Albania is generally undiscovered and therefore cheap. However, its starting to get noticed by the masses of tourists pretty quickly now, so if you want to visit Albania, better earlier than later.

When you fly to Albania, you’ll probably land in Tirana. You can either rent a car and drive all the way down to Ksamil (4/5 hour drive), or you can start off in Tirana and end up in Ksamil once you have discovered Tirana.

Our trip started in Tirana, at Skanderbeg Square. Named after their national hero, George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, this square is a blend of history and modernity. Here you can walk around and soak in the atmosphere that surrounds it.

Tirana is a capital in which you have to look around a bit better in order to find some nice things to see or do. So after a casual walk around Blloku, once a restricted area for high-ranking officials, now one of the trendiest neighborhood in Tirana, we decided to have a seat at a botanical garden restaurant, called Millennium Garden. This place has great food and great drinks, but the prices are not as cheap as the rest of Albania. This goes for more of the popular spots in Tirana. We’ve listed some other options down below, with some of them being traditional (T) which means cheap and local food, and some of them more common food and drinks, therefore higher prices.

• L’osteria (pasta) (T)

• Happy Belly/Eat Smart (juices) (T)

• Artigiano et Vila (Mediterranean)

• LIFT steak & rooftop bar (steakhouse)

• Tartuf Shop (truffle food)

• Komiteti (bar) (T)

Some other nice places to go close to Tirana are:

• Bovilla lake (1 hour drive)

• Theth (traditional village, 4.5 hour drive)