Home
About us
Destinations & Country Guides
Travel Guides
Recipes
Featured
Photos As Art
Abstract Prints
Locations
Travel Gear
Travel Resources
Favorites
Photo Framer
Explore Photos
Contact
Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
Albania shops small. Conad, SPAR and Big Market are the modern chains in the cities, but much of the country still buys from fruta (fruit and vegetable shops) and neighbourhood pazari markets. Prices are low, produce is good, and the local cheese and raki are the things worth carrying home.
Kaçkavall is the yellow semi-hard cheese, similar to a mild cheddar or kashkaval, sold in blocks by weight. It is the everyday cheese and it keeps reasonably well.
Gjizë is a fresh curd cheese, eaten with bread or in byrek. It does not travel.
Djathë i bardhë is the brined white cheese, similar to feta, sold in tubs of brine at the market.
Cheese from a market stall is cut to order and is usually better and cheaper than the supermarket packs.
Byrek is the layered pastry, filled with cheese, spinach or meat, sold by the slice from bakeries (furrë) all day. It is the cheapest meal in the country.
Petulla are fried dough, eaten with honey or cheese, and tavë kosi is the baked lamb and yoghurt dish.
Bread is bought fresh daily from a bakery rather than kept for days.
Olive oil from the south around Vlora and Berat is good and inexpensive; buy from a producer or a market stall rather than the supermarket.
Raki is the grape or plum spirit, often homemade, and bottles from small producers are the real thing.
Skënderbeu is the local brandy, sold in distinctive bottles, and it is a legitimate souvenir.
Korça beer is the national lager, and it is worth drinking there rather than carrying.
Honey, walnuts and dried figs are the light, sealed things that travel well.
Cash dominates outside the cities. Card acceptance is improving but patchy, and markets are cash-only.
Euros are often accepted for larger purchases and are widely held, but change is usually given in lek. Our Albania money guide covers the ATM fees, which are high.
Markets run in the morning. Smaller shops close for lunch in the middle of the day.
Tipping is appreciated rather than expected — see tipping in Albania.
Raki, olive oil, honey, walnuts and dried figs. Cheese and byrek do not travel.
Outside the cities, largely yes. Cards work in supermarkets and hotels but markets and small shops are cash.
A layered filo pastry filled with cheese, spinach or meat, sold by the slice from bakeries and the cheapest meal in the country.
Yes. Foreign card withdrawals commonly carry steep fixed operator fees, so withdraw larger amounts less often.
Get our new Albania guides and practical tips by email: where to stay, what to eat, what things cost and the rules that catch travelers out.
Free. No spam, only new guides and tips.
Search verified local fleets with low security deposits and exact model delivery on Localrent.
See the best deals on Albania hotels right now on Booking.com.
