Do you really need a car in Albania? Tips from our trip

Why renting a car makes sense in Albania

After almost a month traveling around Albania, here are the top reasons why we believe renting a car makes absolute sense:

1. Freedom to explore on your own time, and not depend on the bus/tour schedule.
2. More time in each day, as you can start earlier and spend less time on transport.
3. You can book hotels that aren’t centrally located (often cheaper).
4. Chasing sunrises and sunsets is a hundred times easier.
5. It’s perfect for seeing more destinations in a shorter time on fast-paced itineraries or during off-season travel.
6. Roads in Albania are actually OKAY.

The biggest benefit to having a car while in Albania for us was the chance to avoid taking tours to places you can’t access by bus or where taxis are super expensive. We love going around on our own.

We definitely saw things on Albanian roads that we don’t see much of anymore in other Balkan countries, like a horse-drawn hay wagon near Shkoder and a car with scrap metal stacked high on its roof in Vlore.

But to be honest, these were only a few occasions, and far from being a constant thing you see on the road. In most of the country, we enjoyed driving the roads without any obstructions, and actually, not as many potholes as we expected before coming.

Where and which car to rent in Albania

As our plan was to explore Albania beyond the main roads, we needed to rent a car from a local company that allowed us to drive on unpaved roads.

Only local companies allow you to drive on gravel roads, while 99% of rental companies at airports, especially the big franchises, do not allow you to do that.

We rented our Fiat Panda from SkyLine, a trusted local car rental company in Tirana.

On arrival, it’s easy to navigate around the Tirana airport, as it’s not particularly big, and you can pick up your car just steps away from the main exit.

Since we first stayed in Tirana, we picked up our rental car in the city center and, after our trip, dropped it off at the airport.

Places where we appreciated having a car the most

While we were happy to have a rental car in all of Albania, these are the main places where we appreciated our rental the most:

• Bovilla Lake – perfect to get there by yourself and stay longer, like for sunset
• Holta Canyon – a hidden gem of Albania, which you can’t get to without a car
• Theth – where you explore Albania’s alps, and where having a car to go around more freely means you can see more in less time
• Llogara pass – the “old” road from Vlore to Himare, with scenic coastal views
• Himare – some of the best beaches are far from the town/hotels, and taxis are expensive
• Gjirokaster – we loved visiting the stone city on a day trip without a tour (we did it from Himare)

North Albania by car

One of the most popular things to do in Albania is the Theth to Valbona hike (or the other way around), where you hike from one valley up to the Valbona Pass, then descend to the other valley without returning.

This is mostly done by taking a bus to Theth, then hiking across, taking a van and a ferry from Valbona to Komani Lake, and then back to Shkoder.

However, if you’re not sure whether you want to hike over the mountain from one valley to another, you can visit Theth and Valbona separately, or visit only Theth and hike up to the pass, as many people do. We ended up doing so as well.

In this case, renting a car for the north of Albania is a great idea, since you can drive to Koman Lake, take the ferry to Valbona, then return to Shkoder, Theth, and visit the other places much more comfortably.

Driving to the beaches

Something to keep in mind when renting a car in Albania is that you most likely won’t be allowed to drive directly to each beach you might want to visit on the Albanian Riviera, as most access roads are unpaved and not allowed by most rental companies.

This was another super important factor in our decision to rent our car from a local company that allowed us to drive on unpaved gravel roads.

We loved having the opportunity to see more of Albania’s coast, especially around Himare.

Are Albanian roads really that bad?

In our opinion, Albanian roads are not bad at all, and beyond some potholes here and there, they’re actually much better than we expected.

We’re sure the roads have improved significantly since a few years ago, when mass tourism reached Albania.

Now, all the roads connecting most places you’re likely to visit are of good quality, and nothing to be afraid of. Plus, many of the roads are super scenic, especially the ones in the north and south of the country.

Do car break-ins happen often?

From our experience, car break-ins aren’t all that common in Albania. We’ve met many tourists traveling the country who’ve never experienced anything like that, and neither have we.

We left our luggage in the trunk of the car while exploring places and between accommodations, and it was fine. Of course, we never left anything in plain sight, so that’s a great way to prevent a theft of opportunity.

Is parking hard to find in Albania?

If there’s one thing to be concerned about while deciding if renting a car in Albania makes sense for you, it’s whether you’re ready to make some hard decisions when parking your rental car.

Parking in Albanian cities like Tirana is in extremely short supply, meaning you will fight (not literally) with locals for spots that are hard to find. We honestly wonder how the locals deal with this.

That’s why we recommend booking hotels with parking whenever you can, so you avoid parking trouble as much as possible.

In terms of parking at tourist attractions, however, it’s not a problem at all, as most places have organized and guarded parking lots.

For example, in Berat, there’s a free parking lot right in front of the castle, and even in the castle grounds. However, parking downtown near the city center is a different situation altogether, as there’s limited space, even for locals.

Final thoughts

We believe renting a car in Albania is the best way to explore on your own time. Having a car definitely allowed us to see more of the country!