Albania
Travel to Albania for a holiday or city break
People talk about Albania in whispers, as if it is a secret that slipped through the cracks of Europe’s well-trodden paths. You land and the first thing you might notice is the coffee—the locals sip it for hours, and if you try to hurry, someone will suggest you are racing the clouds. Sometimes, street dogs escort you down cobbled lanes, their tails wagging like old friends. The market sellers offer tomatoes that taste like July even when it rains. Public buses arrive when they arrive, and the driver might be a cousin of the bakery owner two blocks over. Here, you will find the best hotel in Albania hiding behind unassuming doors, with a rooftop that makes you forget your own name for a moment. Taxis sometimes don’t have meters, but they do have stories. The mountains are older than your grandfather’s hat, and just as loved.
Top destinations in Albania
Vlora
Albania
Vlorë
Best places to visit in Albania
These popular destinations have a lot to offer for you next holiday or city break.
Travel destination popular things to do or visit in Albania
The coastline stretches out like a lazy cat, unbothered by the buzz of modern life. You can walk along the beaches where bunkers poke out of the sand, standing as reminders of another era—locals sometimes use them as picnic spots, which is a twist you don’t see coming. If you wander inland on a Tuesday, you might find a village festival where you are handed rakia before you can say ‘hello’. Don’t ask for a timetable, there isn’t one. The best hotel in Albania may offer a view of the river, or not, but always a breakfast with eggs that taste like they’ve never left the farm. I once tried to order a taxi to the Llogara Pass, but ended up at a wedding instead—these things happen.
Castles perch on hills like stubborn goats, and if you squint, you can see the Adriatic shimmer in the distance. Tours are sometimes just a neighbor with a car, but you’ll see the same sights and probably get invited for lunch, which is never just a sandwich. The language can sound like a puzzle at first, but everyone speaks with their hands, so you catch on quick. There’s a story that in Gjirokastër, a traveler once traded his shoes for a jar of honey—no one remembers if it was worth it, but the honey was gone by morning. If you come for the travel destination popular things to do or visit, stay for the long, slow evenings when the sky forgets to turn dark, and the world feels a bit out of order, in the best way.
Accommodations in Albania
Discover the best accommodations for Albania and start planning your holiday.
