First Trip to Albania: Everything You Need to Know Before Your Trip

The idea of going to Albania came to me quite randomly. I was looking for a new country I hadn’t been to before, but I also wanted to spend some time by the Mediterranean and enjoy the last warm days on the coast — swimming, sunbathing and, of course, eating good food. I had already been to a few places in the Balkans, including Croatia and Montenegro. I had also started seeing quite a lot of photos and posts from Albania, especially from the coast, and thought that maybe this was exactly the kind of place I was looking for. So, Albania ended up being the destination for my next trip.

Before going, I had quite a few questions about the country myself. Is Albania safe? Can you pay in euros? Is it really as cheap as people say? And what is Albania actually like? In this post, I’ll answer the questions I had before my trip and clear up some of the myths that still exist about Albania.

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Is Albania in the EU? No, Albania is not a member of the European Union. Albania has been an EU candidate country since 2014, while accession negotiations began in 2022. For travellers, this mainly means that Albania is outside both the EU and the Schengen Area. However, that doesn’t mean travelling there is complicated.

Do I need a visa? EU citizens can visit Albania without a visa for short stays. The exact entry requirements depend on your nationality and the documents you are travelling with, so I recommend checking the current rules for your country before your trip. 

As an example, here is what the border crossing was like for me as a German citizen. If you are travelling with a German passport, you can use the automated passport control when entering Albania. If you arrive with a German ID card (Personalausweis) or a residence permit from an EU country, you need to go through passport control with an officer instead. No stamps are put in your passport.

Is Albania safe? Yes, I felt safe travelling around Albania. I didn’t have any situations during the trip that made me feel unsafe, and I was comfortable walking around both Tirana and Ksamil. As with anywhere else, I would still use common sense, especially in crowded tourist areas and when carrying cash, but I didn’t feel that I needed to take any special precautions. If you are wondering whether Albania is a country you should be afraid to visit, based on my experience, definitely not.

Is Albania still communist? No, Albania is not a communist country anymore. The communist regime ended in 1991, after more than four decades of communist rule under Enver Hoxha. Today, Albania is a parliamentary republic and a NATO member, and it has been an EU candidate country since 2014. However, the country’s communist past is still quite visible. You can see it in the architecture, abandoned bunkers, museums and monuments, and you’ll probably hear stories about what life was like under the regime. So while Albania is definitely not communist today, its recent history is still very much part of the country.

What currency do they use in Albania? The official currency in Albania is the Albanian lek (ALL). You will see prices in lek almost everywhere, but euros are also widely accepted, especially in tourist areas. However, I found it was usually better to pay in lek when possible, as paying in euros does not always mean getting the best exchange rate.

A quick tip: for an easy mental conversion, I used 100 lek ≈ €1. It wasn’t the exact exchange rate, but it made it much easier to understand prices at a glance.

Can you pay in euros in Albania? Yes, you can pay in euros in many places in Albania, especially in popular tourist areas. Hotels, restaurants, shops and tour operators often accept euros, so you don’t necessarily need to exchange all your money into lek. However, I noticed that paying in euros was not always the best deal, as the exchange rate used by the business could be less favourable. For everyday expenses, I would therefore recommend having some Albanian lek with you.

Can you pay by card in Albania? In our experience, card payments were accepted much less often than we expected. Most of the time, we could only use a card in larger supermarkets or shops, while many smaller businesses accepted cash only. We actually took almost all the money we needed for the trip in cash and used our cards only to pay for a few excursions booked through GetYourGuide. Even though all of our hotels asked us to pay in cash. If, like us, you book your accommodation through Booking.com, you may find it more convenient to pay in cash in euros when you arrive. I would definitely recommend having enough cash with you rather than relying on your card.

Where сan you exchange money in Albania? There are plenty of exchange offices in Tirana and other tourist areas, so exchanging euros into Albanian lek is quite easy. We didn’t exchange any money at the airport, though. When we arrived, we simply paid for the bus in euros and exchanged our money later, at an exchange office near our accommodation close to Skanderbeg Square. One of the more reliable exchange offices in the area is Iliria'98. There are also a couple of exchange offices in Ksamil, where we spent most of our time, but the exchange rate there was slightly worse.

Is Albania really сheap? I wouldn’t really say that Albania is extremely cheap, at least not across the board. Accommodation was definitely affordable for us: we travelled at the end of September, towards the end of the season, and found plenty of budget apartments for around €30–40 per night for two people. Cafés and restaurants were also quite cheap, although don’t expect the huge portions you might get in Montenegro or Greece. A full-day excursion from Tirana or Ksamil usually cost us around €30 per person, which I thought was a pretty good deal. Surprisingly, groceries were a different story — some products in supermarkets were actually more expensive than in Germany. Perhaps we simply weren’t shopping at the cheapest supermarkets, but I definitely wouldn’t go to Albania assuming that everything will be cheaper than at home.

How to get from Tirana Airport? The easiest way to get from Tirana International Airport to the city centre is by bus. We took the airport bus, which was quite straightforward and affordable, and the ticket cost us around €4.50 per person. We paid in euros, so we didn’t need to exchange money at the airport. The bus takes you towards Skanderbeg Square, making it a convenient option if you are staying in central Tirana. If you have a lot of luggage or arrive late at night, a taxi is another option.

Why does Albania only have one international airport? If you’re planning a trip to Albania, you might be surprised to find that almost all international flights arrive at Tirana International Airport. Albania is a relatively small country, and Tirana Airport has traditionally been the main gateway for international travellers. There are other airports in the country, but they have not traditionally played the same role for regular international passenger flights.

What are the other ways to get to Albania? If you are heading to the Albanian Riviera, flying to Tirana is not necessarily the easiest option. One of the most convenient alternatives is to fly to Corfu, Greece, which is especially useful if you are travelling to Sarandë or Ksamil. From Corfu Airport, you can take a taxi or bus to the port, go through passport control and then take a ferry to Sarandë. The fastest ferries take around 30 minutes, while slower boats can take about 1 hour 15 minutes. 

Can you also enter Albania by car from neighbouring countries? If you are already travelling around the Balkans, this can be a much more convenient option than flying to Tirana. Albania has land border crossings with Greece, Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia, and there are also international buses connecting Albania with cities such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Skopje, Pristina and Podgorica.

Can you travel around Albania by public transport? This was one of the main questions I had before my trip to Albania. I was actually surprised by how little information I could find about travelling around the country by public transport, as most travel guides seemed to recommend renting a car. But we managed to get all the way from Tirana to Ksamil using public transport, and we also used local buses to get around the Ksamil area. So, based on my experience, travelling around Albania without a car is absolutely possible and not nearly as scary as I expected. The public transport system may not be the most modern or straightforward, but once you understand how it works, it’s quite manageable. On city buses, there are conductors who sell tickets on board, and we never had any problems or felt that we were being overcharged.

Is it easy to rent a car in Albania? Renting a car in Albania is quite easy, especially if you pick it up at Tirana International Airport. There are plenty of rental companies there, so you can collect your car as soon as you arrive and start your road trip straight away. However, you don’t necessarily have to rent a car at the airport. In many cities and tourist destinations, you’ll also find local companies offering cars and scooters for rent, which can be a convenient option if you only need a vehicle for a few days.

Is Albania beautiful? Absolutely! The nature was one of the things that impressed us most about Albania. We loved the dramatic mountains, charming little towns with their own atmosphere and the feeling that there are still plenty of places where nature remains relatively untouched. And, of course, the beaches were a huge highlight — white sand, crystal-clear water and some truly beautiful scenery along the coast. Even Tirana surprised us in this respect. Although it is a busy capital city, there are plenty of interesting buildings and other man-made sights to explore. So if you’re wondering whether Albania is beautiful beyond its famous beaches, I would definitely say yes. There is much more to discover.

Is it crowded? We travelled to Albania at the end of September, so we were there towards the end of the summer season. And honestly, I thought it was a great time to visit. The popular places were still lively, but we didn’t find them overwhelmingly crowded. Even in Ksamil, which is one of the most popular destinations on the Albanian Riviera, it felt much more relaxed than I had expected. Of course, I can’t say what it is like at the height of summer, especially in July and August. But if you’re looking for warm weather, fewer crowds and a more relaxed atmosphere, I would definitely consider travelling to Albania in September.

Is Albania touristy? Albania is definitely becoming more touristy, and you can really see how quickly the country is developing its tourism infrastructure. New hotels are opening, bus connections are improving, and many towns are investing in their waterfronts and public spaces. There are also more local tour operators and guides offering excursions and experiences for visitors. At the same time, I didn’t feel that Albania had become overly touristy yet. In many places, you can still see areas that feel relatively undeveloped and untouched, especially outside the most popular coastal resorts. For me, that mix was actually one of the most interesting things about travelling around Albania — you can see a country that is clearly changing, but it hasn’t lost its more authentic side yet.

What is Albanian food like? Albanian food is definitely worth trying, although I have to say that the portions are not usually as huge as in Montenegro or Greece. That said, you can always find Greek restaurants and cafés in Albania where the portions are much more generous! One thing you definitely won’t be able to avoid is byrek. There are byrektore — small shops specialising in this traditional pastry — all over the country, and you’ll see them on almost every corner. So you really shouldn’t leave Albania without trying one. I would also recommend trying some traditional Albanian dishes such as stuffed peppers, tavë dheu and tavë kosi. Tavë kosi, a traditional baked dish made with lamb and yoghurt, is one of the most well-known Albanian specialities. And if you like beer, here is a little challenge for you: during our trip, we tried six of the main Albanian beer brands. My favourite was Elbar, so if you see it on the menu, give it a try!

Do people speak English? Yes, we found it quite easy to communicate in English in Albania, especially in tourist areas. Most people working in hotels, cafés, restaurants and tour companies spoke at least some English, and we didn’t have any major problems communicating during our trip. Of course, English was less common in some smaller local places, but even there we usually managed to get by without any problems.

Is tap water safe? We didn’t drink tap water during our trip and mostly bought bottled water instead, so I wouldn’t want to give you a definite answer based on my own experience. If you’re unsure, especially when travelling outside the main cities, I would simply stick to bottled water.

These were the main questions I had before travelling to Albania, and I hope my answers have helped you get a better idea of what to expect and perhaps even convinced you to give Albania a try.

If you still have any questions about travelling to Albania, feel free to leave them in the comments below. I’ll be happy to answer and share anything else I learnt during my trip!