r/AlbaniaTravel

Hi, I'll be taking a bus from Tirana to Vlore in the middle of September. I'm mainly worried about the frequency of buses in September - I heard they are almost hourly in season but I'm not sure what exactly is considered the season. Also, is there any chance I'll catch one if my plane arrives at 3pm, or is it better to book a night in Tirana?

Sorry for asking a lot of questions but a lot of answers online are basically go there and see lol

Any locals got an idea on what the average price is for September to rent a small boat no license required / no skipper in Ksamil?

I've been looking at 150€ to 200 euros online for 09:00 - 18:00, but I heard negotiating in cash could be cheaper so I'm not sure...

Hi all!

I'll be travelling through Albania this December, around the week before Christmas, and wanted to ask about any tips for the off season? I know Albania wouldn't be popular this time of year but it's kind of a now or never situation and Albania has been top of my bucket list for a while.

I'll be there for about 8-9 days, and was trying to put together an itinerary, but wanted to ask which places are maybe not worth visiting during this time of year, and maybe others that are nicer?

Nothing is set in stone yet, but I'm prioritising visiting Tirana, Shkoder and Gjirokaster, and then also probably Durres, Vlore, Himare, Pogradec if I have time. Maybe Berat too.

I'm sure Tirana will be unchanged, but what will the other places be like in December? Will many tourism agencies still be open?

I was also curious about the Valbone-Theth trail in the winter, is it still reccomended? Will guides be available at that time of year, or am I better off by myself?

Thanks so much for any advice!

Just finished putting together footage from an amazing trip through southern Albania, and every aerial shot in this video was captured with the DJI Mini 5 Pro. The drone was perfect for exploring the Albanian Riviera — turquoise beaches, dramatic mountains, ancient ruins, and historic castles all look incredible from above.

Looking for anyone who’s done this hike/some reassurance…
I’m thinking of doing this hike in about 3 weeks time. I was previously pretty confident however I ended up with various injuries (which have now healed) mid-June. I’m now feeling SUPER nervous and unsure of my fitness.

Story time:
I was previously running 3 times a week and completed a 9km 600m elevation hike in about 3 hours early June. Was pretty much resting all of June/July with maybe 3-5k run a week. I’ve got a bike recently, so been trying to get some cross-training in with that - about 80K, 600m ish elevation, plus a 10K walk across 2 days. Past 2 weeks or so I’m back to running 2-3 times a week but much shorter distances with run/walk intervals so I don’t injure myself again.

I’m not worried about my injury. It has fully healed now and I’m confident it’ll be ok. I am worried about my fitness. I’m 25F and in good health otherwise although I can be fairly sedentary.

I guess I’m either looking for some encouragement or for someone to say ‘don’t do it you idiot’. Either way would be fine lol.

My friend and I are two Canadians in our late 20s planning a trip to Albania in late September. We’re flying from London to Corfu, taking the ferry into Albania, and then flying home from Corfu.

We like good food, beautiful beaches, boat days, bars/nightlife, and a fun/social atmosphere. We’re not really looking for a super packed sightseeing trip, and we’re trying to keep it to 2 or 3 destinations so we aren’t constantly moving hotels.

Our current plan is:

Sept 23: London
Friend arrives around noon, stay one night in London

Sept 24: Corfu → Sarandë
Fly London → Corfu, ferry to Sarandë, stay in Sarandë

Sept 25: Gjirokastër
Drive Sarandë → Gjirokastër, explore the old town/castle, stay overnight

Sept 26: Himarë
Drive Gjirokastër → Himarë, relax and have a beach afternoon

Sept 27: Himarë
Full beach/boat day, then dinner/drinks

Sept 28: Himarë → Sarandë
Drive down the Riviera, stopping along the way, then stay in Sarandë

Sept 29: Ksamil day trip from Sarandë
Beach/boat/island hopping, then back to Sarandë for dinner/nightlife

Sept 30: Sarandë → Corfu
Ferry back to Corfu, stay overnight

Oct 1: Corfu → London
So our main Albanian destinations would be Gjirokastër, Himarë and Sarandë, with Ksamil as a day trip.

We originally considered Berat, but it seems like it would add more driving/backtracking and we’re not sure it’s worth it for what we’re looking for.

Does this itinerary make sense? Would you keep all 3 destinations, or skip/add somewhere? Is Gjirokastër worth an overnight, or would you do it as a day trip and spend more time on the coast?

Also, between Himarë, Sarandë and Ksamil, which would you prioritize for our vibe? We’re looking for a good mix of beautiful beaches, good restaurants, bars and a fun atmosphere without feeling like we’re rushing around.

Would love any recommendations for places to stay, beaches, restaurants, bars or boat trips too!

Can i rent a Sedan or an SUV is a must for the roads in the south of Tirana ? I am travelling in the 2nd week of september

I am planning a trip to both Tirana and Durres next month. Could you recommend

- a GSM operator (appx. 5 GB + 100 minutes)

- a taxi app for short distances

Thnx

Which would you recommend as a base for three days, Dhërmi or Himarë? We’ll have a car and plan to explore the surrounding area. Thanks!

Hey everyone,
I booked an apartment in Dhërmi (Sant rooms by BRAD Santorini Resort) via Booking.com for August 22–23 (Zamna festival weekend).

Booking Policy: Explicitly says "No prepayment needed" and that payment will be collected at check-in.

What Happened: The host messaged me on WhatsApp demanding full payment in advance via bank transfer or an external payment link.

Their Reason: They claim "Payments through Booking.com are not eligible in Albania" and state they will not provide self check-in access codes unless I pay in advance.

Support Contact: Booking customer support explicitly told me not to pay off-platform and confirmed the property has a "pay at property" policy.

Is it true that Booking payments don't work like this in Albania, or is this a common scheme to bypass platform rules / scam guests? How normal is it for Albanian hosts to withhold check-in codes unless paid via external links?
Any local advice or similar experiences would be much appreciated.

I (M21) visited Albania for a week a few days ago with my gf (21).

We are from Czech Republic (which I think is relevant).

We stayed in Tirana for 3 nights, then went to Vlorë for another 3 and planned to go back to Tirana for one last night before flying back home, but had to change plans and stayed in Vlorë for an additional night, because we got sick and couldn't travel that day. Instead, we ended up going to Tirana early in the morning and straight to the airport.

Now what was my experience like? Overall I would rate it 5/10. I feel like a lot could've been improved simply by the mindset of people there. Anywhere we went and anyone we talked to felt like we were not welcome. People looking at us as if they were judging us even tho we tried to be as respectful and polite as possible. It also didn't help that many people spoke English very poorly, so we couldn't really communicate that well.

The cities are a weird mix of old almost falling apart buildings and new shiny skyscrapers. That felt really out of place and this feeling was amplified by the fact, that the streets were pretty dirty but roaming with fancy, new and very clean cars (Mercedes, Volkswagen etc...). Seeing an old beat up car there was a rarity.

There were also a bunch of stray dogs and cats. I've heard about that and have been warned that the dogs might attack people - my experience was nothing like that. The dogs minded their own business and didn't bother us at all. Most of the cats didn't want to be pet :((. I have not been to the nature in Albania too much, but apparently the aggressive dogs are in the forests (correct me if I'm wrong) and it's advised to carry sticks and rocks to defend yourself (I repeat, that is not my experience).

Now I knew that tap water was not drinkable, so we stopped at a shop and grabbed some water and groceries and to our surprise, it was really expensive. Turns out, supermarkets are mostly for tourists. If you wanna eat on budget, go to markets, street vendors or restaurants.

We wanted to try local food, but most restaurants were pizzerias, which didn't bother us, but felt like a missed opportunity.

When dining in one restaurant in Vlorë, we sat outside and I was shocked that before our food came (which took a normal amount of time, idk how long) 4 people went through the whole restaurant begging for money. That was very unknown to me, but again, it didn't really bother me.

What did bother me was the public transport. There is rarely anything like a system in it. When you get to a bus station, it looks like a big parking lot. You have to find out yourself, which bus you are looking for. The only people willing to help us were (to my big surprise) taxi drivers. They usually approached asking where we were going and offered to take us there, but after we asked, which bus to take, they always told us and were very nice while doing so. I've read some criticism about taxi drivers in Albania, we did not take a single taxi, so idk about that, but my experience with taxi drivers was actually very pleasant.

When you get on a bus, you just sit there and wait until it goes (usually only when it's full of people) and then a guy comes and you pay him for the ride. Some buses are more like vans, which look like citizen cars and we did feel a little bit scared of being kidnapped from time to time. But all went smoothly after all.

When going to Tirana the morning of our flight, we were walking to the bus station and suddenly a van pulled up next to us and asked, if we wanted a ride to Tirana. We talked for a while and it turned out, it was a bus (but nowhere on the internet did it say, it would go at that time) and after I told the driver, we couldn't pay him what he asked, because we didn't have that much, we negotiated the price (from 4000 lek, to 2750, which was all we had left). That was also a pretty unusual experience.

Anywhere we went (shops, restaurants, buses etc...) just felt like people viewed us as the "rich entitled white tourists from the west" and that they were trying to upsell us as much as they could. That felt wrong simply because...we are not rich nor entitled. We are both students and saved up for this trip for a while, and I did not feel like I owe those people anything.

However I don't want to sound like there is nothing to like there. I did enjoy cheap coffee, the sea and especially the mountains and I do regret not being in the nature more.

The cities seemed alive in their own way. Music, lights, people talking etc..., that is also really awesome.

It is sad that the attitude of locals gives the whole trip such a bad vibe. I know they don't have to be nice to me, after all they live there and I have no business being there, but still...

I did meet like two nice people there, both young guys serving us at cafés, I do want to mention that simply because I really appreciated those.

Overall it was an interesting experience, I am glad we went, but I will probably not visit again. It made me appreciate where I live and generally what I have.

If anyone disagrees with anything, I will gladly read your points in the comments and if you are thinking about going, don't let my mediocre experience influence your view. Maybe you'll enjoy it, maybe I just wasn't lucky

Hey everyone! 25M from Canada, planning my solo trip to Albania from Sept 2–10.

I’ll be flying into Corfu, Greece, then taking the ferry to Saranda. I’m flying out of Tirana (TIA) on Sept 10, so I want to slowly make my way north and finish with around 2 nights in Tirana.

I’m trying to figure out the best itinerary without making the trip exhausting. I don't want to just sit on beaches the entire time. I want a mix of Albanian culture, traditional food/music/dancing, historical places, meeting locals and other travellers, beautiful beaches, beach clubs, boat trips, bars/nightlife, plus enough time to actually relax.

Places I'm currently considering:

Saranda — around 3 nights BASE

• Stay downtown near the promenade
• Explore Sarandë
• Ksamil + beach clubs
• Butrint
• Blue Eye
• Possibly Gjirokastër as a day trip
• Bars/nightlife

Himarë — around 2–3 nights BASE

• Beaches
• Old Himarë / castle
• Group boat trip to Gjipe, caves and hidden beaches
• Beach bars
• Considering Pine Side Camp for the social atmosphere

Tirana — around 2 nights (should i just do 1 day here?)

• Explore the city/history
• Albanian food/culture
• Traditional Albanian music/dancing
• Blloku nightlife
• Fly out of TIA on Sept 10

That still leaves me with some flexibility. I originally wanted to see Shala River, Theth and Shkodër, but I don't want to ruin the trip by trying to fit the entire country into 8 days. Is there somewhere else that's worth adding? Please, I am very open to suggestions. I also want to experience the Albanian valle. For anyone who has solo travelled Albania, I'd really appreciate recommendations. Would you change anything about my route or number of nights?

Also, if anyone else is travelling around Albania during Sept 2–10 and wants to meet up, explore together, grab food/drinks, hit a beach club or make some plans, feel free to message me! And if any locals are around and would be down to hang out, show me some local spots or go out for drinks/nightlife, I'd love that too. Always happy to meet new people and make some friends along the way. 🇦🇱🍻

Thank you in advance!

Base in Tirana

Monday - Land in Tirana and arrive at the hotel in the city in the evening. Dinner and a walk around the city.

Tuesday - Day trip at 9:00 AM to Bovilla Lake and Krujë.

Wednesday - About a 2 hours guided city tour in the morning, Bunk'Art 1, Dajti cable car, sunset at Tirana Lake, and dinner.

Thursday - Day trip at 5:30 AM to Lake Koman and the Shala River.

Friday - Breakfast and drive back to the airport in the morning.

Base in Shkodër

Monday - Land in Tirana and arrive at the hotel in Shkodër in the evening. Dinner and a walk around the city.

Tuesday - Day trip at 6:30 AM to Lake Koman and the Shala River.

Wednesday - Day trip at 8:00 AM to Theth village and the Blue Eye in the north.

Thursday - Rozafa Castle, Mesi Bridge, Lake Shkodër beach, and a 2 hours guided city tour in the afternoon.

Friday - Breakfast and drive back to the airport in the morning.

Thanks!

I recently traveled through Albania, visiting Tirana, Sarandë, Vlorë and the surrounding areas, and overall I came away with very mixed feelings.

Let me start with the positive. The natural beauty is incredible. Sarandë was probably the highlight for us. The coastline, beaches and boat tour were absolutely breathtaking, and there were moments when the scenery made all the other frustrations completely worth it.

However, traveling around Albania also came with quite a few challenges.

First, be very careful with taxis and car rentals. We used a taxi app (Patoko) several times and had some strange experiences, including drivers passing us after accepting the ride and apparently picking up other passengers. We also had a few uncomfortable interactions with drivers. I would personally recommend using a higher/premium taxi category rather than the cheapest option just to increase the chances to meet someone normal.

We also noticed that some taxi drivers seemed to be connected to car rentals and would immediately try to offer us a rental car. Our own rental experience wasn't great either. We had originally booked a Mercedes ML but were given a Volkswagen Passat instead, with the explanation that the Passat was newer/better because it was peak season. We were still charged the same price. We accepted because we were already dealing with transportation problems and didn't have time to start looking for another agency (we knew our car was changed at the meeting point).

Parking was another major problem. In both Tirana and Sarandë, finding a parking spot could take longer than the actual drive to the destination. If Google Maps says you're 15 minutes away, don't assume you'll be there in 15 minutes, you might spend another 20–30 minutes just looking for somewhere to leave the car.

Vlorë was more of a mixed experience for us. We found some beaches noticeably dirtier than those around Sarandë, and some of our interactions there felt less friendly. We also had a disappointing experience with a local boat tour, including unnecessary high-speed driving and delays. An ATV tour we had booked also fell apart because of changes to the pickup time and confusion about how many quads we had paid for. We eventually decided not to take the tour.

Another thing we noticed throughout the trip was how some interactions with local men felt quite unfriendly or confrontational to us. I don't want to generalize about Albanian people, because obviously everyone is different, but compared with other countries we've traveled to, we personally experienced a noticeably less welcoming attitude in some situations.

Finally, watch the prices when you're a tourist. We had several situations where prices seemed inconsistent, particularly in tourist oriented places. In one café, we were quoted different prices for the same products at different times of the day. We also felt that some tourist shops were trying to charge us more simply because we were visitors. It made us uncomfortable, especially when paying by card, because we weren't always sure whether the price being entered was actually the price we had been told.

So, my overall impression of Albania is complicated:

The nature, beaches and coastline are amazing. There are genuinely beautiful places that I would love to see again.

But the transportation, parking, some tourist services, inconsistent pricing and some of our interactions with locals made the trip more stressful than we expected.

Maybe we were simply unlucky with some of these experiences, and I'm sure plenty of people have had completely different trips. I'm sharing this mainly because if you're planning to visit Albania, do your research, double check prices, carefully choose your rental company, allow plenty of extra time for parking, and don't assume everything will work as smoothly as it does in other European destinations.

For us, Albania was definitely beautifulm but also one of those trips where the landscape was much more impressive than the overall travel experience.

Hi there, I’m planning a trip to Albania from the 12th September but unfortunately only have 5 days. I am struggling to choose between the south ( Gjirokaster, himare and Ksamil) and the Albanian alps (e.g theth and Valbona). I enjoy both the beach and hiking so am loss as to what might be a more unique scenery compared to the rest of Europe?

I’m going to spend a week in Albania in September, and I’m thinking about renting a car. I found a company called Lemon Car Rental with good prices and reviews. Has anyone here had any experience with this car rental company?

Hi, I recently inherited an apartment in Tirana, near Skanderbeg Square, in a communist-era building without an elevator. I'm renovating it and plan to rent it out as a short-term service apartment, which I also intend to use when I return visit Tirana. The apartment has three bedrooms. I'm considering whether to configure it as a three-bedroom unit or as a two-bedroom plus an office/guest bedroom with sofabed to appeal to those looking for a work-from-home setup.

Kam ber kerkes per kompesim pas voneses se fluturimit prej 18 oresh, ryaniair me kerkoi te dhenat e bankes, tek account number a keni vendos iban apo numrin e llogaris?

We are landing in Sarande tomorrow for a week and wondering where are the best places to go day/night. Also how do prices here compare to Greece/Spain etc?