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Where to go in January / Albania in January / Northern Albania / January

Albania · Countryside

Northern Albania
in January.

Illustration of Theth Church and Theth Valley beneath the Albanian Alps
Theth Church and the Albanian AlpsDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 51°F afternoons and 59°F seas, with about 12 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
51°F
Sea
59°F
Visitor demand
5%of August peak

Historical Veri regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Shkodër, Theth, Valbona and Durrës; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.1/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.1/10Good
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Albania-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 51°F (11°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 12 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 59°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:06Sunset 16:3236°F51°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:06 and sets about 16:32 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 51°F (11°C). Expect rain on about 12 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
51°F (11°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
59°F (15°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 26m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 53°F on the 1st, versus 53°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 27% to 36% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

53°F

Typical afternoon high

27% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

51°F

Typical afternoon high

42% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

53°F

Typical afternoon high

36% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day; 4 Jan New Year's Day Holiday.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
153°252°352°
452°552°651°751°852°951°1051°
1151°1251°1351°1451°1551°1651°1751°
1851°1951°2051°2151°2251°2351°2451°
2551°2652°2752°2852°2952°3052°3153°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons hold at about 51°F (11°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 27–45%.

School-holiday dates for January 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day; 4 Jan New Year's Day Holiday. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Off season. January averages 5% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Veri do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Albania as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 52 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 45°F (7°C) and 56°F (13°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 51°F (11°C). Rain days ranged from 7 to 21; half the years had 8–13.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 8 rain days820112012: 8 rain days82013: 16 rain days162014: 12 rain days122015: 13 rain days132016: 12 rain days122017: 9 rain days92018: 11 rain days112019: 15 rain days152020: 7 rain days72021: 21 rain days212022: 8 rain days82023: 12 rain days122024: 13 rain days132025: 13 rain days132025
Rain days
12
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 15 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
8 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
12 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201151°F8
201247°F8
201351°F16
201456°F12
201551°F13
201651°F12
201745°F9
201854°F11
201946°F15
202053°F7
202151°F21
202250°F8
202355°F12
202453°F13
202556°F13

Checked against official climate averages for Shkoder. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons54°F51°F55°F
Sea63°F59°F58°F
Rain days12129
Overnight demand9%5%6%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, without a substantially busier visitor season.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 9% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons51°F54°F
Nights36°F39°F
Sea59°F63°F
Rain days1212
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 106.16.9
Month rank#12#10
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.1#1251°F36°F59°F125.1Off season
February6.4#1155°F39°F58°F95.7Off season
March7.0#860°F43°F58°F106.6Off season
April8.9#367°F49°F61°F88.3Low season
May9.4#174°F56°F66°F109.2Low season
June8.6#483°F64°F74°F48.7Moderate season
July7.5#788°F68°F78°F37.9Busy season
August6.9#988°F68°F79°F37.7Peak season
September8.6#580°F62°F76°F68.7Moderate season
October9.2#271°F54°F71°F89.1Low season
November7.9#662°F48°F68°F116.8Low season
December6.9#1054°F39°F63°F125.7Off season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Northern Albania

Northern Albania's weather ranks 15 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Albania have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Northern Albania.

All of Albania in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's off season, 5% of the busiest month and 82% below its average month. That means about 1,100 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 51% of them from Albania itself.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)60
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Shkoder from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 2°F (0.9°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day2
Busiest month hereAugust · 32
Visitors as share of people present0.2%
Rank among Europe's regions this month3rd percentile
Domestic share of nights51%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights—
Visitor share if every platform night were extra—
National hotel-price seasonAlbania historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used634,000
Statistical regionAL01 · Veri

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: no complete matching Eurostat platform-rental year is available here. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.