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Riding the Dajti Ekspres in Tirana

Florian Buechting Other Transportation, Places & Sights No Comments

Dajti Ekspres

14 EUR
Dajti Ekspres
4.3

Rating

 4.3/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Lovely views of Tirana
  • Longest cable car in Balkan region
  • Nice range of uphill services

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Condition of windows

4,354 meters long – the Dajti Ekspres is (by its own marketing) the longest cable car in the Balkan region. During my visit in December 2022 to Tirana, I had a trip up to the “backyard mountain” of the Albanian capital Tirana. Finally, I made it sharing my thoughts with you.

 

 

Dajti Ekspres – Location and Times

The lower station of Dajti Ekspres is located East of fhe city center of Tirana. The former communist bunker and museum Bunk’Art 1 is located in short walking distance. If you use public transport, bus line 11 (Kryqzimi Policia Bashkiake station) is connecting you to the area. You can also take a taxi from city center to the station. They are very reasonably priced in Albania, the price is less than 10 Euro. There is a smaller parking lot in front of the lower station as well. Alternatively, you can access the upper station by road.

The cable car is operating daily, apart from Tuesdays. From Monday to Friday, operating times are 9:00 to 18:00 at the time of writing. On Saturdays and Sundays, it is running thirty minutes longer. There may be closures due to bad weather conditions. Tickets for the cable car have to be bought on the lower station. During my visit, the return trip on the cable car was 1200 ALL (or 10 Euro). I read that it is 14 Euro in 2024. It is recommended to buy any kind of activities (see below) on the lower station already. For example, I bought a ticket for the Dajti Mountain Mini Golf at 12 Euro, which included the return trip.

 

Dajti Ekspres – Route and Technology

The peak of the mountain Dajti (Albanian: Mali i Dajtit) is 1,613 meters above sea level. The cable car takes you to the National Park Center of the mountain at a level of 1,100 meters. It has been built in 2005 by the Austrian Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group and can transport up to 560 people per hours. The typical speed is 4.5 meters per second. I unfortunately could not find reliable information about the height difference covered, but a larger part of the trip is rather horizontal above the ground, before the line finally climbs up the mountain. The cable car is a typical one with no special features like screens. Unfortunately, the windows of the cars were full of scratches during my visits, which harms the view of the area as well as the photographs below.

 

Dajti Ekspres – The Ride

The first part of the trip is rather flat. You cross a residential area and the pond Liqeni i Linzës, before the climb rate increases up the mountain. As the lower station is already quite above the level of city center, you have some really nice views of Tirana during the trip. Of course, on the in-fact climb, the view is getting more and more picturesque. The total trip time is 15 minutes. The hill station is quite spectacular once you approach it.

 

On Top of Dajti Mountain

Of course, the key reason why tourists take the right is the spectacular view of the Albanian capital. If the weather is not too hazy, it is absolutely worth going up there for that reason. However, there are other facilities and activities. The lighthouse-alike Dajti Tower Belvedere Hotel with a restaurant is spectacular. There is also a cafe on the upper hill station building. Right at the edge of the mountain, there is an additional restaurant, Restaurant Ballkoni Dajtit. The area is also used for paragliding and mountain biking. Tehre is also an adventure park. There is also a mini golf course, which I will review separately.

 

Dajti Ekspres – My View

Riding the Dajti Ekspres and enjoying the view of Tirana from the mountain was memorable. If the weather is permitting, I absolutely recommend going for the ride. Unfortunately, the scratches in the windows of the rather modern transportation reduce the experience significantly.

 

Views from Above – Top Pick!

Here are all my observation deck and similar place reviews leading to a Top Pick! rating.

 

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