Rozafa Fortress
A hilltop fortress overlooking the meeting of the Buna and Drin rivers, with wide views over the town and lake. A local legend about a woman walled into its foundations adds to its story.
Shkodër
Rozafa Castle stands in this historic lakeside city, which is also the starting point for the villages of Theth and Valbona in the Albanian Alps.
Attractive locations
Lake Skadar
The largest lake in southern Europe, shared with Montenegro and rich in birdlife. The Albanian shore has quiet villages, reed beds and boat trips.
Mes Bridge
A long Ottoman-era stone bridge with many arches over the Kir river, a few kilometres outside Shkoder. It is a pleasant short trip for walkers and photographers.
Shkoder Cathedral
The main Catholic cathedral of Shkoder, a large church in the centre that reflects the city's role as the heart of Albanian Catholicism.
Marubi National Museum of Photography
A museum showing the work of the Marubi photographers, whose pictures from the late 1800s and 1900s record portraits and daily life across northern Albania.
Theth National Park
A mountain valley in the Albanian Alps with a waterfall, a small stone church and old stone tower houses. A long mountain road leads there from Shkodër, and it is a base for hikes.
Valbonë Valley National Park
A glacier-carved valley in the Albanian Alps with a clear river, beech forests and small guesthouse villages. A popular hiking route links it with Theth over a high pass.
Airports
Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa TIA
It is about 75 km in a straight line from Shkodër.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Albania page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan6.0 °C142 mm
- Feb7.1 °C131 mm
- Mar10.1 °C125 mm
- Apr13.8 °C94 mm
- May18.3 °C80 mm
- Jun22.9 °C57 mm
- Jul26.2 °C32 mm
- Aug26.4 °C33 mm
- Sep21.5 °C104 mm
- Oct16.7 °C126 mm
- Nov12.4 °C170 mm
- Dec7.6 °C163 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Jan, Nov, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 46% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112. Police 129. Ambulance 127. Fire 128.
local government
State Police (Policia e Shtetit)
Helps with: Albania's national police. Its website lists 129 and 112 as the numbers to call, and an email address. The pages found show no separate tourist police unit.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Albania who needs the police, including visitors.
Phone: 129
Email: policiaeshtetit@asp.gov.al
local government
National Tourism Agency (AKT)
Helps with: Albania's national tourism agency, based in Tirana. Contact it by email or at its office for tourism information. Its contact page shows no usable phone number.
Who qualifies: Anyone visiting Albania or planning a trip there.
Email: info@akt.gov.al
Address: Gjergj Fishta Boulevard, Shallvaret Palace A12, 1010 Tirana
ngo
Albanian Red Cross (Kryqi i Kuq Shqiptar)
Helps with: Albania's national Red Cross society. Its programmes include disaster response, first aid training, psychosocial support, blood donation and help for vulnerable people. Contact its Tirana headquarters.
Who qualifies: People in Albania who need its disaster, first aid, social or health support.
Phone: +355 4 22 22 037
Email: info@kksh.org.al
Address: Rruga Pjeter Budi, Building 19, Entrance 10, Tirana
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Albania
Helps with: The UN migration agency. Its Albania office works on migration management, crisis response and migration policy, and has worked in the country since 1992.
Who qualifies: Migrants and authorities working on migration in Albania. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Email: infotirana@iom.int
Address: Rr. Brigada VIII, P. LID, Kati III, Ap. 303, Tirana
embassy
Foreign embassies in Albania (official diplomatic list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Albanian foreign ministry's State Protocol diplomatic list (January 2026) lists the missions in Tirana with contact details.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.
local government
National Civil Protection Agency (AKMC)
Helps with: Albania's civil defence agency, which leads disaster risk reduction and emergency response. Its page gives 112 as the emergency number, plus an office address and email in Tirana.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Albania affected by an emergency or disaster.
Phone: 112
Email: info@akmc.gov.al
Address: Ministria e Mbrojtjes, Rruga e Dibres, Garnizoni Skenderbej, Building 36, Tirana