Money in Albania
 

Hi,

As part of a longer trip I will be going through Albania; I have heard that ATMs are few and far between and cash is the best option.
As that information is a little old now, is that still the case? Also, are Euros accepted or Lek only?

While I'm here, how about petrol? Is it generally available in bigger towns only? I prefer to explore the rural areas so need to plan visits into town if I need fuel!

Thank you!

Hi Mermaid:

I spent a week in Albania last year, and also toured Albania on my moto in 2015 and 2010. I ride a Honda ST 1100 (bit of a gas guzzler).

The country improves (modernizes) immensely every year - it's not the 3rd world rathole it was 20 years ago. It is a delightful place to tour around in, and the citizens are very hospitable and welcoming.

You won't have any problem finding ATMs in larger cities, and you can buy fuel everywhere. Just keep in mind that once you get out in to the backwoods (meaning, substantial distances away from the sea, or substantial distances away from medium to large cities), it's still a rural, agrarian country.

Plan to buy your fuel in medium to large cities, and find ATMs you need for withdrawals in medium to large cities, and you will have no problems at all. As long as your moto has over 150 km (about 90 miles) of range with a full tank of fuel, you will not have any worries. Might be a good idea to not pass up a gas station if you see one when you have less than half a tank of fuel remaining, though.

Bonus: You get tremendous value for the money you spend on food & hotels in Albania, so, you won't need to visit the ATMs very often. :) Euros will be accepted by most businesses "if necessary", so I suppose you could keep a small stash of them (ideally 10 and 20 note denominations) in case of emergency. But, your best bet (and best value) is just to pay with Leks or with your MasterCard or Visa.

Michael

During my last visit to Albania I found petrol when I needed it and ATM when needed. Try not to leave with any local currency, I came away with circa £25 worth and took 3 years to find a money changer who would take them!

Tim makes a very good point: The currency used in almost all the former Yugoslavian countries is very difficult to exchange or otherwise get rid of once you are out of the country.

I plan my ATM withdrawals so that I never have an excess of local currency at the end of my visit, and I use up the last bits of local money to fill up my fuel tank when I reach the border.

Michael

That's great - thank you very much.
A little bit of planning saves a lot of headaches!

bring euros od usd and not worry, accepted everywhere, but most of the times you get change in lek , use it for fuel, and fuel is easy to find in every corner of the country even in rural areas all the houses will sort you out, very friendly and awesome country, spending there more than home, and i live on border in montenegro

Thanks Sparco - we're heading into Montenegro afterwards so maybe see you on the road somewhere .....

I pass in Albania in june (2018) the euro is accept but it's nice to ask before to buy something.

An advice make a reserve of 1 and 2 euro coins as well as 5 and 10 euro banknotes. If you pay in euros you will probably have the money back in lek.

Ciao,

Great - thank you. A good suggestion to make sure we have some small denominations handy.

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