Albania

Albania has the least developed coastline in the Mediterranean, a mountainous interior with Ottoman-era stone towns, and prices well below its neighbours. Travel is slower than in Croatia or Greece — roads are winding and buses informal — but the payoff is beaches and valleys that still feel unmanaged. Summer on the Riviera is now genuinely busy; the mountains and the south in shoulder season are not.

Cities

Berat

Berat is the 'town of a thousand windows', two hillsides of white Ottoman houses facing each other across the Osum river, with an inhabited castle quarter on top. The walk up to the fortress takes twenty minutes and passes Byzantine churches still in use. It pairs naturally with Gjirokastër on a southern loop.

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër is a steep slate-roofed town of fortified Ottoman houses climbing a hillside under a large castle. It is less visited than Berat despite comparable architecture, and the surrounding valley holds the Blue Eye spring and the ruins of Butrint within an hour or two. Streets are cobbled and very steep — shoes matter.

Tirana

Tirana is a young, loud capital of painted apartment blocks, café-filled side streets and communist-era monuments being repurposed one by one. Bunk'Art and the House of Leaves cover the dictatorship period directly and are the strongest reason to spend a full day. It is also the transport hub for the rest of the country.

When to go

See all seasons

• Spring: Wildflowers, green mountains, sea warming late in the period.
• Summer: Hot and dry; the Riviera and Ksamil are at capacity.
• Autumn: Warm sea, empty beaches, ideal hiking in the north.

Entry & visas

Entry rules for this country aren't published here yet.

Always confirm entry rules with the official source before you book.