphill is 5-10 km per hour. It was a little bit exciting. But then again, as it stands, so it goes)
Mitsubishi Colt in Albania
My experience with arthur was totally good. Once at the airport we immediately met arthur's son, a very kind guy that gave us all the informations about the car. The car was in perfect condition and nothing was wrong with it the entire trip. To be honest we were totally surprised about how much kilometers you can do on a single tank! Very good experience
Skoda Scala in Albania
It was great
Toyota Yaris in Albania
Everything was great, very attentive
Nissan Note in Albania
Arthur 👍 5 stars 👍👍👍👍👌
Volkswagen Polo in Albania
All processe went well. Very profissional
Fiat Punto in Albania
It was all good! Good service Thanks!
Renault Captur in Albania
Everything was fine, good car and service 👌🏻
Renault Megane in Albania
We were so happy with the service, it was easy, convienient, and the communication through it all was great. Easy pick up and delivery and flexible in regards to timing. Really nice ☺️
Toyota Auris in Albania
Everything was fine and easy to contact!!
Volkswagen Golf 5 in Albania
It was good, nothing in particular to mention I think only something went wrong with communication, but that was on my part but they were very friendly and the car was good, it was a Toyota corrola instead but they asked beforehand and I didn't mind
Volkswagen Touran in Albania
The car rental went very well.
Where to drive from Tirana: routes and day trips
Tirana sits almost perfectly in the middle of Albania, which makes it an ideal base for road trips. Most of the country’s major sights are within 60–90 minutes of the capital. Berat — the UNESCO-listed city of a thousand windows — is around 1 hour 30 minutes via SH4. Krujë and its famous Skanderbeg fortress are roughly an hour away along SH27. The beaches of Durrës can be reached in about 40 minutes using the toll-free AK1 motorway.
For shorter escapes, Mount Dajti is right on the edge of the city. The Dajti Express cable car is only 15 minutes away, with hiking trails, panoramic views and terrace cafés waiting at the top. Lake Bovilla and Theth in the Albanian Alps are better suited to overnight trips, with winding mountain roads stretching the drive to around 2.5–3 hours.
One of the most popular Albania road trips is Tirana → Berat → Sarandë → Gjirokastër. Five to seven days is a comfortable pace. Most travellers collect the car at TIA and either return it in Sarandë or loop back to Tirana.
The new Llogara tunnel, opened between 2024 and 2025, has shortened the drive to the Albanian Riviera by roughly an hour compared with the old mountain pass.
Picking up the car at TIA airport and in the city
TIA operates around the clock and sits roughly 17 km north-west of central Tirana. After exiting arrivals, the rental desks are on the right-hand side of the terminal. Some partners also meet travellers directly outside the terminal or at the nearby car park with a sign. The paperwork and vehicle inspection usually take around 10–15 minutes.
Traffic changes everything during rush hour. Between 7:00–9:30 and 16:00–18:30, the journey into the centre can stretch beyond 40 minutes instead of the usual 25. If you’re heading straight to a hotel, taking the LUNA Express bus into the city and collecting the car the following day is often the easier option. Some partners offer free hotel delivery within Tirana, while others charge around €10–20.
If your flight is delayed, send your flight number on WhatsApp before departure. We monitor arrivals and wait free of charge when informed ahead of time.
Always inspect the car carefully at pickup. Take timestamped photos of every panel, wheel and window — it avoids most disputes when returning the vehicle later.
Rates in Tirana vary throughout the year depending on the season and the rental length.
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How expensive is renting a car in Tirana: average daily rates for a one-week car rental, across all car classes.
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Parking and traffic in Tirana
Central Tirana is divided into three paid parking zones managed by Tirana Parking. Zone A in the centre costs roughly 100 lek per hour, Zone B around 40 lek, and Zone C approximately 20 lek. Charges apply on weekdays between 7:30 and 20:00, plus Saturday mornings. Parking is free overnight, on Sundays and during public holidays. Payments can be made through the Tirana Parking or ParkAlbania apps, while SMS payment only works with Albanian SIM cards.
Where to park in the centre
The safest and most practical option is the underground car park beneath Skanderbeg Square. It costs around 500 lek per 24 hours, is monitored 24/7 and can be accessed via Kavaja Street. Another reliable alternative is the Toptani shopping centre garage.
If you’re planning dinner or drinks in Blloku, taking a taxi is usually far easier than driving — parking spaces disappear quickly, especially in summer evenings.
Skanderbeg Square has been fully pedestrianised since 2017. Some GPS apps still try to route cars across it, so ignore the instruction and circle round via Kavaja Street instead.
Rush hour in Tirana usually runs from 7:30–9:30 and 16:00–18:00. The worst bottlenecks are the Outer Ring (Unaza) and Durrës Street, so adding an extra 20 minutes to journeys is sensible.