Durres travel guide

Durres, Albania

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Durres

Introduction

Durrës sits on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic coast, between the mouths of the Erzen and Ishëm rivers at the southeastern corner of the Adriatic Sea. It is one of Albania's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with roughly 2,500 years of recorded history, and serves as the seat of both Durrës County and Durrës Municipality.

Its climate is profoundly influenced by a seasonal Mediterranean pattern, so you can expect the weather to shape the rhythm of your visit. As one of the country's principal cities, it offers the combination of a long-standing urban history and a coastal setting.

Before you go

Durrës is a city of contrasts, so set your expectations accordingly before you arrive. Parts of it are attractive and well maintained, while other areas feel somewhat ramshackle, with active development sitting alongside what appears to be abandoned construction. This is partly a matter of geology: the area lies in a tectonically active zone with extremely unstable ground, and the next earthquake will cause liquefaction again, meaning much of the new development will have to be pruned back before regrowing. What you can count on is that the city is alive — shops, retail stalls and street traders operate from early morning until late, giving Durrës an "always on" feel.

For getting there and away, Durrës has ferries to Bari and Ancona in Italy, and bus connections to other Albanian and international destinations, often via Tirana. You may also see the city's name written as Durazzo (Italian), Drač (Драч, Serbo-Croatian) or Dyrrhachion (Δυρράχιον, Greek) — useful to recognise when reading signs or booking transport.

Getting there

Durrës is most easily reached by sea, bus or car. Ferries cross the Adriatic to the Ferry Terminal (Terminali i Trageteve) from several Italian ports: Bari, served by Adria Ferries, GNV Ferries, Azzurra Line and Ventouris Ferries; Ancona, served by Adria Ferries and Azzurra Line; and Trieste, served by Adria Ferries.

By bus, services from Tirana and most southern destinations such as Berat stop at Plepat Bus Station, at the southern end of the promenade and beach — reachable from the City Bus Terminal by local bus — and most do not continue into the centre, so this is the only place with regular connections heading south. Buses and furgons from Tirana, marked with the "Durrës" logo, usually arrive at the Bus Terminal (Stacioni i Autobuzave) near the old railway station, which also handles some international connections and a direct airport bus. Tirana departures leave from the Northern Bus Station near the Casa Italia shopping centre and run daily at frequent intervals; the airport bus leaves from south of the terminal. International services include Skopje and Kumanovo in North Macedonia and Pristina in Kosovo, with the Pristina buses using the Rrota e Kuqe stop on Rruga Pavaresia, a walk or short taxi ride from the centre. If you arrive by bus, get off before the bus turns onto the highway heading south towards Golem — turning around there is difficult, and ending up well south of the city makes getting a taxi back slow and costly.

By car, the SH2 links Durrës with Tirana in a little over half an hour, and the SH60 connects the airport to the SH2; other approaches come via Vorë and Shijak. A commuter rail link from Tirana and the airport is under construction.

Getting around

Durrës is compact enough that you can cover the centre on foot, and walking is the simplest way to see the archaeological sites, shops and restaurants, which cluster together in the centre and along the waterfront. If you are happy to keep going, the beach stretches a long way south: it is easy to walk from the city core to South Durrës and beyond, until you reach a stretch of beach owned by the Albanian military that is impassable, so plan your route with that endpoint in mind. There is no metro or tram network, and no working commuter rail service, so your realistic options are walking, cycling, buses and taxis.

Cycling is a pleasant alternative, particularly along the coast, where a wide walking and cycling path runs south of the city and links back to the centre and its sites via a cycle route alongside the railway and the docks; a few places rent bicycles and e-bikes, including Rent A Bike Durres, which has bikes for adults and children. Public buses are orange and connect various parts of the city, with tickets available from kiosks, the driver, or a controller who moves through the bus selling and checking them; schedules vary, so check in advance. To reach the beach area, take a bus marked Durazzo (or Durrës) Plepa from the bus station, which stops along Rruga Pavaresia boulevard. Taxis are plentiful and identifiable by the sign on the roof, and are useful for places buses do not serve easily, but agree the fare or insist on the meter before you set off, or you will be overcharged.

Where to stay

Durrës offers a range of places to stay, from small central hotels to large beachfront resorts. In the centre, you'll find Hotel Arvi on the waterfront with sea-view rooms and restaurant facilities, Hotel Nais tucked behind the tower, known for quiet rooms and included breakfast despite its central location, and the small boutique-style Hotel Pepeto in the historic centre with modern rooms. Hotel Lido is a mid-range option with comfortable rooms and breakfast service.

Food & drink

Durrës eats well and cheaply, especially around the city centre and along the seafront promenades. For a traditional lunch, SAF - Gatime tradicionale serves a fresh cooked menu that changes daily, while Rehat Kebab and Piceri 2 Engjejt on Rruga Hysen Myshketa cover quick grilled and pizza options. Around the Ventus Harbour pier you'll find Mema House on Taulantia Street and Piceri Belvedere on Rruga Taulantia.

For something more substantial, Splendid Restorant on Egnatia promenade is known locally for fish, and Restoran Tirona on Rruga Pavaresia is a local favourite with a good selection of fresh seafood. Neps, near the sea along the road toward Currila, has an industrial-style setting, while Rooftop XV on Street Erazmi offers a view from the top floor and Bar Restorant Kajser, near King Zog's Villa, looks out over Durrës from above and serves ice cream combinations, spaghetti, fish and baked lamb. Pastiçeri Pelikani 1 on Street Pavaresia is the spot for sweets, and Restorant Piazza sits near the port on Rruga Taulantia.

Drinking is split between seafront bars and the old tower. The Venetian Tower (Rotonda) bar gives you a view over Durrës and its coastline, though the tower has been under construction. 788 cocktail bar Durrës mixes cocktails with a seaside summer breeze, and in winter turns to live music and local events. Bar Madrid is an upstairs, air-conditioned sports bar with a giant screen, pool tables, table tennis and table football, plus cheap drinks including Korca beer. Bonsai Caffe offers a welcoming environment and a good selection of drinks, and Portiku Wine Bar is another option in town.

What to see and do

Durrës rewards travellers who look for the layers beneath the modern city, from Illyrian and Greek roots through Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman and communist eras. Most of the headline sights cluster in the old city centre, so you can cover a lot on foot. Start with the Roman amphitheatre on Rruga Kalase, the largest in the Balkans, where you can see restored iconography, underground passages beneath the seating and a grassy central arena; a ticket gets you inside, though walking the perimeter gives a good free view. Beside it, the surviving Byzantine and Venetian city walls are an open public area, with the Medieval Hammam and Tophane Well nearby. The circular 16th-century Venetian Tower, part of the old fortifications, lets you climb steep stairs for a multimedia presentation projected inside its dome. Close to the historic centre you'll also find the 5th-century Byzantine Forum, or Macellum, with remains of the ancient public space and baths around the Palace of Culture. For religious architecture, the city offers a compact cross-section of its communities. The Fatih Mosque, built in 1503 and named for Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, stands near the amphitheatre and ranks among Albania's oldest mosques, while the Great Mosque on Rruga Aleksander Goga dates from 1937 and fills with worshippers at Eid. Among churches, the 1907 Shen Lucia Catholic Church blends simple Western architecture with local Albanian elements, the 19th-century Shen Gjergji Orthodox Church holds Byzantine domes and icons, and the main Orthodox cathedral, dedicated to Saint Paul and Saint Asti, was built in 2001 with a large central dome and Byzantine-style frescoes. Check locally before visiting any of these, since active services can affect access. Further out, the Archaeological Museum near the seafront promenade is normally focused on finds from ancient Dyrrhachium but is temporarily closed, so confirm before planning around it. If you want to go beyond the centre, the hill and archaeological area of Shen Mehilli near Arapaj holds mosaic remains of an early Christian basilica, and Kavaja Rock by Golem marks where caravans once passed along the Via Egnatia.

When to go

Durrës has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, so the season you choose shapes your trip considerably. Summer brings the hottest, driest conditions of the year, with scarce rain and reliably sunny days that suit the beach and the Adriatic coast — this is peak season, so expect the most company. Winter is the opposite: mild by most standards, but the coolest and wettest stretch, with most of the year's rain falling then, fewer beachgoers, and a quieter city.

Spring and autumn are the middle ground, both fairly stable in temperature and precipitation. Spring sits between the wet winter and dry summer and is generally pleasant for exploring the city and the coast. Autumn is similarly stable but gradually shifts toward the wetter winter pattern; the summer heat eases while the sea stays relatively warm early in the season.

Three days in Durres

Day one: Start with the city itself, since Durrës is the anchor of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality and the largest port on the Albanian Adriatic. Walk the waterfront and take in the Mediterranean light, then turn to the older layers of the place: the name itself has travelled through Greek as Dyrrhachion, Italian and Latin as Durazzo, and Serbo-Croatian as Dra. Keep the day slow and coastal, letting the Adriatic Sea set the pace.

Day two: Use the city as a base for the coast and the rivers that frame it. The Erzen and the Ishëm both reach the Adriatic near Durrës, and the shoreline between them is where the city meets the sea. If you want a longer view, look across the water toward Italy and the crossing points at Bari and Ancona, which have linked this coast to the opposite shore for generations.

Day three: Give the port its due. The Ferry Terminal, known locally as Terminali i Trageteve, is served by Adria Ferries, GNV Ferries, Azzurra Line and Ventouris Ferries, with routes reaching across the Adriatic and onward from Trieste. From here you can also turn inland toward Tirana, or simply stay with the water and the working harbour that has made Durrës what it is.

About this place