Albania has gone from being Europe’s most closed-off country to one of its fastest-growing holiday destinations. It lies between Montenegro and Greece, with a coastline on both the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea, mountains more than 2,700 metres high and four places on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Prices are still far below those of its neighbours.
Choosing the right town matters, because the distances are deceptive. International flights land at the airport outside the capital, Tirana, and the best beaches in the south are a three-and-a-half to four-hour drive from there. The country has no useful train network, and the roads are slow. Here are my recommendations for seven good towns in Albania, with hotels in several price ranges. Local prices are in Albanian lek, and 1,000 lek is roughly €11.
Contents
The Best Towns in Albania
- Sarandë - best town for first-time visitors
- Ksamil - best town for a beach holiday
- Himarë - best town on the Albanian Riviera
- Vlorë - best town for beaches and city life
- Durrës - best beach town close to the airport
- Tirana - best city for a city break
- Berat - best town for culture and history
I’ll take you through the towns one at a time, with the pros, the cons and three places to stay in different price ranges. The prices are the ones I found for two people for a weekend in June, and they’re higher in July and August.
1. Sarandë - best town for first-time visitors ⛴️
- 📍 Location: Right down in the south on the Ionian Sea, directly opposite the Greek island of Corfu.
- 🚌 Transport: The town is the transport hub of the south, with buses to Ksamil, Gjirokastër, Himarë and Tirana. You can manage without a car.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: From Tirana’s airport, it’s about 245 km and just over three and a half hours by car. From Corfu, the ferry takes 30 to 70 minutes.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€. Three- and four-star hotels were around €55 to €85 per night, and the best ones by the water €135 to €185.
- 👮 Safety: Safe. The town is built on a steep slope, so check where your hotel is.
Sarandë sits in a horseshoe-shaped bay in the far south of Albania, looking across the strait to Corfu. The town has more than 300 days of sunshine a year and a long seafront promenade lined with restaurants and bars, and it’s the easiest place to start on your first visit to the country. There are hotels in every price range, and you can reach most of southern Albania on day trips.
The most important excursion is to the ruined city of Butrint, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1992. The site has been a Greek colony, a Roman town and a bishop’s seat, and it’s about half an hour’s drive to the south. The park is open from 8am to 7.30pm. The Blue Eye spring, where ice-cold water wells up from a depth no one has measured, is about 20 minutes’ drive inland, and the UNESCO town of Gjirokastër is a day trip of just over an hour each way.
Many people come here from Corfu, and it’s a good alternative to the long drive from Tirana. The fast boat crosses in 30 to 45 minutes and the car ferry in about an hour, and from July to September there are up to 13 departures a day. Turn up an hour before departure, and remember your passport. You’re not allowed to bring a hire car over from Corfu.
Sarandë isn’t exactly idyllic. The town has grown enormously, and concrete buildings climb the slope behind the promenade. Many hotels are high up, and guests describe the way down to the beach as steep. On the town’s beaches, two sunloungers and a parasol typically cost 2,000 to 2,500 lek (about €22 to €27) a day. If you want the most beautiful beaches right outside your door, carry on to Ksamil.
Places to Stay in Sarandë
Alyacht Premium Hotel - best hotel with a sea view
Alyacht Premium Hotel is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.4 from more than 1,000 reviews, and it’s about five minutes’ walk from the beach and ten minutes from the promenade. There’s a lift, air conditioning and free parking, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €185 per night. There’s no pool, and one guest writes that the beach area was overcrowded.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The view was absolutely incredible and probably the highlight of the whole stay.”
See photos and book Alyacht Premium Hotel here.
Hotel Teuta - best mid-range hotel
Hotel Teuta is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.8 from more than 1,600 reviews, which is unusually high. It’s at the eastern end of the bay, five minutes’ walk from a beach and 15 to 20 minutes from the promenade. Breakfast and parking are included in the price, and the rooms have air conditioning. The price was around €70 per night. The hotel sits at the top of a very steep hill, and there’s neither a pool nor a lift.
One guest says on Booking.com: “Everything was good from the start, with polite, smiling staff and very clean, modern rooms.”
See photos and book Hotel Teuta here.
Hotel Mano - best budget hotel by the harbour
Hotel Mano is a three-star hotel with a guest rating of 8.7 from more than 1,300 reviews, in a central spot overlooking the harbour and about four minutes’ walk from the beach. Breakfast is included in the price, and the rooms have air conditioning. The price was around €55 per night. There’s no lift, and one guest points out that parking is on the street behind the hotel.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Excellent location with a view over the harbour. Lots of restaurants and bars close by.”
See photos and book Hotel Mano here.
2. Ksamil - best town for a beach holiday 🏖️
- 📍 Location: 14 km south of Sarandë on the road to Butrint.
- 🚌 Transport: The bus to Sarandë runs about once an hour and takes just over 20 minutes. In the town itself, you walk.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: From Tirana’s airport, it’s about 255 km and just under four hours by car. The quickest way is the ferry from Corfu to Sarandë and a taxi from there.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€. Apartments were around €30 to €40 per night, hotels with a pool €75 to €135 and the most expensive resorts up to €250.
- 👮 Safety: Safe. Bring cash in lek for the sunloungers.
Ksamil is the reason Albania gets called the Maldives of Europe. The small town sits on a peninsula inside Butrint National Park, and just off its beaches lie small islands in turquoise water. This is where most photos of the Albanian coast are taken, and today Ksamil is one of the country’s most visited resorts.
The town was only founded in 1966 and has fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, so there’s no historic centre and there are no sights in the town itself. A holiday here is all about the beach, fish and seafood and a trip to Butrint, a few kilometres to the south. If you’d like more of a town atmosphere, take the bus into Sarandë.
You should know the downsides. In July and August, the small beaches are packed, and almost all the space is taken up by the beach clubs’ sunloungers. A set of two sunloungers and a parasol costs 1,000 to 2,000 lek (about €11 to €22) a day, and 2,000 to 4,000 lek (about €22 to €44) on the most central beaches. Most beach clubs only take cash in lek. Under the rules, the strip right by the water’s edge has to be open to everyone.
My advice is to come in June or September, when sunloungers are 10 to 20 per cent cheaper and there’s more space, and to choose a hotel with its own pool so you don’t depend on the beach all day. If you stay a little way from the centre, you’ll get more peace and quiet, but then you’ll need a car or a taxi.
Places to Stay in Ksamil
ARAMERAS Resort - best resort with a pool and a view
ARAMERAS Resort is a four-star resort with a guest rating of 9.1, and it’s on its own about ten minutes’ drive from the centre of Ksamil. There’s an outdoor pool with a view, a pool bar, a tennis court and free parking, and both breakfast and sunloungers are included in the price. The price was around €250 per night. You’ll need a car or a taxi to get into town, and several guests think the service is slow and the food too expensive.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The nature, the landscape and the view are absolutely fantastic.”
See photos and book ARAMERAS Resort here.
Hotel Monel - best mid-range hotel with a pool
Hotel Monel is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.3 from almost 1,000 reviews, and it’s five minutes’ walk from the beach and 10 to 20 minutes from the centre. There’s an outdoor pool in season, a lift, air conditioning and free parking, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €100 per night. The pool faces the street and has no view.
One guest says on Booking.com: “Great value for money, especially considering the location and the pool.”
See photos and book Hotel Monel here.
A & N Apartments - best budget choice close to the beach
A & N Apartments has a guest rating of 9.0 from more than 500 reviews and is five minutes’ walk from the beach and about ten minutes from the centre. These are simple apartments with air conditioning, a garden, a terrace and free parking, and pets are welcome. The price was around €35 per night. Breakfast isn’t included, and a few guests mention that the cleaning could be better and that some kitchen utensils were missing.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Fantastic location, five minutes’ walk from the central beaches.”
See photos and book A & N Apartments here.
3. Himarë - best town on the Albanian Riviera 🌊
- 📍 Location: In the middle of the Albanian Riviera between Vlorë and Sarandë, with the mountains right behind the town.
- 🚗 Transport: A car is by far the easiest option. Buses run from Tirana and Sarandë, but the beaches are spread out.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: About 200 km and just under three and a half hours by car from Tirana’s airport.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€. Rooms and guesthouses were around €45 to €85 per night, and resort hotels €155 to €185.
- 👮 Safety: Safe. The coast road is winding, and the town has lots of steps.
Himarë sits in the middle of the Albanian Riviera, the stretch of coast where the mountains drop straight into the Ionian Sea. The town is smaller and quieter than Sarandë and has long pebble beaches with clear water. The centre is the seafront promenade in the Spile district, and on the hill above the town is the old fortified village of Kastro. The area has a large Greek minority, and you can taste it in the food.
The best thing about Himarë is the beaches nearby. Potam is within walking distance of the centre, Livadhi a couple of kilometres to the north and Llaman just south of the town, and further north are Jalë and the hidden cove of Gjipe between the cliffs. Further north still is Dhërmi, the Riviera’s place for beach clubs and parties, and also the most expensive. The fortress of Porto Palermo is 8 km to the south.
The Riviera has become easier to reach. In July 2024, the Llogara Tunnel opened, which is 5.9 km long and runs under the mountain pass south of Vlorë. The stretch that used to take 30 to 40 minutes over the pass now takes about seven minutes. The old road over the Llogara Pass, at just over 1,000 metres, is still there and is one of the most beautiful drives in the country.
You should have a car here. The bus from Tirana takes five to six hours and costs around 1,200 lek (about €13), and without a car you can’t get around to the coves. Several of the best-rated places are up in the hills a couple of kilometres from the water, and the town itself is built in terraces with lots of steps. Sunloungers cost 1,000 to 2,000 lek a set on the beaches of Potam, Livadhi and Llaman and up to 3,000 lek (about €33) in Dhërmi. If you’d rather stay near the beach clubs, you can see hotels in Dhërmi here.
Places to Stay in Himarë
Rapo’s Resort Hotel - best resort with its own beach
Rapo’s Resort Hotel is a five-star hotel with a guest rating of 8.5, and it’s 50 metres from Potam beach and one and a half kilometres from the centre. The resort has an outdoor pool with a pool bar, its own beach area with sunloungers included in the price, a playground, a lift and free parking, and breakfast is included. The price was around €185 per night. The rooms aren’t new, and one guest calls them worn and poorly maintained.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The pool was fantastic for the children, and the sunloungers were some of the most comfortable we’ve ever tried.”
See photos and book Rapo’s Resort Hotel here.
Persephone - best view over the bay
Persephone has a guest rating of 9.7 from more than 550 reviews and is up in the hills about 2 km from the centre and Livadhi beach. There’s a restaurant, a garden, a terrace and free parking, and breakfast with local specialities is included in the price. The price was around €85 per night. There’s no pool, and one guest writes that you definitely need a car to stay here.
One guest says on Booking.com: “Beautiful view down to the beach. Everything is spotless.”
See photos and book Persephone here.
Jon Rooms - best budget choice close to the beach
Jon Rooms has two stars and a guest rating of 8.8, and it’s about 250 metres from the beach and a kilometre from the centre. The rooms have air conditioning, there’s a terrace with a view, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €45 per night. There are lots of steps up to the rooms, and there’s neither a pool nor a lift.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Great value for money and a lovely view from the terrace.”
See photos and book Jon Rooms here.
4. Vlorë - best town for beaches and city life 🌇
- 📍 Location: On the Bay of Vlorë, where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea, about 140 km south of Tirana’s airport.
- 🚌 Transport: A direct bus from the airport and frequent buses from Tirana.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: About two hours by car from Tirana’s airport, which is the shortest trip to a beach town in the south.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€. Apartments and mid-range hotels were around €30 to €70 per night, and hotels with their own beach €175 to €245.
- 👮 Safety: Safe. The seafront road is busy and can be noisy.
Vlorë is Albania’s third-largest city and the place where the country declared its independence on 28 November 1912. The city stretches along a large bay that’s considered the boundary between the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea, and it’s a real city with life all year round, cafés and a long seafront road lined with hotels.
The beaches line up to the south: first the town’s own beaches, then Uji i Ftohtë and further out Radhimë and Orikum, with around ten kilometres of coast. Out in the bay are the island of Sazan and the Karaburun peninsula, which together make up the country’s only marine national park and are a destination for boat trips. North of the town are the Narta Lagoon and the small monastery on the island of Zvërnec.
Vlorë has two practical advantages. The trip from the airport in Tirana only takes about two hours, and there’s a direct bus for 1,200 lek (about €13) several times a day. The town is also the gateway to the Riviera, because the Llogara Tunnel has made the drive south much shorter. So you can stay here and take day trips to the beaches at Dhërmi and Himarë.
A new international airport has been built near Vlorë, but check whether there are scheduled flights there before you count on it. Otherwise, you’ll land in Tirana. The downside of the town is that most hotels are along the wide seafront road, and guests describe traffic noise from early morning until late at night. If it’s small coves and peace and quiet you’re after, carry on further south.
Places to Stay in Vlorë
Yacht Hotel - best hotel with its own beach
Yacht Hotel has a guest rating of 9.3 from more than 1,200 reviews and is on the seafront road a couple of kilometres south of the centre. The hotel’s own beach area is right opposite the entrance, and the sunloungers are free for guests. There’s a restaurant, a lift and a tennis court, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €245 per night. The hotel faces the main road, and guests mention noise from early morning until late at night.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The view from the room was absolutely breathtaking.”
See photos and book Yacht Hotel here.
Le Palazzine Hotel - best mid-range hotel with a pool
Le Palazzine Hotel is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 8.3, and it’s about 400 metres from the beach. There’s an outdoor pool with a pool bar and a view, a restaurant, free parking and a charging point for electric cars, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €70 per night. The rooms are small, and the hotel doesn’t have its own beach.
One guest says on Booking.com: “Excellent facilities with a lovely pool and a very nice bar and restaurant with a great view.”
See photos and book Le Palazzine Hotel here.
Vila Dena - best budget choice with a pool
Vila Dena has a guest rating of 8.6 from more than 500 reviews and is in the southern part of the town. There’s an outdoor pool in season, a garden, a terrace, air conditioning and free parking, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €50 per night. According to one guest, the road up to the house is awkward and dark, there’s no lift, and another guest complains that the water in the pool was green.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The view is insanely beautiful.”
See photos and book Vila Dena here.
5. Durrës - best beach town close to the airport 🏛️
- 📍 Location: On the Adriatic, about 30 km west of Tirana.
- 🚌 Transport: A direct bus from the airport and frequent buses to Tirana. City buses and taxis run between the centre and the beaches.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: About 29 km and half an hour by car from Tirana’s airport. The airport bus costs 600 lek (about €7).
- 💰 Price range: € to €€. Apartments were around €30 to €40 per night, four-star hotels €70 to €120 and the five-star ones around €160.
- 👮 Safety: Safe. Keep an eye on the flags on the beach.
Durrës is Albania’s second-largest city and the country’s most important port, with daily ferries to Bari in Italy. The city was founded by Greek colonists in 627 BC and is one of the oldest on the Adriatic. Right in the centre is a Roman amphitheatre from the 2nd century AD, which held 20,000 spectators and is one of the largest in the Balkans.
Most people come for the beach, though. East of the centre, a long sandy beach stretches for several kilometres with hotels, restaurants and shallow water, and this is where Albanians from Tirana spend their own summer holidays. With only half an hour’s drive to the airport, Durrës is the easiest place to end a trip around the country or to add a few beach days to a city break.
You’ll need to choose between the centre and the beach. The hotels in the centre are by the harbour and the amphitheatre, within walking distance of restaurants, but the sandy beach only starts two to three kilometres to the east, and one guest describes it as a 45-minute walk. If you want to stay right on the beach, the five-star Palace Hotel & SPA is a good bet. It has its own beach area with sunloungers included in the price and an indoor and an outdoor pool, and it was around €155 per night.
Durrës isn’t the place if you’re dreaming of turquoise water and small coves. The beach is a wide city beach, the coast is densely built up, and in summer it’s packed with people. The UK Foreign Office points out that a few Albanian beaches are polluted because of inadequate sewage treatment, so swim where the locals swim and follow the signs.
Places to Stay in Durrës
Crowne Plaza Durres by IHG - best luxury hotel in the centre
Crowne Plaza Durres is a five-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.3, and it’s by the water in the centre, just under 600 metres from the amphitheatre. There’s an indoor pool that’s open all year, a children’s pool, a spa with a sauna and a hammam, a gym and a restaurant, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €165 per night. Parking costs 10 euros a day, and the hotel doesn’t have its own beach.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The rooms are clean, modern and super comfortable.”
See photos and book Crowne Plaza Durres by IHG here.
Moenia Boutique Hotel - best boutique hotel by the amphitheatre
Moenia Boutique Hotel is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.1 from more than 800 reviews, and it’s on Bulevardi Epidamn about 300 metres from the amphitheatre. There’s a restaurant, a bar and a lift, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €120 per night. There’s no pool, parking costs 5 to 10 euros a day, and according to one guest, the big sandy beach is a 45-minute walk away.
One guest says on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel in the centre of Durrës.”
See photos and book Moenia Boutique Hotel here.
Villa Olympia - best budget choice
Villa Olympia has a guest rating of 9.2 from more than 1,000 reviews and is about 250 metres from the amphitheatre and five minutes’ walk from Currila beach. The apartments have air conditioning, and there’s a garden, a terrace, a small gym and free parking. The price was around €40 per night. There’s no pool, and one guest writes that the parking was a little tricky to work out at first.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The apartment is spacious and spotlessly clean, and the hosts are wonderful people.”
See photos and book Villa Olympia here.
6. Tirana - best city for a city break 🏙️
- 📍 Location: The capital, in the middle of the country about 30 km from the coast, at the foot of Mount Dajti.
- 🚌 Transport: You walk around the centre. Buses to the rest of the country leave from the terminal on the edge of the city, and you pay the driver in cash.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: The airport is about 18 km from the centre. The bus runs every hour on the hour around the clock, takes 30 to 40 minutes and costs 400 lek (about €4). A taxi costs around 2,200 lek (about €24).
- 💰 Price range: € to €€. Apartments and three- and four-star hotels were around €30 to €85 per night, and the big five-star hotels €210 to €245.
- 👮 Safety: Safe. Use normal common sense about street crime late in the evening.
Tirana has been Albania’s capital since 1920 and is a colourful, noisy and very lively city. It isn’t beautiful in the classic sense, but it tells the story of the country’s recent history better than anywhere else. Everything starts at the enormous Skanderbeg Square with the National Historical Museum and the Et’hem Bey Mosque, and a few minutes from there is the Pyramid, which was built as a museum for the dictator Enver Hoxha.
The two museums Bunk’Art 1 and 2 are set up in the regime’s old nuclear bunkers and are the city’s most important sights. The Pazari i Ri market has stalls, workshops and restaurants, and the Blloku district, which under communism was reserved for the party elite, is now full of bars and cafés. The Dajti Ekspres cable car runs up the mountain above the city every day except Tuesday.
Almost everyone lands here, so Tirana is the natural place for the first or last night of a trip around the country. The airport bus stops behind the opera house on Skanderbeg Square. The city is also cheap, and you can stay in a five-star hotel for under €215 per night.
Tirana isn’t a base for a beach holiday, though. The nearest beach town is Durrës, just over half an hour’s drive away, and the beautiful beaches in the south are three and a half to four hours from here. Two nights is enough to see the city, and then you should move on.
Places to Stay in Tirana
Maritim Hotel Plaza Tirana - best luxury hotel by Skanderbeg Square
Maritim Hotel Plaza Tirana is a five-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.2 from more than 2,100 reviews, and it’s in a tower block about 300 metres from Skanderbeg Square and ten minutes’ walk from Blloku. There’s a spa with a sauna, a hammam and a hot tub, a gym, a lift and parking, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €210 per night. There’s no pool, and a few guests are unhappy with the service in the restaurant at the top of the building.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The hotel, the rooms and everything else were super clean. Our room was fantastic, and the view is perfect.”
See photos and book Maritim Hotel Plaza Tirana here.
Padam Boutique Hotel - best boutique hotel in the centre
Padam Boutique Hotel is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 8.9, and it’s in a villa about 900 metres from Skanderbeg Square. It has its own restaurant, the rooms have air conditioning, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €85 per night. There’s no lift, parking can’t be guaranteed, and guests describe the smallest rooms as very small and the decor as a little worn.
One guest says on Booking.com: “Excellent location, comfort and hospitality!”
See photos and book Padam Boutique Hotel here.
Sky Apartments - best budget choice
Sky Apartments has a guest rating of 9.4 and consists of small, modern apartments of 20 to 25 square metres on the tenth floor of a tower block about 1.7 km from Skanderbeg Square. There’s a lift, air conditioning and a terrace, and parking costs under 4 euros a day. The price was around €30 per night. There’s no breakfast, and you should allow 20 minutes to walk to the square.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Very clean, nice and modern. Spacious balcony. Very friendly host.”
See photos and book Sky Apartments here.
7. Berat - best town for culture and history 🏘️
- 📍 Location: Inland on the Osum river, about 115 km south of Tirana’s airport.
- 🚌 Transport: Buses from Tirana run about every 30 to 45 minutes, take around two hours and cost about 500 lek (about €5). In the town, you walk.
- ✈️ Time from the airport: About an hour and three quarters by car. There’s no direct bus from the airport.
- 💰 Price range: €. Guesthouses and small hotels were around €35 to €60 per night, and the best boutique hotels €90 to €125.
- 👮 Safety: Very safe. The streets are steep and paved with slippery cobblestones.
Berat is Albania’s most beautiful town. The white Ottoman houses sit close together on the slope above the river, with large windows in rows one above the other, and that’s given the town its nickname, the town of a thousand windows. Together with Gjirokastër, it’s on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a rare example of the architecture of the Ottoman period.
The town is made up of three old quarters. Mangalem is at the foot of the castle hill, Gorica is on the other side of the river and is reached over a stone bridge with seven arches, and at the top is the castle, Kalaja. Inside the walls there were once around 20 churches, and one of them now houses a museum dedicated to the icon painter Onufri. The walk up is steep, but the view over the valley and Mount Tomorr makes it all worthwhile.
Berat fits well into a trip around the country. The town is less than two hours’ drive from the airport and can be seen in a day, so one or two nights is about right before you continue towards the coast. Prices are low, and many of the hotels are in the old houses with views of the castle.
The other UNESCO town, Gjirokastër, is further south and built of grey stone beneath a large castle. It’s just over an hour’s drive from Sarandë, so it’s easy to see on a day trip from the coast, but if you’d like to stay the night, you can see hotels in Gjirokastër here. Neither town is for you if you want a beach or find walking difficult, because the roads up to the hotels are steep and the old houses have no lifts.
Places to Stay in Berat
Hotel Colombo - best hotel with a pool and spa
Hotel Colombo is the town’s only five-star hotel, has a guest rating of 8.6 from more than 2,700 reviews and is centrally located. There’s an indoor and an outdoor pool, a spa, a gym, a restaurant, a lift and free parking, and breakfast is included in the price. The price was around €125 per night. According to Booking.com, the outdoor pool is only open in season and costs extra, and one guest found that almost all the facilities were closed.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel in a very central location.”
See photos and book Hotel Colombo here.
GrandView Hotel - best view of the castle
GrandView Hotel is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 9.8 from more than 900 reviews, which is unusually high. The hotel is on a slope overlooking the river and the castle. The breakfast buffet with local specialities is included in the price, the rooms have air conditioning, and there’s free parking nearby. The price was around €95 per night. The road up to the hotel is steep, and there’s neither a pool nor a lift.
One guest says on Booking.com: “The view from the room was fabulous, right over the river and across to the castle.”
See photos and book GrandView Hotel here.
Hotel Orestiada - best budget hotel on the main street
Hotel Orestiada is a four-star hotel with a guest rating of 8.7 from more than 1,400 reviews, and it’s on the town’s main street. The breakfast buffet and parking are included in the price, the rooms have air conditioning, and there’s a bar, a garden and a terrace. The price was around €40 per night. There’s no lift but there are some stairs, and one guest thinks the bed linen could have been cleaner.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The staff were super friendly and gave great recommendations.”
See photos and book Hotel Orestiada here.
Where should you avoid staying in Albania?
Don’t stay in Tirana if it’s a beach holiday you’re after. The capital is 30 km from the coast, and the beautiful beaches in the south are three and a half to four hours away. Don’t stay in the middle of Ksamil in July and August either if you don’t like crowds and expensive sunloungers. Choose June or September instead, or a hotel with a pool a little way from the centre.
In Sarandë and Himarë, check the map before you book. Many hotels are high up on the slope, which is impractical if you have a pushchair, bad knees or no car. In Durrës, don’t stay in the centre if the sandy beach is your goal, and in Vlorë, avoid rooms facing the seafront road if you’re a light sleeper.
For a week, my recommendation is to fly to Corfu or Tirana and spend most of your nights in the south: four nights in Sarandë or Ksamil and three in Himarë if you have a car. If you have ten days, start with two nights in Tirana and one night in Berat on the way down. If you just want a week on the beach with a short transfer, Durrës and Vlorë are the easiest choices.
A few practical things to finish with. According to the UK government’s travel advice, British citizens can visit Albania without a visa for up to 90 days in a 180-day period, and the passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave. The rules depend on your nationality, so American and other travellers should check their own government’s advice. Albania isn’t a member of the EU, and the EU’s free roaming rules don’t apply yet, so check the price with your mobile provider. Bring cash, because buses, sunloungers and many small places only take cash, and euros are often accepted.
If you hire a car, drive carefully. The UK Foreign Office describes the traffic as aggressive and the roads outside the towns as poor, and warns of unmarked roadworks, potholes and cars without lights if you drive after dark. It also advises against drinking tap water. There are no useful passenger trains, so without a car it’s buses and minibuses.
Check which flights are available when you’re planning your trip. Many people combine Albania with its neighbours. If you’re flying to Corfu, you can read my guide to where to stay in Corfu, and if you’d like to continue north along the coast, I’ve written about where to stay in Montenegro and where to stay in Dubrovnik.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
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