Is Albania a safe country for tourists (cities + countryside) ?

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o6pa3

No,it is a very dangerous place,full of drug dealers,kidnappers (for organ trading and white slavery),thieves and pickpockets.If you really have to go there,be cautious.And it is better not to bring any female person with you because it would be very dangerous for her especially.Take care :)

Marios Marmaras

No you cant walk safely.If you want to walk safely you must not have with you expensive things

ghfh g

yes

Airpole

If you stick to the tourist areas and close by you will have no problem.
For the country side is a different story. Keep in mind that English is not widely spoken should you have a problem.

Aele

Ok, this is a topic i can help with easily, since i travel to Albania every summer. Firstly its a beautiful place to go to and so much work has been done to improve order and safety that you can now practically walk at any time wherever you want without any fear but you have to be sensible cos after all criminals do operate in every country thus you will find them there too, but certainly in smaller quantities since cities are generally small, exluding the capital Tirana, and therefore easily managable for the police to control.

One thing to be careful is if you are driving there, watch out for reckless drivers within cities and outside on national roads where overtaking is dangerous due to one lane in each direction. Thieves operate at beaches so dont leave anything unsupervised, apart from that you dont have to fear anything since police patrols very frequently alongside the beaches.

Foreign languages that are mostly spoken are Italian and Greek the former being mostly used up north and the latter down south, however with youngsters being also fluent in English especially in Tirana i don't think you should have a problem.

If using taxis make sure you only get on the official taxis which are coloured yellow in Tirana. To be safe when you get to the Rinas airport which is the only international airport in Albania i would advise you to use the coaches which leave from the airport every 30 mins towards the centre of the capital Tirana (they are called Tirana Express). The fare for the coach is 200ALL or just under в‚¬2 whilst taxi fares within Tirana should range somewhere between 300ALL to 700ALL which is somewhere between в‚¬1.5 and в‚¬6 so make sure to discuss prices before getting in since they do not have metres. National fares with taxi from Tirana towards cities are much more expensive from в‚¬20-в‚¬80, so you might be better off using coaches which have generally price from under в‚¬2 up to в‚¬5 tops for intercity lines.

The capital is very safe both at daytime and nightime the 'Blloku' area has a wondeful nightlife which you will absolutely love if you're a club or pub person.

People are generally much nicer if you visit other cities ie. Shkodra is the most ancient of the cities in Albania there are quite a few things to see there as well as the longest beach on the Adriatic coast, the beach of Velipoja, which is 12 km long. You will be amazed with the hospitality of the locals and how readily available they are to help, but be prepared to tip a little since that will put a smile on their face and hence they would be even nicer to you after :)

South Albania is also lovely to visit Butrint, Apollonia are ancient sites to visit. Beaches of interest would be Himara, Saranda and Vlora with the latter being probably the best to visit since it has a decent nightlife and nice rocky beaches on the Ionian coast. Durres just a short trip (30mins) of Tirana is almost like an extension of the capital, safety, nightlife, shopping and everything else here is just as good if not better than in Tirana. The beaches are not very clean here however, so if you are looking for a nice decent clean and quiet beach you should go in Velipoje up north just 20min drive from Shkodra.

Countryside has breathtaking views, with locals being even more amazingly welcoming and absolutely friendly. You must however dress in a conservative way and be prepared to respect local traditions which vary even between villages neighbouring each other. The north however having the most conservative traditions possible. You can sleep quite comfortably in anyones house in the countryside since they have a moral code especially in the north whereby all guests are seen as sacred and respected to the highest extent.

If doing any shopping make sure you negotiate prices before buying cos almost everywhere you can actually lower the price by a few 100ALL's.

All i can add is that if you travel up north towards Kukes be careful of mines in the fields and countryside since they were spread across the border during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo, they are demining the area but it will take some time before you can wander off in the border areas of Kukes district. Also keep in mind that guns are widespread since 1997 when the country went into turmoil because of pyramidal schemes, number of guns has been reduced since but its a danger worth keeping in mind. No direct risk comes from this as nobody walks around with a gun looking for someone to shoot but the thing to keep in mind with regard to this is don't get anyone angry and make sure you dont start a fight with anyone although that would be quite unlikely.

Last bit of advise make sure to have a digital camera to capture all the lovely moments and beautiful sights you will encounter cos there is plenty of this there. Also if travelling between cities have an mp3 player loaded with music since the journeys do take a little with public transport but also with taxis as they try to drive slow for safety of the passangers (since the price is usually discussed before getting in, its surely not done for the purpose of taking more money). Apart from that be ready to enjoy this little pearl of the mediterranean and be prepared to get addicted cos i'm sure you are gonna love it, I still have to encounter someone who has been there and not loved the overall experience. (you might however hate a thing or two but the overall experience is the one that counts)

Oh and make sure you try the local cuisine it is absolutely delicious with a mixture of Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern its probably is the best cuisine in the mediterranean.

If you have any other questions of a more specific nature you can email me directly and i will be more than happy to help.

Denicia

It is safe in tourist places. Also, in countryside are wonderful people.
Be care full with traffic, some of them do not respect traffic rules.
Older people know Italian and Russian, younger know English. In Dhermi, Himare, Saranda they speak Greek.

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I am a single female American who travelled to Albania two years ago. I started in Tirana and visited Sarande, Gjiorkostra and Kruja. . .it is everything Aele says it is. I am planning to go back and visit more of the country as soon as possible.

What takes you back there every year Aele?

ruth

For Helper above:

Macedonians are as welcome as any other nationality. If Macedonians were as hospitable and foreigners-friendly as Albanians (those of Albania at least)!!!

You should have seen the seaside of Durres this summer! There were many Macedonians enjoying the seaside, food and mixing up with Albanians in the cafГ©s terraces in the hot summer evenings. I can say they were certainly having fun and not affraid at all about being Macedonians in Albania.

You should go and try! ;)

РњР°РєРµРґРѕРЅРёСР°

if you are a macedonian citizen......I don't think you are that much safe, but it's not like they will hurt you just because you are a tourist. My friend was there and he had a great time, i think you are not in a big risk.

I'm Macedonian!!!

yeah, don't worry and have fun!!

ryttu3k

There are risks in everything. As long as you're sensible and treat Tirana like any other city (as far as safety in concerned), you should be fine. Have fun!

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