Albania welcomed 11.9 million visitors in 2025 — nearly double the number it drew a decade ago and up 93.6% on pre-pandemic 2019, according to UN Tourism. For a country that was almost entirely shut off under dictator Enver Hoxha until the 1990s, that is a remarkable turnaround, and it is now firmly on the itinerary of anyone hunting for Europe's next affordable beach and mountain fix.

Part of the boom is simple spill-over. Croatia went mainstream after Game of Thrones, travellers drifted to Montenegro, and now they have carried on south to the Albanian Riviera, nicknamed the "Maldives of Europe" for its clear water and sandy coves. Cheap flights helped: Wizz Air opened a base at Tirana Airport in 2020, with low-cost routes from London, Rome, Barcelona, Budapest, Madrid and Stockholm, and buses link Tirana with Skopje, Ohrid, Podgorica and Prishtina for easy multi-country Balkan trips.

Start in Tirana if you want history. Skanderbeg Square anchors the centre, though the National Historical Museum is closed until 2028 — its giant exterior mural is still worth a look. The House of Leaves museum documents the Sigurimi secret police, with interrogation rooms and surveillance files, and the Bunk'art bunkers (one right off the square, one larger site near the Dajti cable car station) bring the communist era to life. After dark, the Blokku district is the spot: Hemingway for rum cocktails and jazz, Radio Bar for atmosphere, Ruka's Bar 1991 for cheap beers.

North of the capital, Shkodër sits on the largest lake in Southern Europe, shared with Montenegro. It is a slow-down kind of town — Rozafa Castle, bike rides along the lakeshore, and boutique stays like Hotel Tradita, set in a building dating to 1694. The Shala River and Lake Koman make good day trips, and hikes into the Albanian Alps start here.

The headline hike is the Valbona Pass route between Valbona and Theth: roughly 12 kilometres, seven to ten hours, with dramatic peaks and wildflower meadows the whole way.

Then there is the coast. Vlorë has seen the biggest wave of visitors, but Dhërmi, Sarandë and Ksamil are the names to know on the Riviera. The boom has pulled in serious hotel investment too — the five-star Green Coast Hotel (MGallery) opened in June last year, IHG's Crowne Plaza Durres arrived earlier this year, and the Miamar Luxury Hotel & Spa rounds out the top-end options.

Why care? Albania still undercuts Croatia and Greece on price while offering beaches, alpine hiking and Cold War history in one trip. Go soon — the secret is very much out.