Pickup points across Albania
Where to pick up
We work with local suppliers in five places: Tirana Airport, the capital itself, and three points on or near the coast. Find the one that fits your trip and where each car can take you. No deposit on most cars, from €27/day.
The five pickup points
Each town has its own page with the local detail (where you meet the car, drive times, what to watch for). Start with the one that matches how you are arriving.
Tirana Airport (TIA)
MainThe one nearly everyone uses. TIA sits about 17 km north of the city on the SH2, and your supplier meets you at the single arrivals hall, so you are driving within minutes of landing.
Tirana
Collect in the capital itself if you arrive by bus, by an earlier flight, or you just want a day in town before you drive. Handy if your hotel is central and you would rather not run the airport meter.
Saranda
The far south, opposite Corfu. Pick up here if you fly into Corfu and take the ferry across, or you are basing yourself on the Riviera and only need a car for day trips to Ksamil, Butrint and the beaches.
Durres
The closest beach to Tirana, roughly 40 minutes down the road, and where the ferries from Italy dock. A sensible pickup if you arrive by sea or want sand on day one without a long drive.
Vlore
Where the Adriatic hands over to the Ionian and the proper Riviera begins. Collect here to start the Llogara pass climb and the coast road south with no city driving first.
A few honest pointers
If you are flying into TIA, collect there. We rarely have a reason to steer anyone toward a city pickup the morning after; you lose half a day and pay for a taxi to do it. The exception is the south: if your trip is entirely coastal and you reach Saranda by the Corfu ferry, picking up on the Riviera saves the long inland drive down.
Durres and Vlore are the in-between cases. Durres works if you arrive by ferry from Italy or want the nearest beach without a real drive. Vlore makes sense as a southern jumping-off point, since the Llogara pass and the best of the coast road start just past it rather than after a city slog.
Whichever point you choose, one thing holds: automatics are thinner on the ground than manuals here and they sell out first in July and August. If you want one, book early and use the gearbox filter rather than turning up and hoping for the best.
Pickup locations: common questions
Which pickup location should I choose?
If you are flying in, Tirana Airport (TIA) is almost always the right call: you land, meet your car and drive. Pick a coastal point like Saranda or Vlore only if you are arriving there directly (the Corfu ferry into Saranda, for example) and do not want to drive down from the capital.
Can I pick up in one place and drop off in another?
Often yes. Many suppliers allow a one-way rental, say collect at the airport and leave the car in Saranda, for a fee that depends on the distance. Some waive it on longer hires. Set both locations on the search step and the price updates before you commit.
Is the airport pickup more expensive than the city?
Not usually. The car rate is the same; a few suppliers add a small airport surcharge, but it is shown in the total before you book, never added at the desk. For most trips the convenience of collecting at arrivals outweighs the odd euro.
Do I need a different licence for the coast versus the city?
No. The same documents work everywhere in Albania: your licence held a year or two, a passport or ID and a card in the main driver's name. The roads differ (the Llogara pass is mountain switchbacks, Durres is flat motorway) but the paperwork does not.
Are deposits the same at every location?
Most cars across all these towns are offered with no security deposit, and the no-deposit filter on the search page works for any pickup point. Larger or premium cars may still hold one; it is always stated clearly before you book.
Can I reach the southern beaches from a Tirana pickup?
Yes, and plenty of people do. It is about 2h45 from Tirana down to Saranda, with the Llogara pass and a string of Riviera coves on the way. If the whole trip is coastal, though, collecting nearer the south saves you the inland leg.
Pick a spot and compare
Set your pickup point and dates, then compare live prices from local suppliers side by side. The airport is the easy default for most trips.
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