Albania
Albania sits on the Balkan coast, and it’s still one of Europe’s cheapest and least crowded destinations. The beaches along the Albanian Riviera rival Greece and Italy, but without the price tag or the queues. Inland, you’ll find mountain villages, Ottoman-era towns like Berat, and a capital, Tirana, that feels like it’s changing by the month. It’s a great pick if you want to see Europe before everyone else catches on.
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Is Ksamil Worth Visiting? Pros, Cons and Travel Tips (2026)
I’d already seen Ksamil from a boat during a day trip out of Sarande, and the water alone was enough to convince me to come back and actually stay a few nights. So on a later trip through southern Albania, I based myself in Ksamil for four nights instead of just passing through. That decision…
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Is Sarande Worth Visiting? Pros, Cons and Travel Tips (2026)
Sarande was the last stop on my trip through Albania, and it was a real shift in pace after the stone towns of Berat and Gjirokaster. Instead of steep cobbled streets and Ottoman houses, I got a wide bay of turquoise water, a busy waterfront promenade, and a town that clearly exists around its coastline.…
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Is Gjirokaster Worth Visiting? Pros, Cons and Travel Tips (2026)
Gjirokaster sits on a steep hillside in southern Albania, all grey stone roofs and Ottoman houses stacked above a valley of olive groves. I arrived by furgon from Berat, tired and a little skeptical after being told by a few other travelers that “one Albanian old town is basically the same as another.” Within an…
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Is Berat Worth Visiting? Pros, Cons and Travel Tips (2026)
Berat is the kind of town that photos don’t quite do justice. I’d seen pictures of its stacked Ottoman houses before my trip and expected something pretty. What I got was a lot more textured than that: steep cobbled lanes, a working hillside castle with people still living inside it, and a slower pace of…
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Is Tirana Worth Visiting? Pros, Cons and Travel Tips (2026)
Tirana doesn’t show up on many “best European cities” lists, and that’s part of what makes it interesting. I spent close to two weeks in the Albanian capital, splitting my time between long walks through the city center and day trips out to the mountains and coast. I went in without many expectations. I left…
