As a very Type A traveller, I am a touch obsessive when it comes to planning trips. While I love to know all the fun stuff like places to see, cafes to visit, the best viewpoints (my google maps is a work of art imo), I also need to know all the small, logistical details that go into planning a trip. What’s public transport like? What’s the cash vs card situation? I don’t like to wing these parts. I like to have these details sorted so I can enjoy myself and then I can wing the fun stuff.
I’ve found that many blogs, tiktoks, and travel posts gloss over these details, especially for lesser visited destinations, so I’ve tried to include everything I wish I’d known before planning a trip to Albania. If you’re after itinerary tips and details, check out my Ultimate Albania Travel Itinerary post.
A Quick Bit of History
I confess I knew nothing about Albania’s history before visiting but I cannot recommend enough learning a little about the history before planning a trip to Albania as it truly helps contextualise everything. This is particularly important if you’re going straight to the south as while the nature is beautiful, the state of construction and infrastructure is vastly different to the Italian and French Riviera’s you may have already visited.
Luckily, we started in Tirana with a free walking tour (I am a free walking tour’s number 1 fan) which really set the scene for the rest of our trip.
What we did learn from our walking tour guide: For centuries, it was part of the Roman and later the Ottoman Empires, and it only became independent in 1912. After WWII, it was ruled by communist leaders and was completely closed off from the rest of the world for decades — our tour guide told us that at one point it was more isolated than modern-day North Korea. The dictatorship only ended in the early 1990s, which is why tourism is still relatively new in Albania, but it’s getting more popular every year.
Today you’ll find remnants of their history and the lasting effects of that isolation in everything from their bus system and their water quality to their Museum of Secret Surveillance (The House of leaves).
Geography: What’s Where
Albania might be small, but it’s incredibly varied — and that’s part of what makes travelling here so special.
The north is mountainous and dramatic, home to the Albanian Alps and the famous Valbona to Theth hike, which is a must if you love nature, remote villages, and proper adventure. It’s also the number one reason I’ll be coming back to Albania.
The south is where you’ll find the Albanian Riviera, with its crystal-clear water, beach towns like Himarë and Ksamil, and a slower, more laid-back vibe. This is the area you’re likely seeing all over your TikTok FYP — while TikTok does do the nature and scenery justice, the beaches definitely aren’t that quiet during the day and the main beaches can be as busy as Greece and Italy. Like anywhere, if you get up early in the morning, you’ll likely be able to get some beautiful crowd-free photos and enjoy the scenery before it gets busy.
In central Albania, there’s a mix of history and local life, from the buzzing capital Tirana to Berat and Gjirokastër, both UNESCO-listed towns known for their Ottoman-era architecture, cobblestone streets, and whitewashed houses stacked into the hills.
Albanian Food: What to Expect
Albania isn’t exactly known for its food and I suspect it’s largely due to the fact that it doesn’t have its own distinct cuisine. Instead, its cuisine is a delicious reflection of its geography and history. With neighbours like Greece, Italy, and the Balkans — plus centuries under Ottoman rule — the cuisine actually pulls from a mix of Mediterranean and Turkish influences. You’ll find plenty of grilled meats, flaky pastries, fresh vegetables, pasta, and rich stews on menus. The stews and pastries are delish but sadly we sadly weren’t wowed by the bread.
If you’re a seafood fan like me, the south is the place to be as you’ll find fresh fish and shellfish at restaurants with ocean views for a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere in Europe. Think grilled calamari, whole baked fish, and plenty of lemon and olive oil. I think we had seafood linguine almost every day while we were in Ksamil and they kept getting better and better.
In Tirana and Berat, the food scene leans more towards Ottoman-style dishes — we had lots of slow-cooked meats, pilafs, and Turkish-inspired desserts.
Prices were affordable across the board, though interestingly, we actually found neighbouring Corfu to be slightly cheaper overall.
One thing to note: don’t drink the tap water in Albania. Stick to bottled water, which is cheap and widely available. However, it’s not like you’re at risk of Bali belly and we brushed our teeth with tap water and didn’t run into any tummy-related trouble.
Do you need cash in Albania?
Yes, cash is essential as many shops, cafes etc don’t accept card payments (though that may change as tourism continues to grow), but we found most bigger establishments like hotels, restaurants, and bars accepted card.
Unfortunately, while planning a trip to Albania, you’ll discover it can be a bit tricky to get your hands on Albanian Lek before you arrive in Albania as very few currency converters stock it in both Australia and Europe. The good news is, if you’re flying directly into Tirana, you’ll find plenty of ATMs and currency converters at the airport where you can get cash out.
Also, while card payments might be accepted, definitely check that your travel card is valid in Albania as it’s not guaranteed. I’m a longtime fan of the Wise travel card which is accepted in Albania.
Where can you buy an Albania SIM card?
The great news is, as tourism to Albania grows, so do its connections to the rest of the world. In particular, it’s now included in many eSIM cards! However, most physical SIM cards still don’t cover Albania so if you’re not looking at getting an eSIM card, keep reading.
Much like the ATMs, there are multiple telco providers at the Tirana airport and they are more than keen to get you set up with a local SIM card. The good news is it’s super easy to find them – you’ll run straight into them once you’ve picked up your luggage. We visited in August and had to line up for a little while to get our SIM card, but they set it up and install it for you so you can hit the ground running. We got one SIM to share between the two of us and they had options for as little as 7 days which was great for our short trip. Noting that we did see cheaper prices in the city so if you can wait and want to save a bit of money it’s a good option.
Getting to Albania
There are a few main ways to get to Albania — the majority of people either fly into Tirana or catch the ferry across from Corfu. We flew into Tirana from Vienna and made our way south to Berat and then Ksamil before heading across to Corfu which has a well-connected airport.
Our flights from Vienna to Tirana in July were more expensive than some euro summer routes (e.g. a $30 Barcelona to London flight) but still reasonably affordable compared to Australian domestic flights.
You can also get to Albania from the neighbouring Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia by train and/or bus. Alternatively, if you’re doing a big euro roadtrip, driving between countries is also an option.
Getting Around Albania
How to get from Tirana airport to the city?
There is a great bus option running from the airport to the centre of Tirana. It’s quick, easy and comfortable. We bought our tickets once we left the airport terminal and could almost get straight on a bus – no long waits in the hot sun!
The bus will drop you at a square in the centre of Tirana and lots of local buses depart from here so getting to accommodation is pretty easy. We stayed at a hotel nearby and we were able to just walk from where the bus dropped us off.
How to get around Tirana?
Buses and walking are your best bet in Tirana – it’s not a huge city nor super modern so the bus and walking will serve you well. Though you can of course catch a taxi if you need – noting that Uber doesn’t exist in Albania so isn’t an option.
The bus system is easy to navigate and the buses run often, though not always to the timetable listed on the bus stop. You’ll buy your bus ticket while the bus is driving — a ticket attendant will come round the bus and sort you out so make sure to have your cash (preferably in small coins) at the ready or you’ll be given a few dirty looks.
How to get between cities in Albania?
The bus system between cities is pretty well connected and we didn’t have any trouble getting from Tirana to Berat and from Berat to Sarandë/Ksmail.
Tirana to Berat
The commute from Tirana to Berat is super easy — there’s a cheap local bus that leaves from Tirana city centre and drops you at the main bus depot just outside of Berat. From there, I’d recommend jumping in a taxi to get into the centre, especially if you have luggage.
Berat to Sarandë
The bus from Berat to Sarandë takes about 4 hours and drops you near the port, where you’ll also find other connections.
This was by far the most unusual bus ride of our lives – we had purchased tickets the afternoon before when we first arrived in Berat (thank god) but there was a lot of confusion when boarding the little minivan style bus and it wasn’t clear if people with pre-purchased tickets were prioritised over people who rocked up in the morning. We were eventually very strategically arranged in the bus and my sister and I ended up in the back row next to a family with their school-aged child on their laps the whole time. The younger men on the bus were the (not-so) lucky boys who sat on fold out stools placed down the aisle of the bus for the 4 hour drive. We had a quick petrol, bathroom and refreshment stop and then were arranged back in the van. This is not at all to deter you from catching the bus – it was definitely an adventure and one of our funniest experiences from the trip plus a good way to experience Albania like a local. Plus it was relatively easy, safe and we arrived on time.
Sarandë to Ksamil
Once in Sarandë, if you’re continuing on to Ksamil, the bus is cheap and straightforward — you don’t need to book tickets in advance, you just pay as you board. The only catch is that it’s a bit of a free-for-all since the buses aren’t super regular, and it’s not always obvious where they’ll pull in at the depot. Our accommodation told us which stop to get off at, and the driver even called which stop was which.
Flagging that there’s only one narrow road in and out of Ksamil, and it can get really congested at peak times. Leaving early in the morning is fine, but if you’re travelling in or out later in the day, allow extra time.
Getting out of Albania at the end of your trip
Albania itself isn’t super well connected to the rest of Europe which means flights in or out can be on the pricier side. To minimise the costs of the trip, I recommend working your way from north to south and finishing up in Sarandë/Ksamil. From here, it’s a pretty quick and easy ferry across to Corfu which not only has beautiful beaches, fantastic greek food, and an interesting history, but also a very well connected airport.
We spent a few days in Corfu to round things out but you could easily catch the ferry over in the morning and fly out of Corfu the same afternoon if you’re short on time.
All in All
I suspect a lot of these details will change in the coming years as tourism in Albania grows and their infrastructure advances to keep up. In the meantime, hopefully I’ve helped your planning a trip to Albania. It’s a beautiful country and we found it an easy to travel around plus had our fair share of adventures. It was a fantastic week — we only wish we had spent more time in the north and included a hike in our itinerary. If you’re not sure how to spend your time in Albania, you can steal my itinerary here.