Is Albania Worth Visiting? Here’s What You Should Know

A Cold Welcome in Theth

We stayed at a simple but lovely guesthouse in Theth in October which just happened to be during an early winter (thanks, global warming). It was 40°F (4°C), rainy, and the wind was howling.

Normally on bad weather days, we find a cozy place to post up. The problem? In Theth, no such place existed. Our guesthouse had no heat, no fireplace, and all the common areas were outdoors — same as most other guesthouses in town.

We ended up hopping between restaurants and spending most of our time curled up in bed trying to stay warm.

When we asked the tourism office what to do in bad weather, the answer was: “Honestly? Nothing.”

And that seemed to be the case at most of our hotels as well (aside from our favorite, Rea Boutique Hotel in Himarë) where staff weren’t really prepared to give recommendations.

It was clear the hospitality industry still has rough edges. That attention to detail you might expect elsewhere is not quite there yet.

Lesson learned: Theth is absolutely stunning, and we’d love to go back but next time, we’ll double check that our guesthouse has heat and indoor space that’s more than just a bed.

Shala River, Clunky Logistics Edition

The logistics can be frustrating as well. We booked a stay on the Shala River and our lodge arranged the transportation. To get to the river, we had to take a two hour bus at 6 am from Shkodër on an unpaved road and then take an hour boat along Koman Lake to get to the Shala River (a very scenic and stunning boat ride btw). 

What was frustrating about the journey was we had to wait for at least two hours at the ferry terminal before our lodge came to get us via boat. 

We were the only guests arriving that day so it didn’t make sense why our lodge didn’t just come grab us when the bus arrived especially since they arranged both forms of transportation.

Instead, with the wait time, it took us 6+ hours to get to our lodge and we were exhausted from the early morning bus.

The Winery We Never Reached

Another time, we tried to visit a winery for lunch and had to turn around multiple times because the road either wasn’t paved or just… ended.

After driving around for nearly an hour and finally getting close, we hit one last road that looked too sketchy to safely drive. That was the final straw. We gave up and turned back, defeated and hungry.

Takeaway: Roads can be unpredictable, especially if you’re not driving on the highway. If your destination looks remote, call ahead and get directions or build in buffer time and always have a backup plan (or snack).

Pro tip: If you stick to major towns and well-known routes, you’ll mostly be driving on paved highways and have no issues.

Albania Is Still Affordable, Even If It’s Not “Cheap” Anymore

Before our trip I heard about how “cheap” Albania is, and while it is affordable, I don’t think it is as budget-friendly as it used to be. 

The value for your money is still extremely high, especially for meals and hotels. We spent around 20-30 euros per meal for two people at a sit down restaurant. 

The most we spent was around 60 euros but that was at a nice hotel and we ordered a bottle of wine. For two people, I found that to be incredibly affordable. You can also find much cheaper eats in more casual spots and bakeries. 

As for hotels, we spent anywhere from $64 – $225 a night. The hotel that was $225 was the Rea Boutique Hotel and it was hands down my favorite hotel of the trip. We were right on the ocean and I can’t imagine finding a hotel with a comparable view for this price point in other destinations. We had a layover in Copenhagen on our way to Albania and spent that much on a crappy hotel that was basically a hostel. 

All in all, I was spending less on meals in Albania than I do at home in Charlotte, NC. Aka, I was saving money just by being in Albania (that’s girl math for you).

Boutique Guesthouses vs Luxury Properties 

Another factor to consider when deciding if Albania is worth visiting for you is the type of accommodation you’ll find.

Albania is best known for its small boutique stays, guesthouses, and family-run properties and honestly, that’s part of what sets it apart from other destinations.

That said, for the most part, I would say the properties are fairly bare bones meaning that they aren’t designed to be properties you hang out at. Overall, I found that most places we stayed at didn’t really have many communal spaces, it was mostly just the guest rooms and maybe an on-site restaurant.

If you’re someone who is looking for luxury properties, five-star service, and lots of on-site amenities, then Albania might not be the right destination for you.

But, if you want to stay at a family-owned lodge, enjoy home cooked breakfasts, and then spend your days out and about, you’ll love the accommodations in Albania.

Albania Is Incredibly Safe, Even for Solo Female Travelers

I was surprised at how safe I felt. I never expected to feel unsafe in Albania, but I was surprised by how aware I was of feeling safe in every town, city, and village we visited. 

It actually felt like a breath of fresh air to not be on edge constantly. It’s kind of sad to reflect on, but I feel way less safe in my day to day life. In fact, the day I got back to Charlotte, I had a car honk at me while the driver whistled out his window and five minutes later, another car slowed down while the driver just stared at me. Ugh. 

Needless to say, Albania is the exact opposite. There were no weird looks or lingering stares or any situations that made us uncomfortable. No harassment to buy anything, or someone trying to aggressively get you to eat at their restaurant. 

And while I wasn’t traveling solo (I was traveling with my husband), I feel pretty confident after our experience, and after talking to others that we met on their trips, that a solo traveler would feel safe traveling through Albania.

I found the locals to be pretty quiet in general, but the moment you looked lost or had a question, they immediately went out of their way to be helpful. 

You’ll Want to Rent a Car to Really See the Country

If you aren’t a fan of driving abroad, this may be a deal breaker for you. Given the infancy of the tourism infrastructure, you will want a rental car to see Albania. 

Without a rental car, traveling through Albania isn’t really feasible. Sure, you can get to some places via public buses, but it’s limited and complicated.

The best way to see the country is to rent a car and drive around. The only exception is Tirana. You do not need a rental car for Tirana and you likely won’t enjoy having one in the city’s traffic.  

Instead, I highly recommend renting a car at the Tirana airport. We landed and went straight to pick up our car and then drove to Shkoder. After two weeks driving around, we dropped our car off and took a bus to the city center of Tirana and spent the next day or so car free. 

The other place where you will park your rental car and not use it is if you are going to Komani Lake. I do not recommend doing that drive yourself because of how unpaved the roads are. You could damage your rental, and most of the rental companies stipulate that you can’t drive their cars to Komani Lake. Instead, you’ll park your car in Shkoder and take a bus. 

Besides that, especially if you’re headed south and want to see all the beach towns, a car is recommended and is basically a necessity. 

The Food Is Underrated, Vegetarian-Friendly, and Locally Inspired

I feel guilty admitting it, but I didn’t have high hopes for Albanian cuisine, but I left Albania with a love for Albanian food.

The cuisine is surprisingly vegetarian friendly, even if we did end up eating the same things over and over. I didn’t get sick of any of the common dishes because everyone has their own spin on them and it was fun to spot the different nuances. Plus, we got to eat stuffed eggplant almost every day. I love eggplant and how every cuisine seems to have its own eggplant dish. Zero complaints here.

The real stand out about Albanian food? So much of it is locally-inspired and seasonal. For example, in Theth the food is farm to table and comes from the guesthouses’ own gardens, and in the south you’ll find more Greek and Italian dishes given its proximity to Corfu and Puglia.

We also enjoyed sampling fergese (a baked cheese and peppers dish) everywhere we met because we didn’t find two fergese that tasted the same! There were variations on the cheese used, texture, seasoning, hot vs cold, etc. 

You’ll find that the food in Albania is prepared in the style of the slow food movement. The dishes respect seasonality and everything is local. In fact, at one of our restaurants, we ate greens and herbs from their garden just right outside. 

In my opinion, one upside of Albania’s limited tourism infrastructure is that there hasn’t been pressure to scale quickly. Eating at a restaurant still feels like sitting down to a home-cooked meal, the kind made from family recipes passed down through generations.

Albanian Wine Is Small-Scale, Local, and Worth Exploring

One thing we love doing here at Champagne Flight? Introducing you to underrated wine regions around the world and helping you support local. Albanian wine is a perfect example of that.

Because production is small-scale, many wines are only available locally, which means wine tasting just has to be part of your trip. (Hey, I don’t make the rules.)

Most wineries in Albania are family-run, and many produce wine from indigenous grapes like Kallmet, Shesh i Bardhë, and Shesh i Zi which are varieties you’ll rarely find outside the country. 

That’s what makes Albanian wine so special: it’s not about mass production or global distribution; it’s about preserving tradition.

There were multiple occasions when we tried wine made by someone’s grandfather or best friend. I was genuinely surprised by how good the wine was and how special it felt to taste something you quite literally can’t try anywhere else.

The People Are the Reason You’ll Want to Return

My first impression of Albanians was that they seemed a bit reserved but kind.

As I traveled more through the country, I realized just how warm and welcoming the locals are. People seemed genuinely excited that we were there and eager to share their culture with us.

Tourism in Albania still feels deeply personal and that’s part of what makes it so special. You’re not just another tourist passing through; you’re often treated like a guest in someone’s home.

Here are a few moments that stood out:

• Theth: The sweetest Albanian grandmother ran the guesthouse we stayed at. She didn’t speak a word of English, but through her gestures and warmth, we felt completely cared for. You could tell she was genuinely happy to have us there.
• Berat: At a local winery, we met a man named Edison, who led our tasting. He told us he’d started a small travel company and invited us to take a cooking class with his family. The next day, we found ourselves in his home, cooking traditional dishes alongside his sister, mom, and wife, with his kids running around nearby.
• Rea Boutique Hotel: My favorite hotel in Albania, run entirely by a family — husband, wife, and their daughters. From check-in to the restaurant, you could feel how much care went into every detail and how proud they are of what they’ve created. They went above and beyond to make our stay memorable, offering thoughtful recommendations for things to do and places to eat, and even helping us choose the perfect wines to pair with dinner. It felt like such a personal experience. 

Albania’s hospitality is rooted in genuine pride and generosity. Decades of isolation under communism meant that welcoming visitors is still something new and special and you can feel that everywhere you go. 

To me, this is what makes travel meaningful: those moments that make you feel like you’ve been personally invited to experience a local culture. It’s the reason I know I’ll return to Albania and why I think it’s 100% worth visiting.

Mountains, Beaches, Villages, Oh My!

For such a small country, Albania truly has a little something for everyone and so many wonderful places to visit. Head north and you’ll find dramatic mountain ranges like the Albanian Alps, where you can hike between remote villages and wake up to views that have you go “Is this real life?”. Take a ferry across Komani Lake, often compared to the fjords of Norway, and you’ll understand why it’s one of the most scenic boat rides in the Balkans.

Down south, you’ll discover endless high quality beaches along the Albanian Riviera. Inland, Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage town, offers a glimpse into Albania’s history with Ottoman architecture and cobblestoned streets and wineries nearby. 

In Tirana you’ll find a mix of Brutalism and contemporary architecture, giving the city its own unique charm. Plus, endless cafes and restaurants to sample. 

It’s this mix — mountains, beaches, history, and wine — that makes Albania feel like multiple destinations in one. There’s so much variety packed into such a small country that it’s impossible to see it all in one trip. 

Final Verdict: It’s Not for Everyone, But It Might Be Just Right for You

Albania really tested me as a traveler, especially in the beginning, when the weather was awful and we were staying at places that were 99% outdoors (except for the bed).

But honestly? That’s exactly why I loved it. I haven’t been challenged like that in years. Being pushed out of my comfort zone — changing plans on the fly, figuring things out on your own— reminded me of the kind of growth that only happens when you’re traveling.

And the best part about those lows? They made the highs even better. You need a bit of discomfort sometimes to fully appreciate the good times. 

Albania might not have turndown service or a seamless transit system, but it does have food that tastes like someone’s grandmother made it, views that’ll have your jaw drop, and locals who genuinely want you to love their home.

If you’re the type of traveler who thrives on a little unpredictability, slow days, and warm hospitality, Albania’s 100% for you.

Me? I’m definitely going back. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.

Have I convinced you? Check out the best places to visit in Albania so you can start planning the trip.