Albania With Kids – My Top Tips for your Holiday

Albania › Albania With Kids – My Top Tips for your Holiday

Albania with kids – start a little adventure! Albania is an increasingly popular destination, including for families with children. I’ll tell you how to get there, how to get around, the best activities and destinations, and how to best prepare.

When going to Albania, it is worth knowing that Albanians love children. When you are with your kids in public places, you can expect that the younger the child, the more likely it is that locals will cheerfully chat to them or try to stroke or hug them. Toddlers in cafés or restaurants are perfectly normal and welcome.

What’s more, be prepared that if you go to a place for lunch where there are also Albanian families, their children are likely to run freely around the table while the older ones are happily feasting. Most places will usually provide highchairs, but be prepared that there are hardly any baby changing facilities or toilets for parents with children.

Breast-feeding, is a perfectly normal affair and young mothers should not be at all stressed that someone will be disturbed by this. Also, many places have their own small playgrounds so that parents can have a nice time with their little ones or just relax with a coffee or lunch while the children have the opportunity to play with others.

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The Best Destinations for Albania with kids

The Albanian Riviera

One of the activities that children in Albania are sure to love is a visit to the sandy beaches of the Albanian Riviera. One of them is Porto Palermo Beach. Dhermi Beach and Filikuri Beach near Himare are also fantastic.

Highlights:

• Enjoy breathtaking views, lush hills and crystal clear waters
• Build a sandcastle with your children
• Take a boat trip

Shkoder, Rozafa Castle and Lake Skadar

Rozafa Fortress is located at the southern tip of the city of Shkoder on a 130-metre-high hill. Inside the building, there is a small museum and a folkloric restaurant. The city is also in a great location and is easily accessible on a variety of Balkan routes. In addition to the Rozafa Fortress, there are also many other activities that you can do there.

• Location: Shkoder

• Take a bike ride along Lake Skadar, which gave the city its name.
• Visit the magnificent Ottoman Mesi Bridge.
• Pay a visit to the Ebu Bekr Mosque, Shkoder’s most important landmark after Rozafa Fortress.

Hiking Holiday in Valbona Valley

The idyllic Valbona Valley National Park in the Albanian Alps attracts visitors with its beautiful hiking trails. While in winter they disappear under a white blanket of snow, summer brings fresh life to the scenery. You can, for example, take a trip to the impressive Grunas waterfall or go on other beautiful hikes through nature.

• Location: Valbona Valley National Park

Highlights:

• Take a day hike from Theth to the Blue Eye, a turquoise coloured natural pool
• Stroll through sleepy mountain villages like Dragobi
• Take the classic tour over the Valbona Pass, hiking from Theth to Valbona Valley

Berat and the Osum Canyon

The city of Berat in central Albania boasts a lot of cultural heritages in beautifully restored ottoman mansions. The city itself may not be the most exciting spot for children but rather serve as a base, while the surrounding area certainly has a lot to offer.

• Location: Osum Canyon Berat

The Osum canyon is one of Albania’s most spectacular natural attractions. The only way to truly soak it in is by rafting or river wading through it on a group tour with plentiful chance for cliff-jumps (if that’s your thing). This adrenaline fuelled adventure is one of the highlights of the area, along with hiking mount Tomorr and loads of culture.

Highlights:

• Explore the Osum Canyon and Bogove Waterfall
• Visit an agroturizem restaurant such as Alpeta and enjoy farm to table food while the kids are busy in the garden
• Visit the lakes near Belsh or relax by the promenade in town

Discovering Albania with small kids

There are many particularly child-friendly beach resorts and hotels where families with small kids can enjoy a relaxing and carefree holiday. The beaches with the more shallow entry to the water are found in the more northern coastal parts of Albania along the Adriatic Sea.

The coastal region around Vlore is particularly recommended here. Numerous beach activities near hotels, restaurants, and cafés ensure a cosy and uncomplicated beach holiday.

The port city of Durrës is another destination, being home to the largest beach in the country. It is known for its large Roman amphitheatre and a 9th-century church with mosaic walls. The Adriatic Sea in this region skilfully plays with its azure-blue to emerald-green splashes of colour around green-fringed, vegetation-covered beaches.

Tips for your Albania Holiday with kids

Best time to travel to Albania

In the mountainous north, Albania has cold and snowy winters. The further south you go, the more Mediterranean the climate becomes. Most of the rain falls from November to April. I started trip at in May and the weather was perfect.

In the mountains, it was sunny, but not too warm for hiking. At night, however, it cooled down considerably. You just have to snuggle down under some of the thick blankets that are provided. Both in Tirana and on the beaches in the south, the weather was beautiful. When it rained, it was usually short and heavy.

In the peak season, the country gets packed. Especially on the beaches in the south. You should avoid Ksamil in the far south. In September and October it is still mostly nice, warm and much emptier. This is also a great time to travel in Albania.

Getting to Albania

From Europe, there are now numerous flights to Tirana. Since 2022, the government has been building another airport in Vlora to serve the growing tourist flow to the south, destined to open in mid 2025.

Incidentally, an alternative to a direct flight to Albania is a small detour via Greece. This way, you can combine a family trip to Albania with a holiday in Greece. You can fly to Corfu and then take the ferry to Sarande, which takes between half an hour and just under two hours, depending on which company you go with. This will take you directly to the dreamy beaches in the south of Albania.

Is it Safe to Travel to Albania with Kids?

In general, Albania is a very safe holiday destination. Theft is considered a shame in Albania, so there is no need to worry. I once left my bag with a brand-new laptop on a chair in a café. It took me some time to realize where I had left it, but all I had to do was go back and collect it from the owner.

However, basic safety precautions, such as not taking valuables to the beach, should also be taken here. The road network in the cities is now well-developed, but you should drive carefully in the more rural areas. Some hiking trails are rather poorly signposted, so it’s best to ask locals or take part in a guided hike.

Is Albania a Kid-Friendly Holiday destination?

Albania is not only a safe, but also a child-friendly holiday destination. As a family with children, you don’t feel out of place – whether you’re in a restaurant, on the beach or in a shop. All our encounters were extremely positive, so we never felt uncomfortable or unsafe.

Roads & traffic when you’re on holiday in Albania

In Albania, the condition of the roads varies but has greatly improved over the past years. Traffic in Tirana is chaotic, and I advise you to rather walk or take a taxi in the city.

Generally, people are more considerate of each other here and make up for each other’s mistakes, with big vehicles usually having the right of way over small ones.

The touristic route along the coast from the mountains in the north, via Tirana, to the beaches in the south is mostly in good condition. The road from Tirana to Dhermi is even very modern in some places and largely free of potholes. Since the Llogara Pass tunnel now has been finished, you can expect to get to the southern beaches in less than 4 hours from Tirana.