Holiday in Albania: camping in the countryside

19 October, 2023

Is your next holiday destination Albania, but you have no idea what to expect from the country? We are happy to help. How do you find a good campsite? And what are the roads like in Albania? What should you definitely eat and what sights are not to be missed? ACSI inspector Jack Damen tells you all about his camping trip through Albania. Together with his wife, Ann, he stayed in this beautiful country for a month.

Albania is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday country! In only one year’s time, the number of tourists increased from two million a year to eight million. And it looks like the numbers will keep growing. Campers are also finding their way to the Balkan country. For Dutch campers that is partly due to TV shows such as ‘Wie is de Mol’. German, Austrian and Belgian television are also paying a lot of attention to Albania. As of 2024, a number of Albanian campsites are included in the well-known ACSI Campsite Guides.

Camping in Albania

Albania is particularly popular among touring campers. People travelling from Southern Europe to Northern Europe or vice versa. They are often people going travelling for several weeks or months. The majority of the campers travel with a motorhome, but in the summer months in particular you will also see people with a caravan or campers with tents.

Albania is suitable for experienced campers, but also for novice campers. Generally, theses are active holidaymakers who like to go out on the road and only stay at a campsite for a few nights. For an overnight stay at a campsite, you will pay between €17 to €20 per night. The price could be slightly higher in the high season. You currently do not pay a surcharge for dogs at campsites.

How do you find a campsite in Albania?

Albania’s camping sector is growing. You will see more and more campsites being added, but there can be massive differences between campsites. There are good campsites but there are also many illegal campsites. In those cases, people have put a sign in their back garden and call it a campsite. Or you might see people camping on a driveway without any kind of amenities. Luckily, there are also legal campsites that meet all the standards. The campsites that ACSI has inspected in Albania can be found in the guide and on Eurocampings.

The quality of the campsites is generally good. Certainly those I have approved. You can expect good amenities there. I would recommend each and every one to friends and acquaintances. I have actually already recommended some and the responses have been very positive. Either about the campsites or Albania itself.

Amenities at campsites in Albania

At all campsites inspected by ACSI in Albania, you can find spacious pitches with electricity and often also a water tap point. The campsites are in lovely locations, often right by a river, lake or the sea. Therefore, most campsites also have a beach and the possibility to swim in natural water. As it stands, you don’t see many swimming pools at Albanian campsites. There is often a small playground for the youngest campsite guests.

The toilet and washing facilities are good overall. Don’t expect extreme luxury, but the campsite owners do their best to keep everything clean. Only, the building layout can be different that many campers are used to.  You may find the toilet, washbasin and shower in one cubicle.

Eating in Albania, many fresh products

When you are holiday, it goes without saying that you want to try the local cuisine. And there is no lack of tasty, fresh food in Albania! All campsites inspected by ACSI have a restaurant where you can eat for relatively low prices. For an extensive dinner, including drinks, you pay between €10 to €15 per person. Albanese cuisine is somewhat similar to Greek cuisine. And as many campsites are right by water, you can eat lots of fresh fish here.

Furthermore, people eat lots of salads, but other vegetables are not as popular. Dishes like Moussaka and fish pasta are popular. Fish swim in Lake Ohrid that you will not find anywhere else in the world: Ohrid trout. You can eat this fish at restaurants around the lake. I recommend it when you are there.

Driving with a caravan in Albania

As long as you stick to the main roads, you can drive here without a problem. Most roads have two or three carriageways. There is also a new motorway going from east to west. According to many travel guides, this is a toll road but we didn’t pay a toll. But perhaps you have to now.

When you go inland or into the mountains, it is important to be more alert. Certainly if you are driving with a caravan or large motorhome. The roads can be very narrow and it can be difficult to pass others. Even when you enter the size of your vehicle in Google Maps, you may find yourself on narrow roads. If you really want to be sure of things, you are advised to assess the route you are going to take before you depart.

Caravan and motorhome

A car-caravan combination can be a maximum of 4 metres high, 2.5 metres wide and 16.5 metres long (a single-axle caravan itself can be a maximum of 6.5 metres long and a twin-axle caravan can be 8 metres long). A motorhome can be a maximum of 8 metres long.  Any bicycle carriers on the back are included in the length.

We have, however, heard from experience, that in reality the requirements may be less strict. However, we cannot verify this, so we recommend to contact Visit Albania yourself if in doubt.

Do the Albanians speak English?

In general, you can get by pretty well with English when on holiday in Albania. And you will be fine with German too. Children get English lessons from primary school age, and you’ll notice that they are getting increasingly better at the language. That will bear fruit in the coming years when they start working. Another option, of course, is to use Google Translate.

Is Albania safe?

We found Albania to be very safe. The people in the countryside are really nice, friendly and helpful. Particularly in small villages, you see people living a very different lifestyle than we are used to in the Netherlands. Many people have their own cow, chickens and goats and grow their own vegetables. It was wonderful to see, and we found the atmosphere to be very relaxed.

The capital of Tirana can be compared to European cities. You will see luxury restaurants shops and barbers. Everything is quite modernised and don’t expect luxury products to be cheaper than elsewhere in Europe.

You notice that hospitality is very important at the campsites. The staff are very customer oriented. We found contact with the local population very pleasant. You do have to stay alert of course, but that’s the case in any holiday country.

Holiday in Albania

As a holiday country, I would definitely recommend Albania. The country has many national parks that are worth visiting in any case. Most national parks offer free admission. You will find many walking routes in the parks and they are often well signposted. You could also opt to book a tour with a guide. Most campsites offer these types of excursions.

Furthermore, Albania has several lovely coastal resorts with beaches as well as a number of historical towns such as Berat, Gjirokaster and Shkoder. The lakes, Lake Skadar and Lake Ohrid are also more than worth visiting. The coastal region is still under development and there is a lot of construction work going on. Cities such as Ksamil, Sarande, Himare, Vlore are highly recommended if you like beach holidays.

Since Albania is a country with a rather eventful history, I do advise reading up on it before travelling to this lovely Balkan country.

A trip through Bosnia and Montenegro

If you drive to Albania, you can travel through the countries of Bosnia and Montenegro. If you would also like to camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina, check out all the campsites that ACSI has inspected in Bosnia. You can also find campsites in Montenegro in the ACSI guides, apps and on the websites. If you would you like some inspiration for a holiday in Montenegro, read our blog abut camping in Montenegro, where ACSI inspector Kees Romeijnders shares his camping experience in the country.

ACSI campsites in Albania

The campsites inspected by ACSI can be found in the ACSI Campsite Guides and ACSI Campsite apps. You will be able to find the ACSI inspected campsites on Eurocampings.co.uk as well.

Also read our blog on holidaying in Montenegro. Montenegro can also be found in the ACSI guides.