Of all the countries I’ve been to (more than 60), the stereotypes I hear about Albania are some of the most outrageous.
Some say not to go because it’s unsafe. Others – such as a tourist I overheard on my latest visit while researching the Lonely Planet Western Balkans guidebook – say they pointed to a map and “discovered” Albania. I’ve come to conclude that pretty much everything people say about Albania is wrong.
Well, except that the country is awesome.
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Sure, Albania is a developing nation that continues to emerge from a brutal 45-year dictatorship that only ended in 1991, and its infrastructure isn’t quite on the level of Western Europe. Yet Albania has a lower crime rate than Canada’s, and gets flooded with tourists every summer – which, given its gorgeous beaches, amazing hiking and enchanting UNESCO-listed “museum” towns, makes complete sense.
So ignore what you’ve heard, and start planning your trip to Albania without any qualms. Just don’t expect to be the first traveler to fall in love with it.
Here’s what to know before you go.
1. Albania is safe
Perhaps it was the 2008 movie Taken, which pits Liam Neeson against Albanian human traffickers who abducted his daughter. Or the sensational news reports about the Albanian mafia across Europe. Or the ancient ethnic divisions in the region. Regardless, the country has developed a bad rap when it comes to safety.
It’s simply not true. Pickpocketing and petty theft aren’t common here, and many solo female travelers don’t find Albania any more dangerous than elsewhere in Europe (though precautions are unfortunately always necessary).
Some people will also tell you driving in Albania is unsafe, too. But the main highways are well-maintained and erratic drivers aren’t so bad as long as you have your eye on the road. One thing to avoid is buying illicit drugs along the Albanian Riviera, as that can put you dangerously close to the organized crime that Taken warned us about.
2. Avoid July and August if you don’t like crowds
While plenty of social media videos have built up the (well-deserved) hype about Albania, they’ve also contributed to making the Albanian Riviera jam-packed with visitors every summer. On most beaches in and around the popular town of Ksamil, you won’t easily find space to put down a towel. If you do, a beachside restaurant vendor will probably tell you to remove it (legally, Albanian beaches are open to everyone, but good luck fighting with these tenacious entrepreneurs). Similarly, Albania’s UNESCO-protected towns of Berat and Gjirokastër fill up with visitors in the warm months, and the Accursed Mountains hike between Theth and Valbonë on the Peaks of the Balkans trail can get dangerously crowded. Instead, book your trip to Albania in the spring (May and June) or fall (September and August) to be in the sweet spot of milder temperatures and fewer crowds.
3. Entry is likely easy and visa-free
For nationals of more than 80 countries, a 90-day tourist visa won’t cost you a thing. When you land at Tirana International Airport, you’ll scan your passport and enter Albania without even speaking to a border security officer. For US nationals it gets even better: a free tourist visa allows you to stay for up to a year.
If you’re coming from Kosovo by land, the border is virtually nonexistent. Land borders with Montenegro and Greece, as well as the port you’ll enter after the ferry from Corfu, don’t have the snazzy passport-scanning technology. Still, you should be able to get through quickly enough if you’re a visitor from one of those visa-free countries.
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4. Take the ferry to Albania from Corfu if the beach is your priority
Albania’s only international airport is in Tirana, which is at least a few hours’ drive from the best beaches of the Albanian Riviera. So if blissful sun-soaking is your priority, fly to the Greek island of Corfu, then take the short ferry to Sarandë. The beaches around Ksamil are only a short bus or taxi onward, and you can easily rent a car to drive north for quieter beaches.
5. Use electric taxis in Tirana
If you fly into Tirana airport, buy a SIM card from a local operator (or download an eSim), then contact an electric-car taxi company like Do Taxi (067 490 0000) to pick you up. Uber and Bolt aren’t available in Albania, and local taxis that wait outside the airport charge more.
Alternatively, hop on an airport bus for the 30-minute ride to Skanderbeg Square in the heart of Tirana. Buses come every hour, and you can pay in cash when you board.
6. Bring euros, and tip 10%
Albania has been remarkably slow to adopt card payments, and paying with anything but the local currency (the Albanian lek) or euros is virtually impossible outside major cities. You’ll even be expected to pay cash for rental cars and gas. But while there you’ll find plenty of ATMs that dispense lek, they often charge a steep transaction fee (€6 / US$6.28 or more) and only supply large bills. So do yourself a favor and bring euros with you, then use them or exchange them for lek at shops around the city.
With that cash in hand, be nice and tip your servers 10% of the bill at any restaurant.
7. Albania is kid-friendly
Albanian parents are the type who bring their kids out with them everywhere they go, and treat little ones like royalty. So don’t be shy to bring yours along, too. In most Albanian cities, play structures abound to help burn off energy.
8. Rent a car if you’re on a tight schedule
Planning an itinerary in Albania will firmly depend on how much time you have to spare. Local buses called furgons date back decades and are prone to breakdowns. They also don’t usually leave until full, and don’t tend to operate on a precise schedule. Still, they’re by far the cheapest option.
If you want more control over your schedule, consider renting a car. (As a bonus, you’ll probably get to ride in one of Albania’s famous low-rise Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen vehicles.) You can use an international agency at the Tirana airport, or get a better price by paying cash at a local agency. Sure, it feels a little weird to pay cash for a car rental, and you won’t be protected by your credit-card insurance – but local agencies are reliable, and repairs aren’t too expensive if you do happen to damage the car.
If driving, avoid navigating through the northern Accursed Mountains, as roads are windy and weather events unpredictable. Instead, go on a self-guided hiking tour that includes a boat ride to Valbonë. Accommodations in Shkodër can plan the trip for you.
9. Open your mind (and palette) to Albanian food and wine
Like its fellow formerly Ottoman-occupied neighbors, Albanians salivate for savory grilled meats, flaky pastries and strong rakija (grape or plum brandy known also known as raki). The country is also developing as a wine destination, particularly around the central Albanian city of Berat.
Be sure to visit traditional zgara (barbecue restaurants) in Tirana’s Pazari i Ri (New Bazaar) and along Rr Kavaja to try qofta (round or log-shaped minced meatballs also known as kernacka), tarator (yogurt dip akin to tzatziki), burek (meat, cheese or spinach-stuffed filo pastry spelled byrek here) and tavë (a casserole with mixed cheese and liver). If you’re brave, sit down at a white-tablecloth restaurant and try kokë (sheep’s head either cooked and split, or served in paçe soup).
Along the Albanian Riviera, the food is similar to what you’ll find in Italy or Greece, with seafood pasta and Greek salad as popular menu items. The dishes tend to be delicious and much cheaper than at similar seaside restaurants in neighboring countries.
10. Dress modestly and cover up at prayer sites
Albania has an interesting relationship to religion. While most of the population identifies as Muslim, you won’t see many women wearing hijabs, especially in Tirana. Since the fall of Albania’s dictatorship in 1991, Albania has granted freedom of religion and believers are treated with respect. Need proof? Notice how Albanians seem to celebrate every religious holiday regardless of their faith.
That said, it’s a good idea to dress modestly by wearing long pants and shirts that cover your stomach if you can. When visiting a mosque, such as Xhamia Et’hem Bej in Tirana, you’ll have the option of borrowing clothes to cover up.
11. Albania suffered under dictatorship, and regional tensions persist
Both from centuries past and to the present day, Albanian history fascinates. You might already know about Mother Teresa, a North Macedonia–born Albanian – but take some time to learn about Skanderbeg, the general who fended off the powerful Ottoman Empire for decades from his fortress city Krujë, and Enver Hoxha, the country’s infamous dictator. You can go even further back by learning about Albania’s Illyrian ancestors.
It’s especially critical to make yourself aware of Albania’s relationship with Serbia, particularly the 1998–99 Kosovo War. While Kosovo is now a separate country (at least according to the majority of world nations that recognize it), many Albanians see the two countries as one and the same.
Joel Balsam wrote the Albania chapter for the 4th edition of Lonely Planet’s guide to the Western Balkans.
