French media: Farewell to Greece and Italy, Albania has become tourists’ new obsession

Albania is turning into one of Europe’s most talked-about tourist destinations, as more and more French people choose the country for their holidays, according to an article published by the French digital media outlet “Peaches.fr”.

Described as the “Maldives of Europe”, Albania welcomed 11.9 million tourists during 2025, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

The number of visitors rose by 3.3% compared with 2024 and by 93.6% compared with 2019.

This development has put Albania in the spotlight of European tourists, after a long period of isolation from the rest of the continent.

The Albanian Riviera, Tirana and the Albanian Alps are among the areas that have benefited most from this growth.

The tourism boom rests on a distinctive combination of beaches with crystal-clear waters, the country’s recent history and wild, untouched mountain areas.

Within a single trip, visitors can move from the turquoise coast to Communist-era bunkers and then on to the mountain trails of the Albanian Alps.

The growth in tourism has also been accompanied by expanded transport links, more low-cost flights, the expansion of Tirana International Airport and the development of the hotel offer.

Albania’s growing presence on social media has also helped increase interest in the country, while the main tourist destinations have become busier during the summer season.

The Albanian Riviera, one of the most sought-after areas

The Albanian Riviera remains one of the areas attracting the most tourists.

Vlora, the country’s third-largest city, is welcoming ever more visitors, while other well-known Riviera destinations include Dhërmi, Saranda and Ksamil.

In this coastal area, the hotel offer is expanding and is increasingly oriented towards high-category properties.

The “Green Coast Hotel”, part of the “MGallery Collection”, opened in June 2025, while “Crowne Plaza Durrës by IHG” opened in 2026, alongside the “Miamar Luxury Hotel & Spa”, which was already present in the area.

Tirana, the bunkers and low-cost flights

The capital, Tirana, preserves important traces of Albania’s recent history in its centre and is another important stop for visitors.

Near Skanderbeg Square is the National History Museum, which will remain closed until 2028 because of works.

On the outside of the building is the large mosaic, which depicts scenes and moments from Albania’s history.

Meanwhile, the “House of Leaves” documents the activity of the State Security, the former secret police of the Communist regime. Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2 have been set up in former underground shelters, offering visitors another way to learn about the history of the Communist period.

To cope with the rising number of visitors, Tirana International Airport has been expanded.

In 2020, a base of the airline “Wizz Air” also opened at the airport, which today connects Tirana with a series of European cities, among them Barcelona, Budapest, London, Madrid, Rome and Stockholm.

Besides these destinations, direct flights also connect Tirana with Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Istanbul.

Meanwhile, bus lines to Skopje, Podgorica and Pristina allow tourists to combine visits to several countries in the region during the same trip.

Mountains and lakes, another face of Albania

In the north of the country, the city of Shkodra serves as a starting point towards the lake and mountain areas.

Lake Shkodra, known as Lake Skadar on the Montenegrin side, can be explored on foot or by bicycle.

From here, visitors can continue their journey with excursions towards the Shala River or Lake Koman.

Further north, the Albanian Alps attract especially tourists interested in mountain hiking.

One of the best-known routes is the trail linking Valbona with Theth, a hike of around 12 kilometres, which takes between seven and 10 hours.