As of summer 2021, the bus timetable to and from the Bënjë Thermal Baths is as follows:
From Përmet to Bënjë:
8:00, 9:00, 13:00, 14:00
From Bënjë to Përmet:
12:00, 13:00, 17:30
A roundtrip ticket costs 100 lek.
I left on the 9:00 bus and returned on the 13:00 bus, which seemed like the perfect amount of time. But if you really want to beat the crowds, try the 8:00 bus instead.
The buses do not depart from the main Përmet ‘bus terminal’ (or rather, the part of the road where all the long-distance buses line up). Instead, they’ll be waiting next to a school along the road by the river not far from the Big Rock. The location is marked in the Google map above.
A sign for the thermal baths should be posted on the bus window. But there may be more than one such bus, so if the first bus you encounter is empty, keep walking along to double check.
Also expect for the buses to be late. As mentioned above, my return bus departed 45 minutes late. But on the way there, the driver also showed up 15 minutes late, after which we made an extended stop in town.
At the time of writing, this is a new and experimental bus line, but hopefully they can keep this going for years to come. Otherwise, you’ll need to take a taxi, drive yourself, hitchhike, or trek through the mountains to get there.