Albania by campervan: best regions and routes
Where to go by campervan in Albania: recommended regions, the best season, road access and practical route advice. What to know before you go.
Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026
Currency
Lek
ALL, not the euro. 92.27 lek to €1 in September 2026
Language
Albanian
Italian and English are common in tourist towns
Driving
Right
Motorway 130 km/h, towns 40 km/h
Insurance
Green card required
Carry it. Albania is not in the EU arrangement
Tap water
Do not drink it
The Foreign Office says bottled water only
Emergency
112
Ambulance 127
Areas of Albania
The regions of Albania: a Riviera, an alpine north and a very different interior
Albania is small, steep and much more varied than its coastline suggests. A morning on a Ionian beach and an afternoon in a limestone valley at 1,000 metres is a normal day here, and the roads between them are the part to plan around rather than the distances.
The Albanian Riviera
The Albanian Riviera: the Ionian coast from Vlorë to Sarandë
The stretch south of Vlorë, over the Llogara pass and down the Ionian coast through Dhërmi, Himarë and Borsh to Sarandë. Clear water, pebble bays, a mountain wall behind and a road that has been rebuilt within living memory. It is the reason most vans come to Albania.
Best late May, June, September, October
What it is like
- Dry in high summer. Vlorë averages 12 mm of rain in July and 30 °C.
- Busy in August and quiet in June and late September.
Where to go
- The Llogara pass, for the view down the coast
- Gjipe beach, walked into rather than driven
For the vehicle
- The Road Code is your friend here, but only in the road area and only on the three conditions.
- Beach access tracks are soft, narrow and often one way in practice. Walk them before you drive them.
The Accursed Mountains
The Accursed Mountains: Theth, Valbona and the north
The Albanian Alps, the Bjeshkët e Nemuna, in the far north between Shkodër and the Kosovo and Montenegrin borders. Theth and Valbona are the two valleys people come for, connected to each other by a walking pass and to the outside world by roads that have improved a great deal and are still mountain roads.
Best June to September
What it is like
- A short season. Snow closes the high ground well into spring and returns early.
- Shkodër at the gateway takes 213 mm of rain in November, and the mountains take more.
Where to go
- Theth and the Blue Eye of Theth
- Valbona valley and the pass walk over to it
For the vehicle
- Four-wheel drive is more practical on minor roads here, on the Foreign Office's own advice. A long two-wheel-drive van is the wrong tool on some of these.
- Altitude sickness is listed as a real risk in parts of Albania, and this is where.
Tirana and the central coast
Tirana and the central coast: the flat, hot, busy middle
Tirana, Durrës and the flat Adriatic coast between them. This is where the people, the traffic, the supermarkets and the motorway are. It is not the part anyone comes for, and it is the part that makes the rest of the trip work: this is where you resupply, fix things and get online properly.
Best April to June, September, October
What it is like
- Hot. Tirana averages 33 °C in August and holds it overnight as cities do.
- The Adriatic beaches here are long, sandy, shallow and heavily built up.
Where to go
- Tirana's Blloku and the Pyramid
- Krujë and its castle above the plain
For the vehicle
- Everything you need to restock is here: Spar, Conad and Big Market cluster around Tirana and Durrës.
- The A1 north from Tirana has barrier tolls, including one on the Thumanë to Kashar section reported at 2.10 euros each way.