Albania: Harbours, bridges and formalities for sailors
5 harbours · 1 inland lake
Albania: 5 harbours, clearing in, papers and fees. Plan your trip with weather, tides and route.
Formalities
outside the EU customs unionCurrency: Lek (ALL)
Clearing in: Outside the EU and Schengen. Clearing in and out only in ports with a border crossing point: Shëngjin, Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë, in summer also Himarë. An approved agent handles the papers with the harbour authority and port police and is indispensable in practice, also for checking in and out at every further harbour. In Vlorë, clear in first at the commercial port, not at Orikum marina.
Documents: Passport or identity card (valid for at least three more months), boat papers, insurance, radio certificate and a crew list with name, nationality, passport number and role on board.
Fees: Agent (reports: around 50 euros), navigation fee by tonnage per harbour and light dues; harbour dues in the few marinas (Orikum, Durrës). Diesel usually only by tanker truck, ordered in advance and paid in cash.
Fairway: Strait of Otranto with ferry traffic between Italy and Greece. The Corfu Channel off Sarandë is in places only a few kilometres wide; the border with Greece runs down its middle. Harbours are mostly commercial or fishing ports; Sarandë is exposed in southerly winds.
Nature: Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park off Vlorë with restrictions on anchoring and fishing; Butrint National Park in the south.
Emergency: 112 (also coastguard); VHF channel 16.
Sources: RYA: Albania, country specific advice, Auswärtiges Amt: Albania, travel and safety advice (as of 2026-10-20)
Local winds
- Bora: falls in gusts from the mountains of the eastern shore and often sets in suddenly; gusts are often twice the mean wind and stronger than the models show, fiercest close inshore near Trieste and in the Kvarner; on the Italian coast it builds high seas across the Adriatic
- Jugo (Adriatic Scirocco): humid and hazy, slowly builds high, long seas along the whole length of the Adriatic and pushes water into the northern Adriatic (flooding in Venice); often rain and poor visibility
Harbours by cruising area
Northern Albania (Shëngjin, Durrës)
Southern Albania (Vlorë, Orikum, Sarandë)
Inland lakes
- Ohridsee 4 harbours
Frequently asked questions
Albania: Do I need to clear in?
Outside the EU and Schengen. Clearing in and out only in ports with a border crossing point: Shëngjin, Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë, in summer also Himarë. An approved agent handles the papers with the harbour authority and port police and is indispensable in practice, also for checking in and out at every further harbour. In Vlorë, clear in first at the commercial port, not at Orikum marina.
Albania: Which documents do I need on board?
Passport or identity card (valid for at least three more months), boat papers, insurance, radio certificate and a crew list with name, nationality, passport number and role on board.
Albania: What fees apply?
Agent (reports: around 50 euros), navigation fee by tonnage per harbour and light dues; harbour dues in the few marinas (Orikum, Durrës). Diesel usually only by tanker truck, ordered in advance and paid in cash.
Albania: What is the emergency number at sea?
112 (also coastguard); VHF channel 16.
Albania: Which local winds blow there?
Bora, Jugo (Adriatic Scirocco).
Albania: How many harbours does Sailseer cover?
Sailseer covers 5 harbours with harbour info, weather and route planning.