Popular Airport | Ercan Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 1 hour 40 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 1375 Km |
Tirana, the capital of Albania, makes you feel the magic of Ottoman architecture with its mosques and baths dating back to the 1600s. The surface area of Tirana, which is close to Istanbul’s, is a very calm city in terms of population. You need to use Tirana International Airport to visit this city.
It cannot be said that Tirana offer good service in terms of public transport. Until 2013, there were in-city train services that served the city along the shoreline. This line is not used now. The bus is the only means of public transport available for use in urban transport. Train services are now only an option for intercity transportation. A tourist information office is located in the Rruga Ded Gjo Luli district, north of Skanderbeg Square, which forms part of Tirana city center. We recommend you to visit this office to facilitate your access to the city. English speaking office staff can explain you how you can get to where you want to go through the maps.
Passengers who do not want to use public transport can choose to take a taxi or rent a car from the city for a more comfortable ride. The city center is quite small. So, if you have time, you can also visit the city center on foot. It is useful to remind that the frequent construction work done in the center may prevent your walk. It is also possible to rent bicycles in certain areas of the city. Although it is difficult to say that Tirana is a bicycle city, cycling is a pleasant option for short distances.
There are not many alternatives to get to Tirana International Airport from Tirana by public transport. First of all you have to come to Skanderbeg Square from where you are, then you have to transfer. Therefore, we recommend that passengers who wish to travel more comfortably should consider taxi or car rental options.
The Rinas Express, which takes you from the central square to the airport, is the only option for getting to the airport by public transport. Rinas Express is departing from the north of the Skanderbeg Square, near the other bus stops. The departure time of the buses, which operate between 6 am and 6 pm, may be earlier than the scheduled time. For this reason, we advise you to be there at least a few minutes before the departure time.
If the place you are in is located in a more remote part of the city, you have to get on one of the buses to Skanderbeg Square to get to the city center. After you arrive at the airport, you reach the terminal after passing taxi stops and car parking areas.
The train services are not providing access to the city anymore. However, it is possible to use trains, although with limited opportunities, for long distance travel. With these lines it is possible to travel to Durres, Shkodra, Elbasan Vlore and Librazhd.
MerrTaxi and SpeedTaxi are taxi stops used for intra city transportation. We recommend that you use one of these two stops. While it is possible to use a pirate taxis, many of these taxis do not use taximeters, so it is possible that you pay more for them.
You can rent a car from Rent A Car offices located in the city. However, if you are planning to stay in the city before going to the airport, it can be very difficult to find a parking place. Besides, the pavements of the roads in the city are not well. For this reason, driving can be a stress factor.
With the free Wi-Fi connection you can take advantage of at Tirana International Airport, you can use the internet from your devices, and you can spend your time untiringly until your flight. There is also a special area for the passengers who smoke in the Segafredo Bar section of the airport. In the check-in hall there are sweet shops, newspaper dealers, bookstores and jewelers. You can spend time in the Airport Bar and Piazza Restaurant in the arriving passenger area and in Segafredo Bar and Coli's Bar in the departing passenger area. Apart from that, there is also a Business Lounge at the airport.
Ercan Airport is 23 kilometers from the capital Lefkoşa (Nicosia), 44 km from Girne, 50 km from Magosa and 62 km from Güzelyurt. You can benefit from KIBHAS airport shuttle service, which has been serving for 6 years, to reach the city center from the airport because there is not a developed transportation system in the island. You can also choose from taxi, airport transfer companies and car rental option.
If you have booked your accommodation in advance, it would be useful to ask if your hotel can arrange airport transfer or not. There are some hotels that provide free airport transfer according to the number of passengers.
These shuttle buses, which have been serving since February 2009, take the airport passengers to the bus stations in Nicosia, Girne, Magosa, Güzelyurt and Lefke from morning till midnight. Once you arrive at the bus station, you can go wherever you will be staying by taxi or minibus departing from there. This shuttle service is the cheapest way to get to the city center or wherever you want from the airport.
KIBHAS shuttle services officially serve only between the airport and bus terminals, but they can also drop you off at a point on the route on your request. Before getting on the shuttle, you can ask the shuttle driver about this detail or you can find out about it during your reservation. You can book by phone before you arrive at the airport.
KIBHAS suttles departing from Ercan Airport to Girne and Nicosia run for 12 times from 08.10 till 00.30. The number of the shuttles to other destinations is less frequent. KIPHAS shuttles to Güzelyurt and Lefke serve 7 times a day between 09.30 and 00.30 and the shuttles to Magosa serve 9 times a day from 08:10 to 00:30. Departure times may vary and the waiting times between the shuttle services are different for each service. You can easily see the KIPHAS building when you go out the incoming passenger terminal.
Taxi fares at Ercan Airport might be a bit more expensive compared to the fares in Turkey. However, if you want to take a taxi, do not forget to bargain with the driver and make a comparison. With KIBHAS shuttles coming into service, demand for taxi has decreased and so, taxi drivers may reduce taxi fares considerably. You can be prepared by online searching for the offers of the companies for taxi fares to reach your destination. Also, if you are traveling with a few people and when you compare the per passenger shuttle charges, taking a taxi may be a more practical and convenient option, though the same advantage does not apply to taxi fare. Please note that the TRNC taxis can take up to 3 passengers as required by law.
You can also benefit from the vehicles of the companies that provide airport transfer service to reach the city center or the hotels from the airport by making a reservation in advance. Especially if you are traveling in groups, the transportation service provided by these may also be more suitable for you in terms of price. These vehicles meet you at the airport upon your arrival and ensure you to reach your destination without waiting. Before boarding the plane, you can make a quick online search and make a reservation in advance or you can ask your hotel to arrange such a service.
Car rental prices in Cyprus are particularly convenient if you are going to rent a car for 3 or more days compared to Turkey. So are the fuel prices! Moreover, you can find many parking places which you don’t have to pay for. For this reason, renting a car is one of the preferred options for sightseeing in Cyprus. By renting a car, you can be more flexible during your trip and you can travel all over the island, which is not already very big. However, the traffic flows in the reverse direction (left) compared to Turkey and there are the right hand drive cars. For some people, this requires an adaptation process, especially at first. It would be useful to rent a car keeping this in mind. It is also important to remember that the automatic cars make it easier to get used to this adaptation process.
If you plan to travel from the airport by renting a car, we advise you to book in advance. As it is a common and preferred method in the island, you may have difficulty in finding a convenient car at the airport. To rent a car, you must be over 25 years old and have a Turkish Republic driving license. Ercan Airport has a car park reserved for rental cars. Many car rental companies use this car park. You can pick up and deliver your car at the same parking area. The car rental companies in Cyprus are usually local enterprises.