Once you have had the free consultation with the doctor and decided to go ahead, the trip remains to be organised. It is the easiest part of the journey, because we do it together and because Tirana is one of the European capitals easiest to reach from Italy and from the main European hubs. This guide gathers everything our patients ask us before leaving: documents, connections, accommodation, luggage, length of stay, organisation of the clinic days and the return home.
Which documents do you need to enter Albania?
For citizens of Italy and the European Union a valid identity card or passport is enough. No visa is required for short tourist stays and there are no particular health formalities. Visitors from other countries should check the entry rules that apply to them. We recommend bringing your health insurance card and a digital copy of your documents on your phone. For the treatment bring the radiographs and reports already shown at the consultation, even only in digital format, and the list of the medicines you usually take with any allergies.
How do you get to Tirana?
Tirana international airport has daily direct flights from Rome, Milan, Bologna, Venice, Bari, Pisa, Naples, Turin, Verona and other Italian cities, about an hour and a half in the air, as well as direct connections with London, Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt and other European hubs. Airlines are both traditional and low cost, and booking a few weeks in advance keeps the ticket inexpensive. Those who prefer to travel with their own car can take the ferries from Bari, Brindisi or Ancona to Durrës, forty minutes from Tirana, with overnight crossings and cabins. Let us know your arrival time: we pick you up at the airport or the port and take you to your hotel.
Where is it best to stay?
We suggest hotels a few minutes from the clinic, in quiet and well served areas, with several categories and formulas to choose from. If you prefer to book yourself, we point you to the most convenient neighbourhoods and warn you about the ones that are awkward for getting around. Many patients come with a family member or a friend and the stay is organised for both. In the days after surgery it is useful to have a hotel with a lift, air conditioning and a kitchen that prepares soft dishes on request; we let the hotel know.
How long does the stay last?
It depends on the treatment plan agreed at the consultation. Hygiene, whitening or a few fillings take two or three days. Crowns, bridges and veneers take five to seven days, because the own laboratory has to make and fit the work. The surgical stage of implants and of All-on-4 and All-on-6 rehabilitations takes about a week, and the second stay for the final prosthesis another five to seven days, after a few months of healing. The doctor gives you the precise schedule before departure, so you can book flights with fixed dates and know in advance which days will be free.
What should you pack?
Identity document and health card, usual medicines, radiographs and reports, comfortable clothing and, in summer, a hat and sunscreen, because after surgery it is best to avoid direct sun. A new soft toothbrush and an alcohol free mouthwash are useful in the days after a procedure, but the clinic provides everything needed for post operative hygiene anyway. Power sockets are the European type and the current is 230 volts.
How do the clinic days unfold?
On the first day the doctor repeats the examination with the intraoral scanner and the cone beam CT scan, confirms the treatment plan and presents the schedule of appointments. The following sessions are scheduled to leave you time to rest and, if you wish, to visit Tirana. Transfers between hotel and clinic are organised by us, at times agreed the day before. All explanations, before and after every procedure, are given in your language by the doctor who follows you, and at the clinic there is always a contact person who speaks Italian or English.
What can you do in your free time?
Tirana is a lively and safe capital, with the historic centre, the Blloku district full of cafés and restaurants, the Bunk'Art museums and the Dajti cable car for a view over the city. On days free of appointments and with the doctor's go ahead you can take trips to Kruja, Durrës or Berat. After surgery the doctor will ask for one or two days of rest with a soft diet, and will tell you when you can resume normal activities.
How do you pay and in which currency?
The currency is the Albanian lek, but in our clinics treatment is paid in euros, by card or bank transfer, normally by treatment stage and according to the treatment plan received in writing after the consultation. There are no costs that were not explained to you before you left. For daily expenses euros are accepted almost everywhere and cash machines are plentiful throughout the city.
What happens when you return home?
We take you back to the airport or the port and from then on you stay in touch with the doctor on WhatsApp and by video call. You receive the treatment documentation, the written warranty and the instructions for hygiene and checkups. For two stage treatments, such as implants, we set the dates of the second stay together before you leave. Maintenance hygiene sessions can also be done at home on our instructions.
Is it better to come with someone?
It is not necessary, but it is advisable after surgical procedures, especially if sedation is used: in the first hours it is useful to have someone at your side. Many patients turn the stay into a short holiday with their partner or a friend, and our team organises hotel and transfers for both without additional coordination costs. If you come alone, at the clinic there is always a contact person and the doctor is reachable on WhatsApp even outside appointment hours.
What if the dates change?
A flight may be cancelled or an unforeseen event may force you to move the trip. The schedule of appointments is reorganised by our team without penalties, and for two stage treatments the second stay has a window of a few weeks within which it can be scheduled without consequences for healing. We recommend choosing changeable air tickets for the second trip, so as to have maximum flexibility.
Where do you start?
With the free consultation with our doctor, online by video call or at the clinic in Tirana. Only after the consultation will you receive the treatment plan and the cost in writing and, if you decide to go ahead, our team will organise every detail of the trip with you. You only have to pack your suitcase.
