If you’re in Italy, it’s easy to catch the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlore, Albania. And this lesser-visited country should be on your Mediterranean bucket list! Sure, you can fly into Tirana, but that’s bad for the environment and you then have to catch a looooong bus to get to all the good beaches in the south. And let’s be honest, an overnight ferry is better for the plot.
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Key points about the ferry from Brindisi to Vlore
If you learn nothing else from this article, make sure you keep these three points in mind before catching the ferry from Italy to Albania.
Booking the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlorë
I searched for and booked our trip from Brindisi to Vlorë with Starlines through Direct Ferries. Ferryscanner, Ferryhopper, and Omio also turned up the same results. Other ships offer the same route, but Starlines was at the top of the page and had a good price, so we went for it.
If you’re not in Southern Italy yet, you can also consider the alternative route leaving from Bari and arriving in Durres or Vlorë. Both options take longer than the 8-hour overnight journey between Brindisi and Vlorë, but may be preferable if you’re flying into the Bari airport.
(Vlorë is also spelled Vlora or Valona.)
Example cabin pricing the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlorë
- 55 EUR – deck space (i.e. no reserved seat or cabin)
- 82 EUR – external 2-bed cabin with sink
- 225 EUR – luxury cabin (1 double and 2 singles)
There are some pet-friendly spaces and accessible cabins as well. You may need to pay more if you’re a solo traveller booking a 2-bed room. Some boats had a 25 EUR “extra bed” fee. We paid 135 EUR for both of us in a 2 bed outside (window) cabin with a sink. Not a bad price if you consider that it’s also a night of accom!
Fair warning
The Starlines website is kind of a nightmare. The English translation isn’t great — sometimes “Brindisi” translates to “toasts?” — but it’s workable. And if you want to go back to edit any details or change your cabin selection during the booking process, it’ll kick you back to the beginning. So I suggest bringing patience to your booking process.
Getting to the terminal in Brindisi, Italy
For the sake of simplicity, the best way to get to the ferry terminal is to take a taxi. We took one from the city centre and it cost 20 EUR. Not exactly cheap, but walking would take an hour and a bus will only get you so close. Assuming you have luggage, I highly suggest hopping in a taxi.
Bring some snacks or dinner to eat at the terminal while you’re waiting for the boat. There’s only a very small bar/convenience store inside.
If you haven’t packed any snacks, definitely buy something at this convenience store to bring on the boat. The food on board is atrocious and you won’t actually get on until around midnight.
Getting on the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlore
The whole ferry process will take longer than you think. It’s more like a 12-hour journey, not 8. We were supposed to start embarking between 9 and 10 pm, but we only started moving at 10. It was sloooow going. We were on board and asleep by 1 am.
Bags have to go through security, and in our experience there was literally 1 scanner and 2 guys working, so maybe that’s what took so long. People brought some hilarious stuff on board, including a fridge, which was at least entertaining throughout our long wait. Right after the security scanners, you pass through immigration and get your departure stamp.
Then you can get on the boat!
What it's like on board the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlore
There’s a “reception” desk on board where you check in and get a key. After standing in line for so long, we were starting to question whether we’d even get a key or if the cabin would be more like a train car.
Anyway, totally worked out, we got our key super quickly and someone showed us to our room. He even offered to carry my luggage! Very fancy.
The ferry cabins
Our two bunk cabin was way bigger than I expected. Emphasis on the “than I expected.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not spacious by any means. But it had a bunk bed and enough room for our two big suitcases and two backpacks. There was a little reading light as well.
We had shared bathrooms just around the corner, including showers! Seemed a little unnecessary for an 8-hour journey but nice to know they’re there. If you can’t manage to sleep, at least you can get to the other side feeling refreshed.
I can usually sleep through anything, but I found it impossible to sleep until after we left Brindisi, around 2 am. I’d dozed off but then the engines started going to maneuver us out of the port and it was loud. Once you’re out at sea though, you should be golden! Neither of us felt seasick or anything, but we had good weather.
The on board "restaurant"
There is only one restaurant on the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlore, and I use the term “restaurant” loosely. As mentioned at the very top of the article, not only do they only take cash, they only accept euros! Not even Albanian Lek. (Even though you’re literally on your way to Albania…)
We didn’t see this information anywhere at the restaurant. And if we’d known in advance, we would have packed some sandwiches. Fortunately, the food on offer is horrible anyway, and there were lots of people trying to get cozy and sleep in the restaurant area, so it’s kind of a weird place to eat.
Fortunately (?), you won’t be on the boat until midnight-ish and you’ll be sleeping for most of the journey. But having a few euros handy will get you an espresso in the morning.
Arriving in Albania after the overnight ferry from Brindisi to Vlore
We arrived around 8am instead of the scheduled 7. It was way quicker and easier to disembark, including getting through customs. We were in our Airbnb by 9am! Bless hosts who offer early check-in.
Even if your hotel, hostel, or Airbnb can’t let you check in early, you can always ask them to hold onto your bags so you can go explore the city until the room is ready. Perhaps get in a nice nap on the beach if you couldn’t sleep on the boat?
Important - SIM cards!
Don’t get a SIM card from the people selling them at the exit! There are several — arguably too many — Vodaphone stores around the city with more legit pricing. I asked one woman at the ferry terminal and she quoted me 6,000 LEK for a 20 GB card!? 65 USD?! I don’t think so.
DO get an eSIM — it’s way easier. Check out European regional plans that cover both Albania and Italy so you’re immediately connected when you arrive in Vlorë. However, regional plans don’t always include both Albania and Italy, so make sure you look at the list of countries covered before you buy!
ETravelSim is a good option for Europe and their regional plan covers both Italy and Albania. (As of January 2026.)
