There is no public transport to Kukës Airport, but there is a fairly frequent service from Kukës town centre to Tirana.
Taxi to Kukës
The only way to get from the airport to the centre of Kukës is by taxi, of which there will be a large number at the airport after each arrival. Official taxis will offer the price 1500 all, unofficial ones 1000 all and if you are really adept at haggling you can knock the price down to 500 all.
Taxi drivers will accept euros without any problems.
Rent a car
The easiest option is to rent a car directly at the airport, where there are several car rental companies. You can then go anywhere in the mountains and not be dependent on unreliable transport; buses in Albania only work well between the larger towns.
Car rental prices are around 202 eur for a week or 110 eur for 4 days. Prices rise significantly in the summer season and are up to three times higher than the rest of the year.
Buses from the centre of Kukës
The only frequent service according to the timetable is the one to Tirana, which runs once an hour in both directions (always at XX:00) from about 06:00 to 18:00. Buses in Kukës stop at Rruga Islam Spahiu Street, while in Tirana they stop at Jug-Veri bus station.
You can always buy your ticket from the conductor or driver inside the bus. Either you pay by having the conductor walk through the car and collect money from you, or you pay directly to the driver when you get off at your destination. A ticket from Kukës to Tirana costs 500 all.
From Kukës you can also get to Durrës (twice a day) and Shkodër (once a day). A large number of vans (i.e. vans, sort of shared taxis) run from Kukës to all the surrounding towns and villages. They usually start their journey when they are full.
You won't find reliable online timetables on any website, and if one pretends to have found timetables or even to be able to sell tickets, definitely don't trust these websites. You cannot buy tickets online for bus services within Albania.
For more information on travelling in this country, see our guide to Transport in Albania.
