Money, cards and ATMs in Vlora

The lek

The currency is the Albanian lek (code ALL, plural lekë). Prices in shops, cafés and on menus are normally in lek. Albania is not in the euro area.

For a sense of scale, two prices we can source: the airport bus from Tirana to Vlorë costs 1,200 lek single, and in the 2026 season the municipality capped sunbed prices on operator-run beaches at 700 lek.

Cards or cash

Hotels, supermarkets and larger restaurants generally take cards. Carry cash for:

• beach bars, kiosks, bakeries and small cafés
• buses and minibuses (pay the driver)
• sunbeds and umbrellas
• trips out of the city, where cards are less common

Canada’s travel advice puts it simply: credit cards are accepted in major cities, cash is needed for small purchases, and you should carry cash in rural areas.

Using ATMs

• ATMs are easy to find in the centre and along the main roads. Use machines inside a bank or in busy, well-lit public places, and be discreet (Canadian advice).
• Some machines charge a fee; the screen should show it before you confirm.
• If the ATM or a card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose lek. The “home currency” option usually comes with a worse exchange rate.
• Tell your bank you are travelling, and carry a second card kept separately.

Paying in euros

Some businesses that deal with visitors will accept euros, but at their own exchange rate, and change usually comes back in lek. It is fine in a pinch; paying in lek is normally cheaper. Ask before you assume.

The “old lek” quirk

You may occasionally hear a price quoted in “old lek” (lekë të vjetër), which is ten times the current amount — a habit dating from the 1965 currency reform. If a spoken price sounds ten times too high, it probably is: ask, or ask to see it written down.

Tipping

Tipping is appreciated rather than expected. Rounding up in a café, or leaving around ten per cent for good service at a restaurant, is common practice among visitors.