Staying
Where to stay in Albania
Updated 1 November 2026
How to choose a base in Albania by the kind of trip you want, and where Stay at Iona’s two homes fit.
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Pick the base from the trip, not from a ranking.
Tirana suits arrivals, food and day trips. Tale suits a beach that is closer than the southern Riviera. The Alps and the far south are better as their own stops than as a daily commute.
Stay at Iona has one home in each of those first two roles. Book them on a platform, not on this site.
Quick facts
| City stay | Bulevardi Zogu I, Tirana. Building number not published here. |
|---|---|
| Beach stay | Tale, Lezhë County. Short walk to the beach. Up to 5 guests. |
| Booking | Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia or Vrbo only |
| Prices | Shown on the platform, never on this website |
A city base
Tirana is the practical first base. The airport is at Rinas, northwest of the city. You can walk the centre, eat late, and leave for a day trip without unpacking twice.
Our city apartment is on Bulevardi Zogu I. The building number is not on this site. Guest count, wifi and parking for that home are not published here yet. Read them on the platform when the listing is live.
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Beach and the north coast
Tale is the beach stay we actually have. It is a short walk from the sea, with Lezhë and Shëngjin a short drive away. The apartment sleeps up to 5, with free parking and wifi. Pets are not allowed, except service animals.
Shkodër is the city people use for the north and the Alps. We do not have a house there. If the mountains are the main goal, sleep nearer Theth or Valbona instead of driving back to the beach each night.
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The south and the mountains
The Riviera, Berat and Gjirokastër deserve their own nights. They are not day trips from Tale. Lake Ohrid’s Albanian shore is Pogradec, also a destination of its own.
Stay at Iona cannot host you in those places. Use this site to choose Tirana or Tale, then book the rest the way you usually would.
How booking works
We do not take the reservation or the payment. Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo do. A button on the house page is live only when its link is filled in.
Tale is on Airbnb today. The other platforms say coming soon. The Tirana links are not published yet. Prices, dates and cancellation rules are on the platform.
Questions
Where should I stay in Albania for a first trip?
Stay in Tirana for the city, or in Tale if the beach matters more than museums.
Add Berat, the Riviera or the Alps only if you have extra nights. Do not try to sleep in Tirana and swim at Ksamil on the same day.
Where should I stay in Tirana?
Near Skanderbeg Square if you want to walk. Bulevardi Zogu I starts at that square.
Our apartment is on that boulevard. The exact building number is sent by the platform after you book, not published here.
Is Tale a good beach base?
Yes, if you want the sea a short walk away and a quieter coast than the far south.
The apartment sleeps up to 5. Lezhë and Shëngjin are a short drive. We do not quote a time from the airport, because it was not measured.
Can I book on this website?
No. Use Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia or Vrbo.
This site shows the homes and the areas. The platform shows the price and the dates.
Stay with us
Stay here to land, walk to Skanderbeg Square, and use the city as a base.
Boulevard ApartmentStay here when the sea is the plan and you still want a kitchen and a real apartment.
Tale Apartment
Stay at Iona. stayationa@gmail.com
Photo credits
- Skanderbeg Square, Tirana — Pudelek, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Tirana International Airport, Rinas — Arianit, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Shëngjin, near Lezhë. This is not the beach at Tale. — Grnz26, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Skanderbeg Memorial, Lezhë Castle — Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Valbona Valley — Alexkom000, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Lake Ohrid at Pogradec — Cherrys pov, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons