Overall assessment of Tirana –

We really liked Tirana. The population is about 800,000 – so not huge as far as cities go and very walkable. It is extremely safe and clean with plenty of greenspaces, trees and good restaurants. There is enough to see right in Tirana to occupy a few days, and it is a pretty good launching pad to see some of the surrounding areas. I wouldn’t put it on anyone’s “must see” list, but definitely worth a visit if you are in Albania.

Overall assessment of Albania –

The weather didn’t totally cooperate for our first couple weeks in Albania, so we didn’t get any beach time or much hiking… which are two of the biggest draws to Albania. But we still really enjoyed our time here. The history is incredibly fascinating. After over four decades of strict Stalinist dictatorship and total self-isolation, the living standards resembled those of developing nations. When communism fell, the country's economy was completely devastated, leaving it with extreme poverty and a massive lack of infrastructure. In the early 1990’s Albania was the poorest country in Europe. They are still in the process of recovering, but there are not a lot of opportunities for young people. After kids go to university, many leave the country. As a result, the population is dropping each year and the average age of the people is getting older and older. As one tour guide put it, “Albania’s biggest export is its people” (not Chrome as widely believed 😊)

The country is beautiful with gorgeous coast line and mountains throughout and it is cheap and extremely safe. Some of our favorite places were the coastal drive in the south, the medieval towns of Gjirokaster and Berat, and Gamti Mountain/Bovilla Lake. We didn’t make it to the far northern towns of Theth and Shkoder which are known for their gorgeous mountains and hiking… maybe next time.