Prices in Albania (page 1 of 2)

I’ve got some new questions about Albania!

My boyfriend and I are going there for just 9 days, including the two travel days… It’s not much, but oh well!

Looking at prices online, I get the impression everything’s more expensive than I thought 😅 So, I wanted to get your feedback on a few things:

* Is hitchhiking common, easy, and generally safe in Albania? * Is it possible to find day-to-day accommodations without booking ahead? If so, are they usually cheaper than the ones you find online? * Is wild camping allowed or at least tolerated?

If any of you have traveled there recently, I’d love all the tips and great deals you’ve got!

Thanks ☺️

* Is it possible to find day-to-day accommodations without booking? If so, are they generally cheaper than those found online?

Yes, lots of people rent out rooms—it shouldn’t be hard to find without a reservation. I went there 2 or 3 years ago in mid-September, so not peak season, but I think it’s mainly on the coast where you need to book. Inland, I don’t think it’s necessary. We used Booking to compare different places and get an idea of prices, then negotiated the rate on the spot (without Booking as the middleman), since Booking takes 20% of the price.

* Is wild camping allowed or at least tolerated?

In the mountains, I think it’s possible, though I never saw tents in the wild. There are campgrounds.

Is hitchhiking common, easy, and relatively safe in Albania?

No idea, but what’s certain is that Albanians are super friendly. Once, with rented bikes, I got a flat in the middle of nowhere. We were looking for a repair shop, and at a bar, a guy offered to put the bike in his trailer and drive us back to town (about 15 km!). In the end, a local fixed my flat and refused to let me pay! Anyway, you won’t break the bank taking buses—they’re really cheap! Car rentals were actually more expensive than in neighboring countries like Romania or Bulgaria. If you ever go to Romania, avoid Booking or any other middleman—you can find accommodations everywhere (especially places frequented by locals) with homestays at half the price!

Thanks so much for this info!!!

I took a quick look at hotel and guesthouse rates in Shkodër (via Booking.com) for July, and there are quite a few rooms between 24 and 35 € with breakfast included... and plenty under 50 €. Not really expensive for Europe. Shkodra Backpackers Hotel is at 32 €.

Hi there,

I’ve never stayed in Albania for very long, but I’ve been there several times. What always struck me about prices were how high they were in grocery stores. Everything comes from Italy, which is already the most expensive country in Europe for that kind of thing. Don’t hesitate to eat out at restaurants instead.

Michel

Hi there, I don’t know where you went or what kinds of food you bought, but as far as I’m concerned, I don’t know any country in Europe where food in general is cheaper than in Albania.

Hi there,

I’m talking about shops, small grocery stores, and supermarkets—these are the most expensive in Europe, in my opinion.

Michel

We’ve bought food supplies for mountain hikes several times, and I can confirm that prices were much cheaper than in France. Some items not produced in Albania might be pricier, but that’s not the case for most things.

I had a similar experience in Romania where, in a supermarket, meat (I can’t remember which type) was more expensive than in France. It surprised me because when eating out, the prices were really cheap.

I don’t know what you bought or where. In Albania, they produce almost nothing. Everything is imported. I can’t recall the name of that supermarket chain, but everything was more expensive than in Sweden. Romania’s the same—better to eat at a restaurant.

Michel

Sometimes I have a bit of trouble understanding how things work there? I’ve been to Romania three times. Since we do a lot of hiking, we usually pack a picnic for lunch... So we do our shopping, often in small supermarkets. All the groceries—cold cuts, cheeses, yogurts, fruits, pastries—are way cheaper than in France!

In Albania (...) everything was more expensive than in Sweden.

In Stockholm last month, I was surprised by the number of Albanians in the grocery stores. Thanks for the insight (by the way, it’s said that Ryanair operates the direct Tirana/Stockholm flight not to let Swedes go sunbathing on a budget but so Albanians can do their shopping cheaply).

I can’t remember the name of that supermarket chain

Le Bon Marché?

Hi,

So the store was Conad—I think it’s an Italian brand—but the other chains were really expensive too. In Sweden, there are a lot of Albanians or Kosovars; the flights are mostly for them, not so much for Swedish tourists. Just saying.

Michel

I must’ve gotten really lucky shopping repeatedly in small local markets where prices were 2 to 3 times lower than in France. I didn’t buy lobster caviar or Romanée-Conti either! That said, I’m not the only one noticing this!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTDtLn-lODb/

Note: even though it’s not mentioned in this video, meat and chicken are also on average twice as cheap as in France, and fruits and vegetables can be up to three times cheaper.

Hi there!

I was in Albania in May, and we mainly rented apartments, had breakfasts and dinners in the apartment. So we did our grocery shopping and found the bill really gentle…

Maybe Tatra mostly dealt in imported luxury goods ;)

Hi there,

In Albania, almost nothing is imported. It was a Conad in the city center, and honestly, it was better to eat at a restaurant. But have those who talk about it actually compared?

Michel

There are at least two of us here (on VF) who’ve done grocery shopping all over the country—north, south, coast, etc.—and one thing’s clear: food prices in any little supermarket are at least half as cheap as in France. I really don’t get why you’re so stubborn about an undeniable fact...

Eating out, sure, we did that every night. It’s obviously more convenient and also cheaper than in France, but it’s clear that for those on a tight budget, doing your grocery shopping in Albania and cooking meals in your rental apartment is way more economical than eating out!

I know where I’ve tried shopping, and I also know where I shop in France. Now, if you’ve found better deals and in France you frequent stores that are much pricier than the ones I go to, that changes the perspective. I remember pieces of cheese or cold cuts, chicken—everything was at least 3 € each, and it was delicious. There are definitely discount spots in Albania too, but you have to buy in larger quantities, not just portions for two...

Michel

What I understood is that when faced with the obvious, you always try to muddy the waters.

What’s the goal of this discussion?

Next time you’re in Tirana, you’ll do some grocery shopping to cook for yourself at one of the chain supermarkets like Conad or Spar, and you’ll get a sense of it. There are a lot of factors: everything’s imported from countries where it’s already expensive, like Italy, the lek is strong, which means food prices in Albania are very similar to what they are elsewhere in Europe, and then there’s the “small shop,” “small volume,” and tourism effect. It’s not exactly a secret, by the way: https://www.balkanweb.com/en/Albania-will-become-more-expensive-in-2025--food-prices-will-exceed-the-EU-average-for-the-first-time/#gsc.tab=0

Now you trust your experience, and I’ll trust mine.

Michel