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Tirana & Dajti Cable Car Day Trip from Durrës

Already staying in Tirana? See the walking tour on its own →

5.063 Google reviewsDay trip from Durrës, Golem or Qerret

From the beach resorts Tirana is forty-five minutes away and most people never bother, which is a shame, because it is the strangest capital in Europe and it is improving fast. We do the walking half first: Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque, the Italian boulevard, the Pyramid, and Blloku, the quarter where the Politburo lived behind a checkpoint.

Itinerary

For reference only. Itineraries are subject to change.

  1. 08:00

    Pickup along the Durrës coast

    Collected from your hotel and east on the motorway to the capital.

  2. 09:15

    Central Tirana on foot

    Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque, the clock tower and the Italian-planned boulevard south.

  3. 10:45

    The Pyramid and Blloku

    Hoxha's unbuilt mausoleum, now a climbable youth centre, and the former Politburo quarter behind it.

  4. 12:00

    Dajti Ekspres

    Out to the lower station and fifteen minutes up the mountain, over the pines and the eastern suburbs.

  5. 12:45

    Lunch on the mountain

    At the top station with the terrace view over the plain. Grilled meat, salads, and the Adriatic in the distance on a clear day.

  6. 14:30

    Ridge walk and descent

    An easy stretch of the pine ridge path, then the cable car back down.

  7. 16:00

    Back to the coast

    Dropped at your hotel around 17:00.

Experience & Highlights

  • Skanderbeg Square, the Pyramid and Blloku on foot
  • The Dajti Ekspres cable car, 4.2 km and fifteen minutes
  • Lunch at 1,050 metres above the capital
  • A walk on the ridge path through the pines
  • Hotel pickup from Durrës, Golem and Qerret

Full Description

Then the Dajti Ekspres, a 4.2-kilometre cable car that lifts you out of the city in fifteen minutes to a terrace at 1,050 metres. On a clear day you can see the Adriatic from up there, with Tirana laid out flat below and the mountains going back east behind you.

Lunch is on the mountain, at one of the restaurants by the upper station, and then there is time to walk a stretch of the ridge path through the pines before the descent. Back on the coast for the evening.

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Durrës, Golem and Qerret
  • Air-conditioned transport
  • English-speaking guide
  • Dajti Ekspres cable car return ticket
  • Bottled water

Not included

  • Lunch on the mountain (about €12 to €15)
  • Bunk'Art 1 entry (€8, optional, it is next to the lower station)
  • Alcoholic drinks

Good to know

  • The cable car closes on Tuesdays for maintenance and in high wind. If it is shut we drive up the mountain road instead and refund the ticket price.
  • It is usually 8 to 10 degrees cooler at the top station. Bring a layer even in August.
  • Bunk'Art 1 sits beside the lower cable car station and can be added for €8 if you tell us when booking. It adds about an hour.
  • The central walk is flat and about 3 kilometres.

Good questions, honest answers

How long is the Dajti cable car ride?

About fifteen minutes each way over 4.2 kilometres, climbing from the eastern edge of the city to a terrace at 1,050 metres. It is the longest cable car in the Balkans and the cabins are enclosed, so it runs in most weather short of high wind.

How far is Tirana from Golem?

Around 45 minutes on the motorway, sometimes an hour in July and August traffic. That is short enough to do the capital and the mountain comfortably in one day and still be back on the coast for dinner.

Is it colder at the top of Dajti?

Yes, usually 8 to 10 degrees cooler than the city, and windier. In August that is the main reason to go up. Bring a light layer; people arrive from the beach in a t-shirt and get cold.

Plan the rest of your trip

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