Car rental or public transportation for Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro

Based on our experience:

-For Albania, it's very hard to get around without a car. We hired one. The driving was fine tho the little Dacia they gave us had a few challenges with some of the mountain roads along the south coast.
-For North Macedonia, we only went to Skopje and Ohrid and were able to use public transport (good bus service between these cities). We also hired a private driver to take us around Mavrovo which we really enjoyed.
-I have not yet been to Kosovo so can't advise.
-For Montenegro, we hired a car, tho we also took a bus between Herceg Novi and Kotor and that service was fine. No problems at all driving.

To summarise: I think your life will be easier if you rent a car, and driving really isn't an issue. I can't remember which companies we used tho we tend to go with Sixt when they are available. We always buy the extra insurance and have never regretted it. Good luck, this is a beautiful area of the world!

How about, for the cost of things in that part of the world, hiring a driver. Or not, but getting advice from someone who deals with the region every day. I go to Bosnia and Montenegro almost every years and Croatia every couple of years and Albania just once. But because public transportation is somewhat "suspect" LOL and because private drivers are so reasonable, I turn to Dijana and just let her take care of the transportation and a lot of the planning. She always knows somethng not on the map or in a book. The latest was this interesting little winery in an abandoned 500 year old (guess) hillside village. It was absolutely amazing.

You are heading to my favorite part of the world. Do it right and get the most out of it. I am jealous ... no, wait, I will be back in Montenegro in the Spring ... maybe the Valbona river valley in Albania too.

Dijana Krkotic
Doclea Travel
+39 389 765 5935 (phone or WhatsApp)
[email protected]
www.docleatravel.com

On renting a car, check on taking a car rented in Montenegro into Albania??? Dont know. Then you gotta drive a circle to and return it where you got it to avoid the drop off fee which can be $1000 or more ... but check me on that.

I've traveled in all those countries except Kosovo without a rental car. Of course, it depends to some degree on precisely where you plan to go, but Albania (especially) and North Macedonia are difficult without your own wheels. Public transportation mostly means buses, and finding online schedules ahead of time is very challenging. I struggled even to figure out where several bus stations in Albania (usually just parking lots) were located. Misinformation abounded as recently as 2024. As a result, I ended up using a lot of taxis to move from city to city even though I'm a relatively patient and adventurous traveler not averse to communicating via charades. Taxis over long distances aren't particularly cheap, even in low-cost countries. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. E's approach is more cost-effective, though it requires commitment to a schedule in advance--not the way I travel.

I've read nothing to suggest it's a particular problem to travel by rental car in that part of Europe. I think you'll find rental rates in Albania relatively low. It's important to check ViaMichelin and/or Google Maps for routing info rather than just looking at a map and taking what appear the most direct route. Especially in Albania, there are mountains making the short route sometimes very problematic. My inter-city taxis were arranged on the spot with agreed-upon fees (off-meter). You have to assume the drivers took the fastest prudent route; they often opted for round-about routes.

Note: I don't know about Kosovo, but you are likely to need cash frequently in Albania. ATMs there have high fees. At least in some cities you can find legit money-changing booths that operate on about a 1% margin--far less expensive than ATMs. Euros are preferred, though dollars may also be accepted (perhaps at a somewhat higher mark-up). I wouldn't want to travel with a large wad of cash, but if any of your travel party has leftover euros from earlier trips, divvying up that cash among you (up to what you're comfortable carrying) will probably be helpful.

Alternatively or in addition, you have plenty of time to acquire an ATM card that refunds ATM fees. Charles Schwab still does that. I believe Capital One does not.