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Best time to visit Albania

The best time to visit Albania is spring, early summer and early autumn, when you can avoid seasonal extremes and make the most of walking and cycling trails. However, head to the mountains in winter and you’ll be greeted with Christmas card scenes, and the opportunity to snowshoe between remote villages for a glimpse of rural Albanian life.

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Best time to visit Albania

Albania has three main climate zones: the warm Mediterranean coast, the continental extremes of the interior and the cooler mountains of the north-east.

April-June and September-October are the best time to go to Albania – you’ll avoid scorching coastal summer heat and bitter winter mountain cold, making these months ideal for walking, cycling, sightseeing, watersports and flopping on the beach. If you’re tied to travelling in the summer holidays, don’t fret; many beaches get a fraction of the visitors of their Mediterranean neighbours, despite being possibly even more beautiful. The crisp winter in the mountains is great for snowshoeing – though the rest of the country is cold and damp.

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A month by month guide on when to go to Albania

January in Albania

Coldest month

Snow in the mountains

Milder on coast

Few people choose to visit Albania in January. This is the coldest month of the year, with thick snow in mountainous areas ruling out walking, though snowshoeing is possible. Temperatures here can drop below freezing. Elsewhere, such as on the coast, the climate is milder but damp, and most tourism businesses will be closed for the winter. The cities are very quiet – ideal if you want to completely avoid the crowds and don’t mind the dreary weather.

February in Albania

Low season

Cold, damp weather

Mountain passes closed

The grim winter weather continues throughout Albania in February, with little to recommend visiting at this time of year bar a smattering of winter sports in mountainous regions. This is the low season, and consequently you can find very good travel deals, but many hotels and restaurants simply close for the duration of the winter.

March in Albania

Peaceful city touring

Cool and quiet Riviera

Spring Day

By March it’s still very quiet across Albania, but towards the end of the month there are signs of spring approaching – including the nationwide Spring Day pagan festival. Albania in March can be good for relaxed city sightseeing. The Albanian Riviera is damp and cool at this time of year, but you can enjoy the scenery without the crowds. Keep in mind that most shops, bars and restaurants will still not be open.

April in Albania

Quiet and inexpensive

Small group tours

Rainy but mild

April is when Albania’s tourist season gets into gear. Our small group walking and cycling tours begin from now, and while Albania in April can be rainy it’s great for seeing popular locations such as Berat and Lake Ohrid before they get busy. You can walk in lovely, peaceful rural areas in April, but higher elevations in the Accursed Alps will still be snowbound for some time; some popular walks such as the Theth to Valbona route are often inaccessible.

May in Albania

Walking and cycling

Snow thawing

Albanian Riviera

May can be the best time to visit Albania’s beaches. There’s a balmy Mediterranean climate and tourist resorts open for the summer. The weather is distinctly warmer across Albania in May, most notably on the coast and in central areas. In the mountains, where walkers and cyclists are by now a common sight, it can still be chilly, especially after dark. Meltwater rivers and waterfalls are at the peak of their powers in May, whilst mountain meadows are starting to sing with wildflowers.

June in Albania

Summer warmth

Alpine walking

Coast gets busy

Albania in June is lovely, basking in a climate that’s perfect for walking, cycling, sightseeing or simply relaxing on the beach. You’ll have plenty of company, though. Albania has 400km of Mediterranean coastline and the popular beaches get very busy. June to September is also the best time to be in the Albanian Alps – though, again, don’t expect solitude in places like Theth and Valbona.

June is great for our Albania walking holiday

May isn’t baking hot, and beaches are all but deserted, plus the mountains still have snowy peaks, creating an impressive backdrop.

– Olly Pemberton from our partner Exodus Adventure Travels

July in Albania

Walking and cycling

Hot, sunny weather

Busy on the coast

July is fiendishly hot along the coast and inland. This peak holiday month sees the popular coastal hub of Saranda packed with people escaping Tirana, and tourists heading over on day trips from Corfu. Long spoken of as ‘off the beaten tourist track’ Albania is now very firmly on it, and its coastal charms are no secret. Prices are higher in Albania in July, though even then it’s usually significantly less expensive than other more established summer destinations in Europe.

August in Albania

Warm, sunny and dry

Activity holidays

Korca Beer Fest

With a hot, sunny and dry climate, activity holidays are popular across Albania in August. Temperatures on the coast in the south can reach the mid-30°Cs and Tirana, a little inland, has a similar climate, though it tends to be cooler in the evenings. Mountainous areas in northern Albania are also lovely and warm, with occasional afternoon thunderstorms not unknown. You can cool off at one of the country’s biggest beer festivals, in Korca, in mid-August.

September in Albania

Autumn foliage

Quieter on coast

Still warm

Albania in September can be fairly hot, but seasonal showers and constant sea breezes cool things down a little. Sea temperatures are glorious and the beaches are much quieter when school holidays are over. Temperatures dip towards the end of the month but not hugely, and you can expect a little more rain. As autumn nears, walkers in the Albanian Alps will enjoy some fabulous colours in the foliage.

September is great for our small group Albania holiday

October in Albania

Shoulder month

Apple Festival

Tourism slowing

October can be a great time of year to visit Albania. This is a month of harvest festivals, of wine tasting, and of enjoying the country’s magnificent natural beauty with few other people around. Days are mostly warm and sunny in Albania in October, though evenings are chilly, so after a day’s walking in the mountains a steaming bowl of bean and butternut broth will be a welcome sight. By the end of the month, many places are closing for the winter.

November in Albania

Rainiest month

Snow at heights

Brar Olive Festival

November is typically the cheapest time to visit Albania, though with good reason. Darkness and damp descend, with snow falling heavily in the mountains, ending the walking season. Our tailor made tours are still available and some accommodation is open, but Albania in November can be quite bleak, with cold, wet weather to be expected.

December in Albania

Start of winter

Freezing in mountains

Very little tourism

Albania in December is largely quiet, though there is a small winter sports scene in the mountains. The national parks in the Albanian Alps provide a range of trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. It’s the least busy time of year to visit Albania, and outside the cities and a few parts of the Alps, many tourism businesses are closed. Saranda hosts a lovely Christmas market on the coast.

Berat, Albania Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

135

FEB

122

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

116

NOV

173

DEC

166

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Best times to visit Albania for festivals & events

Spring Day (14 March)

Spring Day is a national holiday in Albania. This pagan festival is celebrated across the country – with a particularly large following in the central region of Elbasan and in Tirana, where the park fills with musicians, acrobats and other performances. From 1 March you’ll see young people wearing braided red and white bracelets, which are hung on trees for good luck following the celebrations. Don’t miss the traditional ballokume cornflour biscuits.

Za Fest (July)

The mountain village of Theth is well-known as a base for walking in the Albanian Alps. In July, it also hosts the brilliant Za Fest, created by Albanian singer-songwriter Vlashent Sata, which fuses folk music with poetry, film, hiking and yoga. Not all at the same time though, sadly. Performances are not confined to the stages. You could be walking through a copse of trees and encounter a poetry reading or find someone strumming their guitar to a backdrop of tinkling goat bells.

Korca Beer Fest (August)

You can enjoy sampling an impressive range of brews both local and international at one of Albania’s largest festivals, held in the mountainous city of Korca. Over five nights in August, the city welcomes around 100,000 people to share a drink and enjoy a host of live music performances and DJ sets. One of Albania’s oldest beer brands originated in Korca, so it’s a fitting setting, and the city’s elegant architecture only adds to the atmosphere.

Apple Festival (October)

Held in the village of Dvoran near Korca every August, this long-established harvest festival is a celebration of one of the region’s biggest crops, with a great number of apple varieties available. It also serves another useful purpose in promoting the fruit, and local producers, who often struggle to make a profit. Tourists, especially hungry tourists, are very welcome – come early to take part in the symbolic apple-picking in one of the village’s orchards.

Wine & Stories of Berat (October)

The charmingly named Wine and Stories of Berat festival is held in the riverside city of Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with centuries of winemaking heritage. Dozens of wineries set up stalls in the city centre, with expert sommeliers leading tasting sessions. This is also an opportunity to sample traditional Albanian cuisine, and to hear some interesting stories about the history of Albanian viniculture, cheese, olives and dried figs.

Our travellers also ask…

What is the best month to visit Albania?

April to early June and September and October are the best months to visit Albania. These months tend to enjoy warm, pleasant weather, and are nowhere near as busy as the peak summer season. Spring means wildflowers in the mountains, a bit of a chill in the air still, and some areas at higher elevations still closed off due to snow. Autumn is harvest festivals, wonderful sea temperatures, and vivid colours in the landscapes. Both are ideal for walking and cycling holidays.

What is the hottest month in Albania?

July and August are the hottest months in Albania. Daytime temperatures on the Mediterranean coast can easily get into the mid-30°Cs, so the resorts strung along the Albanian Riviera are enormously popular and get very busy. It’s typically a bit cooler in the mountains, and summer is great for walking, cycling and other activity breaks, though well-known areas such as Theth and Valbona do attract crowds.

What is the driest month in Albania?

July and August are the driest months of the year in Albania. Rainfall is low across the country and the Albanian Riviera is immensely popular during the summer for beach retreats. If you’re heading up into mountainous areas like the Albanian Alps, remember it’s not unusual to encounter a thunderstorm in the afternoons now and again. These are usually very short, though, and shouldn’t impact on your activities.