When planning to visit a place for the first time, it is very important to be aware of what to expect. That way, you can make proper preparations before going on the trip. Planning to visit Albania during the summer or any other time is a great idea, and the country has a little bit of everything. Think about the beautiful Adriatic coastline, stunning mountain scenery and unique cities like Tirana and Ksamil. So, in this blog post, I will be taking you through the 5 most important things to know before visiting Albania in 2024.
Well, although Albania has a lot to offer, some tourists are still a little hesitant to visit Albania. The country still hasn’t received the tourism buzz of nearby neighbouring countries like Italy, Greece, Croatia and other parts of Europe. However, things have changed so much. Formerly, it was very difficult to even enter the country over the last three decades. Anyway, as you go through this post, you will explore the 5 most important things to know before booking your flight ticket to Albania.
Things to know before visiting Albania
If you are considering visiting Albania, these are the 5 most important things to know before buying your ticket to Albania in 2024.
1. Keep some cash with you at all times
It’s very important to always have cash at hand. This is sort of a tricky one because most European countries are leaning more towards credit cards. You’ll see places that don’t even accept cash at all but Albania is not quite there yet. Meanwhile, if you’re in the capital city called Tirana, you’ll probably be fine with credit cards in most places even at the city market called The New Bazaar (Pazari i Ri) in Tirana but if you go to other cities in Albania, it’s always important to have cash at hand.
The currency used in Albania is called Albania Lek and as a kind of a reference 100 Albanian Lek is about $10.45 (USD). Honestly, it’s a big conversion and it definitely takes some getting used to but you’ll find a lot of ATMs around. It’s not hard to get your hands on some cash but it is important to have cash with you because not every store is going to accept a credit card and if they are cash only, then you’re pretty much out of luck.
2. Google Maps
Unlike other European countries, Google Maps will not always work for you effectively if you’re looking for public transit options. Although, you shouldn’t worry too much about this because they do have public buses available if you need to get a little bit outside of the city. Also, if you’re looking for a more convenient way to get home. However, for whatever reason when you put in points A to B on Google Maps, the transit option does not even show up so you have to look on the Internet.
Meanwhile, you can pay with cash on the bus so it’s usually not much of an issue. But you also want to make sure you know where they’re going because the bus system spreads to all of the Tirana suburbs, so you don’t want to be caught in a situation where you think you’re on the right bus and all of a sudden you’re four or five miles out of the city.
Also, you’re not going to be able to have Uber, Bolt or any of those apps. But they do have taxis, especially in Tirana, and taxis are not that hard to find if you’re looking for a way to get to the city from the airport or something like that. There are apps that you can use for the taxis but it’s not going to be through Uber. Albania is just not one of those countries that has it yet, so it’s something to keep in mind.
3. Albanian Cuisine
Another very important thing to know is that Albanian cuisine is absolutely delicious. So, make sure that you don’t miss out on this. I know sometimes people get a little unsure about the cuisine when visiting a country, but Albania has amazing food. You can find both local and international meals that are budget-friendly. You can check out the Top 5 places to visit in Albania and the cost of living in 2024. There we covered the cost of living in terms of getting all kinds of cuisine and also the cost of accommodation.
4. Limited infrastructure
Among the things to know before visiting Albania, this is a big one if you’re in the city of Tirana. There are no sidewalks on the streets, and you sometimes have to walk right down the middle of the road. So, you need to listen if cars are coming. Although in residential areas, you don’t think people would be driving fast, therefore you just always have to be aware to make sure you’re as far over as you can be.
There’s not going to be a sidewalk but you can at least be somewhat close to the parked cars. It can get tight between the people that are parked on the street and the people that are flying down the street so it’s just always important to be aware when you’re in those smaller neighborhoods.
5. Albania is Safe
This is one that people usually aren’t completely sure about and it’s one of the reasons why people are a little hesitant to visit Albania. It’s just as safe as any other country in Europe. You might be sceptical and worry about if you are going to run into some pickpockets, especially in the cities. The answer to that is YES, you are going to run into people who take advantage of tourists because they know they’re not locals. But you’re also going to run into that in London, Paris, Barcelona, in any other part of Europe, and this is not unique to Albania. This subject is just something that happens in big cities, it happens in the USA too. We have crime in the USA, robberies on the subway or whatever you’re going to have that but overall Albania is a pretty safe country.
There are far more dangerous places in the world than Albania and yeah that’s just not a reason not to go if you’re used to big cities. It’s nothing different in Albania especially now that tourism has opened the country up to a lot more people.
Recommended:🏖️ Top 5 places to visit in Albania and the cost of living in 2024
Recommended:🗺️ The New Bazaar (Pazari i Ri) in Tirana – Everything To Know
Albanian Language: Things to know before visiting Albania
Albanian language it’s a very complex language and there’s a different branch that Albanian comes from, so it’s unique in that way. Frankly, it’s very hard to learn and to speak every time you go to a new country. Learning Albanian phrases such as “Mirëdita” (Good Day) “Faleminderit” (Thank you) and “Ju lutem” (Please) can help foster connections with the locals and show appreciation, for their culture. Even those words can be difficult to pronounce, but the good news is that there are a lot of people who can understand and speak English in Albania.
You may run into some people that don’t speak any English but they may still try to help you. It’s usually recommended that you know a pretty friendly vibe within the cities and even the rural areas of Albania.
The Albanian countryside is absolutely beautiful. They have natural parks and incredible mountain scenery. You shouldn’t miss out on the nature aspects whether that’s the coastline of the Adriatic Sea or all of their national parks particularly more in the north of the country just don’t miss out. If you have time the cities are great, Tirana which is the city capital is really cool, it’s unique and there’s a lot to it.
