# eSIM for Albania

Viasimo's Albania eSIM starts at $1.29 for 500 MB over 7 days, running on One Albania and Vodafone with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/

## Albania eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 GB, 1 day | 1 GB | 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $2.79 | $1.40 |
| 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $10.99 | $1.10 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $8.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $11.99 | - |
| 100 MB, 7 days | 100 MB | 7 | $1.29 | $13.21 |
| 500 MB, 7 days | 500 MB | 7 | $1.29 | $2.64 |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $16.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $21.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $4.59 | $1.53 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $31.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $4.79 | $1.60 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $8.00 | $1.60 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $12.99 | $1.30 |
| 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $22.99 | $1.15 |
| 50 GB, 30 days | 50 GB | 30 | $53.99 | $1.08 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $56.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $114.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $174.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $344.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Albania eSIM use?

- **One Albania**: 5G
- **Vodafone**: 5G

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 100 MB – 50 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE / 5G
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Automatic on arrival
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: United Kingdom
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Albania: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

Albania has two mobile networks, One Albania and Vodafone, and both switched on commercial 5G in late November 2024, so Tirana and the main coastal towns are well served. Because Albania sits outside the EU, a European SIM does not get Roam Like at Home here, which is the main reason visitors from the EU bring a local data eSIM.

### Albania: quick facts

| Fact | Albania |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | 112 |
| Main airports | Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA) |
| Plug types | Type C, F (230V) |
| Currency | Albanian lek (ALL) |
| Apps worth having | WhatsApp, Bolt, MerrTaxi, Taxi.al, Speed Taxi |

### Flying into Tirana's Rinas airport (TIA)

(Albania · https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/#guide-flying-into-tirana-s-rinas-airport-tia)

Almost every international flight lands at **Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA)**, at Rinas, roughly 17 km north-west of the capital. It is the only airport in the country with a regular scheduled service you can rely on when planning a trip in 2026.

You may read that a new airport at **Vlorë (VLO)** has opened for the south coast. A first test flight did land there in May 2025, but certification has dragged on and no commercial flights were scheduled for summer 2026. If you are heading to Sarandë, Himarë or Ksamil, plan for a road transfer from Tirana or a ferry from Corfu rather than a flight into Vlorë.

Turn your travel eSIM on while you are still taxiing at Rinas. The motorway towards Tirana and the road to Durrës are both within the dense urban network, so you should be connected before you reach the city to message your driver or open a taxi app.

### One Albania, Vodafone and the 2024 switch to 5G

(Albania · https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/#guide-one-albania-vodafone-and-the-2024-switch-to-5g)

Albania's market has shrunk to two mobile operators. **One Albania** was formed in January 2023 when the Hungarian group 4iG merged the former Telekom Albania (later One Telecommunications) with the fixed-line incumbent ALBtelecom. **Vodafone Albania** is the other network. Your eSIM uses both, picking whichever has the stronger signal.

Commercial 5G is recent. One Albania launched on 25 November 2024 using spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, and Vodafone began its consumer roll-out the following day. In May 2025 One Albania said its 5G reached Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Vlorë, Shkodër and the main tourist areas. Outside those places you will be on 4G, which is what most of the coast and the inland towns still run on day to day.

One Albania says its network reaches 99.6% of the population and about 95% of the land area. Treat that as the operator's own claim: the remaining few per cent is mostly the high northern valleys, which is exactly where hikers go.

### Bolt, MerrTaxi and getting around Tirana by app

(Albania · https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/#guide-bolt-merrtaxi-and-getting-around-tirana-by-app)

**Uber does not operate in Albania**, so do not count on it when you land. What does work is a handful of local and regional apps, and they are much more useful in the capital than anywhere else:

- **Bolt** covers Tirana and is spreading to some larger towns. You can pay by card or cash, and fares are usually a little below a street taxi.
- **MerrTaxi** is Tirana-only and lets you pay by card in the app.
- **Taxi.al** works in Tirana and Shkodër, but payment is cash only.
- **Speed Taxi** runs branded cabs in several cities, not just the capital.

Outside Tirana you will mostly book through your guesthouse or hail a licensed taxi, so it helps to have data to share a pin or check a route. If you drive yourself, be warned that the UK government describes Albanian roads as hazardous. Rural roads are often unlit and potholed, and after any accident you must legally stay at the scene until the police arrive.

### Roaming from the EU and the northern border areas

(Albania · https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/#guide-roaming-from-the-eu-and-the-northern-border-areas)

Many visitors assume their EU SIM will roam for free in Albania because the country is an EU candidate. **It will not.** Roam Like at Home covers only EU and EEA countries. In February 2026 the European Commission proposed opening talks to extend it to Albania and the other five Western Balkan states, but surcharge-free roaming only starts once each agreement is signed. Until then, roaming charges are set by your home operator and can be steep for data.

If you are walking in the far north near the Kosovo border, the UK government warns that some remote land there still holds unexploded landmines. Stay on marked trails, keep off uncultivated ground and ask locally if you are unsure of a route. A downloaded trail map matters more than a signal bar there. From April to October wildfires are common: report any fire on **112**, the general emergency number, which works from any phone.

### Sources for the Albania guide

- [One Albania - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Albania)
- [Vodafone Albania - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodafone_Albania)
- [4iG finalizes merger of two Albanian operators to form One Albania - DCD](https://datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/4ig-finalizes-merger-of-two-albanian-operators-to-form-one-albania)
- [Vlora International Airport - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlora_International_Airport)
- [Albania travel advice: safety and security - GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/albania/safety-and-security)
- [Roam like at home: Commission proposes to open negotiations to extend EU roaming to Western Balkans](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/roam-home-commission-proposes-open-negotiations-extend-eu-roaming-western-balkans)
- [Is There Uber In Albania? - Chasing the Donkey](https://www.chasingthedonkey.com/is-there-uber-in-albania-rideshare-options/)

## Seven days in Albania: Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër and the southern Riviera

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/albania/#itinerary

A first-timer's loop south from Tirana through the two Ottoman-era UNESCO towns to the Ionian coast at Sarandë and Butrint, returning over the Llogara Pass. Best with a hire car or a mix of furgons and private transfers.

**When to go:** Late May to June and September to early October give warm sea and open mountain roads without the July–August crowds on the Riviera; April to October is also wildfire season, so check local warnings.

### Day 1 in Albania: Tirana: Skanderbeg Square and Bunk'Art

- **Base:** Tirana
- **Getting there:** Rinas airport to central Tirana is about 25–30 minutes by road.
- **Plan:** Collect your car or transfer from Rinas airport and start at Skanderbeg Square, with the National History Museum mosaic and the Et'hem Bey Mosque beside it. Walk to the Pyramid of Tirana, now a climbable youth tech centre, then Bunk'Art 2 near the ministries. Late afternoon, take the Dajti Ekspres cable car up Mount Dajti for views over the city, and finish in the Blloku district for the evening.
- **Mobile signal:** Tirana is in both networks' 5G areas, so expect fast data in the centre and on the airport road; the Dajti cable car and summit usually keep a usable 4G signal.

### Day 2 in Albania: Berat: Mangalem and the castle quarter

- **Base:** Berat
- **Getting there:** About 2–2.5 hours by road from Tirana (roughly 120 km); furgons leave Tirana when full.
- **Plan:** Drive south to Berat and walk up to Kala, the inhabited citadel, where people still live among Byzantine churches; the Onufri Museum inside the Church of the Dormition holds the 16th-century icons. Come down to the Mangalem quarter, the hillside of white houses with rows of windows, cross the Gorica bridge over the Osum and look back at the town from the Gorica side at sunset.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G is solid in Berat's town and the castle; the motorway south of Tirana is well covered, with only brief weak spots in the hills.

### Day 3 in Albania: To Gjirokastër, the stone city

- **Base:** Gjirokastër
- **Getting there:** About 3 hours by road from Berat via Fier and Tepelenë, or via the Vjosë valley.
- **Plan:** Head south down the Drino valley to Gjirokastër. Climb to the castle for its arms museum and the views down the valley, then walk the steep cobbled lanes of the old bazaar. Visit the Skenduli House or the Zekate House, two of the fortified tower houses that earned the town its UNESCO listing alongside Berat, and look in at the Ethnographic Museum on the site of Enver Hoxha's birthplace.
- **Mobile signal:** Gjirokastër's old town has 4G; the road through the Vjosë and Drino valleys has a few short gaps in the gorges, so download offline maps before you set off.

### Day 4 in Albania: The Blue Eye spring and Sarandë

- **Base:** Sarandë
- **Getting there:** Gjirokastër to the Blue Eye is about 45 minutes; the Blue Eye to Sarandë is a further 30 minutes.
- **Plan:** Leave early for the Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër), a deep karst spring in a woodland reserve on the Muzinë road, before the coach groups arrive; swimming is not allowed, so treat it as a short walk. Continue over the pass to Sarandë, check in and spend the afternoon on the seafront promenade, then walk up to Lëkurësi Castle above the town for sunset over the bay and Corfu.
- **Mobile signal:** Coverage dips in the wooded valley at the Blue Eye; Sarandë is a main resort with strong 4G and some 5G, but near the shore your phone may briefly grab a Greek network, so keep data roaming set to your eSIM.

### Day 5 in Albania: Butrint National Park and Ksamil

- **Base:** Sarandë
- **Getting there:** Sarandë to Butrint is about 30 minutes by road; Ksamil sits between the two.
- **Plan:** Drive or take the local bus to Butrint, the UNESCO-listed archaeological site on a lagoon channel, and give it two to three hours: the Greek theatre, the baptistery, the Great Basilica and the Venetian castle with its small museum. On the way back stop at Ksamil for swimming off the small beaches and a view of the islets just offshore, then return to Sarandë.
- **Mobile signal:** Ksamil and the Butrint car park have 4G; parts of the wooded archaeological site are weaker, and the Corfu side of the strait can again pull your phone onto a Greek network.

### Day 6 in Albania: Himarë, Dhërmi and the Llogara Pass

- **Base:** Vlorë
- **Getting there:** About 4 hours of driving in total on the SH8 coast road; the climb over Llogara is slow, steep and best done in daylight.
- **Plan:** Follow the coast road north to Porto Palermo, where Ali Pasha's small fortress sits on a promontory, then on to Himarë for lunch and a swim. Continue past Dhërmi and climb the switchbacks of the Llogara Pass, stopping at the top for the view back over the Riviera, before dropping through the pine forest of Llogara National Park to Vlorë and its seafront.
- **Mobile signal:** Himarë, Dhërmi and Vlorë have good 4G, with 5G in Vlorë; expect patchy signal on the Llogara switchbacks and around Porto Palermo, so use offline maps.

### Day 7 in Albania: Durrës and back to Tirana

- **Base:** Tirana
- **Getting there:** Vlorë to Durrës is about 1.5–2 hours by motorway; Durrës to Rinas airport is around 30 minutes.
- **Plan:** Drive north on the motorway to Durrës and see the Roman amphitheatre, partly built over by later houses, and the Venetian tower on the seafront before a last walk along the promenade. Continue to Tirana or straight to Rinas airport, which sits between the two cities, for your flight home.
- **Mobile signal:** The Vlorë–Durrës–Tirana corridor is the best-covered part of the country, with 5G in all three cities.

### Staying connected on this Albania route

- Download offline maps for the Vjosë and Drino valleys and the Llogara Pass before leaving Berat; signal drops on the mountain sections of both drives.
- On the Sarandë and Ksamil coast, lock your phone to your eSIM's networks or turn off automatic network selection so it does not latch onto a Greek network from Corfu.
- Uber does not operate here; save Bolt or MerrTaxi for Tirana and ask guesthouses in the south to book taxis for you.

### Sources for the Albania itinerary

- [GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Albania, safety and security](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/albania/safety-and-security)
- [Wikivoyage: Albania](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Albania)
- [UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/569/)
- [UNESCO World Heritage: Butrint](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/570/)

## About this eSIM

Coverage in Albania is better than most first-time visitors expect, right up until the road tilts upward. Along the coast and through the lowland towns you will barely think about your connection; in the Accursed Mountains and on the switchbacks between valleys, you will think about it a lot. An eSIM handles the first case effortlessly and gives you a fighting chance at the second, provided you prepare for the gaps instead of pretending they are not there.

### Getting online when you land

Set the profile up before departure and keep the travel line disabled until wheels are down. Most arrivals come through Tirana International, though a fair number of people cross overland from Montenegro, Kosovo or North Macedonia, or step off the Corfu ferry at Saranda. All of those work the same way: enable the line, allow data roaming on it, and the handset registers within a minute or so.

A land crossing is the one case worth watching. Near a border your phone can lock onto a tower on the wrong side of the line, and that traffic is not part of an Albania plan. If you are still showing a neighbouring country in the status bar half an hour after the checkpoint, toggle airplane mode to force a fresh search.

### The networks you'll be on

Your data here rides on whichever of One Albania or Vodafone has the better signal, and both run 5G where it has been rolled out. In populated areas you sit on 4G LTE or 5G, and 3G is the fallback when the terrain or distance from a tower makes 4G unavailable.

For what travellers actually do, that combination is plenty. Maps, messaging, hotel bookings, ferry timetables, uploading photos at the end of the day. Where you will feel the ceiling is on a mountain road, and the constraint there is geography, not the technology.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Tirana is the most consistently connected part of the country, and the belt running from Durres down through Vlore to Saranda and Ksamil holds up well because that is where the population and the tourism sit. Shkoder, Berat, Gjirokaster, Korce and Elbasan are all comfortable. The Adriatic and Ionian coastline is generally usable, which matters if you are hopping between beaches by furgon.

The thin spots are predictable once you look at a relief map. The Llogara Pass and the Ionian corniche south of Vlore drop in and out as you round the headlands. The Theth and Valbona valleys, and the pass between them, are largely off the grid, which is part of why people go. The Koman Lake ferry runs through a gorge where you should expect nothing at all for the duration. Same story in the remote southeast toward Voskopoje and along the small mountain roads inland from Kukes. None of this is unusual for a country this vertical, but it does mean any plan that depends on getting a message out from a ridge is a bad plan.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Albania runs on informal information, and that is the single biggest reason to have data. Bus and furgon schedules are rarely published anywhere authoritative; you find out by calling a number, checking a Facebook post, or messaging the guesthouse that is arranging your ride. Ferry departures along the coast shift with weather and season. WhatsApp is how you reach almost everyone, from the person renting you a scooter to the family running your guesthouse in the Alps.

Translation earns its keep too. Albanian is not close to anything you are likely to already speak, and while younger people in tourist areas often have decent English or Italian, menus and bus signage frequently do not. Beyond that: ride-hailing apps in Tirana, offline maps for the hiking, banking apps when a card machine refuses, and the usual photo backlog that you will want to push somewhere safe every evening.

### Before you fly

Cache offline maps for anywhere north of Shkoder before you leave the city, and specifically for the Theth to Valbona route if you are walking it. Save your guesthouse's contact details as a phone number, not just a link in a booking email you may not be able to open.

Carry cash in small notes. Card acceptance in Tirana and the resort towns is fine, but village bakeries, furgon drivers and mountain guesthouses often deal in cash only, and a working data connection does not help you when the machine is simply not there.

Check your handset is unlocked and supports eSIM, install the profile at home, and confirm it shows up in your line settings. Then leave your usual SIM in place with its data off, so your normal number still receives codes and calls while the travel line does everything else.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Albania?

Yes. Your Albania eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are One Albania, Vodafone. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

### Do I get 5G in Albania?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on One Albania, Vodafone in Albania, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

### Does my EU phone plan cover Albania under Roam Like at Home?

No. Albania is not in the EU or EEA, so EU roaming rules do not apply and your operator can charge roaming rates. The European Commission proposed in February 2026 to negotiate surcharge-free roaming with the Western Balkans, but it only starts once agreements are finalised, and no date has been set. A local data eSIM avoids the uncertainty.

### Is there 5G in Albania?

Yes. Both networks launched commercial 5G in late November 2024: One Albania on 25 November and Vodafone a day later. One Albania says its 5G covers Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Vlorë, Shkodër and the main tourist areas. Elsewhere, including most mountain roads and villages, you will be on 4G.

### Can I fly into Vlorë airport for the Albanian Riviera?

Not yet. Vlorë International Airport (VLO) had a first certification flight in May 2025, but certification delays meant no commercial flights were scheduled for summer 2026. Most visitors fly into Tirana (TIA) and drive south, or come from Corfu by ferry to Sarandë.

### Does Uber work in Tirana?

No, Uber does not operate in Albania. In Tirana, use Bolt (card or cash) or MerrTaxi (card payment in the app). Taxi.al covers Tirana and Shkodër but takes cash only, and Speed Taxi runs branded cabs in several cities. In smaller towns, ask your accommodation to call a taxi for you.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Albania?

For 7 days in Albania, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.29, 500 MB for $1.29, 1 GB for $2.00, and unlimited data for $16.00. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.