My fourth land crossing into Albania, and the first one that went entirely to plan, which after the previous three felt almost anticlimactic.
The route
Bus from Podgorica, leaving at six in the morning from a stand that is not where the internet says it is — ask for it by name and someone will point. Four hours to the border, of which about three are genuinely scenic and one is a queue.
The crossing itself took ninety minutes, almost all of it waiting behind two coaches. Exit stamp, a short stretch of no-man’s-land in strong sun, then the Albanian side: passport, a question about where I was staying, a stamp. No fee, whatever the man at the kiosk tells you. Onward transport is waiting and will overcharge you by roughly double. Everyone knows this. Pay it or walk to the junction.
What I got wrong the previous three times
- Timing. The smaller posts keep hours that do not match their published hours, and lunch is real. Arriving after three is a gamble; arriving after four is a night in a border town.
- Cash. There is no reliable ATM on either side within an hour, and the lek you are handed by the men at the barrier is at a rate designed to punish you. Bring euros, small and clean — a torn note gets refused.
- Insurance. If you are in someone else’s car, the green card matters and nobody checks whether you have it until the one time they do.
Standing caveat
This was August 2026 and border rules change without notice and without announcement. Everything above is a description of one crossing on one day, not a guarantee. Check a current source before you rely on any of it.