Albania Complete Guide 2026: Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër, Albanian Riviera, Theth and Butrint
Browse more guides: Albania travel | Europe destinations Albania Complete Guide 2026: Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër, Albanian Riviera, Theth and Butrint TL;DR Albania surprised me more than any country I have travelled to in the last decade. Compact enough to cover in two weeks, layered with Illyrian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history, fringed by a 108 km Mediterranean coastline and capped by the soaring Albanian Alps, it offers a depth most Indian travellers underestimate. For Indian passport holders the country runs a generous visa-free window of 90 days between April 1 and October 31 each year. The currency Lek remains cash-heavy, although Euro is accepted almost everywhere on the Riviera. In this guide I cover Tirana, UNESCO Berat and Gjirokastër, the Albanian Riviera from Vlorë to Sarandë, Butrint, Theth and Valbona, Shkodër with Rozafa Castle, Krujë linked to Skanderbeg, and the ancient sites of Apollonia and Durrës, with budgets, itineraries and ground-truth notes from my o...