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✦ Written by a British expat · 4 years in Tirana · All 36 qark

Albania Travel Guide:
Straight Talk, No Tourist Traps

I moved to Tirana in 2022 for cheap rent and stayed four years. This is the guide I wish existed when I landed.

36 Qark visited
4yr Living in Tirana
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Free Honest Albania Itinerary
The exact route I'd give a mate flying into Tirana. What to skip, what's worth the potholed road, real prices.
  • 2-week route with daily breakdown
  • Real prices in EUR, not “budget estimates”
  • Honest notes on what's actually worth it
  • No sponsored recommendations
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Choose Your Albania

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Northern Albania — Accursed Mountains
Trekking & Mountains

Northern Albania

Valbona Valley, Theth, Komani Lake — the Accursed Mountains done properly

 Albanian Riviera beaches
Coast & Beaches

Albanian Riviera

Saranda, Ksamil, Himara, Dhermi — the Mediterranean coast most people don't know about

 Tirana Albania city
Capital City

Tirana

Where everyone starts. More interesting than you've been told, cheaper than you expect

 Berat and Gjirokaster UNESCO cities
UNESCO Heritage

Berat & Gjirokaster

Ottoman stone cities that earned their UNESCO status. Go early, before the coaches
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Marcus Webb — Albania Unlock
The person behind this

I'm Marcus. I moved to Tirana in 2022 and never went back.

I was paying £1,800 a month for a flat in Leeds. A Reddit post told me I could get a decent one-bedroom in Tirana for €350. I flew out "just to check." Four years later, I've been to all 36 Albanian qark, learned enough Albanian to argue with taxi drivers, and eaten byrek in places with no English signs.

Albania Unlock is the guide I wish existed when I landed. Real prices. Honest takes. What's worth the potholed road and what isn't.

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