Matador Network Readers' Choice Awards 2025: Next Big Destination

Yet for many long-haul travelers, especially those living in North America, it still feels like an under-explored alternative to the countries that see the most visitors like France, Italy, Greece, or even Croatia. Most visitors to Albania today are regional.

When Matador Network polled its 300,000-plus email subscribers, Albania was a clear winner for what will be the next big destination in coming years. It’s clear to see why. With the increase in tourism comes better tourism infrastructure. Coastal scenery comes without sticker shock, mountain landscapes feel genuinely wild.

This is the place readers voted for when they imagined where everyone will be talking about next — and where they want to get to ahead of the curve.

Photo: Alekk Pires/Shutterstock

Albania’s has Adriatic and Ionian coastlines, snowcapped Alps, high plateaus, and gorgeous lakes, all within a day’s drive of the capital. That variety makes it easy to have multiple types of trips in one extended visit.

Access is also catching up to Western Europe. International carriers like Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, Ryanair, and more have dozens of direct routes to Tirana International Airport from across Europe. For European travelers, that means affordable weekend trips. For visitors coming from farther west, it means Albania is easier to combine with hubs like London, Vienna, or Istanbul.

At the same time, Albania is still comparatively affordable by European standards. Apartment rentals in Tirana cost a fraction of those in Western capitals, and tourism now supports more than a quarter of Albania’s economy. The country is leaning into tourism as a long-term pillar — but has not yet hit the saturation point that defines more famous Mediterranean coasts.

Photo: lukaszimilena/Shutterstock

The coast is one of the biggest draws for travelers. Compared to just five years ago, prices for a beachfront stay, food and drinks on the shore, and a shaded beach chair are high. Compared to much of the rest of the tourism-filled Mediterranean, it’s still cheap.

The southern shore between Vlorë and Sarandë is where the Adriatic meets the Ionian, a switch from wide, sandy strands to steep limestone coves and pebbly beaches. Towns like Himarë, Dhërmi, and Qeparo sit above clear water. Farther south, Ksamil and the surrounding islets near the Greek border draw families and sun-seekers with shallow turquoise bays and easy boat trips.

Anyone interested in seeing a range of places along the coast can create their itinerary as a road trip. Fly into Tirana, pick up a car, and spend a week bouncing between villages, pausing in Vlorë for its long seafront promenade and nearby Karaburun–Sazan Marine Park before winding over the Llogara Pass through Llogara National Park to other beach towns.

The conflict between embracing tourism and being ready for all of the people who want to come is most clear in the most popular months of July and August, with crowded beaches and pressure on local infrastructure. Spring (May through June) and early fall (September through October) are better aligned with the spirit of the “next big destination” vote: warm enough to swim, but mellow enough to feel what these villages are actually like outside peak-season gridlock.

Photo: Dynamoland/Shutterstock

Travelers can easily pivot from the sea to the high mountains. In the north, the Albanian Alps, also known as the Accursed Mountains, are popular with hut-to-hut trekkers. Particularly popular is the Valbona-to-Theth trail, which can be linked with a ferry journey across Komani Lake and a loop via Shkodër.

Beyond the Alps, there are lake towns like Pogradec on Lake Ohrid and highland regions ready for trekkers. Albania can carry an adventure-focused trip on its own, or serve as the mountain chapter in a wider Balkan itinerary.

Nature, be it the coast or the mountains, is one of the biggest draws for travelers. Albania certainly has plenty compared to many of its European neighbors. The cities are worth a mention, too.

In the capital of Tirana, around Skanderbeg Square, new museums have joined the older socialist-era landmarks, while neighborhoods like Blloku mix café-lined streets, nightlife, and small galleries with mid-century apartment blocks.

Farther south, Berat and Gjirokastër are jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Berat, steep hillsides covered in white Ottoman-era houses step down toward the river, while a still-inhabited hilltop castle looks out over the valley. Gjirokastër, with its stone roofs and looming fortress, offers a similar time-warp effect, plus easy access to nearby villages and hiking routes.

Photo: Nicola Pulham/Shutterstock

For most travelers, Tirana International Airport is the main entry point. From there, it’s about a two- to three-hour drive to Shkodër and the north, or roughly the same to hit the Riviera around Vlorë. Ferries and hydrofoils from Italy and Greece, plus the easy hop over from Corfu to Sarandë, add more ways in from neighboring countries.

First time visitors can spend more time in Tirana for the city life and restaurants, or head north to Shkodër and the Valbona–Theth loop to hike. Many will undoubtedly head south to Berat or Gjirokastër and a coastal base to be near the water. Regardless, set aside a few days in Tirana for the markets and museums.

Responsible travel here is less about rigid rules and more about everyday choices: traveling in shoulder seasons when possible, opting for locally owned guesthouses or small hotels over international chains, using refillable bottles in regions where plastic waste is a problem, and being mindful about driving and parking along narrow coastal roads already under strain in peak season.

For the 2025 Matador Network Readers’ Choice Awards, we asked our global audience of 300,000-plus email subscribers to vote for the places and experiences that define travel for them. The survey covered six categories: Next Big Destination, Best Adventure Destination, Best Sustainable Destination, Best Wellness Destination, Best Wildlife Destination, and Best Airline. After the voting period closed, our team verified and tallied the results to determine a single Readers’ Choice winner in each category.

Each category included a shortlist of nominees curated by Matador’s editorial team based on reporting, industry trends, and community feedback. Voters could also write in their own picks if a favorite wasn’t listed.

In the Next Big Destination category, Albania received the highest share of verified votes, earning its place as the Matador Network Readers’ Choice pick for 2025.