How to ride a furgon in Albania
A furgon is a shared minibus, usually 8 to 20 seats. They go where big buses do not: the mountains, villages and smaller towns. They feel confusing at first, but they are cheap, fast and friendly once you know the rules.
- Ask where it leaves fromFurgons leave from a terminal, a square or a corner of a street, not always the same place as the big buses. Ask at your guesthouse, or ask Eaglet. Each route on Albanest shows where it leaves from.
- Go earlyMany furgons have no fixed timetable and leave when they are full. The busiest time is the morning, from about 06:00 to 10:00. Mountain vans, like the one to Theth, leave early and often only once a day.
- Check the sign in the windscreenThe town names are written on a card behind the windscreen. If you are not sure, show the driver the town name, or use the Show the driver card on the route page.
- Pay in cash, usually at the endYou pay the driver or the helper in lek, in cash, often when you get off. Ask the price before you get in. Carry small notes, as drivers rarely have change.
- Stopping on the wayYou can ask to get off anywhere on the route. Say "Ndalo këtu, ju lutem" (stop here, please). On the main road you can also wave to stop a furgon, if it has free seats.
- LuggageSmall bags go on your lap or under the seat, big bags in the back or on the roof. Keep your passport and phone with you.
- Sundays and winterThere are fewer furgons on Sundays, on holidays and from November to March. Some mountain routes do not run at all in winter.
Useful words
- Ku niset furgoni për ...?
- Where does the furgon to ... leave from?
- Kur niset?
- When does it leave?
- Sa kushton?
- How much is it?
- Ndalo këtu, ju lutem.
- Stop here, please.
- Faleminderit!
- Thank you!
Routes that use a furgon
Times and places change. Every route on Albanest shows when it was last checked.