Are you planning to visit Albania and wondering “Is Albania worth visiting?” Yes it is! And I share my experience of visiting Albania in this article to inspire you
Albania was a country that I visited on my 4 month tour of Europe. I travelled from Montenegro to Albania and for a country that I was very nervous about entering, it completely surpassed my any expectations. It even became one of my favourite countries on my European tour.
What do I love about it? It has mountains, it has beaches, UNESCO sites, and it has a very colourful capital city with great bars and restaurants. In fact, there are so many different areas of the country that spending a week here just wasn’t enough.
Albania is Safe
Is Albania safe? Definitely. Being reasonably newish to tourism they adore tourists and will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. I even hitchhiked here although I don’t recommend doing it if you’re solo.
They Speak Italian!
Albanian, and many speak Italian thank to Italian programmes being aired on television during the Communist times. Many also went to Italy to work (you can reach Italy by boat from Albania). English is hardly spoken so make sure you take some key phrases with you but I got by with body language and very poor Italian. Just remember to say ‘Ciao’ when you say goodbye.
It's Budget Friendly
Albania is a great budget destination. A 3 star hotel will cost you from just £30 upwards and a hostel bed from £15. Buses are very cheap although you have to ask local people where they go from. Tirana Backpacker Hostel have an excellent map with all the bus stops as they haven’t quite grasped the concept of central bus stations yet.
My favourite place to eat are the Creperies where you can order a crepe from £3.50 with every filling from tuna salad to the more sweet kind. The one in Sarande is open well after the bars shut too – perfect.
They Have Their Own Currency
In Albania you won't find the Euro. Instead it's the Albanian Lek. Roughly speaking £1 will get you 165 Lek, €1 = 140 Lek, $1 = 103 Lek. Click here for the current exchange rate.
You Can Camp & Stay With Locals
I camped, stayed in hostels and stayed with a local family. Camping in Albania is incredibly easy. Wild camping means you can camp anywhere although you may get approached to pay €5 for pitching your tent. If you don’t have your own tent and don’t want to camp alone then consider staying in a pre-pitched tent within camping grounds with entertainment and others for company.
In the Albanian Alps, you can choose homestays which I thoroughly recommend. You get to stay with a local family on a full board basis and it’s great for solos as everyone eats lunch and dinner together around a large table.
Hostels are generally good and Tirana Backpackers in the capital are so helpful with information for your onward travel. I have included an interactive map below which shows the location of all the accommodation * To book, check prices or availability for all accommodation in Albania
My Favourite Places in Albania
Shkodra
Unless you stay at the lake, there’s not that much to see here except the castle with apparently great views of the lake (make sure you go left for the entrance and not right which I did and walked for an hour before realising it wasn’t the way in and then gave up getting to the top).
The area near the casino is great for restaurants at night too but everywhere seems to close quite early. There are only a couple of hostels here and I stayed at Mi Casa es Tu Casa which was clean and sociable but the rooms were a little overcrowded.
Theth
In the Albanian Alps, the village of Theth is dotted with stone houses and a rocky landscape with great walking tracks and clear, mountain air. The journey time from Shkroda is approx 5 hours with the majority of the time on winding, rocky roads which adds to the rustic experience. This area is totally different from the rest of Albania and it is so relaxed that you'll want to stay for longer than a weekend.
Tirana
A lovely capital city with a large manmade lake, pretty colourful buildings and surprisingly good bars. I didn’t make it to the museums but if you want to go then make sure it’s not on a Monday when they close.
Dhermi
Buses from Tirana take 6 hours and the scenery is gorgeous! The bus drops you off at the top and it’s a 20 minute walk down the winding hill to Dhermi to the beach areas.
Vuno
This is a little locals town in the mountainside on the route between Dhermi and Himare and has a really lovely feel. There is only one shop which doubles up as a restaurant and bar where you will find the locals and occasional donkey walking past.
Sarande
A seaside city with a Mediterranean climate and great beaches. From here you can visit the ancient city of Butrint, the ‘Blue Eye,' Ksamil and monasteries. This is one of my favourite places to stay.
How To Get To Albania
Crossing the border from Ulcinj bus station in Montenegro you can either go straight to Tirana on the new direct bus route or to Shkodra, the first town in Albania. Buses only cost approx £5 although taxi drivers may try and tell you that there aren't buses across the border – there definitely are. For car hire I recommend booking through Cria who are a local company with great reviews.
This is a great website for buses in Albania once you arrive in the country but be prepared to wait for the bus to leave as they may not run at the exact schedule and sometimes wait for the buses to fill up before leaving.
If you're travelling in Greece, ferries operate from Corfu to Sarande and the cost differs depending when you travel.
Is Albania Worth Visiting?
As Islam is the biggest religion in the country it is wise to cover up in the cities or local towns, especially Shkodra where men sat outside cafe shops are likely to stare. Any towns or cities on the beaches are a very different story.
Is Albania good for solos?
Travelling as a solo female here was a great experience but I wouldn’t recommend it for the first timer; more for the seasoned solo who enjoys the whole rustic travelling experience. If you enjoy getting in a taxi and not being too sure of where you’re actually being taken then this place is for you.
More articles on Albania!
- Solo Travel in Albania
- Is Albania Worth Visiting?
- Hitchhiking in Albania
- Tips For Hiring a Car in Albania
- Solo Travel in Europe
1 thing , please do remove that advice of covering in cities … That is total nonsense . Albania is multireligious mostly atheist country , and you can even kiss you girl friend ( being a girl ) in the mouth and no one is gonna give a f….. ! This is such a non based stereotype …. !
It makes me even wonder , have you really been in albania ? And what gave you this impression ? Regards , from Tirana
Hi, thanks for your comments. I did travel in Albania and went as a solo woman. My advice to women in general is to cover up in most cities and towns if you by yourself so that you don’t attract the wrong kind of attention regardless of the religion. It was in Shokder that I met a girl just wearing denim shorts and she was attracting a lot of male attention, that’s why I’ve included this.
Cover, cover and once again cover your hair. Otherwise, you will attract the wrong kind of attention and as a solo female traveller and a foreigner you may stand out too much and can fall a victim of unwanted attention or even harassment.
I second that advice to cover up. As a girl by myself travelling in Albania at the moment I have had a couple bad experiences wearing short shorts, as I was told it was okay since they are not over the top religious. I should mention that my shorts were not supre tiny showing my butt or anything, just regular denim short shorts. I know some Albanian girls do wear short shorts specially in beach places, but still. I can deal with looks from men on the street but that is not what I’m talking about…..
Peace x
Thanks Aussie Girl. Sorry that you had a couple of bad experiences x
“… large manmade lake….”
To avoid being sexist, use the expression ‘artificially made’ rather than manmade. Women make things too.
Fair point.
Really great article. I’m a solo female traveler as well and this is so much perfect information I was looking for on Albania. Seems like there isn’t too much out there on the country which I guess is what entices me to go but still nice to get advice on the different cities :)
I loved Albania and you’re right – there isn’t much information out there about it. I hope more people discover it soon.
You went completely alone? Isn’t Albania a little tough for a female? Did they respect you?
Hi Mateja, I went alone and it was such an amazing country. I didn’t have any problems.
Thank you so much for the info! Planning a Balkan trip and tough to find day an agency online for a trip excursion from Kotor to Albania. Montenegro Hostel actually do organise but they need minimum 4 people and I’m a traveling solo. Not really into a tailor made tour so it’s great to know that I can just do this alone and super easy from Ulcinj.
No problem Suzy. I am so glad it helped x
I’m planning a trip to Albania this summer (partially solo) and this article is really helpful. Thanks so much for sharing! I was wondering, how did you arrange your homestay in the Alps? My friend and I are planning on spending a few nights in Theth and that sounds like a really great option!
Hi Liv, that’s great :) For the homestay I actually tagged onto a couple who were going there for a couple of days and arranged it. There’s a website called Homestay.com or you can email Tirana Hostel to ask them for their recommended homestay in the Alps. https://www.tiranahostel.com/day-tours Have a great time x
Hello and thank you for your blog.
My husband & I are cycling from Barcelona to Athens and I was a little concerned about going through Albania and Montenegro, however Albania sounds lovely from what you have written.
Can I ask what you did for a SIM card while traveling through this part of the world?
Look forward to your response x
Hi Jenny, Albania is lovely and has lovely scenery. From memory some of it may be a bit hilly but it will be an adventure to cycle through. I didn’t use my phone in Albania but I do now live in Barcelona and have an English mobile with roaming which means I can make and receive calls. Can you try roaming for your phone? x
My experience as a British woman: if you are tall and blonde and therefore look notably foreign and “Western”, have some thought in what you wear, because male eyes follow you everywhere, If you do not want to draw serious attention to yourself, dress appropriately.
Thanks Lena. That’s a great tip x
I am a 54 year old woman with a wedding ring and fully clothed. I don’t feel safe here. I had a very bad experience. I don’t feel comfortable being alone now. I can’t afford expensive tours and don’t trust a home stay.
I’m sorry that you’ve had a bad experience Masina and you’re not feeling safe. Are you on Facebook? I recommend joining our Girls about the Globe Facebook community and seeing if any of our community are currently in Albania. I also recommend joining the FB group Host a Sister. They are a larger group and can probably help you straightaway. Sending positive vibes and I hope that the rest of your trip is okay x