Albania: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Albania feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 108 written places.
Besa - the code of hospitality - is real; guests are honoured, strangers helped.
✓ Considered polite
- Accept coffee invitations - refusing outright can wound
- Learn Falemnderit, thank you - it earns delight
- Try the south's beaches and the north's Accursed Mountains both
- Carry cash - the lek economy is still cash-first outside cities
✗ Better avoided
- Rely on the nod - like Bulgaria, head gestures can reverse
- Expect infrastructure polish - roads improve yearly but slowly
- Drink tap water everywhere - bottled is safer in some areas
- Rush - furgon minibuses leave when full, not on schedule
Worth knowing
- Tipping is rounding up or about 10%
- Furgons - shared minibuses - are the real intercity transport
- Prices are among the lowest on the Mediterranean
- Byrek and qofte street food is excellent and costs pennies
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.