Italy to Albania:
Bari to Durrës by ferry (and folding bike)

There is so much to explore, by bike (and, yes, even by train!) in Albania.

And the good news is that getting to Albania by train, ferry and (optionally) bicycle is comfortable, easy and fun.

Simply make your way by train to Bari in southern Italy — direct trains run from Milan, for example, in little over 7 hours. 

And then from Bari, comfortable, modern ferries make the 216 km crossing of the Adriatic to Durrës in Albania every evening.

Departing Bari at 22:00, the ferry sailings to Durrës take around 10 hours 45 minutes, arriving in Durrës at 08:45.

If you're heading from northern Italy, you could for example hop on a speedy Frecciarossa train from Milano Porto Garibaldi at 10:13, and arrive at Bari Centrale at 17:27, giving you plenty of time to explore the city and have dinner before boarding your 22:00 ferry to Albania.

If you prefer to have a whole day in Bari, you could catch an overnight InterCity Notte sleeper train from Milan — in fact you have two daily services to choose from: the 21:15 from Milano Centrale, which arrives at Bari Centrale at 07:00, or the 21:50 service, which reaches Bari at 07:40.

Three companies run ferries on the Bari-Durrës route:

• Adria Ferries

• Ventouris Ferries

• Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV)

All three ferries run to more or less the same schedule, leaving Bari late evening and arriving Durrës in the morning.

The base price for the crossing, which includes a reserved Pullman seat, is around £40 / €45. 

A private cabin (inside) costs from around £80 / €90 (more in high-season), while you can get a berth in a shared cabin for around £59 / €68. (Again, you'll likely pay more in summer.)

Practicalities for the Bari - Durrës Ferry

Durrës in Italian

First things first: if you're in Bari and asking for directions to the Durrës ferry, it can be worth knowing that Durrës in Italian is "Durazzo".

Port of Bari: finding your way

The Port of Bari is a bit confusingly laid out, especially for foot / bicycle passengers.

It's hard to miss the boarding point, because you'll see the ferries tied up at the dock, but to get your boarding card you have to check in at a place called Ansa di Marisabella, 2 km away to the west along the port road. A shuttle-bus will shuttle you there from the embarkation point, but in our experience people at the port were not particularly helpful in explaining this, and we didn't see any signs or instructions. The map below will help you find where you need to be. 

If you're on a bicycle of course you can just pedal down the road. It's best to enter the port zone at the western "Varco Della Vittoria" gate, so you're right next to the check-in kiosks at Ansa di Marisabella.

If you're on foot, a more attractive (and shorter) route is to enter the port via the Varco Dogana (Customs Gate). 

If you're using a maps app, navigating to "Corso Antonio De Tullio, 5" should get you there, walking through the old city of Bari and its 12th century Norman castle.

From the customs gate, the departures building is 200 metres to your left, and from there you can find the shuttle-minibus that will take you to the check-in area at Ansa di Marisabella.

Boarding the ferry to Durrës

Once you've got your boarding card, you can just roll right on board the ferry. Boarding starts at least 90 minutes before departure. There's a restaurant on board, or of course you can eat in town beforehand and hop on board once you've finished eating!

Cyclists and foot-passengers just walk right on board. Make sure you're on the right ferry... The name of your ferry should be printed on your boarding card — make sure it matches the name painted on the side of the ship. (Two or sometimes three Durrës-bound ferries leave Bari every evening, all at the same, and there are also sailings to Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Bar, and you probably don't want to wake up in the wrong country.)

Finding your cabin on the Bari - Durrës Ferry

If you've booked a cabin, head to the reception desk where the purser will check your boarding card. 

A member of the crew will show you to your cabin.

Arriving in Durrës

You'll arrive at Durrës's modern ferry terminal around 08:45.

Walk through the customs and immigration area and out of the terminal building, and you'll immediately see signs, in Albanian and English, to the Train Station, pointing you to a high-tech pedestrian walkway over the busy main road and straight to the shiny new Durrës Station...

...Where you'll immediately be hit by an overwhelming sense of disappointment because (as of 2023) there are no railway tracks here! The railway line has been dug up and is being relaid — so, some time soon, you should be able to take the train to or from the very doorstep of Durrës ferry port.

But, for the time being, it's a bit more complicated than that.