Some countries are made for trains. Albania is built for a steering wheel. It’s the place people discover after Greece and Croatia, then can’t shut up about: cliff‑hugging roads, beaches that look like they’ve been colour‑graded, stone towns that still smell of wood smoke, and mountain valleys that feel like they’ve missed the memo about mass tourism. Is Albania worth visiting? Completely. But you only get the version everyone raves about if you give yourself a car.
What Albania Actually Feels Like
Albania feels like three trips for the price of one. On the coast you’ve got the Riviera: little coves tucked between cliffs, sun‑bleached villages, and that deep Ionian blue you normally associate with Greek island postcards. Inland are towns like Berat and Gjirokastër, where houses lean over cobbled streets and castles still dominate the skyline. Head north and the vibe flips again; the Albanian Alps are all sharp ridgelines, icy rivers and meadows that could be Switzerland if you squint.
It doesn’t feel over‑managed yet. You still see old men playing dominoes near the seafront, kids tearing around on bikes, and families strolling the promenade long after dark. You’re a visitor, not just one more body in a queue. That alone makes it feel different from most “Mediterranean” holidays you’ve probably done.
The Coast: Why the Riviera Hooks Everyone
The Albanian Riviera is the reason a lot of people book the trip in the first place. The main coastal road winds south from Vlorë, climbing and dropping in long curves with constant “pull over now” views. Below you: Himarë, Borsh, Qeparo, little strips of town that cling to the edge of the water. Some spots are kitted out with loungers and beach bars; others are just a café, a few umbrellas and whatever soundtrack the owner feels like putting on.
If you’re driving, this whole coastline becomes a playground. You don’t pick a single resort and hope for the best. You sleep in Himarë but swim at a different beach every day. You see a hand‑painted sign for some random cove, shrug, and follow it down a dusty track because why not. The best memories come from those unplanned stops – the ones no bus route would ever bother with.
Mountains, Lakes and Quiet Villages
The other side of Albania lives in the north. Shkodër sits by a huge lake, all bicycles, castle views and long sunsets. From there, the road twists into the Albanian Alps – towards Theth and Valbona, villages that feel more like outposts than towns. The mountains shoot straight up; rivers look like they’ve been poured from a glacier; stars actually appear when the lights go off.
Your car is what connects these worlds. You drive from the airport to Shkodër, park in a guesthouse courtyard and let local drivers handle the really serious mountain track. After a few days of hikes and home‑cooked dinners, you’re back at your own car, rolling south with muddy boots in the trunk and the coast already loaded into Maps. Same trip, totally different chapters, all under one booking.
Safety, Reality and What Driving Is Actually Like
If your image of Albania comes from old headlines or one particular Hollywood movie, it’s badly out of date. On the ground, Albania feels like a softer, slightly chaotic cousin of Greece. You’ll see families out late, people glued to their phones, teenagers sitting on sea walls scrolling TikTok. Petty crime can happen, like anywhere, but it’s not the constant background tension you get in some big cities.
Driving is the part that catches people off guard. Locals can be… enthusiastic. Overtakes are bolder, lane discipline more flexible, and speed limits are sometimes treated as friendly suggestions. The good news is that main roads are better than most visitors expect. The trick is to drive defensively: no sudden heroics, no tight deadlines, and avoid tackling brand‑new mountain routes in the dark after a long day. If you’ve handled driving in southern Italy or Greece, you’ll cope here – just give yourself margin.
Why Having a Car Changes the Whole Trip
You can absolutely “do” Albania on buses. You’ll hit Tirana, maybe Berat, Saranda, a couple of classic sights. You’ll also spend a chunk of your holiday waiting at random bus stops, negotiating taxi prices, and deciding against places that sound amazing but logistically painful. Your days end up shaped around timetables instead of around what you feel like doing.
With a car, the country relaxes around you. In the south you can wake up in Saranda, explore Butrint’s ruins before the tour buses arrive, cool off at the Blue Eye spring, then watch sunset from a beach near Ksamil – all in one day without feeling rushed. In the centre you can wander Berat in the morning, taste wine in the countryside in the afternoon, and still be halfway to the coast by dinner. The best way to think of it: the car isn’t just transport, it’s a permission slip to be spontaneous.
Why use AutoZone.al to compare car hire in Albania
Figuring out car hire in Albania is easily the least fun part of planning the trip. You’ve got big international brands, tiny local agencies that everyone swears are “the best”, and a bunch of deals that look cheap until you start reading about deposits, mileage limits and card rules. Opening ten different tabs and trying to compare them by hand is a fast track to a headache.
AutoZone exists so you don’t have to play that game. Instead of jumping between websites, you see offers for Albania in one place – from both trusted local suppliers and international names. You choose where you want to start your trip (Tirana Airport, Tirana city, Saranda), set your filters for the stuff that actually matters – deposit, insurance, mileage, gearbox – and instantly see which deals really work for you. You still pick the car and the company, but AutoZone does the heavy lifting in the background so you can get back to planning the fun parts of your road trip.
So, Is Albania Worth Visiting?
If your perfect holiday is lying by the same pool for a week and never leaving the resort, Albania might feel like too much effort. Things are changing fast, but there are still rough edges: half‑finished buildings, random power cuts, buses that arrive when they feel like it. That’s exactly what puts some people off – and what others quietly love it for.
If you’re the second type, Albania is absolutely worth the flight. You get proper adventure without sacrificing comfort, food that punches way above its price, and landscapes that would be overrun anywhere else. Give yourself a set of keys, a half‑decent playlist and a loose plan, and Albania stops being just “another country in the Balkans”. It becomes your road trip story – and that’s the version AutoZone.al is here to help you build.
