I’d been dreaming about visiting Albania for years and it did not disappoint. I had high expectations, but even then, it exceeded them. The country is stunning, whether it’s the blue waterfalls, dazzling ocean, snow-capped mountains, or charming towns and villages, it offers one wow after another.
However, not everything was smooth sailing and a few things did surprise us, so we’ll be covering those as well as all our top tips for visiting Albania below.
Things to know before visiting Albania
1. The secret’s out, and peak season has expanded
If you’ve read anything online about Albania being ‘up and coming’, know that this is old news; Albania has up and come. Yes, it may get even more busy in the future, but it’s hugely popular already and the crowds are positively ginormous at the country’s top attractions.
We visited in June believing it still to be a shoulder season month, but if that was shoulder season I shudder to think what peak season would be like. Our visit also spanned part of July and thankfully things didn’t get busier.
This leads me to believe that peak season has expanded to include June and possibly September too. We’re heading back in September, so will be able to update you on that in a few months time!
However fear not: we have some tips for avoiding the crowds in the latter part of this list, so don’t be put off just yet if large crowds are a huge turn off.
2. Prices have gone up, but it’s still an excellent value destination
I’d read a bit about what to expect from Albania pricewise and based on that, prices have definitely gone up significantly in recent years. In many cases prices have doubled since 2023. However, what you get for your money in Albania is still fantastic.
The accommodation is high quality and often beautifully put together for a reasonable rate. My only gripe was with sound proofing, but otherwise I found Albania to offer excellent value for money.
The coast was more costly, but otherwise the quality vs price ratio blew me away. I doubt there’s a better value destination on the European side of the Mediterranean. My mum visited for a holiday and she couldn’t believe it either.
It’s not uncommon to get a fabulous room with all the mod-cons and a stunning view for €60 and breakfast is almost always included. A room in a more simple guesthouse (still modern and including AC) can go for €35. Backpackers are well catered for too.
Food and coffee is also well priced. For example: an espresso was about €1 throughout the whole country and a banana and nutella crepe around €2 (except at the coast). We’re not sure where else in Europe that’s still the case, especially when the quality is usually great too.
3. Driving laws are treated like guidelines
The roads are incredibly scenic and generally in reasonable condition. Many roads that were unsealed in recent years are now buttery smooth tarmac.
The drivers however, well… that’s another story. Crimes included but were not limited to: parking on roundabouts, creating additional lanes of traffic on motorways, not giving way on roundabouts or ever really, overtaking inches from oncoming traffic etc etc.
At times it felt like a real life game of Mario Kart.
What’s perhaps stranger still is that all would be calm for a time, lulling you into a false sense of security before the next batshit crazy move would occur.
A road trip is the only way to go to see the best of the country, but you’ll need your wits about you.
4. The towns should be destinations, not day trips
As mentioned, the towns and cities that most tourists will visit are utterly delightful. Yet most people head to the coast and then visit the towns on a day trip, missing out on so much of what they have to offer.
You could whizz around places like Berat and Gjirokaster in a day, but you’ll miss the hidden churches, nearby pristine waterfalls you can swim in and the chance to enjoy the old towns beneath twinkling fairy lights that line the streets at night.
If you are really tight on time, you can fly by, but you will be missing out on some of the best things to do in the entire country that way. If you check out our Albania page, you’ll see why you should spend more than a day in many of these areas.
5. Cash is king and ATM’s charge a fortune
Albania has changed rapidly in the last few years and while you can pay by card in more places than you could previously, cash is still king. And even when places take card, they will smile winningly at you and ask if you have cash instead.
Sometimes they’ll even split the cash withdrawal fee with you as it’s still better for them to do that than pay the card fee.
We could have paid by card in many more places than we did, but you always feel like you want to help and pay in cash when you can.
There are still a lot of places that won’t take card at all, so you will want to have plenty of cash with you. Unfortunately ATM fees are the highest we’ve seen anywhere in the world, ranging from 600 Lek (€6) to 1500 Lek (€15).
Some charge a flat rate and some charge a percentage of the amount you are withdrawing. The worst were charging up to 14%!
Almost everywhere accepts Euros, but it’s often at a less favourable rate (10% worse than the exchange rate was common). If you’re coming from a country where you use the Euro, it’s worth bringing some, as the rate was sometimes an exact match and then you’re avoiding those astronomical fees.
6. You can no longer swim in the ultra famous Blue Eye
RIP swimming in that electric blue water you’ve probably seen all over social media.
I have to say I was gutted when I found out and doubly so when I arrived to see that swimming in the nearby blue river was also now prohibited.
Our guide to visiting the Blue Eye as it stands today might help you decide if a visit is still going to be worth it for you.
As a little consolation prize we’ve also written about a secret blue eye near the town of Shkodar which no one seems to know about and here you can swim to your hearts content.
7. Chains aren’t a thing
One of the many things we loved about Albania is that by and large you will be supporting local families. Most guesthouses and hotels are small family run businesses and ditto with the restaurants.
International chains are not a thing outside of Tirana and even in Tirana it’s limited. I mean they don’t have a single McDonalds in the whole country!
It’s not uncommon to stay somewhere and have dinner that Grandma has cooked with a glass of wine made by Grandad.
Conversations are often through Google translate or the grandchild coming over and showing off their excellent English, which is always really sweet.
We chatted to people of the younger generation too that said the increase in tourism meant they no longer have to go abroad to earn money and that’s a happy and positive tourism story if ever we needed one.
8. The water colour is some of the best you’ll see in the entire world
To say I love wild swimming is a bit of an understatement. This website could be called ‘Swim My World’ at this point, so I am a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to taking a dip. And let me tell you Albania’s swim spots are sensational.
Whether that’s a turquoise pool, emerald canyon waterfall, or vibrant blue sea cave the likes of which you’d more likely associate with a tropical island.
I would estimate half my iPhone memory is now videos of glistening blue water and and I had to up my iCloud storage partway through our trip!
It’s a magical place for swimming and I defy anyone to visit and not be completely wowed.
9. But you might find it freezing…..
However, depending on when and where you're planning to swim, there’s a catch: it might just be some of the coldest water you’ve ever set foot in. The ocean is cool to cold until July when it warms up nicely and stays warm for several months.
This was a bit of a shocker for many people visiting in June and the reason you will see so many photos on our site where I am swimming alone.
I am far from alone - everyone’s looking on from the beaches, or taking very short dips. But the beaches are child’s play. The real test comes when you head for the natural springs and mountain waterfalls.
These are cold year round, ranging from 4C to 10C depending on the location. However, channel your inner Wim Hof you must because they are some of the most beautiful pools you’ll find anywhere.
Personally I have a strange tolerance for cold water and that really helped me out when it came to getting so many pools to myself.
I would get out and people quite literally asked where I’m from because they couldn’t believe I could swim for so long.
Truth be told: if you don’t panic and just breathe, I think most people can do it. However, do test yourself gently at first to make sure you don’t get cold water shock.
10. You can still escape the crowds even in peak season
I’ve talked a bit about crowds and this was a big one for us. Coming from Australia where it’s rare to experience crowds, it was a real shock. However, even places like the Blue Eye in Theth can still be enjoyable if you arrive before 10am.
There were only around 5 people there between 9am and 10.30am. Come midday we counted 100 and that’s way too many people for a small pool!
You can also visit areas and attractions which are not well known and that’s where staying a little longer somewhere and having time to do more than the ‘must do’s’ comes into play.
11. Internet and mobile signal is generally excellent
As we work online this is always a big one for us and I was surprised by how good the internet was almost everywhere we went in Albania.
Wifi speeds were very good and even in places like Theth that formerly had very poor internet, many places have now invested in Starlink. Ditto for mobile signal.
It was so good most of the time that I would be really surprised if I went to use my phone and it didn’t have signal (and this would only be in remote locations).
We broke down in our rental boat out at sea in Himare and no joke I was able to Whatsapp the company for help!
12. It feels very safe
I wouldn’t normally talk about safety, but a lot of people have asked me, so I thought I should include it here. Albanians’s get a pretty bad rep abroad, but honestly I felt completely safe at all times (bar a few hair raising moments when driving!).
I didn’t feel like there was an edge anywhere and to be honest, I never for a moment thought something would happen.
We’ve been to places where you do have that sixth sense go off, such as parts of Venezuela, Colombia and even London, but Albania felt nothing but welcoming.
We walked at night and I carried my bag everywhere without the slightest worry.
Obviously, take all the usual precautions and we all know that the odd bad thing can happen anywhere, but overall I wouldn’t be worried about safety in Albania.
I will add that I was never on my own, so I can’t comment on being a solo female and how that might feel.
13. Trying to visit the top spots in one week will mean most of your trip is spent in the car
We met so many people who had one week in the country and were tearing around helter skelter trying to tick off all the big ticket items.
You can do this if you want to, but you’ll miss so much along the way.
Much of your trip will be spent in the car as journeys are often longer than you might think due to traffic or slow moving vehicles on narrow roads.
We’d personally recommend picking a couple of areas and enjoying all (well lots at any rate) that they have to offer. It will be so much more relaxed and enjoyable.
14. Towns and villages are surprisingly noisy at night
The towns and villages of Albania are exceptionally picturesque. We grew up in England and are no stranger to charming chocolate box villages, but Albania’s are just as gorgeous.
I was honestly taken aback by the sheer beauty and had to stop myself from taking a photo every few minutes. However, the sound tracks to the villages are not in keeping with their exquisite scenery.
Bars, restaurants and clubs blare music late into the night, people chat loudly on the streets until 3am and dogs howl at each other throughout the night.
After we wised up to this fact, we started to stay just a little out of the towns to try and ensure a quieter night. You can check out our hotel recommends if you’re noise averse.
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