What It’s Really Like Driving In Albania (According To Mr Fletche)

When we started planning a holiday in Albania it became clear that we wanted the best of all worlds. Mr Fletche wanted mountains and lakes. I wanted turquoise waters and beach time. We both wanted authentic towns and the vibrant big city. Which meant R-O-A-D-T-R-I-P. I assumed my natural position as navigator and passenger princess, whilst Mr Fletche got to grips with a Skoda Fabia and the Albanian style of driving.

Our two week Albania road trip would take us north to Shirokë, before starting our journey south, to Berat, Gjirokastër, Sarandë and Himarë. Finally we returned to Tirana, ignoring all advice and driving into the city. Read on to find out how that went 🤦🏻‍♀️

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Do you really need a car in Albania?

Getting around Albania without a rental car is definitely possible. But public transport is famously chaotic, and can be difficult to plan in advance – schedules and timetables seem to be a suggestion rather than anything definite. So for us, having a car gave us the ability to plan our itinerary whilst still having flexibility and freedom.

Our car hire experience

We booked our car via Local Rent – an online car rental platform that works with local providers. They had lot of options available with a pick-up at Tirana Airport, and we were able to filter easily for the type of car, transmission, deposit and payment requirements, fuel policy and age of vehicle, amongst other options. As a UK driver, Mr Fletche only needed his UK driving licence; no international drivers permit was required. A deposit amount of €500 was also held on our credit card.

We opted for a Skoda Fabia from XDrive Mobility, which was ideal for our needs – a small economical car, manual transmission and under 5 years old. Our pick-up and drop-off location was a 10 minute walk from Arrivals at Tirana Airport. Or 15 minutes for us as we headed the wrong way up the road.

💶🚗2 weeks car rental cost us £207 (around €245); a €500 deposit was held on our credit card. Mr Fletche took out an annual car rental excess insurance with Cover4Rentals (£30) before we travelled 🚗💶

On pick-up we fully inspected the car along with the XDrive representative; I took a video highlighting the existing scratches and a crack in the bumper. And thankfully we returned it in one piece. Minus a working key fob. The remote stopped worked at a service station somewhere between Shirokë and Berat – cue me frantically searching YouTube for a tutorial on how to find the manual key access. This is why we have an eSim 😂

If you need mobile data on the go for emergency YouTube tutorials, how about purchasing an e-sim through Airalo? If you use my referral code EMMALE5544 you’ll get £2.50 off your first purchase!

Driving in Albania – what to expect!

After driving in Italy, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro, Mr Fletche is an expert at adapting to local driving styles. He can beep his horn and make aggressive moves at roundabouts with the best of them.

Driving style

The kindest way to describe Albanian drivers would be “impatient”. Other drivers are an inconvenience that they just don’t have time to deal with. Hence the kind of overtaking which means overtake first, then find out if there’s a space later.

We were faced with overtaking drivers coming towards us at speed on multiple occasions, only for them to wedge themselves between two cars somehow. Indicators appear to be unnecessary additions to the steering wheel. No-one yields at roundabouts. On dual carriageways and motorways it’s best to stick to the right hand lane where possible and let other drivers pass at whatever speed they like. And talking of speed limits…

Speed limits

At first the constant changing of speed limits was somewhat frustrating. A short stretch of road would seem to switch between 50 and 80km/h with seemingly no consistency. Mr Fletche would slow down to 50, only to find others continuing to whizz past at 80km/h.

Yet, at times, some of the speed limits seem draconian, leaving law-abiding tourists like us as the front of a snake of traffic. But with warnings of frequent speed checks ringing in our ears Mr Fletche sticks to what feels a ridiculously slow but safe speed until he’s a little more used to the roads.

Road conditions

Despite repeated warnings about the state of Albanian roads, we found most road surfaces to be in good condition. Surprisingly the worst spell of potholes was on the SH2 dual carriageway linking Durres and Tirana. There were also a few “puddle or pothole?” moments as we drive out of Himarë during a torrential rainstorm. We also never encountered a herd of animals in the road, which disappointed me but please Mr Fletche no end.

There’s clearly a lot of construction going on at present, building roads to link major towns and tourist destinations. One of the most impressive feats of engineering is the 6km Llogara Tunnel, which gave us a welcome relief from the rain and the winding mountain roads.

Petrol/Fuel

We picked up our car with a full tank of petrol, with the agreement to return it full. Always make sure you know the fuel type before you fill up for the first time, and it’s also handy to know which side your tank is on.

You know that little fuel icon on your dashboard? Where the pump is usually indicates whether the tank is passenger or driver side 😉

We filled up twice, and both times there was an attendant to assist. We found that many of the larger fuel stations accepted credit cards but always check before you start and carry enough cash to get by. Fuel prices were pretty consistent across the country, with slight increases on the motorway and as we approached the airport. There were plenty of fuel stations along our route; on the major roads these are often attached to a restaurant and shop with toilets.

One thing we did struggle to find was a tyre pressure gauge – our tyre pressure indicator light came on as we left Berat heading for Gjirokastër. After pulling into every fuel station for about 5 miles we finally spotted an air pump and a gauge attached to a post. Seeing Mr Fletche looking slightly confused, a helpful local took charge, checked all the tyres and declared us roadworthy. The dashboard light never did go off.

Toll Roads

Most major roads in Albania are free to use, but there are two toll points that we came across. The first was on the A1 when we exited Tirana Airport; the second was the Llogara Tunnel (although we were waved through without having to pay the fee). Albanian LEK and Euros are accepted at the staffed toll booths, as are credit cards. The current cost is 250 LEK or €2,50 (banknotes only, coins are not accepted but change is given).

City Driving

Mr Fletche’s first taste of urban driving comes as we make an exploratory drive into Shkodër, 25 minutes from our Shirokë base. I’ve dropped a pin on Google Maps for a car park which seems central. And all is well as we make our way out of Shirokë, and cross the bridge over the Buna River. There’s a little more traffic building as we join the SH1 towards the centre and Mr Fletche is definitely having to keep his wits about him. We get our first taste of a car overtaking on the right of us at a roundabout, squeezing through a seemingly impossible space. We also begin to understand that cars not only double park, but triple park too. Just pop your car anywhere, stick your hazards on and you’re apparently free to go.

Google suggests it knows a quicker way to get to the car park. And that’s when the fun REALLY starts. Not for Mr Fletche obviously. He is clearly NOT having fun. Narrow back streets are made even narrower still by double parked cars on both sides. Bikes and motorcycles appear out of nowhere. Pedestrians stroll in the road as if pavements don’t exist. Which they don’t, because every inch of pavement has a parked car on it. And then Google suggests that we have arrived. There’s no car park in sight. Only bollards in the road which suggest that we have found the only pedestrianised street in Shkodër. Mr Fletche performs the most miraculous of three (hundred) point turns, with cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians paying no attention to the slowly rotating Skoda Fabia.

We find ourselves back on the main boulevard through the city. And we keep driving. I tentatively suggest we pull over and regroup but Mr Fletche is very over this Skoda in Shkodër now. We keep driving all the way back to Shirokë. We’re going to have to explore Shkodër another way.

Driving in Tirana

Our onward journeys in Albania have a few minor challenges but it’s not until our drive back to the capital that Mr Fletche is triggered with flashbacks of driving in Shkodër. It’s mid-afternoon, on a Friday, and in the name of convenience – and in the face of all warnings of driving in Tirana – we had decided to keep our car during our two nights in the city. Mr Fletche has battled driving rain, horrendous visibility, mountain passes with endless switchbacks and potholes which could swallow a small truck (although thankfully not our Skoda Fabia). And now it’s Tirana rush hour.

As we approach the city, we come to a junction where every car in Tirana appears to be coming off or coming on in the same lane. If Mr Fletche leaves an inch of space at any point around the car, something is trying to get into that space. It feels like utter carnage. Five lanes of traffic, all converging into one lane to enter a roundabout. Where a traffic patrol guy is having a whale of a time with a whistle and a stop/go paddle. This single man seems to have authority over every car on that road and you know what? Everyone obeys him.

There’s no further incident, although we do miss the road leading to our hotel, luckily it’s a one way system and not too much of a detour. Cars are parked so closely together – and with no regard to corners – that we almost miss it a second time. Thankfully there’s free on-site parking and we don’t need to worry about Tirana roads again until our departure.

Mountain roads

Once we leave Gjirokastër to head towards Sarandë, the driving landscape changes. We’re climbing and climbing, a treacherous drop on one side with the occasional pathetic-looking guardrail as a nod to safety.

Distances that look short on the map can be deceptively long thanks to multiple switchbacks and a series of sharp ascents and descents. As we leave the Blue Eye a quad bike sightseeing tour pulls out in front of us. Mr Fletche has gained confidence by now so it’s frustrating to slow down to a crawl – but not enough confidence to overtake half a dozen quad bikes on a blind bend. Unlike local motorists.

Parking arrangements at hotels

Where possible we booked accommodation with either free private parking, or recommended parking close-by. I contacted all of the properties prior to arrival to check on parking location and access, and anything else we needed to know.

Final thoughts on driving in Albania

Albania’s highlights are spread out, with the mountains and lakes of the north, the beaches in the west and south, and lots of charming towns and villages in between. So if – like us – you’re planning on exploring as much of Albania as possible, a car is a must-have, although it’s one for experienced and confident drivers only. Even the experienced and confident Mr Fletche was challenged at times.

As always, the relationship between driver and navigator is key 😉 I took to asking him whether he wanted a full commentary on everything going on outside the car, or for me to just keep quiet so he could concentrate. We found that on the whole Google Maps was pretty accurate; we packed a mobile phone mount we could attach to the windscreen which was useful as our little Skoda Fabia didn’t come with anything fancy like a GPS.

In two weeks in Albania, we drove around 810 km and spent €80 (around £68) on fuel. Travelling outside of the main season, we found most roads were surprisingly quiet. Apart from Shkodër and Tirana of course.

Here’s everything you need to plan your trip to Albania!