If Albania is not on your travel list yet then get it added quickly! It is a hidden gem in Europe with some of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen. As well as little towns, stunning countryside and delicious food. It is known as the Albanian Riviera for a reason. Read our 10 day guide to Albania to plan your travel in Albania before everyone else finds out about this amazing place.
Our Blog Posts about Albania:
- 5 reasons why you need to travel to Albania
- 10 Day Itinerary in Albania with Kids
- Albanian Road Trip in the Albanian Riviera
- Corfu to Albania Ferry
- Saranda with kids
- Best things to do in Gjirokaster
- Dhermi Beach Albania
- Visiting The Blue Eye Albania
- The Best Restaurant in Albania – Vineyard
- Are the beaches in Ksamil worth visiting?
Check out our post for a 10 Day Itinerary in Albania with Kids or if you are interested in driving around Albania our Albanian Road Trip in the Albanian Riviera.
How to get to Albania:
Check out our post on the Corfu to Albania Ferry with all the information you need.
Fly to Albania
Tirana is the capital city and has an airport with direct flights from Dubai (Fly Dubai) and Abu Dhabi (Wizz Air). If flying from the UK there are daily direct flights from Luton, Gatwick, Stanstead and Liverpool to Tirana for your travel in Albania.
The best place to find flights to Tirana is with Skyscanner.
Corfu to Albania Ferry
Another option is to fly to Corfu and from there it is easy to get a 30minute ferry to Sarande on the Albanian Riviera. Which is where you will probably spend most of your time on your travels in Albania. This is the option we took.
After landing in Corfu airport it is straightforward to pick up a taxi outside and get dropped at Corfu Port. There are multiple ferries throughout the day we pre-booked with Finikas Lines who run 6 trips a day.
The immigration is very easy you just need to be at the port 45 minutes before the departure time where you will get your passport stamped and bag scanned.
Check out our post on the Corfu to Albania Ferry with all the information you need.
Getting around Albania
Renting a car is the easiest way to get around during your holiday in Albania. The main car companies were pretty expensive. The cheapest rental we found was Saranda Holiday Rent-a-Car who are located close to Saranda Port.
The roads are easy to drive on and petrol stations are everywhere. Driving through the Albanian countryside and along the beautiful coast of the Albanian Riviera is not to be missed.
Click here for more detailed information on our Albanian Road Trip.
Which Places to Visit in Albania
In this guide to Albania we can only comment on the places we actually stayed in and spent time at. Our itinerary was:
- 4 nights Saranda
- 3 nights Gjirokaster (visiting Blue Eye Albania too)
- 3 nights Dhermi
You can check out our 10 day itinerary in Albania post here for more details.
During August 2023 we also spent 9 days chilling out and checking out discovering the many beaches of Ksamil. Read out post Are the Beaches in Ksamil worth visiting? here. As well as, Finding the Best Beaches in Ksamil to visit.
We didn’t make it to Tirana, the capital other than flying out of the airport in 2023. We also heard that Theth is a brilliant place especially for hiking. Something we would like to do in the future during a cooler time of year.
Albanian Food
The food in Albania is amazing! At the coastal resorts expect to eat a lot of fish, seafood, meat, feta cheese, pasta and pizza during your holiday in Albania.
In Gjirokaster, a more traditional town, we tried a lot more local food. Albanian byrek, a tasty spinach and feta cheese pie is popular and served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Fërgesë is a yoghurt, pepper and feta cheese dish that should be tried. Pispili is similar to Byrek but heavier and made with corn bread, it is like a spinach and feta cheese pie. Petulla was a firm breakfast favourite with honey, it is like a donut. We loved trying all the different Albanian food when on our travels in Albania.
Make sure to include a visit to The Barrels Gjirokaster when in Albania. Read our post here for why we think it is the best restaurant Albania.
Albanian Currency
Albanian Lek is the local currency in Albania although Euros are widely used. Albania is a cash country with not many restaurants and shops having a card machine. Take Lek with you or withdraw a large sum when you arrive as each time you use an ATM in Albania it will charge you 800lek (£5.73).
Costs in Albania
Albania is a cheap country, one of the main draws for us. Some average prices as of July 2022:
- Bottle of beer in a restaurant 200lek or £1.43
- Pizza in a restaurant 400lek or £2.86
- A whole seabass in a restaurant 1000lek or £7.16
- 500ml jug local wine 500lek or £3.61
- Cocktail in a beach bar in Dhermi or Ksamil around 700lek or £5.05
- Taxi from Saranda to Ksamil 20Euro
- Family meal for 4 with a couple of alcoholic drinks was around 4500lek or £32
We generally tipped 10% during our holiday in Albania especially as the costs were so low.
Albanian Weather
Albania is next door to Greece so the weather is pretty much identical. Very hot summers with temperatures at mid 30c during July.
Communicating
We had no problems speaking English. All the menus were in English, Albanian and often German. The levels of English are good and it was easy to communicate during our travel in Albania.
In summary, a very easy, welcoming and cheap country to visit – get over there ASAP!
If you have enjoyed our guide to Albania then check out our 10 day itinerary in Albania with kids. Also read Saranda with kids. Also Dhermi Beach – Paradise and the Best Things to Do in Gjirokaster. Make sure to include a trip to Blue Eye Albania during your trip as well.
If you are considering a trip to Corfu whilst you are in Albania (30min ferry ride) check out a boat trip to Paxos and Antipaxos. Is Corfu Old Town Worth visiting? and the Best Family All Inclusive Hotel in Corfu.
Where to go in Thailand will give you lots of inspiration about Thailand. There is also 7 Stunning Places to Visit in Oman and Everything you need to know about Dubai for lots of family travel inspiration.
Disclaimer: This post a Guide to Albania, has affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you.
