“Metro”: Albania, the ideal choice for an October getaway

Albania is standing out as a suitable destination to visit in October, when temperatures are milder, prices more affordable and the flow of tourists lower than during the summer months.

The British media outlet “Metro” ranks Albania among the three destinations worth exploring during the shoulder season, singling out the Albanian Riviera, Berat, Tirana and the Albanian Alps.

September is a somewhat unsettled month. One day the sun shines and it seems as if summer has not yet ended.

The next day, the sky is grey and the weather is gloomy, reminding you that the cold days of winter are approaching.

For this reason, it is no surprise that more and more tourists choose to avoid the frequent weather changes and travel to warmer places before winter officially begins.

ABTA has described this period as “Super September” in its “Travel Trends 2026” report, referring to the period when tourists replace the peak summer months with a trip in early autumn.

However, not everyone can follow this trend, especially parents with school-age children.

For those who can travel, this period offers advantages such as more affordable prices and fewer tourists.

Since 2023, ABTA has found that more and more tourists are choosing the autumn months for their holidays.

In 2025, almost a quarter of them, 24%, said they planned to travel during the September-October months, compared with 17% two years earlier.

Meanwhile, data from travel networks show that hotel bookings worldwide for the autumn season have risen by 55% during these months.

This shows that this period is no longer considered a low-demand season, when trips are booked only at the last minute.

In fact, October is a suitable month to travel abroad and continues to offer the same benefits that characterise the off-peak season, especially more favourable prices and a lower number of tourists.

Precisely for this reason, “Metro” has selected the three best destinations for an October trip, which are not yet overcrowded with tourists.

The list includes Albania, Menorca in the Balearic Islands and Naples in Italy.

Albania

During the summer, the beaches of Ksamil and Saranda on the Albanian Riviera are more crowded, the roads are busy and the infrastructure faces increased pressure.

The number of visitors during the peak season has risen significantly, driven also by Albania’s popularity on the TikTok platform, passing 10 million tourists a year and exceeding the country’s total number of residents.

However, for those who want to experience Albania’s beauty and uniqueness without facing tourist overcrowding, October may be the perfect month to visit the country.

During this period, you can also visit the well-known tourist villages of the Albanian Riviera, in the south of the country, which have been described as the “Maldives of the Mediterranean”, without facing the summer-season crowds.

But if you are more interested in visiting historic places and exploring culture and heritage than in going to the beach, there are many other cities and towns across the country worth discovering.

In Berat, the central Albanian city that is part of the UNESCO list and stretches along the Osum River, you can visit the white Ottoman-period houses, built one above the other with rows of large windows looking out over the valley.

Precisely these characteristics have also given Berat the name “City of a thousand windows”.

It is also recommended to visit the capital, Tirana, known for its lively cafe culture, as well as for the bunkers built during the communist period.

You can also explore the Albanian Alps, a spectacular mountain region with trails that can be compared to those of the Dolomites in Italy.

Flights, accommodation and weather in Albania

October in Albania offers ideal weather conditions for visiting and exploring the country.

During the day, maximum temperatures of around 21°C are expected, while at night temperatures are cooler and drop to 13°C.

The airline Ryanair offers flights from London to Tirana for about £20 throughout October, while accommodation prices are not very high either.