If you’re a long-time blog reader, you’ll know by now that I regularly stay in hostels when I travel. I also put together hostel reviews, to recommend some of the great places I’ve stayed in! During my recent trip to the Balkans, I stayed for several nights in Tirana, the capital of Albania. I loved Tirana Backpacker Hostel, where I stayed. While they’re closed for the winter if you’re heading to Albania in shoulder or peak season it’s a fantastic place to stay. Here is my full review!

Location

Tirana Backpacker Hostel is in a great location. The hostel is located between two busy main streets. It’s only about a 10-minute walk to Skanderberg Square, with many of the city’s attractions. The hostel is also convenient if you’re arriving or departing by bus from the North, South, or International Bus Stations. It’s a 15-minute walk from the North/International Bus Stations, and a 40-minute walk from the South Bus Station. You can get a bus from the all of the stations down the road towards the hostel, where it’s less than 5 minutes to the hostel. This central location was great for us as we arrived by bus, daytripped to Berat one day, and left Tirana by bus!

Room

I stayed in a 6-bed dorm room for my three nights at Tirana Backpacker. The room was big for hostel standards—you definitely weren’t squished in! Each bed had an individual light and an outlet, which I love. I had paid an extra €1 per night to be in a dorm room with air conditioning. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was broken and even after it appeared to be fixed by one of the staff, it still just wasn’t working the way it should. It was a big disappointment (especially traveling in summer when it was hot!), but overall not horrible. The other air-conditioned dorms were like igloos, it was just this one that didn’t work.

Price

I paid €12 per night for my dorm room at Tirana Backpacker. Had the air conditioning worked, it would have been truly exceptional value for money. Even without the air conditioning, it would have been €11 per night, which is still a really good price. I spent very little on accommodation during my trip and staying in hostels (and dorm rooms!) really helped my budget.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms are divided into 3 toilet cubicles and 3 shower cubicles, with a sink and a bench (for clothes and stuff) on both floors of the hostel. I loved that the showers had a shower curtain over the door, so none of your stuff would get wet when you showered! I have no complaints with the bathrooms at all, they were all regularly cleaned. Despite how big the hostel is, I never had to wait for a toilet or a shower.

Staff

The staff at Tirana Backpacker were all really great. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch any of their names! But everyone was so friendly and helpful, especially in offering advice on buses and where we needed to go for which bus. There was also a dog that lived at the hostel! She (I think it was a she!) was really friendly and always hanging out in the garden.

Common Areas

There are quite a lot of different common areas at Tirana Backpacker. There’s a little lounge bit at reception, when you first walk in. There’s also couches in the hallways to hang out. There is a kitchen as well, in the basement, which I didn’t actually use during my stay. But the best part of Tirana Backpackers was the huge outdoor garden! They have a bar (open in the evenings) with loads of different tables and couches around. I hung out here most evenings, and it was really laid back and chill. This would have been a great hostel to meet people if I had been traveling solo.

Amenities

One of my favorite parts of staying here was the free breakfast every morning! It was so nice to have fresh fruits and vegetables in the morning—along with cheese and hardboiled eggs. It was nice to have something healthy in the morning, as opposed to just a bowl of cornflakes or bread with Nutella. Tirana Backpacker also did a family-style evening meal for 300 lek (£2.10 // $2.70) per person for three courses. I loved this—again if I had been traveling solo, this would have been great to chat with other travelers. This is also (obviously) great value for money!

Although there are some pretty great bars in Tirana, It was great having a bar on site at the hostel too. It’s a cashless system, so you buy a drinks card for 1000 lek and then use that for drinks. Anything that’s left on the drinks card gets refunded back to you when you check out. The wifi worked best in the garden—the signal wasn’t the best in the rest of the hostel, and I struggled getting a solid connection in my room.

Security

I felt that security was pretty good at the hostel. There’s a big gate with keycode entry to get into the hostel. Tirana Backpacker is located right off one busy street, and just a couple minutes walk through a residential area to another busy street. The neighborhood felt safe, and there were always people around. We did have our own key for our dorm room, but most of the time people were in and out so we didn’t lock it.  The dorm rooms had lockers, which were big enough to fit my valuables (but not my big backpack). The fact that there are always staff members around was really nice—I felt safe here.

Verdict: Would I Return?

Absolutely. This is a great hostel, with so many of the things budget travelers are looking for. It’s good value for money, and I loved the big outdoor garden which was great for hanging out. While I wish the air conditioning had worked in our room, and that the wifi connection was a bit better, it was a really great place to stay. I would definitely come back here on future trips! You can check out their website here.

Want to book on Hostelworld? Search here!

I was not compensated in any way by this hostel—my opinions are always my own.

Do you stay in hostels when you travel? Why or why not?

You might like my other Albania posts:

13 Things You Must See In Tirana, Albania

8 Of The Best Bars In Tirana, Albania

Visiting Berat As A Daytrip From Tirana

Why You Should Visit Shkoder, Albania

A Daytrip From Shkoder To Lake Koman And Blini Park: The Craziest Day In Albania!