Dajti Express cable car
The Dajt National Park, surrounding the eponymous massif, practically starts at the eastern edge of Tirana and is a very popular place for day trips out of the city.
If you're short on time, however, you can hit the slopes of Dajti in just a few dozen minutes, thanks to the modern Dajti Express cable car, which will take you to places with spectacular panoramic views of the whole of Tirana.
Up to 1,000 metres above sea level
The cable car takes you from the Porcelani housing estate in the east of the city to about two-thirds of the Dajt massif.
The top station of the cable car is located at 1,030 metres above sea level, and although it only offers views to the west, you won't regret it. The whole wide plain filled with Tirana opens up before you.
Around the top station of the cable car, you can play mini golf for 1 300 all, stroll through a beautifully landscaped shaded garden with plenty of benches and breathtaking views, and refresh yourself in two rather expensive restaurants.
Outside the Dajti Express area, you can shoot air rifles on the shooting range or go horseback riding.
Hiking
Several marked hiking trails start at the top station of the cable car, although local signage is definitely not as good as in other European countries, so expect to use a map often.
The most popular hike is the Dajti Ridge trail, which first climbs steeply but briefly (about 1.5 km) from the top station of the cable car to an elevation of 1,600 meters, and then continues for about 4.5 km on a panoramic ridge hike to the road at the Qaf Priskë saddle at Lake Shkallës. O
From here, minibuses run approximately every hour down to Tirana. Reverse routing would be preferable, but tickets for the cable car can only be bought at the lower station, not the upper one, and not for either way down.
Ticket price and operating hours
The cable car is open every day from 9:00 to 19:30.
The return fare costs 1 400 all, a one-way ticket costs 800 all. You can also pay by credit card.
The total ride time is less than 20 minutes.
Official website: dajtiekspres.com
How to get to the cable car?
You can get directly to the lower station by taxi from the centre of Tirana for about 1 800 all, or by city bus number 11 (about once every 10-15 minutes).
The bus stop in the centre is opposite the bus station to the airport (see location on the map), on the way to the cable car it is convenient to get off at this stop and walk about 200 metres through the estate. After that, you have to climb about 300 metres up a steep street to the cable car.
The buses back to Tirana stop closer, right at the junction of the main street and the street leading to the cable car.
Although it may appear from the bus plans that line 11 goes directly to the lower station of the cable car, this is not the case. The bus journey from the centre takes about 25 minutes.
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2 comments
I'm going to Tirana at the end of April. Is the cable car a popular attraction among locals or more of a tourist thing? Are there queues?
I'm asking for a plan, whether it's better to go there early in the morning, in the evening, on weekends or on weekdays. Or if it doesn't matter 🙂 .
Thank you
We were there last August on a Saturday morning and there was no line. More like nobody anywhere.
A few people this morning (Monday), no queue, just beware that the cable car is closed on Tuesday.
Valuable advice, thanks for the heads up.
Normally they write it on the web.
mufamuf: we were on the cable car on Monday 10.3.25, we took bus 11 to the stop. Hysen Bastari (0,40E), walked about 150m through the "housing estate" to the Bunkart1 tunnel (surprisingly it was open, at 9.00 am).E), walked about 500m along the road to the cable car, bought a return ticket (14E) before 10am without queuing. The original idea, to consider walking down to the final Thesari at the top, was squashed due to the uncertain single return ticket, we didn't even see a signpost or signposts to the town anywhere at the top... after midday we took the cable car back again, just the two of us. The bus stop (Teleferiki) to town is on the nearby road under the tunnel to Bunkart1 (the bus makes a loop through the terminus).