Timetable Albania: time difference and opening hours

Time difference Albania

There is no time difference between France and Albania. Both countries switch to summer and winter time at the same time, on the last Sundays of March and October respectively. However, as Albania is 2,000 km east of France, day and night fall much earlier than in France.

Opening hours Albania

To see / To do Albania

Museums and sites are generally open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., often closing on Mondays and sometimes with a mid-day break.

You'll also need to watch out for closures on certain public holidays, such as January¹ and 2 (New Year's Day), March 14 (Summer Festival), March 22 (Nevruz Festival), Easter Sunday and Monday, Catholic and Orthodox (in April or May, variable each year), may¹ (Labor Day), Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (dates vary from April to September), October 19 (beatification of Mother Teresa), November 28 (Independence Day), November 29 (Liberation Day) and December 25 (Christmas). Depending on the nature of the monument (museum, church, mosque...), sites may be closed or have reduced opening hours on these days.

Enjoying yourself Albania

While some "chic" restaurants offer two services (between midday and 3pm and from 7pm), it has to be said that most restaurants serve practically non-stop, and it's generally possible to eat at any time of the day. What's more, every town and village abounds in stalls where you can eat kebab sandwiches, pizzas or bureks on the go at ridiculously low prices. Many cafés also offer an à la carte menu, or even a "formula" that usually includes soup and a grilled dish accompanied by French fries or vegetables.

Take a break Albania

Coffee is drunk all day long, from 8am in the morning. But the terraces can be busy for a long time. In Tirana, the summer months offer urban scenes that are a pleasure to observe. Keeping up with the locals, strolling the avenues, parks and café terraces from 7pm when the heat dies down, you'll share in the Mediterranean activity of strolling and chatting in the evening. Younger people call these convivial evenings Xhiro.

(To) please yourself Albania

Stores, especially in Tirana, often close late at night, around 10pm in season. Elsewhere, they often close on Sundays, except in tourist areas.

Get out Albania

As in neighbouring countries, you can easily go out late in the summer and have lunch and dinner whenever you want. Out of season, when it's cold, it's less true and the nightlife is more limited..