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When I decided to travel to Albania in the summer, it was the country I was most looking forward to visiting. It fit my dreams — home to a fascinating culture and some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, yet a bit of an underdog. A Balkan country I hadn’t visited yet? Sold!
Albania
Planning your trip to Albania last minute?
Taormina might not be as popular as Greece or Italy, but accommodation and tours can be limited. Book ahead to avoid disappointment!
🇦🇱 Top Experiences and Tours in Albania:
- Tirana City & Food Tour (A must in Tirana!)
- Go rafting in Osumi Canyon (Great day trip from Berat)
- Best of the South in One Day (Great day trip from Saranda)
🛌 Top-Rated Hotels in Albania:
- Boutique Hotel Whisky in Tirana (Design hotel in chic neighborhood)
- Hotel & Restaurant White City in Berat (Great value for money in excellent location)
- Da Luz Boutique Hotel in Saranda (Affordable luxury with ocean views)
📱 Best Albania eSIM: I recommend an Holafly eSIM to stay connected in Albania. Get 5% off with code HOLAKATE.
🚗 Renting a car from Tirana Airport? Find deals on car rental rates here.
But the biggest factor was meeting two lovely Albanian girls who became good friends of mine. Erisa and Bianka joined my second Central America tour. Both of them immigrated from Albania to the US when they were teenagers and both go back to visit often.
Soon our tour days were filled with stories and anecdotes from Albania, and learning from Erisa and Bianka allowed me to get to know a culture that most people only know from watching Taken.
(Side note: Erisa was watching Taken in the theater and suddenly let out a scream. One of the Albanian mobsters in the kitchen scene was played by a friend of hers. True story.)
So I wanted to enjoy my trip to Albania, but I wanted to make my friends proud, too. I wanted to give Albania a fair chance and get to see the wonderful parts, not just the negative stereotypes.
And did I EVER have a great time! I spent my time in Albania among the ancient ruins of Butrint, the wild and wacky city of Tirana, the turquoise waters of Ksamil, the eerie city of Berat that feels like it’s watching you. There is so much to see in this country, but it’s definitely not one for beginners.
Here are the things I learned — and what you should know — when traveling to Albania.
This post was most recently updated in May 2026.
Table of Contents
Albania is one of the least developed countries in Europe.
I’ve visited every country in Europe — yes, including the micronations and the Caucasus. Honestly, Albania is probably the least developed of all the ones I’ve seen. I would put it as less developed than Bosnia, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, though perhaps close to Moldova.
What does this mean? Roads are often in poor condition. There are no central bus stations and public transportation is a headache (more on that later).
The water isn’t safe to drink — you should bring a Lifestraw water bottle to safely drink the water without having to buy bottled water all the time. (Albania isn’t great about recycling, either.)
Your hotel room may be very basic, and the wifi might be in-and-out.
Credit cards, though usable, are not as widely accepted as they are in other European countries.
As soon as you head outside the tourist areas, you may find very few people who speak English.
There is limited infrastructure in tourism, though this is starting to change as Albania works to grow as an adventure travel destination.
Does that make Albania a bad place? Not at all. I’m saying this because you should know what to expect before you arrive. While they’re very different countries, the lack of development in urban Albania reminded me of Cambodia several times.
The average monthly wage in Albania in 2024 was 75,000 to 93,000 Lek (about $800-1000). Assuming 22 days of work per month, that’s just $41 per day. Adding that to the difficulty of ever leaving the country and you’ve got a very tough situation for much of the population.
Albania shut itself off from the rest of the world for much of the 20th century. Today, many residents are facing economic imprisonment.
It’s not surprising that my Albanian friends’ families applied for the green card lottery in the US. It was their ticket to a better life.
Albania is a secular country, but most Albanians are Muslims.
This may surprise you, but about 59% of Albanians are Muslim! About 38% are Christian, and the remainder are nonbelievers or followers of other religions.
That said, it’s a largely secular Muslim country, and religion does not influence its government.
You don’t see much conservative Islam in Albania. Quite a few Albanian Muslims eat pork and drink alcohol. I could count the women I saw wearing a hijab on one hand — and that includes my time in the big city of Tirana.
The only way you’d know the prominence of Islam is that mosques are everywhere. I also noticed that it was rare to hear the call to prayer blasted out early in the morning, a big change from places like Indonesia and southern Thailand.
The Albanian language is like nothing you’ve ever heard.
Don’t think a smattering of Serbo-Croatian will help you out here — Albanian, while technically an Indo-European language, is not related to any other living languages. It’s like Basque that way.
In areas like the more upscale parts of Tirana, the city center of Berat, Saranda, and Ksamil, you can get by with English; sometimes, Albanians speak Greek or Italian as their second language.
One of my favorite moments in Albania was when a taxi driver and I realized that we both spoke Italian! We went from silence to laughter instantly (and yes, many hand gestures were made!).
But like anywhere else in the world, learning a few words of the local language will delight the locals. Përshëndetje (per-shen-DET-yeh) means hello and falaminderit (fa-la-min-DAIR-eet) means thank you.
The Albanian flag is everywhere, and not just on government buildings.
My foreigner friends often rib me about how Americans always have their flags on display. But seriously, we’re not the only ones! People from South Africa, Turkey, and Norway, among others, are just as demonstrative with their country’s flag.
Ever been to Copenhagen? People at Copenhagen airport greet their loved ones with Danish flags! They even put tiny Danish flags on birthday cakes! But I digress…
Albania is another country that LOVES ITS FLAG. The blood-red Albanian flag topped with a double-headed eagle is seen everywhere throughout the country.
Not only that, they sell Albanian flag merchandise everywhere — think everything from t-shirts to posters to tea towels. They make great souvenirs!
I noticed the same thing in Kosovo, too, which is home to ethnic Albanians.
Albania is affordable.
When I first visited Albania, I thought it was the cheapest country I had visited in Europe, even a bit cheaper than North Macedonia and Bulgaria. Since then, I’ve visited Ukraine (pre-war) which was even cheaper. That said, Albania is a very affordable destination to visit.
However — prices have gone up quite a bit in the last decade, so keep this in mind.
Keep in mind that like everywhere else in the world, prices are highest in cities, coastal resorts, and touristy spots, and lowest in rural and less-touristy spots.
In Tirana, the most expensive place in the country, you can get hostel beds from $18, decent hotel rooms from around $40, beers from 250 lek ($2.70), a meal in a decent restaurant from around $10.
I even went on a shopping spree in Tirana and spent around $8 per shirt and $18 per dress.
And it gets so much cheaper when you leave the city.
Just one thing — get rid of all your Albanian lek before leaving the country, because nobody will change it. (I gave mine to my Albanian friend Erisa and her cousins to spend on their next trip home!)
Public transportation can be maddening.
Cities in Albania don’t have central bus stations, nor do they have travel agencies that work with every bus company. For me, getting the right ticket from Saranda to Berat required me to go from door to door, agency to agency, listening to them telling me where to go in Albanian as I nodded without understanding, then finding another agency, again and again, until I found someone who sold those tickets!
All the buses depart at different street corners, rather than a central bus station.
Mountain bus rides can be the most beautiful and frightening of overland transportation. Albania kicks things up a notch on the ride from Saranda to Gjirokastra, where several treacherous passes are crossed without any safety precautions. The guardrails, when they exist, are barely knee-high and seem to be more symbolic than protective.
As for the quality of the buses, you definitely won’t have air conditioning and if temperatures are in the high 90s (36 C), which they very often are in Albania during the summer, it will be even hotter inside.
Finally, sometimes you’ll arrive and find out that your connecting bus doesn’t exist, which happened to me in Fier. I needed to pick up a bus to Berat and found out that nothing existed and my only option was to jump in the back of some guy’s van. More on that below.
Albanian food can be hit or miss.
You know, there were times that I really loved the food in Albania, but much of the time I found Albanian cuisine to be uninspiring.
Lots of meat pounded into patties or formed into sausages. Lots of stews. Lots of salads.
I hate to say it, but as a cheese lover, I found that most of the cheeses I tried had an unappealing flavor to them, almost like they had started to go bad. (Coming straight from Greece with its stupendous feta exacerbated my impressions, I’m sure.)
But Saranda had wonderful seafood, especially shellfish and octopus, and like elsewhere in the Balkans, you can always find good pizza.
For what it’s worth, my favorite traditional meal in Albania was stuffed zucchini and squash at a little taverna in Saranda that has since closed. But then a few days later I ordered stuffed peppers at one of the nicest places in Berat, trying to recreate the magic, and it just didn’t happen. Those odd flavors crept back in.
The evening stroll is best time to see and be seen.
Like the rest of the Balkans and much of the Mediterranean, cafe culture rules in Albania, and so does the evening stroll. As soon as the sun begins to set and temperatures turn livable again, it seems like everyone comes out for the evening to stroll down the street and sit at cafes.
No matter how old or young you are, you’re there. It’s what people do.
This was most prominent in Berat. During the day, nobody would be out on the main cafe street (the super-hot summer temperatures may have been a reason), and you wouldn’t believe the difference come evening. Suddenly hundreds of people were on the streets!
You often see children with their grandparents.
This may just be a Saranda thing, but I often saw Albanian children being cared for by their grandparents, no parents to be seen. It may be cultural, it may be just for vacation, or it might just be a coincidence.
Either way, I saw it as evidence of strong and close families.
Since then, some of my Albanian friends told me that grandparents often take care of the children while their parents work.
Albanians might question why you’re actually there.
Over and over, Albanians were incredulous that I was visiting their country. “Why would you come here when you could go anywhere else?” they kept asking me. My friends experienced the same reactions.
No matter how much praise I heaped on the country, the kind people, the beaches, the mountains, the delicious seafood, Albanians would refuse to believe their country could be a tourist destination.
At one point, a waiter in Berat told me, “You’re lucky. All of us are stuck in this town.” “You’re right. I am,” I told him. “But this is such a beautiful town that you get to live in.” He snorted and walked away.
For what it’s worth — I believe this is less common today than it was 10 years ago.
Where to Go in Albania
There are so many options for where to go in Albania. To get a decent overview of the country, I recommend basing yourself in three different regions and exploring from there.
Tirana
Tirana was a huge surprise to me! I had no idea I would love Albania’s capital city so much. It felt endlessly fascinating.
I think I loved it so much in part because I stayed in the Blloku neighborhood, an upscale area which used to be exclusively for the elite of Tirana (yep, that would be Enver Hoxha and his cronies). Today, Blloku is chic, colorful and interesting.
As one of the major cities of the Balkans, I think it’s unmissable. It should be up there on your list along with Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, and Belgrade.
How to Get to Tirana: Tirana has lots of flights from all over Europe and bus connections throughout the country. If coming from Montenegro, I highly recommend taking the Montenegro Hostel shuttle.
Best Things to Do in Tirana: Some of my favorite experiences were climbing to the top of the the derelict pyramid in the center of town and having drinks on top of the Sky Tower during sunset.
And all the shopping, of course! I practically bought a new wardrobe at a Pink Woman boutique downtown and a Tally Weijl store in the Tirana East Gate (TEG) mall outside town.
You can also go on a Tirana city and food tour, go kayaking in Farka Lake, or do a day trip to the gorgeous town of Shkoder.
Where to Stay in Tirana: Definitely stay in the Blloku neighborhood — I loved the vibe, and it felt more upscale.
- Top-Rated Luxury Hotel in Blloku, Tirana: Rogner Hotel Tirana
- Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Blloku, Tirana: Boutique Hotel Whisky
- Top-Rated Budget Hotel in Blloku, Tirana: Hotel Rimini Tirana
- Top-Rated Hostel in Blloku, Tirana: Vanilla Sky Boutique Hostel
- Find deals on more places to stay in Tirana here.
Read More: The Funk Factor of Tirana, Albania
Berat
I went to Berat for to see its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I wasn’t disappointed! Have you ever seen a place that looked like this before? It’s the city of a thousand windows! The Ottoman architecture is a major highlight of this destination.
Berat is a tiny place and you don’t need more than one full day and two nights here. Spend your time exploring the town on foot. The main cafe street comes to life around sunset — it was amazing to watch it transform from being totally empty to a swarming crowd!
How to get to Berat: There are bus connections to Tirana, Saranda, and throughout Albania. You may have to change in a nearby city like Fier.
Best Things to Do in Berat: Stroll around the town on foot, have dinner overlooking the bridge, grab a coffee or cocktail and people-watch in the late afternoon. Or if you’re adventurous, go rafting in Osumi Canyon.
Where to Stay in Berat: Berat is tiny; everything is close by. And I’m surprised that prices have gone up here so much — though it’s still a bargain compared to most of Europe! I stayed at the simple Hotel Pasarela, which was on top of a grocery store; Antipatrea Hotel is a bit more upscale. Check out more hotels in Berat here.
- Top-Rated Luxury Hotel in Berat: Hotel Ansel
- Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Berat: Hotel & Restaurant White City
- Top-Rated Hostel in Berat: Ziu Guest House
- Find deals on more places to stay in Berat here.
Saranda
Did you know that Albania is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe? Here you’ll find incredible pebbled beaches with clear turquoise water. Saranda (Sarandë) is the largest town in the region, and from here you can get direct ferries from Corfu, Greece.
Saranda, a relaxing resort town, makes a great base for exploring the south. It has a great boardwalk, beaches with free chairs and umbrellas, and several good restaurants and cafes. There wasn’t a lot to do, which made it a good place to chill out and soak up the summer.
From Saranda you can easily visit the island of Ksamil, the ancient ruins of Butrint, the Blue Eye, and far more.
I spent six nights in Saranda and could easily have stayed longer. If the internet were better (i.e. didn’t randomly stop working twice a day), I’d consider it a digital nomad hotspot for summer.
Like many resort towns on the Adriatic, summer is the only season many places will be open — don’t expect to see much open in Saranda between early October and mid-May.
How to get to Saranda: The easiest way is to fly into well-connected Corfu, Greece, and take the 30-60 minute ferry. Otherwise, there a bus connections throughout Albania.
Best Things to Do in Saranda: Visit everything in one day: Butrint, Ksamil, the Blue Eye, and Lekuresi Castle; visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins at Butrint; go hiking and snorkeling in Krorez Bay; or just head to the near-island of Ksamil and chill out on its beaches.
Other beaches worth visiting are around Himare and Drymades, or just drive up the coast and stop wherever looks good! Albania has a lot more so-called hidden gems than discovered-to-death countries like Italy.
If you’re willing to rent a car in Albania, this is the best way to explore the Albanian Riviera in depth and find your own personal favorite beach.
Where to stay in Saranda: Saranda, like most resort towns in the Balkans, is primarily apartment rentals and aparthotels.
Hotel Real Sarande is a solid hotel in the perfect location, close to everything. If you want to splurge, Demi Hotel Sarande is upscale and modern with gorgeous views. Check out more hotels in Saranda here.
- Top-Rated Luxury Hotel in Saranda: Hotel Nertili
- Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Saranda: Da Luz Boutique Hotel
- Top-Rated Budget Hotel in Saranda: Hotel Tatzati
- Top-Rated Hostel in Saranda: Central Boutique Hostel
- Find deals on more places to stay in Saranda here.
Is Albania safe for solo female travelers?
I traveled Albania almost entirely solo, other than a few days with my bud Jeremy in Saranda. I felt very safe in Albania and aside from guarding against theft, I don’t think there are any specific precautions that solo female travelers should take beyond the basics.
If you have experience traveling on your own as a woman, I think you’ll enjoy traveling solo in Albania.
I experienced zero sexual harassment or sexist treatment and wasn’t so much as hit on by a single Albanian man, even in bars and clubs.
Albania has a less-than-stellar reputation thanks to the fictional movie Taken and organized crime — but this is not something that women need to worry about when visiting Albania. Criminals are not lining up to kidnap women traveling in Albania.
There is one issue: for transportation to some places, you’ll have to get into an unregistered taxi, which is pretty much just a random guy with a car. I had to do this when I found out there was no bus from Fier to Berat. It was the only option.
If you get into this situation, I recommend doing what I did: I took a photo of the driver’s face, took a photo of his license plate, and pretended to make a phone call to a friend saying that I was coming soon and repeating his license plate number clearly.
I do this all over the world and it’s an extra layer of safety — the driver thinks you have someone looking out for you and knows he can’t try anything without getting caught. Is it 100% foolproof? No. Nothing is. But it helps quite a bit.
All this being said, I don’t recommend Albania for new and inexperienced travelers. It’s a challenging country in many ways for even an experienced traveler, and I recommend you cut your travel teeth on a few different countries in Europe before you travel to Albania on your own. It’s not the best place for a brand new solo traveler.
Not a super experienced traveler? I recommend you try these destinations for your first solo trip.
Read More: Solo Female Travel in the Balkans: A Guide
How to Get to Albania
Albania isn’t on any major travel routes, but it’s easy enough to arrive in the country. Tirana National Airport is the only major airport in Albania, which has direct flights from all over Europe. I recommend checking Skyscanner to find the best fares.
If you’d rather start in Southern Albania, it’s easy to fly to the Greek island of Corfu and take the ferry to Saranda. Corfu is extremely well connected flights-wise. There are several different ferry companies and they take 30-60 minutes. I did this, taking a small passenger-only ferry, which felt like a bus on a boat.
If you’re coming from Montenegro, I highly recommend taking the Montenegro Hostel transfer. They run between Tirana and Theth in Albania and Kotor, Budva, Bar, and Podgorica in Montenegro. I took one between Tirana and Budva and it was a fantastic experience. We had a comfortable, air-conditioned bus; we stopped for lunch along the way; and we even stopped for photos when we passed Sveti Stefan at sunset!
The alternative would be taking several different buses from neighboring Balkan countries.
You also have a very long-distance ferry option: there are ferries to Durrës from Bari and Ancona in Italy. Know that these are long, overnight routes, and it might be more economical to take a flight.
Some people like to arrive in Albania while circling Lake Ohrid. Lake Ohrid is shared between Albania and North Macedonia, though I’ve heard that the North Macedonian side is much prettier overall.
And would you rather explore Albania on a group tour? Go for it! G Adventures has several tours including Albania, ranging from 9 to 34 days (!).
How to Get Around Albania
What’s the best way to get around Albania? If you’re taking public transportation, this is a country of buses. As I said earlier, there often aren’t any central bus stations in different cities, and sometimes you need to go to several different travel agencies before you find one that can sell you the correct bus ticket.
There are no trains in Albania, so don’t expect them!
You also have the option of renting a car in Albania. You should know ahead of time that the roads aren’t in the best condition (by European standards, at least), and the driving can be a bit crazy. But if you’re up for the challenge, this is THE way to get off the beaten path (and visit the best beaches).
Best Time to Visit Albania
Albania has a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and chilly winters. Albania is one of the sunniest countries in Europe.
The summer months are when Albanian tourism is at its peak, with travelers flocking to the mountains in the north and the beaches in the south.
If you’re looking to explore Albania in the summer, I recommend avoiding the peak months of July and August. Early June and late September would be my picks for the best time to visit Albania.
At the same time, you should keep in mind that Albanian resorts tend to shut down as soon as summer is over. I wouldn’t plan a visit before mid-May or after late September unless you’re here to work rather than explore. You can still enjoy Albania at this time of year, but the coastal resorts get very, very quiet.
If you’re coming to Albania to hike, I would actually recommend spring or fall — ideally late spring or early fall — to enjoy nice weather without being burned by the strong summertime sun.
Best eSIM for Albania: Holafly
I never travel without an eSIM — both for safety and peace of mind — and Holafly is my top eSIM recommendation for trips to Albania.
Gone are the days of hunting down a phone shop, passport in hand. With eSIMs, you install your plan in about 2 minutes at home via QR code — and it activates the moment you land.
In Albania, an eSIM is essential for summoning a Patoko rideshare in Tirana, translating a menu in Saranda, navigating Berat’s labyrinthine streets, and booking ferry tickets to Greece on the fly.
Unlike most eSIMs, Holafly offers unlimited data and connects through Albania’s major carriers, giving you strong LTE and 5G speeds. You buy a plan for the specific number of days you’re visiting.
And one feature I especially appreciate from Holafly is Always On. Even if your data plan runs out, every Holafly eSIM automatically provides 1GB of emergency data per month in 70+ destinations. It’s a great safety net in case of delayed flights, unexpected layovers, or any moment when you desperately need to get online.
Use code HOLAKATE for 5% off your Holafly eSIM or 10% off monthly plans.
Get your Holafly Albania eSIM here. Visiting multiple Balkan countries? Holafly’s Balkans eSIM covers 5 countries on a single plan.
What to Pack for Albania
Packing for Albania is fairly simple to any other kind of trip you’d be taking in Europe. If you’re going to hike, bring hiking gear. If you’re here for the beaches, bring beach gear.
But here are some items that I found particularly useful in Albania:
Comfortable sandals — As someone who needs arch support in everything, I buy my sandals from The Walking Company. They have the best support, especially the Abeo brand sandals!
Sun protection — The sun is STRONG here in the summer months. Make sure to bring good sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and these days I like a long-sleeved linen shirt for additional protection.
Portable safe — Portable safes are one of my favorite ways to keep my belongings safe. You lock up your valuables in it and lock it to something sturdy in your room. Essential for staying somewhere like an apartment or Airbnb where there isn’t a safe to use.
A decent travel purse — No, not an ugly anti-theft purse — a good-looking crossbody purse, made out of a tough material, with a zipper. You can see my in-depth guide to travel purses here.
Speakeasy Travel Supply scarf — I adore these scarves, which come with a hidden pocket perfect for your passport! They serve the same purpose as a money belt, but look so much better. They also have several lightweight scarves perfect for summer travel.
Albania is no longer undiscovered.
For the longest time, people were saying, “Montenegro is the new Croatia, and Albania is the new Montenegro.” Is that true? Eh, maybe if we’re talking strictly numbers of western tourists, but I find that people go to these three countries for different things.
In the past decade, Albania has grown as a major travel destination. Probably the single biggest area of growth is in the Albanian Alps in Northern Albania, which are increasingly drawing adventure travelers looking for the next thing. This is an area to watch.
And the beaches of the south? They’ve BEEN discovered. Plenty of travelers are also hunkering down in Durrës and Vlorë, places that are a bit more on the gritty side, but affordable.
I’ve also seen Albania become a huge hotspot for digital nomads — thanks in part of it being in Europe, but not part of the Schengen Area, on top of being very affordable. Because of this, many digital nomads are living in Albania in the winter months, too, where you get the greatest value for money.
So will Albania ever become a major player in tourism? Well, it’s obviously not going to be on the level of Italy or Greece. But I do think that with a proper level of investment — say, improving the roads, adding more accommodation at a variety of levels, and developing adventure activities — Albania could be a star.
And if that happens, the younger generation of Albania will have many more opportunities to improve their economic outlook.
The verdict? Albania is great. That’s a good reason to go now. Or go in a few years. You’ll be very glad you did.
More on Albania:
More on the Balkans:
- The Ultimate Montenegro Travel Guide
- 30 Fun and Interesting Things to Do in Montenegro
- What’s it Like to Travel in North Macedonia?
- Scenes from Lake Ohrid, Macedonia
- Kosovo: A Warm Welcome from a Newborn Country
- What’s it Like to Travel in Serbia?
- The Ultimate Slovenia Road Trip
- Two Weeks in Croatia: The Ultimate Itinerary
Would you want to visit Albania? Share away!
Great report on the trip with good pointers.Ive been wanting to do a trip there to get back to my roots.Im Albanian on my dads side and apparently have distant relatives there.I guess i just assumed it wasnt an American freindly country like alot of other countries.I definitely wanna go within the next few years.thanks for your review
hi
very-nice blog, indeed.
just one thing about the prices that you found absurd. in this country the average salary in about 250 us dollars, many people you have in the street eran even less. a waiter is paid 1030 dollars a month to work 6 days per week even up to 12 hours per day. poverty rate is amazingly high, and children living under poverty level is near to 30%… so yes prices are low for you, but not four locals. a room costing 30 dollars per night is out of range for like 80 % of the population. so this is my advice, in your next article, please mention this, as albania is becoming a new touristic destination, if if every business owner in the country understand that 30 dollars per night is absurd, they will raise prices much more, which means that for local tourist, it will become quickly unaffordable. prices for holiday don t always fit the locals possibility, and tourism can destroy a country…. thanks!
Thanks for the interesting facts and experience of Albania, I totally didn’t know a thing of what I just read. What was the biggest surprise to me was the prices and that the population is mostly muslim. The coastline totally seemed to be the most beautiful ones in the Mediterranean sea. Thanks a lot 🙂
Hi, Albania is not a muslim country ande the most of the population is not muslim but atheist or agnostic. I dont know how this girls can write something like that.
Hello Kate!
I’d really like to thank you for reviewing my country and given some right answers and a lot of information. I’m glad that you had a great trip here in Albania. Albania is gem hidden in Europe, and it doesn’t have only fascinating mountains and amazing beaches, it is also a great spot for outdoor lovers. Faleminderit Kate! -Thank you Kate!
I loved your country and hope to return!
1)Actually there are 6 other countries in Europe that are poorer than Albania as per economical statistics .
2) Second the potential of Albania regarding tourism far surpasses that of Montenegro .
3) Albania is more non muslim than muslim in reality.
Overall a fair blog post & review , yet at times filled with cliches and prejudices . Albania had 4 million FOREIGN tourists last year per example , which per capita makes it one of the most visited country that you have visited .
All the best to you 🙂
Mature couple with some travel experience in Europe. Absolutely loved Albania as part of a trip that took us to Paris, Corfu and Macedonia as well. After a bit of research we decided to rent a car to travel through Albania and Macedonia. After reading a number of posts I was not surprised by how incredibly friendly, helpful and curious the Albanians were. Even if they did not think they spoke English well, it was far better than my Albanian! I was surprised that it was not nearly as trashy as I had read about. Also the main roads outside of towns and cities were in quite good condition. The amount of traffic was very light outside of towns. Scenery is truly spectacular- mountains, sea views. We did not use public transportation so I cannot comment on that but car rental was reasonable, less than 20 dollars a day. We did not discover this immediately, but note that the euro is accepted pretty much everywhere. We did not realize this and had a substantial amount of Albanian Lek when we were leaving for Greece on the ferry. We could not find an exchange place nearby but a very kind local business man exchanged all of our Lek for Euros. They really are great people!
Ok! I´m definitely going to Albania!!!! Great post! 🙂
Hey Kate, I just read your blog about Albania and I found it very interesting. My family and I are taking a European trip this summer and hiring a car. We are going to drive through a lot of the Eastern block and Balkan states and then down to Greece. On the way back up we are thinking of going through Albania or Macedonia as we are going to spend quite a few days in Croatia. I am wondering what your thoughts are on driving through and spending a bit of time there. Also how important do you think it is to book ahead? For a lot of our trip we are doing couch surfing and trying to have a bit of flexitbility.
Thanks for a very informative article!
xoc
I really really enjoyed reading your article! Me and my boyfriend are hoping to take a trip over to Tirana this next year in the spring time. It looks like a very beautiful place, and sounds like there is a lot to do there!! I hope we will have as much fun as you! Thank you for writing this wonderful article! You have probably helped out a lot of people. 🙂
Hello, can you please change the text about Albania ist a moslem country? Albania ist not a moslem country. It is a laic country with different religions. The most part of albanians ar atheist. So I do not like that you campare albania with tailand in this point. There are so big differences.
Hi Kate, Thanks for such a thorough review of travelling Albania. I see you’ve also written posts on Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia and some of the other countries in the area. I’d love your opinion on what you think about travelling the Balkans with a baby. Both my husband and I are experienced travellers and have been to about 50 and 90 countries each. We’ve got approximately 8 weeks to see the area and are planning on starting in the Greek islands, then flying into Tirana from Athens. We’re thinking of possibly renting a car in Tirana and driving to Pristina, Skopje, Lake Ohrid, then back to Tirana with stops in between. We’ll then drop the car back in Tirana and continue on by bus to Kotor, Dubrovnik, Mostar, then up the Croatian coastline to Slovenia. We’re planning our trip around April/May next year and the baby will be about 7 or 8 months old by then. I’d love your opinion on the safety and logistics of traveling (especially by bus) with a baby in this area as I can’t find much information about it. We’re not worried about the food or the locals, and we aren’t too pressed for time so will have quite a bit of flexibility, but we’re just a little concerned about safety on busses, and the logistics of having a baby with us during a delay, difficult border crossing, closed road, etc. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi, Brianna —
I honestly don’t know if I’m the person to ask, as I don’t have kids and have never traveled with kids as an adult. I don’t know what to look for. But travelingcanucks.com is a great resource for traveling with a baby!
Location-wise, some of the Albanian buses were scary. The guardrails were nonfunctional and they seemed more decorative. Albania will be particularly hard if you need to run out and buy something, as not as many people speak English. It took me forever to find electrical tape. I think you have the right idea about renting a car in the “rougher” part of the Balkans. But why not continue? I’ve road tripped in both Croatia and Slovenia and it’s the best way to travel. You can always rent in Dubrovnik, drive up the coast and do Slovenia, then drive back to nearby Zagreb (this will be cheaper as it’s in-country).
Montenegro Hostel runs a direct shuttle bus from Tirana to Kotor. I HIGHLY recommend it. I think it costs 35-40 euros. A much better alternative than taking a million crappy Albanian and Montenegrin buses, especially with a baby!!
Hi Kate,
Thanks for such a quick reply! And thanks for the great resource of Traveling Canuks, I’ll be having a good look at their site before we embark on any baby-adventures! 🙂
We’ll definitely consider renting a car in Croatia/Slovenia too, however we were possibly considering flying from Split to Zagreb (which means we’d miss one of your favs, Zadar). We may just decide along the way as we figure out how difficult or easy it will be to travel with baby. And I’ll for sure write down that shuttle from Tirana to Kotor, sounds perfect for us!
Thanks again for your great blog and your thorough reply to my question 🙂 Best of luck on all your adventures to come!
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your post about Albania! Is it hard to find an ATM? (I want to pay in LEK.) Just ordered tickets to Corfu and have decided to spend some days in Albania. Looking forward to visit Ksamil, Butrint, Sarande etc. Thanks for your amazing blog post, Kate 🙂
ATMs are pretty easy to find in popular tourist spots, like Saranda and Ksamil.
This is all so interesting. I have had a yen to go to Albania in our camper van, driving from the UK. What is it like to travel around? And would it be safe and easy enough to camp anywhere off the road?
With in the past 3 years I’ve been in a relationship with a guy from Albania and I’d have to agree that the culture is different but I find it very beautiful. My dream is to visit Albania soon so I can experience the culture for myself, if you or anyone has any tips I could use let me know! Faleminderit ????☺️
My husband and I visited Albania last May. Had read some things online that turned out to be completely true. The people are fabulous! Kind, curious and much more fluent in English than we are in Albanian. We were put off by what we read about public transportation but we’re concerned about reports of terrible road conditions. Decided to rent a car for a week. Best decision. Inexpensive, and outside of cities the roads were in surprisingly good condition and uncrowded. In some cities ( notably Vlore and Berat) road conditions and construction are challenging! We truly loved this country and would recommend visiting to anyone who does not mind a few travel challenges.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Melissa!
Hi Kate.
I have been to albania once 2 years ago and am not going back Honestly am surprised about your positive comments of that country. I am Hungarian but living in UK currently. Albania is the poorest country by far. I think you have exaggerated your experience there,I understand you run a blog and a business so is not easy to say harsh things.
Infrastructure, roads, etc very bad condition. They trying to build some new highways especially up north but in general that country made me feel doomed . Not to mention the WiFi was a joke or the electricity was cutting off during the day. I experienced that in Saranda, locals told me that in summer times the sourounded villages have no electricity twice a day so to provide for the tourists at Saranda. In winter time is much worse. Also speaking to people there, usually summer time all the ex pats coming back from all over the world for cheap holidays, Saranda destroyed after 1997, where every one was building big apartments on top of each other, and converted the riviera to a cement monster, money laudring from drugs was the reason they told me. I love my country too, but the patriotic or nationalistic feeling I got from Albanians is no where to compare. A lot of them missed the time when Greeks where leaving there, especially South albania the Greek element is obvious, Saranda, ksamili, budrinti, hinare, gjirocastre all Greek cities according to people there.
Something else that didn’t strike me well is when we stopped by traffic police and wouldn’t let us go unless we give then some euros. We told them we are tourists etc they wouldn’t care less. Absolutely disgusting. I had a good time in fieri and patos with friends there who told me that the policemen get paid peanuts, and taking money from tourists is an extra pocket money.
Hi Kate,
My wife and I toured Albania in late March 2015 on our own. I am planning to visit Albania again
in mid-2017. Browsed the Internet to search for new information about Albania and came across
yours.
Firstly, before departing Vancouver, Canada to Athens, we were told that Albania is a dangerous
country and should avoid going there. However we were determined to go to Albania. Apparently, on our flight from Paris to Athens, a gentleman sitting on the same row as ours, is Albanian. And we felt relief when he assured us that there were too much bad and negative comments about Albania which is not true.
We took a long distance bus from Athens to Saranda and were so welcomed in the bus when all the passengers were Albanians and we were the only 2 non-Albanians. When they asked where we were from, they cheered when we told them we are Canadians.
Throughout our stays in cities of Saranda, Tirana and Shkoder and visiting UNESCO sites
(Butrint and Gjirokastra ) we felt very safe and not once felt threatened. Albanians were so helpful
and friendly. One evening in one of their local restaurants, the Albanians we spoke to reassured us
that visitors are well respected and would not do harm to visitors. This we found to be very true as
we had walked numerous streets in the evenings and only saw smiling faces and some even wished us “good evening”.
Arriving in Tirana (after leaving Saranda), we could not find the hotel. So I walked into a shop to
ask for direction. The shopkeeper told his assistant to look after the shop and told us to follow him
as he walked us three blocks to this hotel. It took almost 20 minutes. We were amazed at his willingness and kindness to walk with us to the hotel.
And in Shkoder, the hotel receptionist recommended a fine Albanian Restaurant that we should dine.
We followed the direction but could not locate this restaurant. So again I walked into a Bakery/Pastry Cafe to ask for direction, showing the staff the name of the restaurant. She went to
the back of the cafe and then another lady came out. The staff we spoke to, told us to follow her staff. We were shocked when this female staff walked us to the restaurant, crossing three major streets and a small park. Then she pointed to the building where the restaurant is located.
The helpfulness, kindness, willingness to help visitors from Albanians that we had encountered through our travel of Albania have left a very lasting memory inside us.
We told 3 other Canadians that we met at Lake Bled,Slovenia of our fantastic experience in Albania and reassured them that Albania is a very safe country to visit when they mentioned about
skipping Albania.
We will be visiting Albania again in 2017.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Leo! Sounds like you had a great trip.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Albania is a place worth visiting, with beautiful places to visit and delicious food to try.
Hello from Albania! Thank you for writing such a good post for my country… 🙂
Hello Kate, I will be visiting Athens in April and I was thinking on visiting the neighboring countries and I was wondering what would you recommend to getting around the countries? Flying or busing would be the best way?
Thank you!
I loved reading this! I have a love affair with unknown, underrated countries, just like you can find in the Balkans. Your post is packed with tips and I was basically on my way there (figuratively speaking) when I got to the part where you warned inexperienced travellers to go there. That in itself is the best tip ever, as Im sure it can be a bit of a culture shock if you arrive there. But I also like how you commented on the friendly people and how they want to know why you would want to visit their country. Thank you for a wonderful read!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mariana!
Hello, we are arriving yo Corfú on September 2nd at night, we pretend to stay that night and then move to Sarande, stay one night and visit the places you mentioned, then move to Berat to stay for the night and then move to Dubrovnik. We have to take our flight on September 6th. What about the transportation between Sarande to Berat and from Berat to Dubrovnik? Thanks un advance
My advice? You’re moving WAY too fast. Albania is very undeveloped. Overland travel is long and difficult. Berat to Dubrovnik would take bloody forever and a million different buses.
Hi Kate! Just came across this post after my trip to Albania this summer. It’s so funny how people can go to the same places and have such different experiences! The biggest difference (as a fellow cheese lover) was the amazing cheese I had while there! Haha – glad you enjoyed your time there 🙂
“Albania is mostly undiscovered…” by about 2 million tourists a year, that’s spot on.
Looks so great. My first idea when traveling to the Balkans was to not even go to Albania. I read some about it and thought maybe I could spend two days in Tirana. Now I have 6 nights in my plan to spend in Albania. 1 in the Accused mountains, 3 in Tirana, and 2 in Southern Albania. It will be a big part of my 27 day trip through the Balkans. August 2018.
I put Albania on this year’s bucket list. It looks amazing!
This is a great blog to read, it’s honest.
I’ve been to Albania 20+ times over the last 12 years as my in laws are there. I think one thing to note is that Albanians believe in hospitality, it’s bred into them and is part of there beliefs. Everyone will go a long way to ensure you are happy and make you feel welcomed.
If you ever go back, or if anyone is planning to visit then rather then restaurants try asking some locals outside the centres where to eat. Most of them will take you to their family home and feed you, welcome you as part of there family – this is the real food of Albania. These recipes are past down generation to generation and is the history of the country.
I think this will create another incredible part of the experience.
Thanks again – keep up the blogs (and the travel!)
Thank you for your kind comment, Michelle. What a great idea!
Thank you Kate,
This is a great article. I will be traveling to Albania for about 2 weeks or so starting from around June 20. I am a solo traveler too and my concern is getting around using public transportation. I’d rather not rent a car because I will be on my own. It seems to me it is possible though challenging at times to travel using public trans. Thanks for the info.
Hi! I am traveling by myself and have a question regarding planning. So I wanted to go to Vlore then to Borsh, then I wanted to do Dhermi but in these places, it doesn’t look like there are any hostels..I need to get back up to Tirana to get my flight but was wondering if it’s worth staying in Sarande? I want to visit the Ksmir island for a day trip but the main thing I am worried about is being alone the whole time, which is why I would like to stay in hostels. It doesn’t seem like there is one in Dhermi aside from the campsite. Would you recommend staying in Sarande most of the time? thanks !:D
A nice, sensible review.
Albania is not a Muslim country. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that until 90’s it was atheist and now it became 90% religious? The vast majority of Albanians are indifferent to religion (see atheists or agnostics). The reason why they don’t declare so has to do with the association that atheism had with communism. During communism, many religious temples were destroyed and also priests and imams were imprisoned or even killed. Nobody wants to identify themselves with the people who did that. Therefore, the majority would just declare a religion for traditional reasons while being a non-believer.
Is this a country best avoided for those who can’t stand cigarettes and have difficulty enjoying travel in countries where cigarette smoke is ubiquitous?
If you can’t stand to be around cigarettes whatsoever, I’d write off Europe as a whole.
Thanks for the prompt reply. In countries like Ireland and Belgium, there are strictly enforced laws about where smoking is and isn’t allowed. So even if a lot of people smoke, they’re limited as to where they can do it — an athlete or pregnant woman pretty much won’t come in contact with cigarette smoke in these places unless they deliberately seek it out. My experience in Eastern Europe has been that smokers, even if there are laws prohibiting them from it, freely smoke in restaurants, on buses, in hotels, etc. I’m trying to gage if Albania is more like Georgia and Armenia or more like Belgium and Ireland.
In that case I would say that Albania is more like Georgia and Armenia.
Marc,
Hi Kate, first time reader of your blog, and I enjoyed it very much. Very thorough descriptions and easy to read, felt like I picked up a lot of information without having to pore over too many pages of info.
On your page where people enter their email address to subscribe, you asked “Would you visit Albania?” I was looking up pictures for desktop backgrounds on my computer and came across Albanian beaches, and this led to your blog. So after seeing the beautiful beaches and reading your descriptions, I would visit Albania, but not as the main destination. I haven’t made it to Greece yet, so I would most likely combine the two, with the majority of the trip in Greece.
Thank you for the info and I look forward to reading more of your stories!
Marc
Welcome, Marc! Glad to have you here. 🙂