Is Albania Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Albania is generally safe for solo female travelers. The crime rate is relatively low and people are friendly and hospitable. Albanians are known to go out of their way to help foreigners, especially women. There is a high level of English among the younger generation, making communication easier. However, like any other place, be vigilant about personal possessions and avoid deserted areas during the night.

Safety index

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How safe is Albania?

Safety at night:

Safety at night:Moderate

Albania generally boasts a favorable safety record and the locals are quite friendly and hospitable. Still, like in any country, some caution is advised, particularly at night. While the central parts of major cities like Tirana are relatively secure, unlit streets and desolate areas can present some risks. Walking alone at night might not be especially dangerous, but it is sensible to be vigilant, avoid less populated areas, and use common sense to avoid potential hazards. It's always beneficial to stay in well-lit areas and preferably to travel in a group, especially during the night.
Public transportation:

Public transportation:Moderate

Most of the public transportation in Albania, which mostly include buses and minibuses called 'furgons', is generally considered safe for travel. However, they can be crowded and may not run on fixed schedules. Taxis are plentiful in cities, and it's ideal to ensure they're licensed ones. At times, drivers may not adhere to safety regulations closely. It's always a good start to familiarize yourself with the usual routes and fares. Most travelers have not reported any instances of harassment or other concerns while using public transportation.
Street harassment:

Street harassment:Moderate

In Albania, you might face occasional instances of street harassment, including catcalling and persistent stares, particularly in the bigger cities like Tirana. However, many women have also reported that locals are generally friendly, helpful and highly respectful to women. It truly depends on the exact location and time. Traveling during the day and sticking to populated areas can often help reduce such instances. Always trust your instincts and stay aware of your surroundings.
Petty crimes:

Petty crimes:Low

Albania has a relatively low level of petty crime, especially targeted towards tourists. The majority of Albanians are equally respectful towards both locals and tourists. However, it is always crucial to be vigilant of your belongings and surroundings, particularly in busier urban areas. Incidences such as pickpocketing or bag snatching are not common, but can occur. Using common precautions can help ward off such incidents.

Is Albania worth visiting?

Overall rating

4.8 /5

based on 56 experiences from female travelers

Things to do

4.8/5

Safety

4.7/5

Food

4.6/5

Budget-friendly

4.4/5
Ahdrielle

Ahdrielle

Australia

Tirana, Solo travel

I really liked this city, it was very vibrant and lively. Great food for good prices, friendly people. I arrived at 7:30pm and had to walk to my hostel from the bus stop which I would usually be a little worried about in the dark, but there were many young people walking around and I saw young women walking on their own and felt very safe. Do the free walking tour! It was extremely interesting and very informative. Our guide was very passionate and excited to share a bit of the history of Tiranë and also places for food and drink. House of Leaves was also very interesting. The city park is nice (although the lake is very swampy). The mosque is really beautiful to see as well.

Posted: September 3, 2024Experienced: July, 2024
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Natasha

Natasha

Australia

Albania, Solo travel

Albania is an amazing country! So much great hiking, amazing people and hospitality, and great food! I lived in gjirkaster for 2 months and cannot recommend it enough. Please stay at stone city hostel if you go there, it is by far one of the best hostels I have ever been to and was so lucky to work there. The coast is also amazing. Himare and dhermi and even sarande. Tirana is a fascinating city with super cool cafe culture. The buses make it very easy to get around but i also hitch hiked and it was easy and safe to do so.

Posted: August 5, 2024Experienced: July, 2024
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Albania, Solo travel

Albania is such a fantastic destination for backpackers. It has the Northern Alps which offers hiking routes such as Valbone to Theth. The blue eye is also located near Theth. Such a wonderful place offering crystal clear and freezing water. Down south there is the beach town on Himare (my favourite). Sarande also offers beaches but it is a port city good for partying. Berat in the centre is a fantastic old town lots of history and a great fort to hike up to

Posted: July 19, 2024Experienced: May, 2024
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Guljahon

Guljahon

United Arab Emirates

Albania, Family travel

Amazing and safe country. We fell in love with nature and beauty of the country, the peacefulness of people of different religions living together. We used public transport around the country , and felt totally safe as a single mom traveling with 4 year old boy.

Posted: July 17, 2024Experienced: July, 2024
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Ece

Ece

Netherlands

Albania, Group travel

Tirana, Berat, Gjirokaster, Sarande Lili’s restaurant in Berat is a must! Sweetest person serving home cooked meals in a tiny garden. We had the best eggplant dishes ever. We felt safe but again we were 3 women traveling together. People were very helpful, multiple times people went out of their ways to help us out. Also it helps a lot to learn some basic Albanian words, people were very welcoming.

Posted: June 25, 2024
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JustineKaat

JustineKaat

France

Shkodër, Couple travel

Shkoder is a very small city. People there are not used to many tourists (yet), especially in April. So we encountered some weird look, especially as a queer couple. Life is very cheap. The city center is not worth exploring more than 1 day in my opinion but the surroundings are nice (Shkoder's lake, Mesi Bridge, the castle for sunset).

Posted: June 18, 2024Experienced: March, 2024
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Remy

Remy

Belgium

Albania, Solo travel

Hitchhiking around, felt very safe. The Albanian people are amazing, super generous and the hostels were very homy, looking like your grandma house haha I would definitely recommend travelling there and tasting the Albanian cuisine.

Posted: June 14, 2024Experienced: June, 2024
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Albania, Family travel

Me and my mom were traveling Albania for one week, we came by a plane to Tirana, rented a car and traveled along the coastline down all the way to Greece and then came back up to Tirana inland. During the whole week here we didn't feel unsafe or threatened, people were very friendly and helpful. The only negative experience was with the person in the rental company kiosk, who we believe ripped us off, but that's a story for another day. In the cities in the evening mostly men were outside, but they didn't seem dangerous. Overall experience was very good and we felt safe.

Posted: June 3, 2024Experienced: April, 2024
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Albania, Solo travel

I absolutely loved Albania!! The country is beautiful and the people there are all so kind and lovely and more than willing to help you with anything. It is a very cheap country (I paid like €12/15 for a night in a hostel on average). Also the food is cheap, although I must say it was a bit difficult finding vegetarian food while eating out. I travelled solo and there is no country where I felt more safe than Albania while traveling as a solo woman!!

Posted: May 31, 2024
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Albania, Group travel

It's a beautiful country but the public transportation is quite difficult to figure out. The language barrier is quite difficult to overcome as there are rarely any English speaking people around and not many tourists. But there's a lot to see here from UNESCO world heritage cites to castles and wonders of the world.

Posted: May 17, 2024
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Is Albania safe for women?

Safety index

3.9 /5

Based on 3 local experiences

Crime index

1.5 /5

Based on 3 local experiences

Tirana

I walk at night in Tirana, and it is pretty safe, there have been catcalling before but it has minimised, men tend to catcall foreigners but its a small minority and they don’t really act on it. Central area is very safe.

Posted: August 3, 2024
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Tirana

Tirana is a safe place overall in my experience. What I’m mostly negatively experiencing is verbal harassment by older men and (un)fortunately nothing outside “common”. They would make comments about my appearance and ask me out. I was never touched inappropriately or physically assaulted. Ive walked outside in different hours of the day, from 6am to 2am.

Posted: July 6, 2024
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Is Albania safe right now?

Before your visit to Albania, it's essential to check travel advisories for Albania, including your home country's official travel advisory. These advisories can provide up-to-date information on safety, health, and any specific considerations for travelers.
🇺🇸

United States Travel AdvisoryExercise a high degree of caution

The United States Government advises exercising increased caution in Albania due to crime. Check the full travel advisory.
Last updated: July 26, 2023
🇨🇦

Canada's Travel AdvisoryTake normal security precautions

**The Canadian Government advises taking normal security precautions in Albania.** Check the full travel advisory.
Last updated: August 7, 2024
🇦🇺

Australia's Travel AdvisoryExercise a high degree of caution

The Australian government advises exercising a high degree of caution in Albania due to limited healthcare options. Check the full travel advisory.
Last updated: August 21, 2024

Meet locals in Albania

Katie

Katie

About Me

Hey, I'm Katie! I'm from England, but I'm currently travelling across Europe in my van! I'm staying in Albania for the next 3 months, renting Air BnB's, and I would love to make some friends!

Speaking

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Artjola

Artjola

About Me

Hello girls, My name is Artjola. I am currently graduating to be a doctor in Albania. I love traveling and I have lived in Spain, Italy, Poland. Soon I will be going to Estonia and visit the Nordic countries for the summer. I'm a calm person that enjoys good food and a nice conversation. I love learning about people cultures and habits. Glad to be here with you.

Speaking

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Stay with locals in Albania

Katie

Katie

Albania

Can host for:

3 days

About me

Hey, I'm Katie! I'm from England, but I'm currently travelling across Europe in my van! I'm staying in Albania for the next 3 months, renting Air BnB's, and I would love to make some friends!

Speaking

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Haris

Haris

Albania

Can host for:

1 day

About me

Hey!, My name is Haris and I'm interested in art, architecture, business, books, dancing, education, solo travel, shopping, nature, technology, photography and live music

Speaking

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Upcoming visitors to Albania

Hannah

Hannah

About Me

Hi I‘m Hannah. I love to travel and I just bought a car which I want to build into a camper. So see you out there soon. :)

Speaking

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Silvia

Silvia

About Me

Hello, I am silvia 34 years old, i live in florence I am nice girl, i want to discover the World i really love to travel and meet New people and culture. I like tò meet new local people and Discover néw places. I really love to travel alone and with other people

Speaking

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Safety in Albania