{"id":2265,"date":"2015-02-02T21:10:30","date_gmt":"2015-02-02T21:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=2265"},"modified":"2025-05-14T17:31:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T17:31:55","slug":"budget-accomodations-in-albania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/budget-accomodations-in-albania\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Awesome Budget Accomodations in Albania"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure what \u00e2\u20ac\u0153on a budget\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in Albania would actually mean. Would my daily lunch be a raw cucumber from the market? Would I have to skip bus fares just to save a few bucks? Would I be sleeping in grimy dungeons, sharing a single bathroom with 10 strangers?<\/p>\n

Luckily, none of that came true\u00e2\u20ac\u201despecially not the dungeon part.<\/p>\n

In fact, I stayed in a few memorable and great-value places<\/strong> across Albania that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been recommending to fellow travellers ever since. So why not share them here, too?<\/p>\n

Cabin in the woods<\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0Rilindja, Valbona<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
\"HIKING<\/a>
The guesthouse, info centre and restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the reasons my stay in the Albanian Alps was so mind-blowing<\/a>? Without a doubt, Rilindja Guesthouse<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I was sold the moment I laid eyes on the quaint chalet nestled in the woods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Valbona,<\/a>
easy to find<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so awesome about it:<\/strong>
A balconied room surrounded by forest, with views of towering mountains and a fast-flowing river. A crackling fire warming the reception and restaurant area after a strenuous hike. And that restaurant? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s located just below your room and serves up a menu full of delicious Northern Albanian specialties<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI tried almost every dish, and they were all excellent.<\/p>\n

\"Rilindja<\/a>
scrumptious dinner and wine with new friends – click to enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bonus points:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– the most beautiful hiking trails start near the guesthouse (maps available)<\/p>\n

\"Valbona<\/a>
one of the hikes starting from the guesthouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

– they serve an excellent home brewed red, which comes in very copious amounts<\/p>\n

– the restaurant\/reception is a fantastic place to meet and socialise with other travellers.<\/p>\n

Extra info:<\/strong> keep in mind that the rooms are small and their walls are paper thin. But in such a beautiful environment, you’ll be out and about all day, using your room only to crash exhaustedly at night.<\/p>\n

\"Valbona<\/a>
your back yard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rates<\/strong> start at \u00e2\u201a\u00ac30 for a double including a hearty breakfast. Share the room with a travel mate and you’ve got yourself a great budget deal! Prices are lower during the winter. Camping spots are available for \u00e2\u201a\u00ac2. Do make a reservation through their website, especially during the weekend as the place can get packed with local tourists.<\/p>\n

A home amongst the orchards:<\/strong> Florian’s guesthouse, Shkod\u00c3\u00abr<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
\"Florian's<\/a>
Florian’s guesthouse and it’s orchards – click to enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re heading to Valbona the scenic way, chances are you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll overnight in Shkod\u00c3\u00abr<\/strong>. While the town itself has a few charms worth exploring, it was Florian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Guesthouse<\/strong> that made my stay unforgettable.<\/p>\n

What’s so awesome about it:<\/strong>
\nSet just outside of town, you get to borrow a bicycle (for free!) to ride into the centre. That short 5\u00e2\u20ac\u201c6 minute ride through the chaos of Albanian streets<\/strong>? An adventure in itself.
The food is entirely organic and backyard-grown<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou can even pick some veggies yourself. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the perfect place to experience authentic Albanian family life<\/strong>, with communal dinners, homemade wine and rakia while sharing travel tales, listening to stories about Albania’s past and present from the ever-warm and welcoming Florian.<\/p>\n

\"Florian's<\/a>
at the dinner table, clockwise: organic home made wine, birthday cake and rakia for desert, dining on home grown produce, veggie soup- click to enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bonus points:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– fun loving, warm and welcoming host Florian<\/p>\n

– free use of bicycles<\/p>\n

– full board option for \u00e2\u201a\u00ac4 extra. Including home-brewed wine<\/p>\n

\"Florian's<\/a>
laughing, toasting, drinking in true Albanian style<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Extra info:<\/strong> The dorm isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anything special, but the atmosphere<\/em> and\u00c2\u00a0simplicity<\/em> of rural Albania are what make this place shine.<\/p>\n

\"countryside<\/a>
Countryside scenes right outside your doorstep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rates start at \u00e2\u201a\u00ac11 including breakfast<\/strong>. Add \u00e2\u201a\u00ac4 for lunch, dinner, and wine. Seriously.<\/p>\n

\"Florian's<\/a>
adding my pick of the day to my breakfast- click to enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/h4>\n

Historical house of relaxation:<\/strong> Berat Backpackers, Berat<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
\"Berat<\/a>
who wouldn’t want to chill on this rooftop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I loved Berat<\/strong> so much it brought tears to my eyes<\/a>. After spending hours sweating my way up and down cobbled lanes, I was more than happy to end each day at Berat Backpackers Hostel<\/strong>, beer in hand and surrounded by good conversation.<\/p>\n

\"Berat<\/a>
clean spacious dorm with beautiful views<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What’s so awesome about it:<\/strong>
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beautifully restored historical Berat house<\/strong> that lets you live the town, not just visit it. The atmosphere is relaxed and social\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou can chat with other travellers in the colourful common room or retreat to the peaceful courtyard, where ripe pomegranates fall from the trees<\/strong> as you read your book.<\/p>\n

Bonus points:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Perfect location in one of Berat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s historical quarters<\/p>\n

\"Berat<\/a>
view outside the hostel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

– Option to join communal dinners<\/p>\n

– come the right time and you might help turn grapes and fruit into wine or<\/strong> jam<\/strong>…the traditional way.<\/p>\n

\"Berat<\/a>
the traditional way… Photo by Berat Backpackers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Extra info:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0I visited during low season, so it was quiet and calm. In summer, things get lively. Note that they close for winter<\/strong> (Dec 1\u00e2\u20ac\u201cMar 15).
\nRates start at \u00e2\u201a\u00ac6 for camping, \u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u201a\u00ac10 for a dorm bed in low season (\u00e2\u201a\u00ac12 in high season) and \u00e2\u201a\u00ac 12 per person for a private double.<\/p>\n

All three of these places added that little bit of extra magic<\/strong> to my Albania travels.
If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re heading that way, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t recommend them enough.<\/p>\n

Which one would have your fancy? What kind of accommodation do you prefer? Hotels or guesthouses\/hostels?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The post \u00e2\u20ac\u01533 Awesome Budget Accommodations in Albania<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure what \u00e2\u20ac\u0153on a budget\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in Albania would actually mean. Would my daily lunch be a raw cucumber from the market? Would I have to skip bus fares just to save a few bucks? Would I be sleeping in grimy dungeons, sharing a single bathroom with 10 strangers? Luckily, none of that came […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,69],"tags":[95,38,18,11,20,37,44],"country":[209],"class_list":["post-2265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albania","category-budget-category","tag-accommodation","tag-backpacking","tag-budget","tag-europe","tag-off-the-beaten-track","tag-tips","tag-top-things","post_format-post-format-image","country-albania"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2265"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5015,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2265\/revisions\/5015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2265"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=2265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}