Durres Tirana, Albania
Albania

10 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Lindblad Expeditions (5 Cruises)

Oceania Cruises (5 Cruises)

Two thousand years of history sleep beneath Durrës' streets, and sometimes a construction site is all it takes for a piece of mosaic to resurface. Albania's principal port and gateway to Tirana, the city welcomes ships at its very centre, such that the essentials can be toured on foot in a couple of hours. Here is a port-call still seldom visited on Adriatic itineraries, and that is precisely what makes it interesting.

Albanian Life From the Terminal

From the moment you leave the terminal, Albanian life presents itself without staging: cafés filled from morning, families strolling the waterfront, vendors of roasted corn. The welcome is direct and curious, in a country rediscovering tourism for only thirty years now.

The Amphitheatre: A Giant Buried in the City

A few streets from the port hides the Balkans' largest amphitheatre. Raised in the second century of our era, it could gather up to twenty thousand spectators. Its particularity lies in its insertion within the urban fabric: houses were built all around it, and you descend into the arena as into an excavation in the middle of the quarter. A Byzantine chapel adorned with mosaics even slipped into its galleries, testimony to the monument's successive lives.

From Byzantine Forum to Venetian Tower

Continuing through the centre, you cross the remnants of the Byzantine forum, segments of ramparts and the Venetian tower that guards the old town's entrance, a reminder of the Serene Republic's passage on this coast. The Archaeological Museum, installed near the shore, gathers amphorae, statuettes and stelae from ancient Dyrrachium, a colony founded by the Greeks in the seventh century before our era. From here departed the Via Egnatia, the Roman road that linked the Adriatic to Constantinople: for centuries, everything Rome dispatched toward the Orient passed through these quays. Between two sites, the Great Mosque and the buildings of the communist era tell of twentieth-century Albania.

The Waterfront and the Beach

Durrës lines one of the Adriatic's longest beaches, a band of sand that stretches south from the centre. The arranged promenade borders the bay and lends itself to an aimless walk, coffee in hand, between the palms and children's play. The shallow water makes it a family bathing place during fine season. On return, kiosks sell fritters and roasted corn that you nibble facing the waves, among the strollers.

Tirana: The Capital Excursion

About thirty-nine kilometres away, Tirana constitutes the classic excursion of this port-call. Skanderbeg Square, the coloured quarter of Blloku, once reserved for regime dignitaries, and the Bunk'Art museum, fitted into a former atomic shelter, compose a striking portrait of contemporary Albania. Budget about one hour each direction, in an organised excursion or by taxi negotiated at the port.

A Few Useful Distances

AttractionAccess From Terminal
Roman AmphitheatreOn foot, about ten minutes
Venetian Tower and RampartsOn foot, in the centre
Durrës BeachOn foot or short taxi ride
TiranaAbout 39 km, one hour's drive

Those who remain in town willingly end the afternoon at a terrace near the Venetian tower, before a Turkish coffee or a glass of raki, while the fishers return to port. Prices remain among the Mediterranean's most gentle, which adds to the simple pleasure of this port-call.

Durrës does not seek to seduce; it contents itself with being itself, with its layers of history piled without ceremony and its welcoming population. Returning to the gangway, you find yourself thinking that the Adriatic kept, on its eastern shore, a chapter many travellers have yet to read.


Frequently Asked Questions

At the port of Durrës, right in the city centre. The terminal opens onto town : the Roman amphitheatre, the Venetian tower and the Archaeological Museum are all within walking distance.
Yes, and it is the best way to do it. The historic centre takes a couple of hours on foot. Only the southern beach and Tirana call for a taxi or a shore excursion.
The Roman amphitheatre, the remains of the Byzantine forum, the Venetian tower and the Archaeological Museum, all clustered in the centre. That still leaves time for a coffee on the seafront before heading back on board.
Yes. It is the largest in the Balkans, built in the 2nd century and able to hold up to 20,000 spectators. What makes it unusual is how it sits inside the neighbourhood : houses were built all around it and you climb down into the arena as if into an excavation. A Byzantine chapel with mosaics occupies one of its galleries.
Yes. The capital is about 39 km away, roughly an hour each way, by organized excursion or by taxi arranged at the port. On a short call the round trip eats up most of the day : it is Tirana or Durrës, rarely both.
The Albanian lek. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and shops downtown, but keep cash for taxis, markets and the small vendors along the seafront.
Albanian. Italian and English get you by in tourist areas, French much less so. A few words of English are plenty for a port call.
Yes. Durrës has one of the longest beaches on the Adriatic, a strip of sand running south of the centre, a short walk or taxi ride away. The shallow water suits families well.
Very much so. Distances are short, the seafront promenade has playgrounds, the beach is shallow and kiosks sell doughnuts and grilled corn. The amphitheatre takes about thirty minutes to visit, which holds younger attention spans.
May through October, when the Adriatic cruise season is in full swing. July and August are hot and busy; May, June and September strike a better balance for walking the centre and visiting the sites.