15+ Albania Travel Tips to Know BEFORE Visiting
Albania is an unexplored paradise in the Balkans widely known as “the next Greece.” The country is full of beautiful beaches, mountains, nature, delicious food, and ancient cities. In this article you’ll find all my helpful Albania travel tips I wish I’d have known before visiting.
The general attitude of Albanian locals is laid back. Slow lifestyles are admired here which is consequently reflected in the infrastructure, public transit, and other aspects of day-to-day life in Albania.
Initially I was surprised and slightly anxious about how things are handled in Albania, however once I became accustomed to the culture and accepted things aren’t on time or aren’t necessarily “as advertised” I came to love it.
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Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Quick Albania Travel Guide:
**Find my recommended Albania itineraries linked in the section below**
Travel Insurance: ALWAYS purchase reliable travel insurance before your trip. This insurance is trusted by backpackers and adventure sport enthusiasts around the world. You can also use my link to receive 5% off SafetyWing policies. Here’s a blog post with more trustworthy travel insurance options you can compare.
Best Time to Visit: May to September.
Best Activities: Looking for the best tours and activities around Albania? See my Viator shop for my top recommendations.
Currency: Albanian LEK (aka ALL). This is a closed currency so you’ll need to wait until you’re in Albania to withdraw/exchange money. Make sure you exchange any leftover money before you leave the country too. Credins ATMs don’t have a service charge.
Transportation: to enter the country you’ll find 1 international airport in Tirana, 1 port in Saranda (daily ferry arrivals/departures to Corfu, Greece), and a bus line from Montenegro. Buses are very cheap here, but unreliable and taxis are pricey in comparison. Driving is chaotic and there are no trains within the country.
Phone: purchase a local SIM card from Vodafone – the plans are cheap and they include lots of data, however international minutes are typically not available. Vodafone storefronts can be found in bigger cities (Tirana, Saranda, Shkoder, etc).
Language: Albanian, however you can get by with English. Google translate is recommended for smaller cities/villages.
Safety: I found Albania to be very safe. I and my fellow travellers had no trouble with theft and I felt comfortable walking around as a solo female at night. People are generally very welcoming here, but always keep your wits about you – no matter where you travel.
Helpful Info: don’t drink the tap water or bring a purifying bottle like this one. Most hostels/guesthouses/hotels have laundry facilities.
Purchase my Albania map which is downloadable to google maps on your phone. It has 200+ pinned locations around the country – all available at your fingertips.
Packing Guide: here’s my ultimate packing guide/travel essentials.
Albania is one of the last “undiscovered” countries in Europe. Plan your trip while prices & tourism levels are low!
Helpful Albania Blog Posts
Albania Itineraries: 1 week south | 1 week north | 2 weeks whole country | 1 month for backpackers
- My Ultimate Albania Backpacker Guide
- 15+ Helpful Tips You Should Know BEFORE Travelling Albania
- 30+ Best Things to do in Albania: Excursions, Tours, and Destinations
- 17 Best Places in Albania
- Hiker’s Guide to the Albanian Alps
- Valbona to Theth Hiking Guide
- 10+ Albania hikes Worth Doing
- Lodging: best hostels for backpackers | luxury hotels
Albania travel tips for backpackers.
18 Helpful Albania Travel Tips
Albania is an up-and-coming travel destination. Prices and tourism levels will only continue to rise, so my first Albania travel tip is to visit sooner than later to take advantage of the quiet, budget travel here while it still lasts.
Public Transportation in Albania
Public transportation in Albania is organized chaos.
There’s no passenger train in Albania and there’s only one international airport in Tirana. This may change in the semi-near future as Albania is gaining popularity fast as a travel destination.
The main methods of entry into Albania are flying into the Tirana International Airport, catching a ferry from Corfu (Greece) into Saranda, or taking a bus from Montenegro.
Once you’re in Albania the best way to get around is the bus. It’s the cheapest transport method too; less than 1€ for intracity routes and 6€ – 12€ for regional routes which are mainly run via mini bus/furgon. There are taxis, however they can be pricey in comparison to the bus.
The bus system is Albania is a bit chaotic compared to what you may be used to if you’re visiting from North America or other parts of Europe. Schedules and routes are just starting to appear online/on Google Maps (as of 2024), however they’re not 100% trustworthy. I’d recommend asking your lodging providers about the bus to ensure your information is correct. The bus drivers don’t speak English, however the locals are very friendly and are always happy to help.
There are no bus transit hubs, but rather large parking lots with destination signs in the windows or weird pickups on the side of the road with minimal signage. It can be confusing, I won’t lie.
If you plan to drive in Albania, know that road rules aren’t strictly followed which makes driving unpredictable and semi-dangerous. Albania has a high level of road fatalities per capita. If you need to rent a car, I recommend using this site.
General Albania public transportation tips:
- Buses are not guaranteed to have air conditioning in Albania. If the heat bothers you, travel in the morning or later in the afternoon.
- Always double check the online schedules with your lodging provider to confirm pickup locations and times.
- NEVER rely on the last bus of the day. The buses don’t always follow a strict schedule and you don’t want to be stranded waiting for a bus that never shows.
- On intracity buses in Tirana there’s a person who walks around and collects money. If you’re not sure where to get off, ask them and they’ll show you. English is usually not their strong suit, so if you write down where you’re going they’ll be able to better assist.
- If you have important flights or travel dates and need to travel via bus to your departure point, plan to arrive the night prior or with hours of extra time just in case.
Popular Albania Tours
From Berat: 4×4 tour: Mount Tomorr & Sotira Waterfall | Bogove Waterfall & Osumi Canyon | Osumi Canyon Rafting
From Permet: Benja Hot Springs & Lengarica Canyon | Horseback Riding | River Rafting
From Tirana: Gamti Mountain & Bovilla Lake Hiking Tour | Bike Tour | Traditional Cooking Class | Zipline
From Tirana or Shkoder: Day trip to the Blue Eye of Theth & Grunas Waterfall | Shala River Day Trip
From Vlora: Boat tour to Haxhi Ali Cave & Sazan Island – Karaburun | Snorkelling
From Saranda/Ksamil: Paddle boarding the Islands | Butrint, Ksamil, Blue Eye, Lekuresi Castle – 1 Day | Day Trip to Gjirokaster | Catamaran to Korez & Kokomo Beach
UNIQUE: Multi-day hiking tour: Peaks of the Balkans
You can find more Albania tours I recommend here
Albania’s Local Currency
Albania’s local currency is the Albanian LEK or ALL. The currency is closed which means you can’t exchange it abroad – you’ll have to wait until you arrive in Albania for that. Make sure you exchange any leftovers before you leave too.
You can use euros anywhere in Albania, however the exchange rate is terrible and in most places it’s much easier using LEK. I’d recommend withdrawing a small amount of LEK at the airport – just enough to pay your taxi or bus to the center, then finding an ATM in the city centre.
Albania travel tip – the Credins ATMs don’t have a service charge for withdrawing Albanian LEK.
Purchase a Local SIM Card
When you arrive in Albania you’ll most likely want to pick up a local SIM card which can be done at the airport or at Vodafone once you arrive in the city centre. In Tirana (where you’ll most likely arrive) there seems to be a Vodafone on every street corner so you won’t have any issues finding one.
Monthly plans are cheap and you can usually get a large amount of data for around 20 euros.
Albania travel tip – grab a cheap SIM card, but pay attention to the international minutes and international texts as those are limited.
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Safety in Albania
Albania has a bad reputation for being unsafe, especially for solo female travellers. I’m here to tell you that’s not true.
Much of Albania’s infrastructure looks sketchy. When I first arrived the streets, buildings, and even natural spots looked dangerous compared to what I’m used to; trash, stray dogs, run down buildings, etc.
Although things look sketchy in Albania, they aren’t. The locals are lovely and the unruly “aesthetics” are due to lack of money for general upkeep.
General safety precautions of course still apply in Albania – don’t walk alone intoxicated, cover your drink, etc. But I travelled here as a solo female for 1.5 months, walked alone at night, and even occasionally hitchhiked alone and never had any issues aside from a bit of unwanted flirting.
This Albania travel tip is to take normal safety precautions while still being open minded about what you see. Don’t constantly worry over appearances.
Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Albanian Culture and Locals
Like I previously mentioned, Albanian people are wonderful. Kind, welcoming, helpful, and generous are just a few words I’d use to describe them.
Almost everyone here wants to chat on the street and is willing to lend a helping hand, especially when it comes to public transit. I was struggling to navigate the bus one day and asked a local man for help. He got me on the right bus, paid my bus fare, brought me to the connecting furgon, carried my bags, AND invited myself and my friends back to his bar in Tirana for free drinks if we ever came back through the city.
Since Albania was under communist rule for so long and has only recently opened to the world, locals are happy to have foreigners visit and they’re proud to show off their country. I see pride especially from guesthouse owners who go above and beyond to make your stay in Albania special.
I’ve had random locals bless me on the street and I had one tiny, old local woman who walked me all the way to my guesthouse, bought me a snack, and chatted my ear off – in Albanian which was hilarious, yet very heart warming.
This Albanian travel tip is – get to know the local people (it’s not hard) and don’t be shy about asking for help.
Accept “Albania Time”
As I previously mentioned slow life and a laid back attitude is the way of life in Albania. People don’t rush and if buses or activities aren’t running on time, no one is in a hurry to correct it. I think a lot of this has to do with the heat.
I’m a very fast walker and I’m always on-the-go running to the next thing. In Albania this did not fly. Buses were late, tours did not start on time. Almost nothing went exactly as planned. One time I waited 4 hours for a bus. At first this drove me crazy, then I got used to it.
This Albania travel tip is to expect delays wherever you go. Beat it by preparing for it – bring extra water and snacks, and plan for everything to take longer than expected.
Purchasing Anything is a Struggle
One thing I found to be quite challenging in Albania was the lack of availability when it came to basically everything.
There’s a joke in Albania that goes something like:
Traveller: “Where can I buy a backpack?” | Albanian: “Bulgaria.”
This is a joke, but it’s also not a joke. You can’t buy anything practical in Albania. Upon arriving I needed to buy a natural bar of soap, a water filter, a spork, and a bathing suit. I could only purchase a bathing suit and even that was a bit challenging.
This was my first backpacking trip and I made the poor choice of bringing a suitcase. It obviously broke. I needed to replace it and had to take 2 buses and spend an entire day going to Tirana to find the one existing Intersport in Albania that sold backpacks. There weren’t even good options, but I did manage to get 1 mildly crappy backpack and paid way too much for it.
This Albania travel tip is important – bring everything you need to Albania. Don’t expect to be able to buy basic things here.
Albania is “The Next Greece”
Pay close attention to this Albania travel tip – travel Albania sooner than later.
Albania has been called “the next Greece” and the “next Croatia.” It’s one of the last unexplored/undiscovered countries in Europe. Albania is cheap to travel and it’s not as touristic as other destinations like Italy or France.
Albania is a hidden gem, but this hidden gem status won’t last forever. Albania is growing in popularity every year and the country can “only go up from here” in terms of prices, infrastructure, and inflation.
Local Knowledge is Key
Albania is not one of the “top 10 travel destinations” type of place everyone flocks to. In my opinion this is what makes Albania so appealing, but it also adds an element of difficulty when it comes to planning. Travel bloggers and content creators haven’t infiltrated this country yet and there’s therefore fairly limited online resources regarding what to do here.
This Albania travel tip is to utilize local knowledge.
Ask questions at your hotel or hostel. Talk to Albanian people on the street. Quiz your waiter or waitress. This is a hard pill to swallow if you’re an independent traveller who relies heavily on online research (like me), but in Albania you NEED to talk to people to find the best things to do or to simply get around successfully.
Throughout my time in Albania I found hostel employees to be the most helpful and knowledgeable. In fact, a huge part of Albania’s tourism industry is based on this whole idea of local knowledge. You can’t just “go do stuff” in Albania like you can in other countries. You need local help and the locals need your business!
Culture Shock
Before visiting Albania I’d travelled to very few places – first world countries only, actually. Albania is a developing country which honestly gave me a bit of culture shock. Not everyone will experience this, but if you’re not used to developing countries things will catch you off guard here.
Unfortunately there’s a lot of trash in public and natural spaces, it’s loud and busy, the driving is insane, plus there are stray dogs running around in many places. Growing up in the Canadian suburbs I’d never experienced anything like this and it did take a week or two to fully get used to it.
At first travelling in Albania can be daunting, so this Albania travel tip is to embrace cultural differences and know ahead of time what you’re getting into.
English Speakers in Albania
English speakers in Albania vary widely. I found in urban or tourist places people were decent with it, but stepping away from these places meant very few people knew English. Many times the people who did know English spoke broken English so expect a lot to get lost in translation.
English abilities vary with age too. The older Albanian generation barely speaks a word of it, but the younger the people the better their English skills seem to be.
Something I love about Albanians is that even though you don’t speak their language, that won’t stop them from communicating with you. Somehow even though not a single word of English is exchanged, Albanians can say exactly what they need to say to you and everyone just gets it.
Albania travel tip – you can get by speaking English, however having the Google Translate app downloaded to your phone is helpful in many situations.
Albanian Driving is not for the Faint of Heart
I’m all about driving and road tripping. I’ve had a car since forever and my greatest adventures have happened via road trip.
This Albania travel tip is to NOT rent a car or road trip in Albania though – use tours and public transit to get around instead.
Tours are relatively cheap in Albania and bus fares cost next to nothing. Unless you’re driving in from another European country, I recommend sticking to buses and guided tours instead of renting a car. If you’re wanting to go against the grain and rent a car, I recommend using this website.
Many roads are not in great condition, the accident rate is very high, and the rules of the road aren’t generally followed in Albania. If you’ve never driven in a place like this, I wouldn’t recommend starting in Albania.
You can find all my recommended Albania tours linked here. I’ve also written a blog post with the best things to do in Albania via bus and guided tours.
Weather & When to Visit Albania
Albania travel tip – the best months to visit Albania are May, June, and September for cooler temperatures.
May is a good time of year to visit Albania for a couple weeks if you’re looking to beat the crowds. Temperatures may be a bit chilly for the beach earlier in the month, but by the end of the month most of the snow will melt in the mountains making every activity in Albania accessible.
Tourism starts picking up in June which is one of the best months to plan an Albania trip. Temperatures are not too hot and not too cold making every activity perfectly enjoyable during this time.
July and August are easily Albania’s hottest and busiest months. These are excellent months to hit the beach in Albania or try any water-based activity. Hiking is popular in the north of the country, but temperatures can be scorching hot – even at altitude – so you have to plan accordingly for that.
September and October are Albania’s shoulder seasons. September is similar to June for temperatures with the added bonus of fall colours beginning to change in the north. October is a bit unpredictable – some years pleasant travel in Albania is still possible, other years this marks the end of Albania’s tourism season.
Winter (November to April) is not a popular time to visit Albania as there’s heavy snowfall in the north and it’s much too cold to enjoy the beaches. Backcountry ski enthusiasts may enjoy the Albanian Alps for touring, however avalanches are possible and rescue resources are not widely available which adds an extra risk factor.
Sustainability is not Practised in Albania
Sustainable Albania travel tip – bring what you need to be eco-friendly.
This includes bamboo toothbrushes, plastic-free alternatives, hair bars, natural products, etc. Anything you buy in your home country will likely not be available here.
Unfortunately people toss their garbage everywhere, anything takeout is packaged in heaps of plastic, the tap water is not drinkable which leaves you buying plastic bottles. I’ve read some people use these bottles to filter their water opposed to buying bottled water.
Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Spontaneous Planning can Still be Done in Albania
Luckily, Albania is a country in which you don’t need to plan in advance. Everything here is accessible, lodging is cheap, and because it’s less touristy you’ll find availability everywhere – even last minute.
This Albania travel tip is to take things day-by-day. No need to plan a week in advance. For most places in Albania you can wake up and decide what to do that day.
The ability to spontaneously travel makes Albania very appealing to backpackers. Keep in mind this won’t last forever though. Albania will only continue to become busier and more expensive as time progresses.
Albania’s Tap Water is not Drinkable
Albania’s tap water is not drinkable so you must buy bottled water. Some people use this bottle to filter tap water, but I always do what the locals do and purchase bottled. Tap water is undrinkable in different places for different reasons and I personally worry the bottle I linked doesn’t 100% filter everything out.
My Albania travel tip regarding this is to buy 5L jugs of water, then transfer it into smaller bottles on a need-basis.
This not only saves plastic waste, but 5L is usually enough for a couple days meaning you won’t have to stop at the supermarket often. When I travel I bring this water bottle and this 0.5L silicone water bag to bring water with me when I’m on-the-go. When I’m hiking I also always bring this water bladder.
Albania Dress Code
This can’t be a complete list of Albania travel tips without touching on what to wear. To break it down, bring light, flowy clothes. No jeans and nothing made with thick materials, like hoodies.
Albania travel tip – bring light, flowy clothes for Albania, leave the heavy materials & tight clothing at home.
The Albania locals dress a bit conservative – more so the older generation – however as a tourist there is no dress code. You can wear whatever you want, but you do want it to match the climate. I frequently wore athletic clothing, bikinis, tank tops, and shorts/skirts.
Xhiro is Albania’s Favourite Daily Activity
Not necessarily an Albanian travel tip, but something I think is interesting and very cute.
Unless you’re at the beach you won’t see many people outside during the hot Albanian summer days. It’s almost kind of eery, but locals and tourists alike usually hunker down to avoid the midday heat. This holds true until the sun sets, the temperature cools slightly, and xhiro begins.
Xhiro translates to “walk” in English and this walk is a beloved Albanian pastime. In the evening suddenly all of Albania emerges and strolls around their local area. Outdoor patios are full, people are socializing, and Albania really comes to life.
Visiting Albania? Check out my Albania Guides
Albania Google Map – 200+ pins
Don’t feel like scrolling through blog posts trying to find things to do in Albania?
Then my Albania map is for you!
Get my 200+ recommendations all in one place for:
- Outdoors: hiking trails, waterfalls, secret beaches & national parks
- Places: ancient cities, beach towns & historical sites
- Things to do: viewpoints, unique activities & tours
- Planning: lodging, restaurants, bus stops & tedious details
Happy adventuring!
Taylor ♡
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About the Author
HI, I’m Taylor – the voice behind The Holistic Backpacker.
After moving to Banff National Park in 2020 I became an outdoor adventure enthusiast and vowed to never stop exploring.
I now spend my days travelling the world, climbing mountains, and spending nights under the stars in the Canadian Rockies backcountry.
I created The Holistic Backpacker so I could share my adventures and help connect people like you with the same amazing experiences.
