Albania feels like Europe before Europe got polished.
It’s rough around the edges in the most charming way.
The roads curve through mountains that don’t apologize for being dramatic.
The coast looks like Croatia did twenty years ago — before the crowds, before the influencers, before the overpriced sunset cocktails.
And the people.
Man, the people.
Albanians have this quiet, fierce hospitality that I’ve never encountered anywhere else.
I showed up soaked in a small village outside Berat, totally lost, and a woman literally waved me inside her house and put food in front of me.
No shared language.
Just kindness.
That kind of thing doesn’t happen everywhere.
It sort of recalibrates you.
Getting to Albania — It’s Easier Than You Think
Flying into Tirana is the move.
Tirana International Airport is small but functional, and getting through it is genuinely fast.
A lot of travelers fly into Corfu or Dubrovnik and cross overland, which is actually a beautiful way to arrive.
I flew direct from Rome once and it was barely two hours.
Ferries from Bari and Ancona in Italy also land in Durrës or Vlorë, which drops you right near the coast.
If you’re doing a Balkan road trip, crossing from Montenegro through Shkodër gives you some of the best mountain scenery I’ve ever seen from a car window.
Albania shares borders with Greece, Montenegro, Kosovo, and North Macedonia — so it slots into a bigger Balkan trip really naturally.
Don’t overthink the entry.
You almost certainly don’t need a visa depending on your passport.
Just check your specific situation before you go.
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Tirana — A Capital City That Actually Surprises You
I’ll be honest — I didn’t expect to love Tirana.
Capitals can feel like a checkbox sometimes.
But Tirana has this weird, electric energy that grabbed me immediately.
Blloku neighborhood used to be off-limits to regular Albanians during the communist era — only the elite lived there.
Now it’s all coffee shops, murals, wine bars, and good food.
The colorful buildings downtown are genuinely surreal.
Former Prime Minister Edi Rama — who was also an artist — ordered the facades painted in bold geometric patterns, and walking through those streets feels like being inside a painting.
Skanderbeg Square is worth your morning.
The National History Museum mural on the outside alone is worth the walk.
If I had one day in Tirana, I’d spend it wandering Blloku, eating byrek for breakfast, and grabbing coffee at every place that looked interesting.
Which is basically all of them.
The Albanian Riviera — My Personal Obsession
Okay, this is where I lose my mind a little.
The Albanian Riviera might be the most underrated coastline in all of Europe.
I’m serious.
Places like Himara, Dhermi, Palasa, and Qeparo have the kind of water that makes you stop mid-sentence just to look at it.
It’s electric blue, then teal, then almost green depending on the light and the depth.
The mountains drop straight into the sea here.
The beach bars are simple — plastic chairs, cold Korça beer, grilled fish that came out of the water that morning.
I stayed in a tiny guesthouse above Dhermi for four nights and I think about it constantly.
Dhermi village itself sits up in the hills, older than everything, with narrow stone streets and views that make your chest feel tight in a good way.
Go in shoulder season if you can.
Summer is beautiful but it gets busy.
🗼 I Wrote a Book About My Japan Travel Catastrophes!
Before I landed in Tokyo, I thought I was the “Final Boss” of international travel. Spoiler alert: I WASN’T. 😅
🚅 I boarded the wrong Shinkansen and ended up in THE WRONG CITY. I confused locals with my “expert” bowing that was more awkward than accurate. I accidentally stumbled into a high-stakes Kendo practice thinking it was a tourist show. Sound like something you’d do?
“Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” is your shortcut to avoiding ALL my cringe-worthy mistakes. ✨ Inside, you’ll find practical, LIFE-SAVING tips on etiquette, transport, money, and hidden gems that will save you time, money, and a whole lot of confusion.
Berat — The City of a Thousand Windows
Berat is UNESCO-listed and it absolutely deserves it.
The old Ottoman houses stacked up the hillside, each one with those big symmetrical windows — it looks like the mountain itself is watching you.
That’s how it got the nickname: the city of a thousand windows.
When I walked through Mangalem quarter at golden hour, the light hit those white walls and I genuinely stopped walking.
Just stood there.
The castle up top is incredible — and people still actually live inside it, which blew my mind.
There’s a small museum inside a Byzantine church, icons covering every inch of the walls, and a quiet that feels almost sacred.
Berat is a day trip from many places, but I’d strongly recommend staying overnight.
The town empties out in the evening and you get this rare, peaceful version of it.
Eat at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the Osum River.
Order whatever they recommend.
Gjirokastër — Stone, History, and a Feeling You Can’t Shake
Gjirokastër is another UNESCO site and another one that hit me harder than expected.
It’s a city built almost entirely of stone — the roofs, the streets, the walls.
Everything is grey and cool and old.
The Ottoman bazaar is one of the most atmospheric streets I’ve walked anywhere.
The castle looms over everything and inside it there’s a captured American spy plane from the Cold War era, which is as strange and cool as it sounds.
This was also the birthplace of Enver Hoxha, the communist dictator who isolated Albania from the world for decades.
That history is everywhere here — in the bunkers dotting the hillsides, in the way older locals talk about the past.
It adds a weight to the place that I found really compelling.
Gjirokastër is about two hours from Berat and makes a natural pairing.
Stay at least one night.
Walk the bazaar early in the morning before anyone else is out.
The Albanian Alps — For the Guys Who Need Mountains
Okay, if you’re anything like me and mountains make you feel like a real human again, the Albanian Alps — locally called the Accursed Mountains — are non-negotiable.
Valbona Valley is stunning in a way that’s hard to describe without sounding dramatic.
Jagged peaks, clear rivers, meadows, wooden guesthouses run by incredibly welcoming families.
The classic move is the Valbona to Theth hike — a full day trek through the mountains connecting two valleys.
I did it with a small pack and a cheese sandwich and it was one of the best days I’ve had outdoors anywhere.
Theth itself has this untouched quality — a waterfall nearby, a lock-in tower (a traditional refuge from blood feuds), and absolutely zero cell service.
Which, honestly, was a relief.
Get a guide if you’re not experienced.
The terrain is serious.
Albanian Food — I Didn’t Expect to Eat This Well
Let me tell you something nobody told me before I went: Albanian food is incredible.
Byrek is flaky, oily, filled with spinach or cheese or meat, and costs almost nothing.
It’s the kind of breakfast that makes you feel set for the day.
Tavë kosi is a baked lamb and yogurt dish that I ordered multiple times and never got tired of.
Fresh seafood along the coast is treated simply — grilled, olive oil, lemon.
That’s it.
That’s the recipe.
Fergesë is a Tirana staple — a creamy, slightly spicy mix of peppers, tomatoes, and cottage cheese that you eat with bread and barely stop.
The wine is underrated too.
Albanian wine doesn’t get talked about much outside the country but some of the local reds from the Berat region were genuinely great.
Raki — grape or mulberry — will appear at meals whether you asked for it or not.
Just accept it gracefully.
Getting Around Albania — What I Wish I’d Known
Renting a car is the best decision I made for this trip.
Full stop.
Albania has a public bus system called furgons — shared minivans that run between towns — and they work fine for major routes.
But the real stuff, the small villages, the coastal roads, the mountain passes?
You need a car.
The driving is… let’s call it spirited.
Albanians drive fast and confidently.
The roads range from perfectly smooth to adventure-level rough.
Google Maps works but sometimes it gets creative.
Download offline maps as a backup.
Tirana has decent rideshare apps if you just need city transport.
Fuel is reasonably priced.
Parking in most places is casual — you sort of just find a spot.
If I were doing it again, I’d rent in Tirana, drive south along the coast, loop up through Gjirokastër and Berat, then head north to the Alps.
That route is near-perfect.
Budget — Albania Is Genuinely Affordable
This is one of those destinations where your money stretches in a way that feels almost surreal.
A great meal with drinks rarely ran me more than ten or twelve dollars.
Guesthouses in the mountains cost almost nothing and came with breakfast included.
Accommodation in Tirana is more expensive but still reasonable compared to Western Europe.
The Albanian Lek is the currency and while some tourist spots accept euros, Lek is the way to go for everyday stuff.
ATMs are available in most towns.
I budgeted conservatively and came home with money left over, which never happens.
This isn’t a reason to go cheap and disrespect local businesses — tip your hosts, pay fair prices, support small restaurants.
But if budget has been holding you back from traveling more, Albania removes that excuse pretty effectively.
It’s one of the most affordable countries in Europe with one of the highest returns on experience.
🗼 I Wrote a Book About My Japan Travel Catastrophes!
Before I landed in Tokyo, I thought I was the “Final Boss” of international travel. Spoiler alert: I WASN’T. 😅
🚅 I boarded the wrong Shinkansen and ended up in THE WRONG CITY. I confused locals with my “expert” bowing that was more awkward than accurate. I accidentally stumbled into a high-stakes Kendo practice thinking it was a tourist show. Sound like something you’d do?
“Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” is your shortcut to avoiding ALL my cringe-worthy mistakes. ✨ Inside, you’ll find practical, LIFE-SAVING tips on etiquette, transport, money, and hidden gems that will save you time, money, and a whole lot of confusion.
Safety in Albania — Let’s Clear This Up
I know what you might be thinking.
There’s a perception out there — shaped by old news cycles and movies that have nothing to do with reality — that Albania is dangerous.
It’s not.
I walked around alone at night in multiple cities.
I hitchhiked once in the north.
I left my bag at a café table while I went to use the bathroom.
Nothing happened.
Albanians have a cultural code called besa — roughly translated as a pledge of honor, a promise to protect.
It applies to guests too.
The hospitality is real and deeply cultural, not performative.
Standard travel awareness applies — don’t flash expensive stuff, be respectful, learn a few words in Albanian (even “faleminderit” for thank you goes a long way).
But genuine, serious danger?
I never felt it.
Not once.
My Honest Tips Before You Book
Pack layers even in summer — mountain temperatures drop fast and those Riviera evenings can get cool.
Download offline maps before you leave Tirana.
Learn to say “faleminderit” (thank you) and “mirëmëngjes” (good morning) — Albanians light up when foreigners try.
Don’t rush the coast.
Slow down there.
Sit with a coffee, watch the boats, let the day go soft.
Bring cash for smaller towns and guesthouses.
Don’t rely on card everywhere.
If a local recommends a restaurant or a road or a viewpoint — follow that advice immediately, no questions asked.
Some of my best moments came from exactly those kinds of off-menu suggestions.
Albania rewards the curious traveler.
The one who’s willing to take the unmarked road, eat the thing they can’t pronounce, and sit still long enough to let the place work on them.
That’s the version of you that should get on the plane.
