Albania Travel Blog

Albania thrilled me with its unspoilt nature and impressive mountain landscapes. My hike on the Peaks of the Balkans in particular has stayed with me.

From Germany, the country is about 2 hours away by plane, and there’s no time difference.

What fascinates me about Albania is its variety and the strong contrasts: wild mountain landscapes, turquoise rivers, small mountain villages, exciting cities and the coast (which is apparently heavily built up, and where I didn’t go). I love hiking for hours through the Albanian Alps and discovering new views along the way. On top of that, there’s the warm hospitality and the good food. Of course, there are many more reasons for a trip or a road trip through Albania.

You don’t need a visa for Albania. EU and UK citizens can stay for up to 90 days as tourists, and US citizens for up to one year. EU citizens can enter with an ID card or passport, travellers from the UK and the US need a passport. A temporary ID card isn’t enough. Important: your document must still be valid for at least 3 months when you enter. Don’t use an ID that was once reported lost or stolen, even if it has turned up again.

If you hike the Peaks of the Balkans and cross the “green border” into Kosovo or Montenegro, you need border crossing permits in advance. For the full loop, you usually need three permits. Apply for them two to eight weeks ahead if possible, and carry the confirmations and your original travel document with you. At official road crossings, no extra permit is needed.

Important: After crossing the border in the mountains, you also have to register with the police. In Kosovo, the three-month document validity and registration within three days have been checked more strictly since March 2026. On an organised tour, the operator usually takes care of these formalities, but ask to be on the safe side.

Tirana is quick to reach from Germany. The flight time is about 2 to 2.5 hours, depending on the departure airport. Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA), also called Rinas Airport, is the country’s only international airport and lies around 17 kilometres northwest of the city centre.

I flew direct with Eurowings from Stuttgart to Tirana. Wizz Air currently flies this route too. I only found out later, though, because the classic flight search portals didn’t show me the connection. So it’s worth comparing directly with the airlines. In my case, Wizz Air would have been more expensive with luggage.

There are also direct flights to Tirana from other airports, for example with Wizz Air from Berlin. The routes on offer change regularly, so I’d always compare the current connections before booking.

Booking flights

To find flights, I use Google Flights and Skyscanner. I use these flight search engines to get an overview. Check carefully whether luggage is included in the price.

Getting around by rental car

A rental car isn’t essential in Albania, but it’s ideal if you want to travel flexibly and reach remote places. Buses and minibuses run between the larger towns, but connections in rural areas are often irregular. I didn’t book a rental car for the hikes. For me, a trip to Albania without my own vehicle wouldn’t be a real trip. I want to be flexible.

Prices vary by season, vehicle class and rental period. A small car is usually enough for the main roads. For remote mountain regions, a vehicle with more ground clearance can make sense, but many rental companies don’t allow driving on unpaved roads.

To rent a car, you need a valid driving licence and usually a credit card in the main driver’s name. EU driving licences are recognised; the minimum age is set by the rental company and is often 21.

Albania drives on the right. Traffic can be chaotic, especially in cities, and some side roads are in poor condition. I’d avoid driving at night if possible.

If you want to continue to Kosovo or Montenegro with your rental car, you need written permission from the rental company and the right insurance cover in advance. Kosovo doesn’t recognise the Green Card insurance, so you need separate liability insurance there.

Next time, I’d travel the Balkans in my own camper (4x4), which is fantastic here.

Albania has a wide range of accommodation, from cheap hostels and apartments to traditional guesthouses and modern boutique and luxury hotels. In Tirana, simple to mid-range hotels usually cost around €40 to €90 per night. On the Riviera, prices rise considerably in July and August.

In the Albanian Alps and along the Peaks of the Balkans, you mostly stay in family-run guesthouses, simple mountain huts or, like me, in a tent. A night often costs €30 to €50 per person, with breakfast and dinner often included. Comfort is sometimes basic, but you’ll be welcomed by warm hosts, home-cooked food and mountain views, with cows, sheep or shepherd dogs as neighbours.

In remote mountain villages, Wi-Fi and card payments don’t always work. So take enough cash with you and book accommodation along the hiking route in advance if possible.

Also ask whether the drinking water is suitable for you. It’s not uncommon for people to get diarrhoea. Apart from 2 or 3 times, I played it safe and bought bottled water (even though it was fairly expensive at €2 to €3.50).

You’re probably wondering how dangerous a trip to Albania is?

As everywhere, don’t leave valuables visible in the car, avoid unfamiliar areas at night and ask at your accommodation about the current situation. Pickpocketing and car break-ins happen, especially on beaches and in tourist spots.

I sometimes found the chaotic traffic and the quickly changing weather in the mountains more dangerous than crime. On the Peaks of the Balkans, poorly marked paths, steep sections, sudden thunderstorms and occasionally aggressive shepherd dogs are among the possible risks. As Albania has no professional mountain rescue and only a few rescue helicopters (which take off from Tirana), you should carry an offline map, a charged phone and a power bank.

I always felt safe during my trip, both in Tirana and in the mountains. The locals were extremely friendly, and I worried much less about safety than about drinking water on the hikes.

In Albania you pay with the Albanian lek (ALL). You can sometimes pay with euros too, but the exchange rate is poor, so I don’t like doing it. Cash is the norm, and card payment is rather the exception, especially in the countryside. You can easily get cash from ATMs in the larger towns.

Tipping: In restaurants and bars, 5 to 10 per cent is usual.