Hi,
We are planning an adriatic shore tour from Trieste/Italy to Antalya/Turkey. And we plan to cross Albania from Budva-Montenegro to Igumenitsa-Greece. We have very little knowledge about road condition in Albania. Any advice is appreciated.

Main roads ok but driving very bad ,some B roads very bad found one on map used it became a track and then totally disappeared but on map said it continued. people I met were friendly .

Ohrid lake was a great place to overnight good campsite and some small hotels.

Agreed. Main roads are mostly fine, with some stretches of decent motorway - although the driving is terrible, especially on the major roads.
Allow good time as it's often quite slow going - single lane roads with carts and animals/livestock etc., even on roads marked on the maps as major roads.
Good luck on the trip

I did that exact route 2 years ago on my Honda ST 1100, which is a fairly heavy street bike.

The main Albanian roads are generally OK, and they are improving from year to year. On most sections of highway, I was able to ride at 80 to 100 km/h without any problems. Cities sometimes had potholes, but if you pay attention and avoid them, they are not a major problem.

The two problems you need to be very alert for are:

1) It is not uncommon for a road that has been in excellent shape (up to European standards) for the last 10 or 20 km to suddenly, without notification of any kind, turn into a dirt road with a substantial grade difference at the transition point. This means you have to constantly pay attention to what is ahead of you and not get lulled into complacency.

2) The drivers in Albania are awful - incompetent at best, downright dangerous at worst. 25 years ago, there were less than 5,000 cars in the whole country. Now, everyone has a car (many of them large luxury vehicles that have been stolen from elsewhere) and no-one at all has any driver training. I honestly don't think there is any form of driver licencing system in Albania... if you have a car, then that's your driver licence.

You will encounter drivers travelling at terrifying rates of speed, passing in the most unsafe manner, making left turns from the far right lane, and so on. Do not ever assume that the other driver is competent or even aware of you, otherwise you will wind up as roadkill.

Having said all that - the coast road is very beautiful, the people are quite friendly, and I felt quite safe in the country (except, of course, when I was riding the bike).

Michael

Hakan:

Just a post-script about drivers in Albania: I stated above that I don't think Albania has an effective system of licencing drivers. One consequence of this is that it is very possible that you might find a person with visual acuity of 6/30 driving a car or truck, simply because they have never had to pass a medical examination to determine if they are fit to operate a vehicle.

So, when you are on a two-lane road and you see a big vehicle coming from the opposite direction pull into your lane to pass, it is quite possible that the driver of that vehicle is not aware that you are using the oncoming lane because they simply cannot see you. You can flash your headlight all you want and it will make no difference.

You have to be prepared to drive VERY defensively in Albania. After you have been in the country for a few hours and have seen the enormous quantity of overturned and wrecked cars along the sides of the roadways, you will appreciate the seriousness of the problem.

Michael

Last year I did Vlorë - Sarandë.
Good road following coast. And I dont remember that it bad at all.
Town named Ohrid in Macedonia is worth to visit.

BTW!
Ruga e Kombit, Milot – Kukës is a new motorway what is built to connect Kosovo to the sea. If you like to drive fast in fast curves, try it. But be aware that all vehicles on the road are no going motorway speed. Like donkeys for example

Expect the unexpected is my advice. I have had similar experience as Pan European. The disappearing road thing is quite something. I had this travelling on a "motorway grade" road toward the capital when it just stopped, there were buildings in front ! No road? Just a bank to the right which I had to ride down ending up in some rabbit warren back street with a one-way system, actually no-way system would be more accurate.

Pay attention beyond 100% and you will be fine. Fabulous place/people. I parked my bike outside a hotel next to a night club and the doorman from the nightclub said he will watch it for me. He did as well, all night!

In the capital watch out for oil in the road it was quite bad, so bad that in stop start traffic I rear ended a VW golf (ABS kicked in) The driver got out it was none other than Albania's 25yr old Mr universe-tallest-most-muscle-bound-iron-man bloke, I'm not 100% sure what he said by my wife suggested I ought to agree anyway,................ I kept just enough cash for 2 coffees. Better that than test the €12 border insurance. Anyway he didn't look as if paperwork was his thing really....

__________________
Regards Tim

Learning my craft for the big stuff, it won't be long now and it's not that far anyway

According to g6snl
"In the capital watch out for oil in the road it was quite bad,"

Four years ago, on a similar route to Turkey, rosa del desierto and I rode through Albania on 2 G650gs BMWs. Perfect bikes for Albania - with ABS off...

From my notes on Albania, Buying motor oil in Albania - look for a garden hose braced up in an empty lot and spouting a stream of water skyward, with young men standing about smoking, or a young man spraying you with the garden hose as you ride by. This is an Albanian "car wash," they also wash trucks. Motor oil, car parts, even some bits and pieces for motorcycles can be found at each "car wash" or can be sent for by runners dispatched from the "car wash."

My favorite Albanian architecture was the multi floor buildings with the side facing the road sheered off and Albanians sitting with feet dangling from each of the open floors. We really enjoyed our ride through Albania, the people were very friendly.

While riding in Albania, please don't get distracted from admiring Albanian drivers by admiring the architecture, even if the legs dangling from one of the floors belong to one of the very beautiful women of Albania.

The cautions expressed here about unexpected changes in road conditions and unexpected driving habits of the Albanians should be heeded.

xfiltrate