A practical road guide
Driving in Albania
Driving is the best way to see Albania, and easier than its old reputation suggests: the main roads are new, signage is clear, and you can be on the Ionian coast a few hours after collecting the car.
The roads that matter: the SH network
Albania's trunk roads are numbered with an SH prefix, and a handful of them carry almost every trip a visitor makes. The SH2 links Tirana International Airport to the capital, so it is the first road you drive, usually inside half an hour. From there the SH4 runs south through Fier and on toward Gjirokaster, the spine of the country and the fastest way down toward the south.
For the coast you want the SH8, the Ionian road that hugs the Riviera past Himare and on to Saranda. It is the prettiest drive in the country and also the slowest, because it bends constantly and climbs the Llogara pass, which is high and tightly switchbacked. Take Llogara in daylight, in no hurry, and pull into one of the viewpoints rather than gawping at the sea while steering.
On these main roads the tarmac is genuinely good and lane discipline is normal. The picture changes the moment you turn off them: minor roads can be patched, potholed or narrow, so treat any unnumbered route as slower than the map suggests.
Where a hire car cannot go
Hire cars are for paved public roads only. A handful of routes and regions are off-limits under the rental terms because of the poor state of the road surface, and no insurance is valid there, even in a 4x4. To see these places, take an organised tour or a local 4x4 transfer rather than the hire car.
Book a guided 4x4 tour instead →Prohibited routes
- Berat to Përmet (Osumi Canyon / SH74)
- Tirana to Qafë-Shtamë (via Lake Bovilla)
- Thethi to Valbona
- Memaliaj to Berat (via Martallozi)
- Krujë to Burreli (via Qafë-Shtamë)
- Unpaved tracks down to the beaches
Prohibited regions
- Tomorri Mountain National Park
- Lura National Park
- Lake Koman
- Korab Mountain
- Qafë-Shtamë Nature Park
How local driving actually feels
None of this is dramatic once you expect it. Drive defensively, keep your distance, and you will be fine. These are the things first-timers tell us caught them off guard.
Confident overtaking
Drivers commit to overtakes on roads you might not, and they expect you to make room. Hold a steady line, ease off if someone is coming through, and do not feel pressured into a risky pass yourself.
Unlit rural stretches
Away from the SH roads, night driving means no street lighting and the odd unmarked edge. We genuinely recommend planning to arrive before dark, especially on first acquaintance with a route.
Livestock and slow traffic
In the countryside you will meet goats, cows, a tractor or a horse cart with no warning. Round blind bends slowly; the hazard is often just past where you can see.
Potholes on minor roads
The main roads are smooth, but a side road can have a sharp pothole right after a good stretch. Leave a margin so you can steer around one rather than hit it at speed.
Cities, fuel, parking and the mountains
Town driving asks for the most patience. Tirana's centre is busy and the one-way streets around Skanderbeg Square take a moment to read, so we use a paid lot rather than hunting for a kerbside space; parking near the middle is tight and circling wastes your morning. Smaller towns are far calmer and you can usually park near where you are going.
Fuel is easy to find along the main roads, with stations frequent enough that you rarely think about it, and many take cards. The exception is a long mountain leg: top up before you climb rather than counting on the next village having a pump.
The mountains need extra thought, because a hire car may be driven on paved public roads only. The scenic north, the road up to Theth and the Thethi-Valbona crossing, is unpaved in parts and sits on the rental terms' prohibited-routes list, so it cannot be driven in a hire car and is not insured there, even in a 4x4. For those trips an organised tour or a local 4x4 transfer is the way to go. On the sealed mountain roads a normal car is fine; just top up on fuel before a long climb and take the switchbacks in daylight.
Crossing a border in a hire car
Plenty of trips pair Albania with a neighbour: Kosovo, Montenegro, Greece or North Macedonia. You can take a hire car across any of those, but only with two things arranged before pickup: the supplier's written permission, and a Green Card, which is the international insurance proof the border guards may ask for.
This is not a decision to make at the frontier. Tell the supplier your route when you book so the paperwork travels with the car. Turn up at a crossing without it and you can be turned back, which is a long detour to undo. Inside Albania, by contrast, you can drive wherever you like with nothing extra to arrange.
On the SH roads the tarmac is good; it is the bends and the Llogara pass that ask for daylight and time.
Driving in Albania: common questions
Which side of the road do you drive on in Albania?
On the right, with the steering wheel on the left, the same as most of mainland Europe. Overtaking is on the left. The thing to adjust to is not the side but the driving style: people commit to overtakes you might not, so leave gaps and do not be rushed by the car behind.
Are Albanian roads in good condition?
The main SH-numbered roads are genuinely good now, often newer tarmac than you would expect. The catch is the minor roads: potholes appear without warning and rural stretches are unlit at night. Note too that hire cars are for paved public roads only; some mountain routes, such as the SH21 up to Theth, are unpaved and on the prohibited-routes list, so keep to the sealed roads and plan day drives rather than night ones.
Can I take an Albanian hire car across the border?
Only with the supplier's written permission and a Green Card (the international insurance document), both arranged before pickup. Kosovo, Montenegro, Greece and North Macedonia are all crossable this way, but you cannot decide on a whim at the border. Tell the supplier your plan when you book so the paperwork is ready.
Do I need a 4x4 or an SUV to drive in Albania?
For the coast and the main inland sights, no; a normal car handles the SH2, SH4 and SH8 fine. An SUV is worth it mainly for the higher ride and extra comfort on the longer southern drives, and for potholed but paved back roads, rather than for going off-road: hire cars are limited to paved public roads either way. For most trips an economy car is plenty.
Is parking easy in Tirana?
Central Tirana is tight. Kerbside spaces near the centre fill early and the one-way system around Skanderbeg Square takes a minute to read. Use a paid lot or your accommodation's parking rather than circling; it is cheap and saves the stress. Outside the capital, parking is rarely an issue.
How is fuel availability on a road trip?
Fine on the main routes; stations are common along the SH roads and many take cards. Off the trunk roads it thins out, so fill up before a long mountain leg rather than assuming the next town has a pump. Diesel and petrol are both widely sold.
Ready to take the wheel?
Compare live prices from local suppliers for your dates and pick the car that suits your route, from a city runabout to an SUV for the high roads.
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