how long should it take to drive to Albania??
about 4/5 days depending on the route and the border.
Hope this is of some help? 
I would guess that the easiest & quickest way nowadays is by using the ferry to Greece then in through Makedonia, depending on where you are going off course
THERE are two addresses for ferry companys that go from Italy–ALbania
onthis web site shown below,if you are in a rush why not go via italy
Trieste–Durres albania ,
although this is a longer trip on the boat it may save you waiting time at the borders,and also your customer may not be so far away and so save wear and tear by not haveing to travel so far by road,
aye, ca’t be bothered with borders through slovenia, croatia, bosnia, serbia, montenegro etc - so now reckoning on a ferry from ancona to durres.
offered to take an old wagon to albania for a friend, beginning to regret it now, logistics pain in the bum! lol
Keep us posted on your trip. I remember reading a story about a trip into Albania in Truck shortly after the Hoxha regime fell. The place looked antideluvian!! Drivers were removing their marker and signal lights to prevent them from being stolen!! Reminds me of an early trip into Mexico I did around the same time-it was like going back 200 years in time.
How is Albania doing these days, anyways? I read about how the entire state railroad was stolen (■■?!!!) a few years ago, and about the government-sponsored Ponzi scheme that cost about half of the savings of the people. Sounds like a 3rd world country.
will do!
ps - more ideas needed…
as I’m planning to drive to Ancona and get the ferry (save a couple of hundred quid in fuel if nowt else) - what would be the easiest route?
the wagon is a 1992 Daf, ex-council tipper with HIAB, 17 tonner.
so it’ll be as rough as a cat’s tongue and will either cough and splutter everywhere or go like ■■■ off a spade.
so, down through france, via Lyon, cross straight into Italy and go over near Genoa etc - OR, take the france/Germany border routes to Switzerland, and enter Italy that way?
I’ve no idea of the topography of the former option - and want to avoid the option with the most mountainous route. I’d imagine the swiss route is hilly to say the least!
how high is your wagon,why, because if it is under 4.00meters you could consider the train, wait before you start shouting about costs, work it out how much you would pay useing a tunnel route and also the costs of the french motorway++the italyian side from the moutain tunnel–to novera,
plus diesil ,and then see what the costs are for your lorry the lighter the vehicle ,then the cheaper the ticket is and you would have a clean disic and shorter distance to drive, the sites for the trains are in the useful links forum, DO NOT TRY the swiss route with out checking how much you would have to pay for the road tax if your lorryis not a euro motor the rate will be high per kilometer mate plus they do still have problems with traffic through the göttard and so queues do happen,
if your vehicle is emptey according to the list it will cost 180euros ,you need to check this out, this informationwas taken from the
ralphin web site off the fares-preis–list. have alook and see if it is right for you,
cheers for that pete - hadn’t thought of that course of action, as I wasn’t aware of it.
Anything to make life easier is good for me, and if it saves the fellas some cash it’ll be good with me cos I can argue for more cash in MY pocket…
Diesel would be about £650 alone, plus hotels, plus tolls, etc etc so the journey should cost over a grand by road I reckon - so if the train’s cheaper it’s good with me!
it will indeed be empty.
Another point about petes post is a good one!
Because you are driving a 1992 Daf, it will be Pre Euro 1 and you will have problems with using the Blanc. If you do use the train from Freiburg, check the costs though because you may end up paying for a full carriage rather than just the length of the truck 
Otherwise you will end up going into Italy through Ventimiglia like the old blokes had to 
Another point about Albania, there use to be a law about having beards, so have a shave before you go 
Wheel Nut:
Otherwise you will end up going into Italy through Ventimiglia like the old blokes had toExcuse me?
Another point about Albania, there use to be a law about having beards, so have a shave before you go
Unless you say you’re Norman Wisdom, then anything goes apparently.
Best of luck Gordo.
Salut, David.[/i][/b]
el gordo78 .just another thought if you use the train then you should also beable to make the ferryport in one shift as well from novera and as stated one hit from calais-ostende–to–Freiburg also in one hit check
your route out and if you come via LUXEMBURG through france towards STRASBOURG AND THEN THE MAIN ROUTE TOWARDS COLMAR AND WHEN IN COLMAR HEAD TOWARDS FREIBURG; THIS ROUTE IS WELL USED BY LOTS OF TRAFFIC NOW BUT IT MAY SAVE YOU PROBLEMS WHICH DO OCCUR DAILY ON THE BAB5; ALSOWHEN USEING THE BAB5
USE YOUR SEAT BELT AS THE POLICE DO USE A MOBILE CARAVAN
DAILY TO CHECK LORRYDRIVERS AND THERE DRIVEING;
IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS POST THEM HERE AS YOU HAVE SEEN FROM THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION GIVEN BY MORE THAN ONE PERSON HAS BEEN VERY GOOD;ALSO ITS GREAT TO NOW THAT ONE CAN HELP OUT;SOME ONE ELSE;
Wheel Nut:
Another point about Albania, there use to be a law about having beards, so have a shave before you go
I hope the boss doesn’t send ME there in that case.
I wouldn’t recognise myself without my beard 
That looks a good route from Brit Pete, not that I would expect anything less from him
I have done Calais to Frieburg in under 9 hours (just), in a well loaded, tired Scania 420, to catch the train. The train journey itself was nothing to write home about. To keep the height of the trucks down, their carriages ride on VERY small wheels, so its a rough ride. Any aerials need to be removed or folded down. They have some pretty photos of what happens to trucks, when the aerial contacts the live power wire .
The train journey itself takes about 10 or 11 hours and saves at least 4 and a half hours driving. You will need to take your bedding with you and anything you might want to cook, like coffee, also a gas cooker and kettle and water (and a pot and washing-up stuff), (unless all the coaches have been updated, Brit Pete might know).
They supply, a picnic lunch and a bed cover, which you collect when you book in. A bed and the transport. The bed is in a 3 or 4 berth cabin, 3 in the old style coach, the 4th berth is seats and a flat area to stand your cooker on. The new ones have 4 berths in each cabin, and a communal area with bench seats and a kitchen(?) area with electric cooker rings and hot water to the sink. The train isn’t my preferred method of travel, but it has its uses.