After a Week in Sarandë, Albania, I Don’t Understand Why “internet” Still Call It Cheap

Just spent a week in Sarandë, Albania with my family. After reading Reddit and watching YouTube, I expected an affordable Mediterranean paradise. My experience was a bit different.

The first disappointment was Vodafone. I bought the 100 GB tourist package online before arrival (~€36) because our flight landed at 2 AM and Albania is outside the EU. After purchase I discovered the eSIM wasn’t actually available online. Vodafone support eventually told me I still had to visit their airport kiosk. At 3 AM there was a long queue, they copied my passport, checked my invoice and gave me a physical SIM. The next day my wife bought an unlimited Vodafone package in town for less money.
Buying online felt completely pointless.

Car rental through Discover Cars was also interesting. The rental company tried to sell extra insurance and encouraged me to ignore my Discover Cars coverage. When I refused, they became defensive and insisted I sign another document that basically made me responsible for almost everything anyway, including things that looked far beyond normal rental damage. It was 4 AM, my family was exhausted and there wasn’t much choice.

Then came the small daily annoyances. Beach vendors suddenly forgetting prices. People using creative exchange rates when paying in euros. Random parking areas with no clear signs, no boundaries and no visible pricing, yet somehow there’s always a guy demanding money.

The beaches were probably the biggest disappointment. Many beaches around Sarandë and Ksamil are packed with sunbeds. If you just want to put down a towel and enjoy the sea, you’re often treated like you’re in the way, private peatch and asked to leave!!
We eventually started driving away whenever we saw a beach completely covered with rented sunbeds.

What surprised me most were the prices. Fuel, car rental, groceries, electronics and even used iPhones were often more expensive than in Estonia. A very small coffee, basically an espresso shot, regularly cost €2.5–3.5. Finding a simple 200–300 ml coffee with milk, the kind that’s common across Northern Europe, was surprisingly difficult. Most places served either tiny espresso-style coffees or much larger café drinks at tourist prices.

This was not just in Sarandë. We leave the city every morning and spend the day exploring southern Albania. We’ve visited villages, mountains, archaeological sites and beaches far away from the main tourist areas. Even there, prices were often much higher than I expected.

That said, every day outside Sarandë has been far better than the city itself.

The scenery is beautiful. The mountains are spectacular. The coastline outside the crowded beach clubs is stunning. Local olive oil bought directly from producers is excellent. In fact, a large part of our checked luggage on the flight home will probably be Albanian olive oil.

One thing that stood out was that the whole country feels like it’s under construction. New hotels, apartment buildings, roads and businesses seem to be appearing everywhere. Whether that’s good or bad in the long run is another discussion, but there is definitely a sense of growth and optimism.

Another pleasant surprise was cleanliness. Yes, there is litter here and there, but honestly less than I expected. In fact, some areas felt cleaner than places I’ve visited in Greece and Spain, where certain roadsides and empty lots sometimes look like unofficial dumping grounds.

The local olive oil deserves a special mention. Buying it directly from producers was one of the highlights of the trip, and a significant part of our checked luggage on the flight home will probably be filled with Albanian olive oil.

We also visited several historical sites, with Butrint National Archaeological Park being our family’s clear favorite.

Would I return to Albania?

For the nature, absolutely.

For Sarandë, probably not.

Honestly, if our accommodation hadn’t already been paid for, we likely would have continued on to Greece.

Maybe Sarandë was a hidden bargain five years ago. In 2026, it feels more like a tourist town with prices that no longer match its reputation.

That’s just one family’s experience after a week exploring southern Albania. I’d be interested to hear whether others who visited recently had a similar experience or if we were simply unlucky.