Albania – A One Week Visit

It was only briefly talked about prior to our year abroad. I heard it was inexpensive to travel to Albania and told Matt I would love to go visit. Coastlines to rival those of Croatia and the culinary influences of Italy – what is not to love? We skimped on the research for this country as our minds became overwhelmed with more pressing matters. But as we found ourselves meandering down the coastline of the Adriatic, our thoughts soon turned back to Albania.

Over a few glasses of cheap red wine, we booked ourselves a flight from Tirana to Italy. That settled it, we were heading to Albania!

Why Visit Albania?

Never have I ever seen a TV commercial with flashy videos filled with happy models and laughing children insisting I should “come on down to Albania”. Maybe that is part of its appeal. Shrouded in a cloud of mystery from sheer lack of exposure. In fact, I think the only mention of Albania I have seen through Hollywood is the negative spotlight it received for sex-trafficking in Taken. It is true that following the fall of communism, Albania did face issues falling prey to a rise in human-trafficking. However, our experience in Albania showed nothing more than the existence of “besa”. Most Albanians live by the moral testimony of “besa” which roughly translates into taking care of those in need and being hospitable. A code of faith and honor.

Our first interaction arriving in Albania was with our Airbnb host who drove out of his way to greet us at a café just outside of the bus station. Not only did he give us a lift, free of charge, he also insisted on carrying our bags up the TEN flights of stairs to our room while the elevator was temporarily out of commission. Again, on our last day with him, he picked us up from the apartment and drove us back to the bus station where he offered to buy us a beer before leaving Albania. Each person we interacted with in Albania was living proof of “besa” in action.

Pair that hospitality with beautiful scenery, cheap eats, and the absence of hordes of people and you have yourself a destination worth traveling to.

How to Get There

Most people will arrive to Albania through the airport of its capital, Tirana. You can also arrive via ferry. There is a port in Bari, Italy that connects to Durres, Albania. Since Matt and I did not finalize our plans until we were already in Croatia, we arrived by bus from Kotor, Montenegro. One very long, hot, and miserable bus. No form of public transportation is especially enjoyable, but the bus has to be the most painful method of them all. Nevertheless, we survived the lengthy border crossings and arrived in one piece.

Given our lack of research, we weren’t sure which city to bus into. So we chose the most convenient option of Durres. In hindsight, I wish we would have spent a few nights near Lake Shkoder. The lake shares the borders of both Albania and Montenegro. Passing through the town on the bus, it looked like somewhere we wanted to see more of – but our bus kept on rolling until it dropped us off in Durres.

Durres, Albania

Situated right on the coastline, Durres is a lovely place to seek refuge from the summer heat. Our Airbnb was stationed about 10 minutes away from the center of the city, which was a bit of a bummer at first. However, after spending a few evenings taking a dip in the sea as the sun was setting, we realized this was actually THE place to be.

Eating in Durres

The restaurants in this area did not offer much variety in terms of their menus, but we mostly cooked at home anyway. If you do want to go out to eat, expect to pay around 3 USD for a full pizza. You can also order seafood at very affordable prices, but trying to stay within a budget we just carbo-loaded on pizzas, takeaway sandwiches, and homemade pastas.

There are tons of little markets lining the sea, but they are very tiny and only carry the essentials. Like dry pasta, chips, chocolates, and wine. Think convenient store with a slight upgrade. If you are lucky, you will find the few with coolers containing meats and cheeses. They usually have produce outside as well, but we kept returning to the same produce stand that we found further down the beach. The super low prices were worth the walk. As an example, we purchased a bag full of tomatoes, eggplants, onions, peppers, garlic, and fresh figs for less than 2 USD. If you are looking for a bigger shop, you will have to take the minibus (or your car) into the main center of Durres, just 10 minutes away.

Similar to the rest of the Balkan countries, Albanians LOVE their byrek or burek. At least you would think so by the sheer number of stands selling it. Burek is a pastry made of phyllo dough and stuffed with cheeses, spinach, or meats. We developed a daily habit of walking to the bakery and picking up a few baked goods each morning. When you can get full from something so delicious that only sets you back 50 cents or less, it is hard to set boundaries.

A couple of days is probably all you need to soak up what Durres has to offer. If we had a bigger budget and more time before our flight we would have continued down the coastline to the more revered beaches of Albania. But while you are here, expect to see amazing sunsets each night and revel in the fact you can eat a whole pizza and drink a couple of glasses of wine for under 10 USD.

Tirana, Albania

I’ve never resonated more with a city. It’s quirky, it’s a little run-down, but it’s happy, caffeinated, and laid-back. We arrived during the midday heatwave. The bus from Durres dropped us off at the main station and we weren’t sure how to get further into town to our Airbnb (use this link to get a discount on your first stay). Saddled with our heavy packs, this lack of direction usually makes Matt and I a little anxious. But this time, a man saw us looking around and motioned us towards another local bus. We didn’t know it was the right choice, but we found ourselves climbing aboard anyway. Somehow we lucked out, because this bus dropped us off only a short walk from where we needed to be.

Before we even dropped off our packs, we wandered into one of the little cafes lining the streets. There are no shortages of places to grab a beer or a coffee in Tirana. Along with our drinks, our server brought out a small snack. This happened multiple times during our short stay in Tirana which leads us to believe this is part of their culture. Albania must have heard that food is the way to our hearts.

What to See in Tirana

The Pyramid of Tirana

This was once a museum that was erected to commemorate dictator Hoxha. Following the demise of the communist regime, the museum closed and is now a prominent fixture that is a thrill for locals and tourists alike to climb. Matt and I spent a good half hour thoroughly amused watching everyone as they attempted to conquer the steep walls. Maybe it was my dress and boots, or the broken glass lurking nearby, but we opted to be observers rather than climbers. Just beyond the walls of the Pyramid is a popular little place serving up gelato and pizza by the slice. Grab one (or both) and then enjoy some free entertainment.

Bunk’Art Museum

Maybe we should be more ashamed of this fact, but Matt and I are NOT museum people. The number of times you will find museums listed in the itineraries we share here will be very limited. We like adrenaline rushes and we like to eat and drink. Museums – eh. Anyway, the Bunk’Art museums (there are 2) in Tirana are an exception to the rule. As soon as we discovered this one we knew we wanted to make a visit. I’m not sure if it is our fascination with the communist past of this country or the fact that the museum is located in an anti-atomic bunker, but it caught our attention. Be sure to set aside an hour or two to explore the interior and learn more about the dark history hidden within these walls.

Where to Eat and Drink in Tirana

We were pleasantly surprised to see the number of places focused on serving elaborate cocktails and modern dishes in this city. After a week of the 3-liter plastic jug wines we were sipping in Durres, it was time to treat ourselves to a swanky cocktail or two.

Nouvelle Vague Tirana

By the time we arrived here, it had been precisely 3 months since my last proper cocktail. We had been drinking Guinness in Ireland, wine in Spain, and loads of mint tea in Morocco. But here, in Tirana, and especially at Nouvelle Vague, it was the perfect opportunity to break the spell. With a vast list of swanky cocktails listed at 6 and 7 USD, making a decision wasn’t easy. Matt settled on a gin cocktail and me, a variation on a ginger-infused old fashioned. We were unable to get a seat on the patio due to its immense popularity, but the inside afforded us plenty of interesting artwork to gawk at while sipping our well-made drinks. For a second, we forgot we were backpackers and mentally slipped into our fancy pasts.

The other two recommendations we were given by our Airbnb host, but never managed to get to, were Radio Bar Tirana and Dada. Her other recommendations were spot on, so give them a try and let us know if we should check them out the next time we visit.

Mullixhiu

We found this rustic, upscale restaurant just by doing a quick look online. After we booked ourselves a reservation, Mullixhiu came highly recommended as a place to dine by the locals. Our ability to spot a great restaurant was confirmed! Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best experience. Maybe it was the summer heat or too high of expectations, but we weren’t exactly “wowed”. The food was just okay compared to what we built it up to be in our heads. That being said, this place definitely has potential. It is charming and has a menu reflective of traditional Albanian cuisine. We opted to order the 9-course tasting menu, which easily would have gone for double or triple the price in the States. If we were around for another couple of weeks we probably would have given it a second chance.

Grocery Stores

Okay, hear me out. Part of the fun of going to new countries is definitely trying their cuisine. And in a country as inexpensive as Albania, cooking at home is, well, unnecessary. We did plenty of it anyways, because we were on an uber-cheap streak. We love going to markets everywhere we visit anyway. It gives us a feel for what the locals are shopping for and cooking themselves. It is interesting to see what products are stocked and how they differ from the last place we have visited. Here we found Skenderbeu brandy, an Albanian favorite. Do yourself a favor and pick up a small bottle to keep in your freezer. It is the perfect antidote to the hot summer sun!

While in Tirana, one of the highlights was the cheese counter at the grocery store. In terms of types of cheese, there wasn’t much variety. In fact, everything looked the same to us. Feta, feta, and MORE feta. So, we did what any backpacker on a budget might do. We asked for the cheapest option. Instead of just packaging up our request, the nice lady behind the counter offered us a sample of our selection. It was good, we liked it. But then she handed us another. And another. Each one better than the last. Eventually we were able to select our favorite knowing we made the best choice. The same scenario occurred when we were picking out olives a few minutes later. By the time we got home, we had the makings of the perfect Greek (er… Albanian?) salad.

Café Culture of Albania

It was hard to walk more than a city block in Tirana without finding the next café. Everywhere we looked, any time of the day, the tables were filled with espressos and water. That seemed to be the number one order of every customer. With such a low price tag (we were paying around $.50 USD) for an espresso, we were guilty of ordering at least 3 per day.

Vineyards

We unfortunately never rented a car during our stay in Albania. The tour companies were seemingly overpriced, and the buses didn’t always go where we wanted to explore so we missed out on a lot of the vineyards. But if you do rent a car, be sure to check out some of the vineyards close to Tirana and further throughout Albania as a whole. The few opportunities we did have to drink Albanian wine that didn’t come from a 3-liter jug was actually surprisingly delicious. One of our very best experiences was at Kantina Binjaket, within 15 minutes walking distance from our Airbnb.

Final Thoughts

Often we desire to go to the places we have read about, that our friends have travelled to, that appear on our television screens to upbeat music. As of writing, Albania is not that place. It still seems to be mainly undiscovered. Which is kind of a shame because it has so much to offer. Our time spent in Albania were some of our happiest (and sweatiest) days on the road to date and we would return there without hesitation. Next time though, we are renting a car to see much more of the countryside and the southern coastal cities!

What are your thoughts on Albania? Do you know much about its culture? Let us know in the comments if you have ever been or thought about a visit.

Cheers friends!

Megan + Matt