Safety in Albania

Crime: Levels are very low and you are safer here than in most European capitals. Albanians genuinely value visitors and tend to look out for them.
Roads: The biggest single danger is the driving. Local drivers overtake blind, ignore lane markings and change direction without warning.
Dogs: Cities have plenty of strays. Most are chipped and entirely uninterested in you, but in rural areas keep a sensible distance.
Water: Do not drink from the tap. Buy bottled water, and use it for brushing your teeth too, unless you want to lose a day.
Mountains: In the northern ranges stick to marked trails. There is wildlife in the forests and the weather on the passes can turn within minutes.
Scams: Minor overcharging happens occasionally in unmetered taxis. Agree the fare before you get in and the problem disappears.
Solo women: Travelling alone is comfortable and low-stress here. Unwanted attention rarely goes past staring and is easy enough to ignore, and check your own government's travel advisory if you want the official line.

Albania has unexpectedly low street crime and very high goodwill toward visitors. Its reputation is worse than its reality. The schemes here are mundane.

Taxis. Meters barely exist in Albania and prices are quoted verbally. Tirana has an app; elsewhere agree before getting in, and clarify whether the price is per car or per person.

Car hire. The main source of unexpected costs. Damage claims on return, vague insurance, and demands for a large cash deposit. Use established firms, film the condition, and read the insurance.

"Guides" in Berat and Gjirokastra. They offer a walk through the old town for a token sum quoted verbally, then demand more. Agree in figures.

Coastal restaurant bills. Additions occur in Saranda and Ksamil in season. Check the bill.

Currency exchange. Rates at central Tirana offices are good and deception is rare. Do not change money privately.

Sunbeds. In Ksamil and on Dhërmi the price for a set reaches absurdity in season, and almost no free beach remains. Ask the price before you sit down.

Roads are the country's main risk. Albania has one of Europe's worst road death rates. The causes: mountain hairpins without barriers, a free-form driving style, pedestrians on the highway, livestock on the road and poor lighting. Do not drive between towns at night at all, and the mountain roads to Theth and Valbona demand four-wheel drive and experience.

Cannabis. Albania was a major producer for years and offers to sell still occur. Buying and possession are criminal offences, and the scheme in which the seller hands the buyer to the police is known.

Bunkers and military sites. The country holds hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers, most abandoned and harmless, but active military installations must not be photographed.

Drones. Civil aviation permission is required, and flights over military sites and airports are prohibited.

Cash. Albania runs on cash. Cards are accepted in Tirana and larger hotels; elsewhere you need lek. ATMs charge high fees, so withdraw in larger amounts.

Documents. Carry your passport or a copy. National driving licences are valid, but rental firms often require an international permit.

Vaccinations. None mandatory. Hepatitis A is advised.

Water. Tap water is not drunk anywhere, Tirana included: network quality is inconsistent. Bottled water is cheap and everywhere.

Stomach. Upsets among visitors are ordinary. Take care with unrefrigerated dairy, salads and seafood in the heat.

The sea. The Ionian coast at Himara, Dhërmi and Ksamil is rocky and very beautiful, but lifeguards are scarce and the entries are slippery. Sea urchins are numerous and swim shoes are needed.

Sun. July and August pass 35°C with little shade on the beaches.

Mountains. The Albanian Alps — Theth, Valbona and the pass between — are genuine mountain hiking without developed rescue infrastructure. Mobile coverage is patchy in places and evacuation takes many hours.

Healthcare. The public system is weak. Tirana has decent private clinics — Hygeia, the American Hospital. Provision in the regions and on the coast is thin, and anything serious means a trip to the capital or evacuation to Greece or Italy. Insurance with evacuation cover is essential.

Emergency numbers: 112 unified, 127 ambulance, 129 police.

Albania sits in the lower half of the European corruption table, but police are generally correct with tourists: the country is deliberately building a tourism reputation.

Traffic police. The main scenario in which you meet them. Stops are frequent, with documents and insurance checked. Settling matters on the spot exists as a practice but is applied to foreigners less often than people assume. Calmly ask for an official report.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued. The process is slow and English is not universal — bring someone from your hotel.

Languages. Younger people speak English well, and almost everyone over forty understands Italian, a legacy of Italian television. Russian is not used in Albania.

Attitude to foreigners. Among the warmest in Europe. Help on the road, an invitation for coffee and an attempt to walk you to your address are ordinary, and usually carry no ulterior motive.

Emergency number is 112.