If you’re planning a trip to Albania, you’ve come to the right place. Having just spent almost a month in Albania, these are the things I WISH I knew before I arrived. I came here totally unprepared and with absolutely zero knowledge of what to expect from this country and let’s just say…I’ve learnt a lot.

Albania is definitely a lesser travelled place. You won’t find pages and pages of travel blogs about Albania and information is pretty hard to get hold of. But DON’T WORRY, I have you covered.

Here are my top 20 IMPORTANT things to know before travelling to Albania.

1 - Always Carry Cash

Trust me when I say, visiting Albania is like stepping back in time, for many reasons. One of those reasons is that card payments aren’t widely accepted here.
Lek and Euro are both used in Albania. We found that campsites and hotels asked for Euros (you can just ask how much in Lek if you would rather use local currency). Supermarkets and shops ask for Lek. It’s good to carry some of each.

2 - Best ATM With No Charge in Albania

Credins bank is the best place to take cash out as a tourist in Albania. It doesn’t charge a fee to withdraw like the others do, which can be quite expensive! Some will work out the fee based on a percentage of the money you withdraw and some will be a fixed fee, so make sure you check before confirming anything. Usually, the ATMs will have an option in the corner to change the instructions to English.

Another little Albanian travel hack is using an exchange shop to change your big notes into smaller ones. When you need to buy some water or even a full grocery shop, they probably won’t accept the biggest note. We found it really easy to go into a currency exchange shop and ask for change, they were always really friendly and willing to help (this shouldn’t cost you anything).

3 - Best Tourist SIM Card in Albania

I think they are pretty much the same but it was 1200 lek for 1 month with 35Gb of data. We just went into the ONE shop with our passports and she set it up for us. If however, they are too busy to set it up for you, you can unlock the ONE SIM with the code: 1111. If you need to top it up you can download the app and add another data package pretty easily and it's not too expensive. The app also gives you an extra 10Gb when you sign up.

I assume the Vodafone one is a pretty similar process but we had a really good experience with ONE, so that's what I would recommend. Either way, pop in and ask for a “tourist sim” and they will know what you mean.

4 - Can You Drink The Tap Water in Albania?

No. Its full of heavy metals and unsafe to drink. You’ll either need to come prepared with a water filter (making sure your filter catches heavy metals and bacterias), or you’ll have to buy bottled water. To save plastic I recommend buying the big 8L or 6L bottles to refill your reusable one.

5 - Albanian Driving… Should YOU Drive in Albania?

Driving in Albania is hectic. I heard about Albanian driving before I arrived so I was pretty prepared for this. In Albania you can expect:

People walking out into the road with out warning, people driving 3X faster than the speed limit, people driving really close behind you if you are one of the few people following the speed limit, people on their phones while driving, cars overtaking other cars on blind corners and cars stopped in the middle of the motorways and highways.

Another thing to note is the roundabouts aren’t like ones you may be used to…People will pull out in front of you. It’s less “give way to the left” and more “the most confident person has right of way”.

The motorways are really nice and smooth but the smaller roads are full of potholes and lots of speed bumps (which believe it or not, locals take really seriously).

6 - You Can’t 100% Trust Google Maps

Albania's infrastructure is growing at such a fast rate, it’s like google maps can't keep up. You’ll find way more supermarkets just driving around than you will if you try to search them on google maps. You’ll find roads that may not be on the maps so just keep that in mind when you’re driving/ walking around.

7 - Stray Dogs and Cats in Albania

For me this was probably the highlight of Albania, we met so many friendly animals here. We always carry a bag of dog treats and cat food with us so we can feed any animals that look hungry. EVERY animal we met in Albania was kind, gentle, and friendly. I think I had my heart broken at least 3 times a day from having to say goodbye to each of these furry friends. If you are looking for a fluffy companion, just come to Albania and one will walk right into your life ready to love you.

I was pleased to see that the stray cats and dogs weren’t afraid of humans at all, which gives me hope that humans have generally been nice to them.

8 - Don’t Miss a Sunset

I spent almost a month in Albania and I witnessed an incredible sunset EVERY night (apart from one night it rained so I didn’t go out to see it). We travelled all along the coast from the north to the south and every sunset was so unique and beautiful. If you go to Albania, make an effort to stop and stare each evening when the sun goes down, you won’t regret it.

9 - Buying Groceries in Albania as a Tourist

Okay, buying groceries… Not something i’ve ever really had to put too much thought into because supermarkets are pretty strait forward right? wrong.

The supermarkets in Albania are filled with about a million types of pasta and pasta sauce, lots of tinned food, spices, biscuits, chocolate, rice, meat, cheese and drinks. Now that sounds like a good selection but for us as vegans who mainly eat vegetables.. it was a little tricky!

Where to buy vegetables in Albania? Well you can find little fruit and veg shops in most places but (maybe this was just because of the time of year, September), but the only vegetables were potatoes, onions and bell peppers (I know bell peppers are technically a fruit but ya know). The fruit was plentiful on the other hand, plumbs nectarines, apples, bananas, grapes and LOADS of watermelons EVERYWHERE.

Surprisingly the food was pretty expensive! I really expected Albania to be pretty affordable but it wasn’t, even in the lesser touristy places it was expensive, so it left me wondering where the locals got their food. I have heard that they grow much of it themselves and are pretty self sufficient, which would make sense.

10 - Do People Speak English in Albania?

We had no problems communicating in Albania. Many people speak English and if not, google translate saves the day.

I do recommend learning a few phrases, not because you need to, but because it's a sign of respect. It shows that you have made an effort and people value that. So here are a few words to get you started!

Thanks – Faleminderit (fal-e-min-der-it)
Hello – Përshëndetje (per-shen-det-ye)
Bye – Mirupafshim (mi-ru-paf-shim)
Yes – Po (po)
No – Jo (yo)

11 - Eating Out in Albania

When it comes to eating out in Albania, I can’t say I’m an expert. Being vegan it was really hard to find something that we could eat. We ended up getting chips/fries in a few places and a couple of times we successfully got a marinara pizza (if it's not on the menu you can ask for a margarita with no cheese), or as I like to call it, circle tomato bread.

When checking out various menus I saw lots of meat (lamb and beef in particular), lots of stews, meat and veg kinda meals, and also greek salads and Italian influenced foods.

12 - Is Albania Safe For Tourists?

I’m going to say yes, its very safe. We did a lot of walking around in the evenings and being it September, it got dark really early. I never felt unsafe or threatened at all during our whole time in Albania.

After speaking to a local I found out that the coast is much safer than the inland mountain areas, so if safety is something that you are worried about, you could stick to the coastal areas.

Albania has a bad reputation for its history with drugs and mafia, but as a tourist, you’ll never see any of that. Crime rate involving tourists is pretty much non-existent.

13 - Be Prepared For Limited Information

There is limited information about Albania on the internet. It’s not exactly very touristy so you won’t find pages and pages of travel blogs offering information about this country. The best way to find information is to ask a local at a restaurant, hotel, hostel, bar, etc. If you need to find a bus, or taxi or need information about where to buy something specific, you’ll need to ask someone.

Since I travelled through Albania in my van I can't speak about travelling via public transport… But from what I’ve heard, it can be tricky to find bus/ train routes and times. Sometimes you’ll just have to pop into a hotel or a restaurant and ask.

Albanians (in my experience) are mostly really friendly and happy to help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

14 - Buying Things in Albania

In Albania, you won’t find a big supermarket that sells everything. If you need something really specific, maybe a backpack or plug adapter, for example, you’ll probably have to find a really specific little shop for it which may or may not be searchable on google maps. You may find Tirana the best place for essentials but you’ll most likely have to hop a border to find it.

15 - Albanias Trash / Litter Problem

It’s no secret that Albania has a litter/ trash problem. It’s a country with a poor waste management infrastructure and you’ll notice it within just a few hours of being there (unless you are only visiting Ksamil which is pristine). During our time in Albania, we saw roads lined with plastic waste, people dumping buckets of waste by the side of the road, bin bags pilled up around bins, and gigantic rubbish piles on beaches.

It’s such a shame because it is a beautiful country.

16 - Getting Scammed in Albania

Unfortunately during our month in Albania, we did get scammed a couple of times. The first one was buying vegetables at a local veg market. it was our fault for being so trusting and not knowing the money as well as we should have on our first couple of days in Albania. If in doubt, go somewhere where you can weigh the vegetables and fruit yourself and click the correct button for the vegetable you’re buying.

The second time we got scammed was at a petrol station. We gave the guy enough money to fill up half a tank, he filled up a quarter and pocketed the rest of the cash. We only realized when we left that he hadn’t put in the fuel we paid for. So that's on us for not checking sooner. After this incident, we looked at the google Maps reviews and a few tourists had mentioned getting scammed there. So my tip would be: read reviews for everything on the google maps app!

The third and final time we got scammed was when our van broke, we visited a few garages and we experienced mechanics diagnosing our van without even listening to it and looking at it for about 5 seconds. They’d give us the most expensive diagnosis. In the end, we paid €1200 for a mechanic to put in a new starter, new flywheel, and clutch kit.. for the van to still not be fixed. In the end, we fixed it ourselves by draining all of the transmission fluid (gearbox oil) ourselves in a car park. This could have been an honest mistake from the mechanic but it didn't feel like it, as when we went back for a second time with the broken van he told us to leave and said “welcome to Albania”.

17 - Go With The Flow

“Albania Time” is a thing, just go with it. I’ve heard lots of people talking about “Albania Time” being its own thing and many countries have this. If you are backpacking through Albania you’ll notice this a lot more than we did since we were in our camper van, we took care of our transport, etc.

Albania is a laid back country.

18 - Take Some Time to Learn About The History

Albania has a really interesting history. You must learn a little about it before you visit since it will give you more of an understanding of the people and why certain things look a certain way here.

Between the 1940s and the 1990s, Albania was a very strict communist country. It can even be compared with North Korea.

When communism fell, two-thirds of Albania’s population lost all of their life savings due to a huge financial pyramid scheme. Due to this, rioting began. The government collapsed and that was the start of a civil war that lasted for around 7 months.

The history of Albania is really interesting so I suggest reading up a little more than what I’ve written here which doesn’t even scratch the surface of what Albanian people have been through in the past.

19 - Try The Local Delicacies

Okay, so Albania isn’t known for its food but the restaurant scene is huge here and I have heard people rave about Albanian traditional food! Since we are vegan we didn't sample much of it, however, our favorite Albanian food is Onion Burek/ Byrek. It's a traditional pastry with onions and tomatoes and its delicious!! They are cheap so if you see one in a local bakery, make sure to try it!

A traditional Albanian drink that you should try for the experience (if you drink alcohol) is Raki. It’s usually made from plumbs or grapes. If you go out for dinner in a local, family-run, friendly restaurant you’ll probably get handed a glass of this stuff. Make sure to not drink it all at once or you’ll get poured another! Raki is the drink of hospitality and its believed to create a friendly atmosphere. It's a really important drink in Albania used for solidifying friendships, celebrating weddings and births, and also aiding digestion!

20 - Van Life Tips for travelling in Albania

Because Albania’s tourism industry is still pretty small there aren’t too many rules and restrictions on where you can park up and spend the night. Most beach bars from the north to the south will allow you to park up for free during the day and night as long as you buy a meal or a drink. We did this a lot and found that it's a great place to meet like-minded people and socialize on the beach. You’ll find the best and cheapest ones are the little wooden shacks.

Of course, you can find all of these places on the park4night app, which is the app we’ve been using every night for the last 2 years.

You’ll also find loads of relatively cheap campsites in Albania if you need to do laundry, showers, and fill up water, these are good places to get all of that done. The average we paid for campsites in Albania was around €15 per night. The average price for using the washing machine is €4.

If you are a fan of travelling the “lesser known” path, then Albania will be right up your street. The further south you travel the more expensive campsites will get as it's much more touristy in the southern areas like Serande and Ksamil.

And that’s it guys! I really hope you found this interesting and if you are planning a trip to Albania, I hope that this has been useful! If you’d like to follow my daily adventures you can do so HERE. If you’d like to see what i’ve been chatting about on YouTube lately click HERE.