How to get to Bunkart Tirana?

If you are staying in Tirana, you might be wondering how to get to Bunkart. The Bunkart 1 museum in Tirana is located in the outskirts of Tirana and therefore not within walking distance. Therefore, I will explain the best ways to get from Tirana’s city centre to Bunkart 1 in this blog post.

How to get to Bunkart Tirana? You can get to Bunkart Tirana by bus, by taxi or by car. You can get to Bunkart with the city bus to Porcelan in 20-30 min. A bus ticket costs 40 Leke (0.30 euros). A taxi costs 5-9 euros. By car, it takes 20 minutes to get to Bunkart depending on traffic.

In this blog post, I will discuss all the details of getting to Bunkart in Tirana. I will discuss what you need to know if you plan on taking a bus to Bunkart. And discuss how to get a good deal on a taxi to Bunkart. Furthermore, I will also give you some insight in what makes Bunkart worth vititing and compare it with the newer Bunk’art 2 museum.

How to get to Bunk’Art in Tirana?

You can get to Bunk’Art in Tirana in 3 ways:

• Option 1: Take a bus from Tirana’s central bus station near Skanderbeg Square to Porcelan.
• Option 2: Hail a taxi and pay 5-9 euros for a ride to Bunkart. Or book the negotiated rate with Merr Taxi.
• Option 3: Drive by rental car to Bunkart, which will take approximately 20 minutes. But traffic in the capital city can be heavy and slow you down.

How to get from Tirana to Bunk’Art by bus?

You can get from Tirana to Bunk’Art with the city bus to Porcelan.

The bus from Tirana’s city centre to Porcelan departs from the city bus station close to Skanderbeg Square. Skanderbeg Square will be easy for you to find because it is the central square right in the middle of Tirana city.

Once you are standing on Skanderbeg Square, you will see the big sightseeing locations, like the National History Museum, the Palace of Culture and the Et’hem Bey Mosque.

To get to the city bus station, you need to take the road between the Palace of Culture and the Et’hem Bey Mosque. Walk straight ahead through the little park and you will see the city bus station.

To get from Tirana to Bunk’Art, you must take the bus to Porcelan. The bus to Porcelan is a blue coloured bus. The bus operates from 5:30 AM until 24:00 PM. The bus from Tirana to Porcelan departs every 5-20 minutes depending on the time of day.

It will take you approximately 20-30 minutes to get from Tirana to Bunkart by bus. That said, traffic in Tirana can be heavy, which may slow your journey down.

To get to Bunkart, you must get off the bus at the “Dajti Ekspres” bus station. The Dajti Ekspres bus station is the last bus stop on the line. Don’t worry, you can simply ask the bus driver because they will know where Bunkart is.

Once you get off the bus at the Dajti Ekspres bus station, you will see clear signage on the road directing you towards the Bunkart museum. It is only a 2-minute walk from the bus station to the entrance of Bunkart.

The price for a bus ticket from Tirana to Bunkart is 40 Leke (0.30 euros) for a one-way journey. Be sure to get some Albanian Leke coins or small change, so that you can pay for your bus ticket in cash.

The Bunkart museum is located very close to the Dajti Express. The Dajti Express is a touristic cable car, which goes up to the Dajti Mountain balcony. It makes sense to combine the two sightseeing attractions in 1 day, especially if you travel there by bus.

The Dajti Express has actually created a very helpful youtube video, which shows you how to get there by bus. And the bus route to Bunk’Art and Dajti are the same! So you can check the video here -> https://dajtiekspres.com/getting-here/

How much does a taxi from Tirana to Bunk’art cost?

A taxi from the city centre of Tirana to Bunkart costs between 700-1000 Leke (5.75 – 9 euros). You can ask the driver of the taxi to switch on the metre, but it is also good to simply negotiate a fixed price between 5-10 euros.

Obviously, the taxi price above is calculated from the central Skanderbeg Square to Bunkart. But honestly, most hotels in the centre of Tirana are only about 5-10 minutes from Skanderbeg Square.

It is also smart to request for the driver to pick you up after you finish at Bunkart. Because Bunkart is at the outskirts of Tirana. So it may not be very easy to hail a taxi in the area around Bunkart.

If you want to have a set taxi rate, you can book a Merr Taxi. The Dajti Express cable car, which is near Bunkart, has negotiated a rate with Merr Taxi. The price for a ride from the city centre to the Dajti Express Cable Car boarding station is 650 Leke (5.35 euros). And the Dajti Express Cable Car is only a 2-minute walk from Bunkart. This is the website of Merr Taxi: https://merrtaxi.com/

How to get to Bunkart by car?

You can get to Bunkart by car. If you rent a car in Albania, you will soon realize two things:

1. The traffic in Tirana city is very heavy and therefore driving to Bunkart might take you considerably longer
2. The Albanian drivers have a very chaotic driving style

Drivers in Albania are quite chaotic and aggressive when on the road. Of course, there are traffic rules and driving rules, but many Albanian drivers do not follow the rules of the road. So you may find driving in Albania quite challenging or daunting as a foreigner. Of course, I cannot judge your driving experience, but you certainly need to be a very confident driver to negotiate the traffic in Albania.

That said, I have recently written a blog post which compares car rental prices in Albania. You can find the best car rental companies and their car rental rates in this blog post here: https://albaniatourguide.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-rent-a-car-in-albania/

Is the Bunk’art 1 bunker museum worth visiting?

The Bunk’art 1 bunker museum is absolutely worth visiting. Actually, Bunkart 1 is the most impressive museum in Albania.

Basically, Bunkart 1 is a museum inside a massive communist bunker. You may have visited bunkers before, but bunker is a massive underground complex with endless corridors.

The gigantic bunker was built by the former communist dictator Enver Hoxha. Enver Hoxha was notoriously paranoid. And as he ruled Albania from the end of the Second World War, he started to isolate Albania from the rest of the world more and more.

Enver Hoxha was convinced that a foreign attack on Albania was imminent. Therefore, he started a large scale bunker construction project. At the end of the project, Albania had 173.000 bunkers. These bunkers were supposed to protect the Albanian people when a foreign country would attack or launch a nuclear war.

However, the foreign attack never happened. And although the communist dictator died in 1985, the Albanian people still have thousands of bunkers reminding them of the communist period.

The enormous bunker that hosts the Bunkart 1 Museum was designed for Enver Hoxha and his government. Essentially, Hoxha aimed to lead the country from the bunker complex. Although Enver Hoxha did attend some drills at the bunker, it was never actually used.

Even though the communist period in Albania ended in 1992, Albania is still dealing with its communist past.

In 2014, Bunkart 1 was opened. You will enter the Bunkart 1 museum by walking through a sanitation room, where you can wash off any nuclear waste with water (very effective!).

Once inside Bunk’art 1, you get to know Albania’s history. You see videos, photographs and quotes, which explain how the Italians and Germans invaded Albania during the war. And how the resistance groups in Albania grew in popularity as the country was occupied by the Italians and Germans. And how Enver Hoxha, who was active in the resistance, became the leader of Albania after the Second World War.

You also get a unique insight into what life was like during communism in Albania. Interestingly, sports and gymnastics were very important. The ideals of the communist regime became a part of the school curriculum. And all foreign news and messaging were forbidden and replaced by propaganda for the communist regime.

There is also an impressive display of the wiring that was built around the Albanian border. These wire fences were designed to keep the Albanian people from leaving Albania. And you get to see the rooms designed for Enver Hoxha and his second in command.

Overall, Bunkart 1 will probably leave you speachless. Because it is one thing to read about the communist regime in Albania. But walking through Bunkart 1 is an experience. You see and feel what communism in Albania was like and how overpowering it was for the Albanian people.

Of course, Albania has traditional museums, like the National History Museum. Where you can see a collection of archaeological treasures, paintings and traditional costumes. But Bunkart 1 offers so much more because you get to walk through the bunker and experience communism for about 1-2 hours.

How much is the entrance fee for Bunk’Art 1?

The entrance fee for Bunk’Art 1 is 500 Leke (4.12 euros).

When is Bunkart 1 open?

Bunkart 1 is open from Wednesday until Sunday from 9 AM until 16 PM. It is important to remember that Bunkart 1 is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

On a Monday, you can still go to the nearby Dajti Express. However, on a Tuesday the Dajti Express Cable Car is closed too, so that would be a very disappointing journey!

How long does it take to get from Tirana to Bunkart 1?

It takes 20 minutes by car, by bus or by taxi to get from Tirana’s city centre to Bunkart 1.

However, traffic in the capital city is usually heavy and may slow your journey down to about 30 minutes.

Combining Bunk’Art 1 and the Dajti Express

Because Bunk’Art 1 and the Dajti Express are very close to each other. It makes sense to combine a visit to Bunk’Art 1 and the Dajti Express.

Start your sightseeing visit around 9 AM or 10 AM with a visit to the Bunk’Art 1. It will take you roughly 1-2 hours to explore the Bunk’Art 1 Museum.

Bunk’Art 1 is a very large scale bunker complex, which is made up of 5 long corridors. There is a variety of little displays in the rooms alongside the corridors. But 1-2 hours is enough to explore the historical displays and art installations.

Then take the Dajti Express cable car around noon. The cable car journey from the lower station to the Dajti balcony lasts 15 minutes. From inside the cable car, you have fantastic views of the treetops, mountain cliffs and little farmhouses below. As you fly higher, you will get a fantastic panoramic view of Tirana city and the Adriatic Sea in the distance.

After the 15-minute cable car journey, you arrive at the Dajti Mountain Balcony. The Dajti Balcony is a relaxation and entertainment area. There is a clifftop restaurant, a rotating bar, a minigolf track, a horseback riding path, a buggy trail and a target shooting range. You can spend a relaxing 2-3 hours at the mountain balcony, before taking the cable car back to the lower station.

Basically, the Bunk’Art 1 museum and the Dajti Express Cable Car offer a perfect combination. In the morning, you dive into history. And experience Albania’s communist past by walking through the deep tunnels of Bunkart. Then in the afternoon, you enjoy some more lighthearted entertainment at the Dajti Balcony, like a lazy lunch and some minigolf.

How to get to Dajti Ekspres Tirana?

You can get to the Dajti Express by city bus, a taxi or by rental car. The route from Tirana’s city centre to Bunk’Art 1 and to the Dajti Express are the same because the two sightseeing attractions are located next to each other.

You can get to the Dajti Express with the city bus to Porcelan. You get on the city bus at the bus station, which is located behind the Palace of Culture. From Skanderbeg Square, you take the road between the Palace of Culture and the Et’hem Bey Mosque, walk through the park and at the end of the park, you will see the city bus station.

Get on the blue bus to Porcelan. A bus ticket from Tirana to the Dajti Ekspres costs 40 Leke (0.30 euros) for a one way ticket. The bus journey from Tirana to the Dajti Ekspres takes 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. Get off the bus at the last station called “Dajti Ekspres”. Then walk for about 5 minutes to reach the lower station of the Dajti Express. There is clear signage pointing you in the direction of the Dajti Ekspres along the road.

A taxi from Tirana’s city centre to Dajti costs between 700-1000 Leke (5.75 – 9 euros). You can get the driver to switch on the metre or you can agree on a price between 5-10 euros beforehand with the taxi driver.

The Dajti Ekspres has a negotiated price with Merr Taxi. The price for a ride from the city centre to the Dajti Express Cable Car boarding station is 650 Leke (5.35 euros). This is the website of Merr Taxi: https://merrtaxi.com/

Should I visit Bunk’art 1 or Bunk’art 2?

If you have looked online at the best things to do in Tirana, you might have noticed that there are two Bunkart museums: Bunk’art 1 and Bunk’art 2. So you might be wondering: “Should I visit Bunk’Art 1 or Bunk’Art 2?

Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2 are not the same.

Bunk’Art 1

– Bunk’Art 1 is the original bunker museum, that was opened in 2014.
– Bunk’Art 1 is located 20 minutes by bus, car or taxi from the city centre of Tirana.
– Bunk’Art 1 is not within a walking distance from the city centre of Tirana.
– Bunk’Art 1 is a museum about what life was like for the Albanian people during the communist regime. It describes how the communist dictator came to power after the Second World War. And how the lives of the Albanian people changed when the dictator started ruling Albania. It shows how the bunkers were built in Albania, how sports & gymnastics became really important, the fencing constructed on the border, the daily propaganda on TV and in newspapers and how school curriculums were rewritten to follow the communist ideals.

Bunk’Art 2

-Bunk’Art 2 is the second bunker museum that was opened in 2016 after the success of Bunk’Art 1.
-Bunk’Art 2 is located in the city centre of Tirana only about 1-minute walk from the central Skanderbeg Square
-Bunk’Art 2 is within a walking distance of most central Tirana hotels.
-Bunk’Art 2 is a museum about the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs. It tells the story of the Albanian secret police, called the “Sigurimi”. Basically, the Sigurimi was the Albanian version of the Gestapo Secret Police in Nazi Germany. The Sigurimi secret police would spy on the population and information would be used for persecution of people who did not follow the rules of the communist regime.

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