I love Albania so much! It is my favourite country because it’s filled with beautiful nature, is so undiscovered, has amazing healthy food, and is cheap. It’s really the GEM of Europe.
And Albania has a special place in my heart because it’s where I went on a month long solo trip and found myself.
I stayed in a HUGE and CHEAP villa where I had an amazing view, and every day felt like a dream.
So if you’re going to Albania too, here’s what I did in case you want some footsteps to follow in 😉
WHERE I STAYED IN ALBANIA
1) Vila Amantia
This is that villa I stayed in for my solo trip. It is only $60/night! See the link below for more details!
It’s a very rustic and beautiful place with stone walls and a view of the city from the balcony. And it’s got FIVE bedrooms. It’s really huge!
And if you haven’t used AirBnb before, go to this link to get a free voucher from me!
Address: Vlore, Kaninë (You’ll be given the exact location only after confirming the booking.)
Website: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2921528
Price: It’s only $58 per night per person (or room)
2) The Plaza Tirana
Photo: The Plaza Tirana Facebook page
This place is probably the best hotel in Albania. It’s brand new, central, and room we had came with an amazing view and even had its own full size Jacuzzi and SAUNA!
It’s located in the city, so you can walk to places like the nearby shopping mall or museum really quickly..
Address: Rruga 28 Nëntori, Tirana.
Website: https://www.plazatirana.com/
Price: You can get it for as little as $120 per night on certain sites.
3) Cavaliero
Photo: Cavaliero Facebook page
This Beautiful and simple hotel restaurant comes equipped with large well decorated rooms and delicious meals. It’s right near the border of Albania and Montenegro (about 7 minutes away), and we stayed here for 3 nights to just work in the hotel because we enjoyed it so much.
This is a gorgeous resort-hotel we stayed in at Schkoder.
Address: Bajza, Shkodër, Albania
Website: https://www.facebook.com/cavaliero15/
Price: Give them a call to check the current rates!
4) Xheko Imperial Hotel
Photo: Xheko Imperial Facebook page
I felt like a queen here with all the fancy decor! If you’re gonna treat yourself, check out the imperial room. For a romantic date night head to their roof top which has little canals and a lot of charm. This is one of the most beautiful building interiors in Albania!
There are lots of art galleries and bars nearby if you wanna check them out too!
Address: Ibrahim Rugova nr. 56/H2 Tiranë, 1019
Website: https://www.xheko-imperial.com/en/
Price: It’s $120 a night!
WHAT I DID IN ALBANIA
1) Rented a car and drove down the long winding roads to see the BEAUTIFUL NATURE
Lots of places in Albania are simply STUNNING. If you love driving. Rent a car and explore! Just ask the host or concierge at your accommodation for tips on where to head to for the best nature.
And since Albania is so undiscovered, you will rarely see any other tourists, which is yet another reason why I love Albania!
2) Hiked in Kaninë! I saw the castle and caught the beautiful sunset too
Or if you want a specific place to visit, check out Kaninë. There’s an castle there and the sunsets are beautiful.
Make sure you go there in the late afternoon so when golden hour hits you have time to snap Instaworthy pics like I did with Nas. 🙂
Check out the location here!
3) I visited Ksamil beach then swim to out to the Ksamil islands nearby!
And yes, even the beaches in Albania are so amazing! The water is so clear and blue, it reminded me of the Maldives.
You can just chill by the shore or if you’re up for it, go for a swim out to the nearby Ksamil islands.
Get info about the location here!
4) Met the president of Albania!
It was incredible meeting the president of Albania. When you visit Albania, you might want to check out the museums to learn more about their past. They even helped saved Jews during the holocaust! There is a very small museum about it in Berat.
5) Visited Theth and the mountains there (it feels like Switzerland!)
I don’t think I could ever get tired of the scenery at Theth. And I felt a little like I was in the Sound of Music! All I needed was a traditional dress LOLOALOAL.
Prepare a lot of snacks when you drive out because sometimes you can end up driving for hours on end!
See more amazing pictures and check out the location here!
6) Checked out this tattoo parlour in a communist bunker!
I saw a video about this tattooist, Peter on VICE years ago.
I’m not into tattoos myself, but I thought it was really cool to see this dedicated man run his shop in a communist bunker in the middle of nowhere! To find him, head to Schkoder and ask around 😀
7) Stopped for a coffee at one of the many coffee shops in Albania
Albania has the highest number of coffee shops per capita IN THE WORLD (Nas made a video about this too). People love to just hang out in them, and I don’t have any one place to recommend because there so many that are great!
And since each cup costs only around 50 cents, go forth and BUY AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.
So here’s my quick list of the best places to visit and stay in Albania. This is one of my most favourite places in the world and I hope you’ll love it as much as I do!