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Albania Travel Guide
-Where to visit

Updated September 2024

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Albania is the upcoming travel destination in Europe. It is a country that is steeped in history and natural beauty making it a wonderful place to worldschool our children and embrace a new and exciting culture. We have been travelling to Albania for the last 2 years and every time we leave, we come away with our hearts full. It is easily one of our favourite travel destinations in Europe. 

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Why Travel to Albania?

Albania is a country of hidden wonders. It has been barely touched by tourists meaning it's raw, natural beauty has been beautifully preserved. If you are looking for an authentic experience and an opportunity to fully embrace a new culture, then Albania is the place for you. 

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There are many reasons why we love Albania, so much so that I have written a whole separate blog about it. Discover why we love Albania so much here. 

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It is an easily accessible country, only a 3 hour flight from the UK. Once you are in Albania, the entire country can be easily accessed through a wide network of bus routes around the country. As well as it's accessibility, one of the main reasons to travel to Albania is it's affordability. If you are looking to budget travel, then Albania is a fantastic place to explore. 

Sarande, Albania
Where to visit?

Visiting a new place for the first time can be overwhelming, especially if you are travelling with children because you want to get it right. Collectively, we have spent 2 months travelling all around this beautiful country visiting the breathtaking mountains of the North, down to the crystal clear waters of the South and everything in between. 

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Below, I have put together some of our favourite places we have visited in Albania with our children.

Sarande, Albania
Sarande 

Sarande is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after travel destination in Europe. It is also becoming a popular spot for worldschooling families and it is easy to see why. Located at the heart of the Albanian Riviera, Sarande offers crystal clear waters and pristine white pebbled beaches. Our boys spent their days swimming in the sea, exploring marine life, playing with local children and collecting sea glass treasures. 

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If you are looking for an affordable beach holiday, then Sarande is the place to visit. It's promenade is lined with bars and restaurants full of delicious local cuisine to sample. You will be spoilt for choice!

Bunk'd Art, Tirana
Exploring Tirana with kids
Tirana

Tirana is the lively capital city of Albania and offers so many exciting things to do and explore. Tirana is like no other city we have visited before. It's hard to put into words exactly what it was like, I suppose you will have to go there to find out! We were never short of things to do in Tirana from soaking up the history of the country at BUNK'ART 2 to sipping iced coffees at the lake. The boys loved exploring some of Tirana's highlights: climbing to the top of the pyramid, exploring street art, sampling the ice cream in the many cafes and exploring the many parks Tirana has to offer. 

Exploring Shkoder with kids
Exploring Shkoder with kids
Shkoder

Shkoder is situated in the northern part of the country and is the gateway to the breathtaking Albanian Alps. It is the country's cultural capital and we instantly fell in love with it's quirky European vibes. We were not blessed with the best weather during our time in Shkoder, but this did not stop us exploring what the city had to offer. 

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Another city rich in history and culture, the boys enjoyed wandering the streets exploring the street art, mosques, cathedrals and discovering the family home of Mother Theresa. We spent our evenings discovering cosy candle lit restaurants, sampling the most delicious local cuisine. 

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Shkoder is home to the largest lake in southern Europe, Lake Shkoder. This lake stretches across to the borders of Montenegro and is home to one of the biggest bird populations in Albania. Be sure to spend some time kayaking and swimming in the lake.

Theth, Albania
Theth

Theth is one of those remote places in the world where you have to pinch yourself to realise you are actually there. It is one place that I would highly recommend you visit if travelling to Albania. Theth is a remote village nestled in the valley of the snow capped peaks of the Shala mountains. It is a fantastic place for hiking, offering suitable hikes for young children as well as more challenging ones for the experienced hiker. Hiking through the mountains of the Albanian Alps will leave you breathless (and not just because of the physical exercise!). 

Pogradec. Albania
Pogradec

Pogradec is one of Albania's most precious hidden gems. This quaint town is situated on Lake Ohrid close to the border of North Macedonia. Nicknamed the 'Lake of living Fossils', Lake Orhid is home to over 200 species that is found nowhere else on Earth. It is a bio-diverse paradise and my little marine biologists loved spending their days here exploring what the lake had to offer. With its shallow waters and public beaches, Pogradec is the perfect place for a spot for wild swimming

Elbasan, Albania

These are just some our favourite places that we have visited in Albania. The country is full of incredible places to visit and we are still yet to visit the likes of Berat, Durres and Gjirokastra but we cannot wait to explore them next time we visit. Which I am sure will be soon as we cannot seem to stay away from this incredible country for too long!

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Keep your eyes peeled for our individual travel and worldschooling guides for each place.

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About 4inthVan

We are a family of 4 living and travelling full time in our self converted Luton van. 
Our aim is to provide other families information, guides and top tips to help them on their next adventure, whether that's world travel, van life or home education.

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