After nearly 90 days travelling around Albania with our 9-year-old, 7-year-old and baby (who celebrated his first birthday while we were here), I can finally answer one of the questions we were asked most before arriving:
Is Albania safe for families?
The short answer?
For us, yes.
But the longer answer is much more interesting.
One of the reasons we chose Albania was practical. As British travellers, Albania currently gives us 90 visa-free days and, at the time of writing, remains outside the Schengen Zone. After spending time in Montenegro as part of our Schengen Shuffle (read about that here), Albania felt like the perfect next stop.
I’ll admit, I was nervous.
Partly because Albania was unknown to us. And partly because when you start researching somewhere online, it’s easy to find reasons not to go.
I read that you can’t drink the tap water.
I read about stray dogs.
I read about snakes.
I read stories about organised crime, corruption and protests.
As a parent, your mind naturally fills in the gaps.
So after spending three months travelling around the country, here’s our honest experience.
What We Actually Found in Albania
The biggest surprise wasn’t that Albania felt safe.
It was how welcome we felt.
During our stay, we witnessed protests in both Tirana and Pogradec. Coming from the UK, seeing large demonstrations can sometimes feel intimidating, especially with children. But what struck us was how peaceful they were. They felt more like an expression of passion than anger.
One thing we quickly learned is that Albanians love their country.
What we heard repeatedly was not frustration with Albania itself, but with politics and government. There was an overwhelming sense of pride in the country, its culture, its food and its future.
Unlike some destinations that seem to be struggling under the weight of tourism, we never felt resented as visitors.
Quite the opposite.
We were invited for coffee.
Locals stopped to chat.
Our children were constantly given attention, smiles and sometimes small gifts or toys.
If you’re travelling from Northern Europe, some of that attention can feel a little overwhelming at first. It is completely normal here for people to show affection towards children. Sweets, hugs and even kisses are often offered with the very best intentions.
For our children, that was sometimes a boundary too far.
Rather than seeing it as a problem, we saw it as a brilliant learning opportunity. The kids became surprisingly good at politely setting their own boundaries. High fives became their preferred alternative and were usually met with smiles and understanding.
It was one of those cultural differences that reminded us why we travel in the first place.
What About Crime?
This is usually the first thing people ask.
The reality is that we never experienced any crime during our stay.
That doesn’t mean crime doesn’t exist.
Of course it does.
The same is true in every country we’ve visited.
We still used common sense, kept an eye on our belongings and took the same precautions we would anywhere else.
But at no point did we feel threatened or unsafe.
In fact, there were many times we felt safer walking around than we have in some larger European cities.
The Apartment Fire We Witnessed
One of the most shocking things we saw during our time in Albania was a large apartment fire in Tirana.
Seeing a building engulfed in flames is unsettling wherever you are in the world, especially with children.
But events like this are worth putting into perspective.
A fire is tragic, but it isn’t unique to Albania.
The same could happen in London, Manchester, Paris or New York.
Sometimes when we’re travelling, it’s easy to view incidents through the lens of “this happened because we’re abroad”, when the reality is that accidents happen everywhere.
What About the Stray Dogs and Snakes?
These were probably my two biggest concerns before arriving in Albania.
Yes, there are stray dogs.
You’ll see them in towns, villages, on beaches, and occasionally wandering around parks. But our experience was that they were far less interested in us than I expected them to be.
Most seemed happy snoozing in the shade or getting on with their day.
The only real interaction we had was the occasional hopeful dog trying to convince us that our byrek would be better shared than eaten. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them.
At no point did we feel threatened, and the children quickly got used to seeing them around.
Then there were the snakes.
As someone who isn’t exactly a fan of snakes, I spent far too much time reading about them before we arrived.
The reality?
We barely saw any.
The snakes we occasionally spotted around Lake Ohrid in Pogradec were non-venomous water snakes and seemed completely uninterested in people. Most disappeared long before we got close enough to properly see them.
Like the stray dogs, they were something I worried about before arriving and barely thought about once we were here.
It’s funny how often the things we fear most before travelling end up being the things that matter least once we’re actually there.
The Parts We Found More Challenging
No destination is perfect, and Albania certainly has its quirks.
One thing we found difficult was the begging, particularly around restaurants and town centres. It could feel uncomfortable at times, especially with children, but in our experience, people were never aggressive or persistent. A polite no was generally respected, and they would move on.
There is more litter than we’re used to seeing.
Smoking is far more common than at home.
Accommodation standards can vary significantly.
And some everyday things don’t always work the same way they do elsewhere.
Cars don’t always stop at crossings.
Electric scooters and motorbikes occasionally use pavements as if they were roads.
And yes, occasionally you might get a mouldy croissant.
But none of these things made us feel unsafe.
Different? Yes.
Unsafe? No.
Travel isn’t about finding another version of home.
It’s about experiencing somewhere different, with all the positives and frustrations that come with that.
Tirana: An Eye-Opening Start
Our first proper experience of Albania was in Tirana.
And honestly, we loved it.
There were parks everywhere, plenty for the children to do, fantastic food and a real energy to the city.
It felt vibrant, creative and full of life.
Read our full guide to Tirana with kids here.
The Albanian Coast
After Tirana, we headed for the coast and spent much of our time in Qerret.
The beaches are beautiful.
The sand is soft.
The sea is warm.
We didn’t spend a huge amount of time in the water. The children went in one evening and were sick the following day — whether that was connected to the sea, food or coincidence, we’ll never know.
Because we were travelling during shoulder season, we spent more time exploring than swimming anyway.
One thing we did struggle with more than expected was bottled water. We knew it would be part of life here, but it affected our decision-making more than we expected.
Read more here: What it’s really like to stay in Qerret, Golem Albania.
Why We Fell in Love with Pogradec
Our next stop was Pogradec.
And this is where we really fell for Albania.
It felt less touristy than the coast, but still lively enough to feel connected.
We could drink the tap water here, which immediately changed how the place felt for us.
We had mountain walks, lake swims, playgrounds, local restaurants and space to slow down.
Lake Ohrid and the surrounding mountains made it one of our favourite stops in the entire trip.
Is Albania Safe for Children?
Our answer is yes.
The children loved Albania.
They made friends in parks.
They explored cities, beaches and lakes.
They learned to set boundaries in a culture that is naturally very affectionate towards children.
And we rarely felt that low-level parental anxiety that can appear in unfamiliar places.
So, Is Albania Safe for Families?
For our family, yes.
Not because nothing happened.
We witnessed protests.
We saw a major apartment fire.
We navigated cultural differences and unfamiliar systems.
But at no point did we feel unsafe.
I ran alone in the mornings.
We explored everywhere on foot with the children.
We moved freely through towns, beaches and cities.
What we’ll remember isn’t the concerns we arrived with.
It’s the people.
The hospitality.
The generosity.
The pride.
The kindness.
And the feeling that Albania is changing quickly, but still deeply authentic.
Tourism is growing, and with that comes change. But if you’re considering visiting with your family, our honest advice is simple:
Come with an open heart
No place is perfect.
But Albania felt safe to us.
More importantly, it felt human.
And that’s what we’ll remember most.
If you’d like to learn more about how we travel full-time as a family, worldschool our children and fund our adventures, read our guide here or for more on our story, check out alittlemoreoutdoor.com
