Albania has one international airport (Rinas airport) with a single runway, so incoming and outgoing flights are fairly thin on the ground.  The two airlines I have used are Swiss Airways (flying from Zurich) and Malev airlines (flying from Budapest).  Both have flights arriving mid-afternoon, Albanian time.  Once you have landed, the next job is to get through Albanian customs.  This can be fairly time consuming, as most visitors will have to pay an airport tax (currently $57 for UK citizens) and fill in an entry visa and exit visa form.  The entry visa form is handed in at customs, and the exit visa is handed in when you leave.  Queuing up and going through customs is fairly intimidating, as the whole process is carried out under the watchful eyes of numerous police officers (many of whom are armed).  They are pedantic - step out of line in the queue and they will usher you back into line so as to make the line look neat and tidy again.  The only consolation is that the queue for Albanians seems to move just as slowly as that for visitors.  Once outside of the airport, there will be no problem finding a taxi to travel into Tirana.

(Note July 2007.  A recent correspondent tells me that the cost to get into Albania is now 10 Euros, and that the queues and difficulties I experienced are now a thing of the past).

The unit of currency in Albania is called the Lek (plural Leke).  During my time in Albania, I never once saw examples of this currency, and did not have to change any money into local currency.  The reason is that many establishments (especially hotels) prefer hard currency, preferably in the form of US dollars.  The reason of course is that the Lek is a volatile currency, whereas the US Dollar is much more stable.  Therefore, if the Lek is suddenly devalued, the 10 dollars in your pocket retains its value, whereas the 10 Leke in your pocket do not.  Many establishments will take credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc), but don't bank on it.  Travellers cheques will be very hard to convert - I went out with several hundred dollars worth of travellers cheques on one visit, and it took nearly an hour of travelling around to find somewhere that would cash them (Hotel International).

(Note July 2007.  British Embassy advice to UK travellers to Albania suggests that there are numerous ATMs in Tirana, though using cash is still a sensible option, to avoid the possibility of credit card fraud.  Bureaux de change are plentiful too, which will change Sterling, US Dollars and Euros).

The quality of roads and pavements in Tirana are variable - some roads are fine, others resemble dirt tracks, with vehicles unable to travel at more than walking pace.  The standard of driving in Tirana is generally not very good, so take care when crossing the road!  The general rule of the road is that there are no rules.  At some junctions you just gradually edge further forwards towards the direction you want to take, and hope that someone let's you go through (or that they don't simply run into you - I saw a number of near misses while driving around with my Albanian hosts.  I would not recommend driving yourself!  There are traffic lights in Tirana, but either they do not work or the drivers ignore them.  Judging by the condition of some vehicles, it would seem that there are no regulations concerning the roadworthiness of vehicles.

If you get the chance to meet with a number of different Albanians, you may notice that they tend to split into two broadly defined groups.  On the one hand, there is the group of older Albanians who lived the majority of their lives under the communist regime.  On the other hand, there is the group of younger Albanians who drive smarter cars, use mobile phones, and generally behave in a manner akin to that of Western Europeans or Americans.  My experience was that, in general, the two groups do not get on with each other terribly well, and this can cause some problems if you have to work with people from both groups.

(Note July 2007.  This situation may have improved since my visits in 2000).

English is not widely spoken among the older generation, though most youngsters can speak at least a few words.  As I have said elsewhere, Italian is spoken by many Albanians, and many of the older generation will speak Russian.  If you get into any trouble, my advice would be to seek out a younger Albanian and try some English (hotel receptionists will be a good bet if you are near a hotel).  Albanians are very friendly - they will try to help you even if they cannot quite understand exactly what you are saying.

In summary, if you are visiting Albania, I would say good luck and try to enjoy it.  The country is beautiful, the people friendly, and its an experience you will never forget!