Short answer: Albania’s currency is the lek (ALL), not the euro. Roughly 100 lek = €1. Albania is still a cash country — ATMs are widespread in cities but many restaurants, taxis, furgons and small guesthouses do not take cards. Withdraw lek from a bank ATM, always decline the machine’s own conversion rate, and avoid the airport exchange desks. Tipping is appreciated but not expected.
The currency: lek, not euro
Albania uses the Albanian lek. It is not in the eurozone and it is not in the EU. The rate hovers around 100 lek to €1, which makes mental arithmetic mercifully easy — knock two zeros off and you have roughly the euro price.
One thing that catches everyone out: Albanians sometimes quote prices in “old lek”, which is ten times the current value. If a taxi driver says “500” for a short ride across Tirana, he may well mean 500 old lek — that is 50 new lek, about €0.50. This is not a scam; it is a habit left over from a 1965 revaluation that older people never dropped. If a price sounds absurdly high or absurdly low, ask: “new lek or old lek?” Nobody will be offended.
Will they take euros?
Often, yes — especially in Saranda, Ksamil and the Riviera, where Greek and Italian tourists arrive with them. But you will almost always get a poor rate, usually rounded against you. Pay in lek where you can.
The exception is tours and larger services, which are frequently priced in euros and where paying in euros is normal. Our own tours are priced in euros and we accept both euros and lek.
Getting cash
ATMs
ATMs are easy to find in Tirana, Durrës, Vlora, Saranda, Shkodër and Berat. They are scarcer in villages and in the mountains — Theth, Valbona and the small Riviera villages should be treated as no-ATM zones. Take out what you need before you go.
Three rules that will save you real money:
- Always decline the ATM’s conversion. When it offers to charge you in your home currency — “with conversion” versus “without conversion” — always choose without. This is called dynamic currency conversion and the rate is consistently bad. Let your own bank do the conversion.
- Use bank-branded ATMs. Credins, Raiffeisen, Intesa, BKT and similar. Standalone machines in tourist areas charge much higher fees.
- Withdraw larger amounts less often. Most Albanian ATMs charge a flat fee per withdrawal, so five small withdrawals cost five times as much as one larger one.
Exchange offices
Counter-intuitively, licensed exchange offices in Albania often give better rates than banks, and many charge no commission. The ones on the streets around Skanderbeg Square in Tirana are legitimate and competitive. Avoid the exchange desks at Tirana airport — their rates are the worst you will find in the country.
Cards: where they work and where they don’t
Albania is modernising quickly, but it is still a cash-first country. Expect:
- Cards accepted: hotels, supermarkets, chain shops, larger restaurants in Tirana, petrol stations.
- Cash only, usually: furgons and buses, most taxis, family-run restaurants, village guesthouses, market stalls, small cafés, national park entrance points, boat operators.
Carry cash. The number of travellers who arrive assuming card-everywhere and then find themselves stuck at a rural restaurant is not small.
What things actually cost
- Espresso in a café — 100–150 lek (€1–1.50)
- Byrek from a bakery — 50–100 lek (€0.50–1)
- Beer — 200–300 lek (€2–3)
- Meal at a local restaurant — 500–1,000 lek (€5–10)
- Dinner at a good restaurant in Tirana — 1,500–2,500 lek (€15–25)
- Short taxi across Tirana — 400–600 lek (€4–6)
- Furgon between cities — 400–1,000 lek (€4–10)
For a fuller breakdown, see Albania on a budget.
Tipping
Tipping is appreciated, not expected, and nobody will chase you down the street.
- Restaurants: rounding up, or around 10% for good service, is generous and normal. Service charge is rarely added.
- Cafés: leaving the coins is plenty.
- Taxis: round up to the nearest 100 lek.
- Guides and drivers: entirely at your discretion. If someone made your day better, they will notice — but no Albanian guide is depending on it to make rent, and you should not feel pressured.
Taxis and the fare conversation
Tirana taxis do not reliably use the meter for tourists. Agree the fare before you get in, or use an app — Bolt works well in Tirana and removes the negotiation entirely. Airport taxis are a fixed, higher rate; that one is not negotiable and is not a scam.
The short version
- Currency is the lek. About 100 lek = €1.
- Withdraw from bank ATMs, always decline the machine’s conversion.
- Skip the airport exchange desks. Street exchange offices are fine.
- Carry cash — a lot of Albania still doesn’t take cards.
- Watch for “old lek” quotes. Ask if a number sounds wrong.
- Tip if you want to, not because you have to.
Booking a tour with us
We keep this simple: no deposit, no card details, no online payment. You reserve your place with a booking request, and you pay your guide in cash on the day of the tour — in euros or lek, whichever you have. If your plans change, cancel free up to 24 hours before departure and there is nothing to refund, because you have not paid anything.
See our FAQs for the full booking details, or browse our Albania day tours.