Are you thinking about travelling Albania by Campervan or Motorhome? We spent three months in Albania in our campervan in early 2025 and in this guide we’re sharing all our best tips for Van Life Albania.
Albania is a small country in the western Balkans that has really only come onto travellers radar in the last few years. Tourism is growing VERY rapidly here, and along with it the infrastructure to make your campervan roadtrip more enjoyable.
Having said that, it still remains a hidden gem. From the beautiful nature of the mountains to the stunning blue water beaches, historic cities and super friendly locals, Albania has something for everyone.
Whether you’re driving through Albania as part of a longer European Road Trip, or flying in and hiring a vehicle, this up-to-date article has all the information you need.
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Why visit Albania by Campervan?
Not only is Albania a beautiful country, it’s also one of the most affordable we’ve visited. We could regularly eat a meal out (with drinks) for around €25. Entrance fees for attractions are also less than what you would pay in other European destinations.
Campervan culture is relatively new in Albania, and it’s still quite possible to wild camp (outside of high season at least!). Attitudes towards travellers in campervans are warm and friendly.
For us the biggest highlight of Albania was the people. We found kind, friendly and welcoming locals everywhere we went. We were regularly gifted food, drinks, even shots of Raki (the local fruit brandy).
Albania has incredible natural beauty, and travelling by campervan allows you to explore the country at your own pace. We often stayed longer than we initially expected as we found places we loved.
Before you go: Planning tips for travelling Albania by Campervan
Documents:
You’ll need a valid passport with at least 6 months validity. Travellers from the EU, UK, Australian, New Zealand and Canada can visit Albania for 90 days within a 180 day period without needing a visa. Travellers from the USA can stay for 365 days. As always, check the requirements for your country of citizenship before leaving.
In addition to your drivers licence, it’s always good to carry an International Driving Permit, which you can get in your home country (we got ours from the RACQ in Queensland, Australia). Having said that, we were never asked for our licence or IDP at a border crossing.
Vehicle documents:
You’ll need your vehicle registration and insurance documents. We crossed the border in and out of Albania several times, and we always needed to show the registration documents. However we were never asked for our insurance documents.
Check that your vehicle insurance covers Albania. We spoke to several UK campervan owners who’s insurance didn’t cover Albania. Our van is registered and insured in Germany, and we are covered by our insurance policy.
If your vehicle isn’t covered, you can purchase border insurance but be advised this will be third party only. Google shows several companies offering an online policy, undoubtedly charging an additional premium.
Health Insurance or Travel Insurance
As Albania is outside the EU, your European Health Insurance may not be valid. If you are relying on Travel Insurance for emergency medical cover, make sure that it covers Albania. We use and recommend Cover-more for an affordable option with good cover.
Driving in Albania
Albanian Roads
Albanian roads and drivers certainly have a reputation! Our “baptism by fire” was driving from the ferry port in Durres to Tirana. Even after driving around the country for three months, I still stand by this being the worst piece of road in the country!
The roads in Albania vary from very good, modern motorways to single lane tracks full of pot holes. In towns and even suburban streets you’ll often find makeshift Speed Bumps (or Judder bars as Kiwi Nigel calls them) with no warning signs, so it pays to drive slowly.
There is only one toll road in Albania, the A1 heading north from Tirana, and then the extension of this road that continues to Kukës. This section to Kukës is the best road we drove in the entire country! It cost us 660 Lekë (€6.50) for the section from Lezhë to Kukës. The A1 north from Tirana cost us 500 Lekë.
Other road hazards include livestock in the road. We had to stop for cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, stray dogs, goats, you name it! Again, drive slowly.
Albanian Drivers
While the roads are one thing, the drivers are something else. We found the Albanian drivers to be probably the most impatient (ok, crazy) in all of Europe. They aren’t aggressive or nasty, they just always seem to be in a hurry.
They will overtake ANYWHERE – on a blind corner, going up or down hills, solid lines in the middle of the road mean nothing. We’ve had to slam on our brakes several times to avoid an overtaking driver coming straight for us! It’s all part of the adventure.
Fuel
We found the fuel to be more expensive in Albania than in neighbouring Montenegro or North Macedonia (or even Kosovo). Diesel was regularly around €1.70 a litre, compared to €1.30 a litre in Montenegro and €1.15 in North Macedonia. So if you’re heading south, fuel up before the border!
Camping in Albania – where to park your campervan
Wild camping in Albania
From all our research, there are no laws against wild camping in Albania. In all our time we only saw one “No Camping” sign (near the Zvernec Lighthouse by Vlorë). We wild camped in several places, and never had a problem.
We found most of our wild camping spots on the Park4Night app, although there were a couple of places we stayed that we just found on Google Earth.
Obviously one should always practice “Leave No Trace” even if it seems like you might be the only person concerned about rubbish everywhere!
Campsites in Albania
We stayed at only one campsite that would resemble a campsite elsewhere in Europe (what we call a caravan park in Australia). That was in Shkoder and cost 2500 Lekë (€25) per night without electricity.
Camping Legjenda had all you would expect, toilets and showers, grey and blackwater disposal, washing machine, powered sites. AND it had a bar, restaurant and a swimming pool!
Most of the time we stayed in small, family run campsites which were really a part of someone’s property where they had installed some electricity poles and built a toilet and shower. In Korçë we stayed in the parking lot of a small hotel, right in the centre of town. Very enterprising these Albanians!
We liked staying at these places, as not only was it our opportunity to support locals, but in most cases we got to chat with the owners, and learn a bit about what living in Albania is really like. We recommend Park4Night for finding campsites and free camps in Albania.
Realities of travelling Albania by Campervan – what the tourist brochures don’t tell you.
Rubbish/Trash/Litter
Almost everywhere you go in Albania, you will see rubbish. By the sides of the road, on the beach, lining rivers, carparks, its everywhere. The infrastructure isn’t really in place for rubbish collection, and sadly the attitude of the local people seems to be “chuck it and forget it”.
In many places you’ll see large skip bins on the side of the road, but these are often overflowing. We found we needed to adopt an attitude of acceptance around the amount of trash everywhere, and not let it taint our experience.
Stray dogs
Probably more upsetting was the amount of stray dogs wandering the streets. Thankfully, these dogs seem to be friendly and harmless. I (Sue) don’t really like big dogs and I did get nervous a few times but in all three months I never had an incident with a dog.
It seems that dogs are not kept as pets as commonly as you’d find in other western European countries.
You’ll read mixed reports on how stray dogs are treated in Albania, but in three months we never experienced any actual mistreatment or cruelty towards dogs. However we did see one or two that looked quite unhealthy.
Many of the dogs have tags in their ears, which signifies they have been sterilised and vaccinated. We only saw puppies twice. On our return to Albania in October 2025 we saw a lot of female dogs with full mammary glands (I just learned they are called Dugs), but still no puppies.
Some people like to carry dog food to feed the stray dogs. We are reluctant to do that as we know what happens when “wild” animals become reliant on humans for food – often they become aggressive. It’s a real dilemma.
Best time to travel around Albania by Campervan
We arrived into Albania on the 15th January – so in the depths of winter. Even then, the winter was mild, and although our campervan isn’t winterised the temperatures didn’t get too cold that we had to worry about frozen pipes.
I spent the month of February parked up in Ksamil while Nigel was away working and although the town pretty much shuts down for winter the grocery stores and one or two restaurants were open. It was nice to be there without the crowds.
We travelled extensively in April and May, and these are great months for Albania. The crowds are less and many things are open, but not too busy.
We have just returned to Albania in October to visit Lake Ohrid and Korcë, areas we missed earlier in the year, and the weather here has been mild with a fair few rainy days.
If you’re planning to visit the beaches the beach clubs don’t usually open until mid-May or the beginning of June. If you visit in summer, you’ll find some beaches are exclusively “pay to sit”, with sun lounges lining the shore.
Highlights of visiting Albania by Campervan
Albania has so much to offer from the natural beauty of the mountains around Theth and Valbona, the Albanian Riviera, historic towns like Kruje, Gjirokaster and Berat, and of course the vibrant capital of Tirana.
But there are also hidden gems in Albania, places like the Benjë Thermal Pools, Butrint National Park, and Gjipë Beach.
Essential information for travelling around Albania by Motorhome
Motorhome Services
As campervan culture is in it’s infancy in Albania, you won’t find a lot of Motorhome Service stops to empty grey water and fill up fresh water. These are popping up on the motorways at some of the larger service stations, and cost around €5 to use.
Most of the camper stopovers or campsites we stayed at had fresh water hoses and somewhere to dispose of grey and black water.
Drinking water
While we were told the water was OK to drink, I did get quite ill the second day I was in Albania, and vowed to only drink bottled water after that. You can buy large bottles (6 litres) of water for around €1 in most of the supermarkets
Groceries and eating out
While Albania doesn’t have large supermarkets like Western Europe, the USA or Australia, there are small chain supermarkets (Big Market, Planet, Spar) and we found a few Conad stores in larger towns.
We always bought our fruit and vegetables from small greengrocers or farmers markets on the roadside. The produce is fresh and mostly organic (they call it Bio). We found that prices for fruit and vegetables at these small stores was ridiculously cheap – around a quarter of what we would pay in Australia.
Imported packaged food in the supermarkets did tend to be quite expensive, so we tried to buy local where possible.
Local bakeries sell great fresh bread for under €1 a loaf. This is where you can also buy Byrek – the local snack. I could have eaten a cheese byrek every day!
Albanian food is really good, and we enjoyed eating out in local restaurants. Try national dishes like Tave Kosi, Fergese, grilled vegetables and baked cheese. Prices are reasonable – in most restaurants we could get a meal and drink for around €10.
Currency
Albania has it’s own currency, the Albanian Lek. The plural is Lekë although it’s often just written as Lek. The Lek is a closed currency, meaning you can’t exchange it outside the country.
There are exchange offices close to the borders and also in the main towns and cities. We found when we first arrived we could simply pay in Euros and receive Lek change.
There are ATMs everywhere in Albania! In touristy spots like Ksamil you’ll find ATMs every hundred metres. We were unable to find any ATMs that don’t charge a fee. Although we had read many articles saying that Credins Bank don’t charge a fee, we were charged 600 Lek everytime we made a withdrawal – both with our Revolut card and also with our Australian bank account cards.
The BIG TIP for withdrawing cash from an ATM – if the ATM asks you if you would like to “Accept the Conversion” or “Continue without Conversion” ALWAYS continue without conversion. This may seem counter-intuitive, but Accepting the Conversion will cost you an additional 8-10% in fees.
Albania is still very much a cash society. While larger stores, supermarkets and some restaurants will accept card payments we found most places only accept cash.
Phone and Internet
We found the mobile internet reception to be really good in Albania. Although we didn’t get 5G, the 4G was fast and reliable. Physical SIM cards are available at the border and in kiosks in towns.
We use and recommend the Holafly eSIM which gives us unlimited data wherever we travel. (Use the code NIGELANDSUE for a discount). Simply purchase and install the eSIM before your journey and it will work once you arrive at your destination.
FAQs
Is it safe to travel around Albania by Campervan?
Despite what you may see in the media or pop-culture (Hello Liam Neeson and “Taken”), Albania has felt like one of the safest countries we’ve visited. I (Sue) spent almost 6 weeks alone in Albania while Nigel was away at work, and never did I feel threatened or unsafe.
I’ve walked around towns and cities alone and driven alone from one end of the country to the other. Of course you should always use common sense and take care, especially at night, but speaking to our experience, Albania felt very safe.
How long should you spend in Albania?
To really see the highlights and a few hidden gems we would recommend spending at least two weeks in Albania. Four weeks will allow you to see everything and take time to really relax and get to know the country.
Final Thoughts
Albania is a hidden gem that’s only just making its way on to travellers’ radar. Now is the perfect time to visit this exciting country. Yes, there’s a lot of construction going on, and it’s not perfect, but nowhere is!
It’s a land of contrasts and diversity, from the mountains to the sea, historic towns and fascinating history. Not to mention the friendliest locals you could ever hope to meet.
Don’t forget to download our FREE Albania Road Trip Checklist to help make planning your Albania by Campervan Adventure even better.
Where to Next?
Check out our 7 day Albania Road Trip Itinerary, or, head over to learn about the fascinating country of Kosovo.