What to see, what to do Albania?

Museums and sites are generally open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., often closing on Mondays and sometimes with a mid-day break.

You'll also need to watch out for closures on certain public holidays, such as January¹ and 2 (New Year's Day), March 14 (Summer Festival), March 22 (Nevruz Festival), Easter Sunday and Monday, Catholic and Orthodox (in April or May, variable each year), may¹ (Labor Day), Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (dates vary from April to September), October 19 (beatification of Mother Teresa), November 28 (Independence Day), November 29 (Liberation Day) and December 25 (Christmas). Depending on the nature of the monument (museum, church, mosque...), sites may be closed or have reduced opening hours on these days.

Despite the beauty of some sites, you will not find any queues similar to the Acropolis in neighbouring Greece. Nevertheless, in high season, it is recommended to arrive as soon as the sites are open or after 4pm to avoid tourist buses or cruise passengers. Online reservations are not possible. There are very few websites dedicated to museums. Likewise, to "book" a guide, you will have to find out directly on the spot. They are usually waiting for you at the entrance to the sites and cannot be requested more than an hour before the visit.

If we take the example of Korça's marvellous museum of medieval art, its entrance ticket costs only 700 lek, or just €5. Yet it is the country's finest and most modern museum, almost without equal in the Balkans. Created during the communist period (1987), it houses one of the world's largest collections of religious art (8,000 pieces, of which less than a thousand are on display)! The most expensive site in this guide has to be the magnificent archaeological site of Butrint, described by Unesco as "a microcosm of Mediterranean history". Admission costs just 1,000 leks (site + museum).

The most expensive option (and even then) is to hire a guide. You'll pay €20 for a couple for a two-hour visit. Generally speaking, it's worth it.

Among the "good deals", we have also noticed the appearance of attractive brochures published in French (and financed by the French Embassy) on the country's main sites (Tirana and Korça museums, the archaeological sites of Butrint and Apollonia...). Some are free. The most expensive, that of Tirana's National Museum, cost 2,000 leks (€15) for a handsome 60-page brochure.

Depending on your interests, you can organize your stay around the many local festivals, such as the Gjirokastra Folk Festival, the Korça Beer Festival or the Tirana International Film Festival.

The Albanian calendar is marked by religious festivals with official public holidays. Some of these are fixed dates: Norouz(Dita e Nevruzit), on March 22, is the great feast of the Bektashis, and Christmas(Krishtlindjet), on December 25, the feast of Catholic and Orthodox Christians followed by most of the population. Other religious festivals with public holidays are on flexible dates. There are two Christian holidays: Catholic Easter(Pashkët Katolike, March 31, 2024, April 20, 2025, April 5, 2026, March 28, 2027...) and Orthodox Easter(Pashkët Ortodokse, May 5, 2024, April 20, 2025, April 12, 2026, May 2, 2027...), which commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. And there are two Muslim feasts: Eid el-Fitr(Bajrami i Madh, March 30, 2025, March 19, 2026, March 10, 2027...), which marks the breaking of the Ramadan fast, and Eid al-Adha(Bajrami i Vogël, June 16, 2024, June 6, 2025, May 26, 2026, May 16, 2027...), the biggest Muslim feast commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham.

While some tours are organized in the major museums, in Butrint, Bera and Apollonia you'll usually need to hire a guide on site. Theoretically, they should have a badge. However, we noticed that some professionals didn't have one, simply because they couldn't afford to pay the high examination and affiliation fees. We recommend a little flexibility if the person seems serious. But if you don't have a badge, pay at the end of the visit so that you can cut it short quickly if you feel you've been cheated.

Smoking is not permitted in museums and, theoretically, in outdoor archaeological sites.

At the touristy citadel of Kruja, where admission is free, some locals try to sell fake tickets (at 100 lek, less than €1) to tourists.

In Butrint and the Saranda area, arrive early in the morning or after 4 p.m. to avoid the cruisers!