Albania, on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, is a small country with Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps. The country has many castles and archaeological sites. Capital Tirana centers on sprawling Skanderbeg Square, site of the National History Museum, with exhibits spanning antiquity to post-communism, and frescoed Et’hem Bey Mosque.
Throughout 2019, Albania has been impacted by a number of earthquakes, the most significant being 6.4 on the Richter scale in November 2019. A number of cities have experienced considerable damage, particularly Durres and Kruja near Tirana. This has been a devastating event for Albania. At this stage, the number of reported deaths has surpassed 50, thousands of people have lost their homes and more then 100,000 continue to be affected.
Since returning from an extended stay in Albania and publishing my guide to visiting the country, I’ve been receiving regular emails from readers wanting to know more.
Surprisingly, for me, one of the most common questions I’m asked is whether it’s safe to travel to Albania. I admit to finding this question a little perplexing. Aside from a brief period of unrest in 1997, Albania hasn’t been in a conflict since WWII.
Even during the Communist period when the country was mostly closed to outside visitors, it was still possible to safely travel around the country.
Random acts of violence are practically unheard of and even pickpocketing is uncommon.
As with all European nations (possibly with the current exception of parts of Ukraine) Albania is completely safe and welcoming of tourists. To answer certain reader questions, Albania is safe for children and safe for dogs.
You might find it reassuring that Albania will likely join the EU in the next few years. The only reason they are late to join is due to issues of corruption, not safety.
I would even go as far as to say in recent years, in particular in 2015 to 2019, Albania has changed considerably, becoming safer than ever. Add to that the fact Albania is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, it’s a great time to visit.
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