Planning your Albania itinerary? We’ve got you covered.
One half of Along Dusty Roads had longed to go to Albania for the last four years.
Two things got in the way: the other half not being quite as drawn to it, and our love of Italy.
We finally bit the bullet this summer though, and headed on our first trip to the Balkans. The Albanian coastline was going to be the main focus, but it quickly became apparent that there was far more to explore, experience, learn, and appreciate than clusters of seductive-looking beaches on the Ionian Sea.
Spectacular Albanian Alps to the north. Vineyards and olive groves. UNESCO-listed Ottoman towns and Roman ruins. Strong folk traditions and tribal culture. Ice-cold swimming holes. A traumatic and criminally little-known 20th century history of occupation, independence, and isolationist communist rule. Dramatic changes in the last three decades, and a modern day reputation for negative stories on those who leave and organised crime.
And so, a ten day Albanian road trip was extended out to two weeks, with the biggest challenge drafting up a plan which allowed us to conquer the logistical challenges posed by the Albanian Alps's roads and connections, as well as its peaks.
The solution we landed on after various rewrites resulted in the most memorable experiences of the whole trip.
Usually, we leave our trip itinerary posts to last, and often they go unwritten. Turns out that was quite foolish of us, as this post was our second most requested by our Instagram followers.
And so, far earlier than planned, and in a rough-and-ready format to give the people what they want, this is our two week Albania itinerary, alongside the essential planning tips and context for your own trip, a map, and the two changes we wish we'd made.
p.s. we will be publishing a bunch more Albania blogs in the next month or two. If you see anything highlighted in bold, that's just a reminder for us to link to them once published! We’ll also revisit this post in future to make sure it includes more recommendations.
p.p.s. if this itinerary has come at just the right time for your own trip, or you'd just like to support what we do at Along Dusty Roads, you can buy us a coffee here.
OUR Albanian Road Trip | Route + Map
The below is the exact route we did, starting and ending in Tirana Airport. Due to an early morning flight from London Luton, it’s actually 15 nights in Albania.
We headed to northern Albania immediately for hiking in the mountains, then south to the coast via the charming little town of Berat. Then, with three nights in Himarë and three in Ksamil, we were able to explore the Albanian Riviera at our own pace as well as have a couple of lazy beach days.
After that, it’s Gjirokaster and two nights - but only one proper day - in the capital city of Tirana.
In the details trip notes + day-by-day itinerary in the next section, we’ve shared what we’d recommend changing or condensing based on our experiences, and if you only have 13-14 nights.
Day One / Arrive in Tirana - Visit Kruje - Stay in Shkodër at Mi Casa Hostel
Day Two / Drive to Theth - Blue Eye Hike - Stay in Theth at Bujtina Miqesia
Day Three / Hike to Valbone - Stay in Valbone at Guesthouse Mehmeti
Day Four / Hike to Theth - Drive to Shkodër - Stay in Shkodër at Hotel Tradita
Day Five / Explore Shkodër - Drive to Berat - Stay in Osumi Guesthouse in Berat
Day Six / Explore Berat & Vineyards - Stay in Osumi Guesthouse
Day Seven / Explore Berat - Drive to Himarë - Stay in Himarë Airbnb apartment
Day Eight / Himarë Beaches - Stay in the Airbnb
Day Nine / Dhermi & Gjipe Beaches - Stay in the Himarë Airbnb
Day Ten / Beaches & Coastal Drive to Ksamil - Stay in Area Hotel, Ksamil
Day Eleven / Ksamil Beach Day - Stay in Area Hotel
Day Twelve / Butrint & Ksamil Beaches - Stay in Area Hotel, Ksamil
Day Thirteen / Blue Eye - Drive to Gjirokaster - Stay at Kotoni B&B, Gjirokaster
Day Fourteen / Explore Gjirokaster - Drive to Tirana - Stay at Hotel Stela, Tirana
Day Fifteen / Explore Tirana - Stay at Hotel Stela, Tirana
Day Sixteen / Fly home from Tirana Airport
Note that spellings can vary for place names in Albania (e.g. Shkodër vs. Shkodra) and we’ve used the local and the English interchangeably throughout this post.
Albania Itinerary | Planning Tips + ROUTE Notes
· Albania is made for a road trip, and the driving experience and scenery along the way formed a big part of our enjoyment. For reference, the country is 8 times smaller than the UK and 10 times smaller than Italy, so driving distances are manageable, with the longest travel days in our route involving no more than 4 hours.
· The day-to-day driving experience was not as fraught as we'd expected, but you do need to adjust to a few local quirks on overtaking, hazard lights, and roundabouts. Inexperienced or nervous drivers may struggle with the mountain passes and switchbacks, and there are quite a few bumpy, dusty roads to navigate for the more remote beaches. However, the biggest issue are the absolute idiots in very expensive cars who drive like they're on the run - find out more in 7 Things To Know Before Driving in Albania
· We picked up and dropped off our rental car at Tirana Airport. As always, we recommend looking and booking via two aggregators to get the best deals and discounts for your date: Rentalcars.com and AutoEurope. It’s also a good idea to read this post for lots of stress-reducing and money-saving tips: 9 Essential Car Rental Tips for Travellers
· If you're travelling in Albania with public transport, we'd still suggest following our itinerary, but there will be a squeeze on the time it can realistically be done in when relying on buses. If you’re backpacking the Balkans, so arriving from Montenegro or Kosovo, just adapt the places as you best see fit - and feel free to share in the comments to help travellers like you!
· We think two weeks is the perfect amount of time, especially if you want unhurriedly cover the coast and the hikes in the northern highlands. You can of course give weighting to whether you prioritise the beaches, the hikes, or the historic towns, but our itinerary has a nice, slow balance of each.
· You can adapt this Albania itinerary down to ten days, with the cuts to be made in the mountains and beach time. You could also choose to visit only two of the three historic towns of Berat, Kruje, and Gjirokaster. I’m afraid we can’t give more insight than that! For us, the mountains in the north of Albania are unmissable.
· Due to this, it's difficult for us to suggest a suitable adaptation for a seven day trip. The easiest thing to do would be focussing just on the south (i.e. the coast and Gjirokaster) and a day in the capital, perhaps with a very quick visit to one of Kruja or Berat, but you will miss out on one of the best things to do in Albania.
· We did this Albanian road trip in mid to late July, a month we usually avoid if we can due to crowds and increased prices. We had foolishly assumed that Albania may not be as busy as more popular European destinations by the sea, but had underestimated the level of domestic tourism and the increased number of incoming travellers. So, it was very busy along the coast, but everywhere else was a good level.
In hindsight, we probably should have stuck to the late May - June / September to early October rhythm, but we’re happy that the timing at least allowed us to give you a realistic insight on an Albanian summer holiday.
· You do need to factor in road and trail conditions in the Alps though, as snow may not have totally cleared by late spring. Also, in peak summer it’s not possible to do many kayaking / rafting / canyoning activities due to low water levels, so double check on that front too.
· The three most pivotal decisions to shaping your own Albania itinerary are:
1. How many days in the Albanian Alps. How do you wish to experience and get around them, whether by rental car or public transport? Do you just want to hike to the top, or do the full Theth-Valbone trail? If the latter, are you able to hike back the next day to get your car? If only going to the top and down, then how many nights in Theth? Do you also want to go to the Blue Eye there? Do you want go to Lake Komani as well? We will get into all the detail in our Theth-Valbone Hike post but, in short, just take our word that the logistics and hike in the Alps mean you need to factor in two extra days, in addition to your hike day, with at least one night spent in the gateway city of Shkodra.
2. When will you visit Tirana. We love hanging out in big cities in new countries, but have no hesitation in saying that one full day in Tirana is going to be enough for many of you. We left the capital city until last, and felt vindicated on that decision. Starting off there may seem the logical or convenient choice given its international airport is the main entry point for travellers, but we suggest heading north to Kruja & Shkodra first, and saving Tirana as a stop on your way south or for the last day if flying home from there.
3. How much time do you want at the beach. Do you want to beach hop and cover the north and south sections of the Albanian Riviera, or just have a couple of days in one place? For most of you, we think for 4-6 days at the coast is a good amount for any iteration of this two-week itinerary.
· The beach town of Himarë is a sensible start point and base for the coastal portion of your trip. We think most of our readers will prefer that town, and the beaches around it, to Ksamil / Sarande further south - we explain this further, and alternative beach bases, in the 19 Best Beaches in Albania Guide.
· However, you will also visit Ksamil at some point due to its reputation, the stunning beaches nearby, and its proximity to the UNESCO site of Butrint. We had three night in Albania's most famous beach town, and that's one revision we'd make to our itinerary (although, without blowing our own trumpets too much, armed with our Albania Beaches guide we'd have been able to spend a much better three days there!)
· We've included several examples of key costs throughout to help you get an idea of budget. We hate when countries are pigeon-holed as 'cheap' - as we said in this interview, it's not good for the country or the traveller to think like that - but many people do first consider Albania because of how far their money will go. The economic circumstances have changed in the last few years due to the exchange rates between the local Lek currency Lek vs. the Euro, general inflation, and rising tourism, with certain aspects of the travel experience more expensive than we anticipated, especially on the coast. Certain costs are very reasonable though, and we found our accommodation to be excellent value in most places.
· We will publish much more context, advice, and travel tips in 23 Things To Know Before You Visit Albania, but just know that cash is still king in this country! Card payments are rarely accepted outside of some hotels and restaurants, which often charge a % transaction fee on top and/or a shitty exchange rate from euro to lek. We couldn’t find an ATM that didn’t charge us for withdrawals, and some ATMs charge an extortionate amount. You can use both the euro and lek everywhere, and if you have a stash of euro at home, definitely bring all of that over with you.
During our trip, the standard rate of exchange used by people was 100 lek = €1, so use that for any conversions you need to make in this post.
The Albania Itinerary | Day-By-Day
Day One | Tirana Airport - Kruje - Shkodër
We arrived around noon in Tirana Airport, and the first two things that needed sorting were new SIM cards and some lek.
As Albania is not part of the EU, most international phone carriers will charge quite considerable rates for using your own network, so we highly recommend purchasing a local SIM card before leaving the airport - the country’s two largest carriers have shops within and outside the arrival hall.
There are four ATMs in the arrivals, but one only accepted Visa, two weren’t working, and the other was charging €6 or €7 to withdraw, so we just exchanged a small amount of GBP for a good rate at the bureau de change to give us enough to get going (we didn’t realise at this point that we could have just used our euro nearly everywhere!)
After picking up our car and doing all the necessary checks, it was time to set off for our first stop: the pretty little town of Kruje.
Kruje holds a very important place in Albania’s history. A former capital, it was the site of several significant battles against the invading Ottomans, with the national hero Skanderbeg leading the resistance.
Scenically set in the hills, it’s got a bazaar, pretty cobblestone streets, and a castle-museum dedicated to Skanderbeg. It’s a popular day trip from Tirana, and we found three or four hours there was ideal for us to kickstart the trip and ease ourselves into Albania.
After, it was a straight forward drive north to the small, historic city of Shkodër, which is many people’s first stop in Albania due to its status as the ‘gateway’ to the Albanian Alps (also known as the Accursed Mountains).
Drive / Tirana Airport to Kruje is 1 hour (20km) and Kruje to Shkodër is 2 hours (85km) - all drive times we’re sharing are just an indication; you may take longer with stops, traffic, or cautious driving.
There are a number of paid carparks in Kruje, but we opted for this one that charged a flat-rate of 500 lek (€5) for the duration of our visit.
Do / In Kruje, explore the famous bazaar and pick up some souvenirs and visit Muzeu Kombëtar Gjergj Kastrioti - don’t miss the incredible views from the panoramic terrace).
Plan / Tirana Airport is the most convenient and affordable place to pick up a car with a wide variety of international and local rental companies - check out car availability and prices for your dates on Rentalcars.com and AutoEurope, and be sure to read our ‘Essential Car Rental Tips for Travellers’ before picking your vehicle up.
Costs / €23 for a local SIM card with unlimited minutes and 40 GB data
Stay / Mi Casa es Tu Casa is a fantastic hostel in a great location with dorms, private rooms, dogs, and lots of social areas - we highly recommend it. You can book here on Hostelworld and here on Booking.com.
If you’d prefer a guest house, take a look at the excellent Hotel Tradita that we stayed in upon returning to Shkodër.
Read / Our Short Guide to Kruje + Our Short Guide to Shkodër
Day TWO | Shkodër - Theth
Our day in Shkodër began fairly early with breakfast at Kanellë (decent coffee and homemade pastries) before heading off in search of snack supplies for our hikes.
It was then a gorgeous drive up to Theth, a village in the Albanian Highlands with the most spectacular mountains all around it. The mountain roads are narrow, involve a lot of switchbacks, have limited numbers of passing places, and see a few trucks and buses, so some of you will thrive whilst others might have a long, squeaky-bum drive. The good news is that this is a brand spanking new road, so it’s dramatically better and more accessible than it used to be.
The type of road you have to drive in order to reach Theth is why we recommend against trying to go straight to the mountains from Tirana Airport; if your flight arrives late or it’s getting dark with some distance to go, it will not be a safe or pleasant first experience of driving in Albania. However, that would be a tempting way to save an extra night on the itinerary overall if you are 100% confident that you’ll have time.
After arriving in Theth, where there’s also a new road being built through the village (a common theme in Albania), we checked in to our accommodation and headed straight out to do the walk to the Blue Eye. You can walk all the way there from Theth, but we instead drove to the closest car park (maps), then walked the 45-minutes or so to the freezing river and swimming hole; if you have your own wheels, we recommend you do the same. Alternatively, there are shuttles to/from Theth for €3.
If you’re visiting Albania during the hot summer months, dunking into the ice-cold water is a wonderful way to cool off, but do note that despite having spent months at altitude in the Andes across several trips to South America, this is the coldest water we have ever swum in.
That evening, we prepped everything for our hike and night in Valbonë, decanting our supplies and clothing into two daypacks and leaving our suitcases etc in the car. Most accommodations in Theth will allow you to do this, but we recommend confirming with them in advance.
Do / The Blue Eye Hike - free to park and access, give yourself three or so hours. Alternatively, if you have limited time you could consider the short walk to Theth’s waterfall.
Stop / Various viewpoints along the mountain drive
Drive / Shkodër to Theth is only 80km, but will take you 3-4 hours. Make sure you’re heading into the mountains with a full fuel tank!
Stay / The hosts, setting and breakfast at Bujtina Miqesia were excellent, but our room had a misleadingly advertised ‘view’ of the mountains - it was actually mostly of their neighbour’s concrete wall. This was a real shame as we’d splurged on it for Andrew’s birthday but we did get a bit of a refund and bottle of wine as an apology. The guesthouse is still a good option if you get a room at the back of the house with unobstructed mountain views, but we can’t give a full recommendation.
Check it out here, or find more accommodation options for Theth here.
Eat / Initially put off by the louder-than-we’d-like music, we had a surprisingly good meal in Theth at Restaurant Zorgji. It’s the largest restaurant in the village, and whilst it was a little pricier than elsewhere in northern Albania, we can definitely recommend it!
Alt / Despite the new road, navigating this route,is the most complicated step of an Albanian itinerary and will add at least one extra day than you expect. Alternative access routes to the Theth-Valbone hike from Shkodër include a daily shuttle bus to Theth, a shuttle bus to Lake Komani + ferry and bus to Valbone, or driving to Lake Komani and taking the ferry across and driving on to Valbone. Lake Komani looks beautiful, but we couldn’t justify going that way and adding even more time to our route. Later in our trip, the Komani ferry companies couldn’t operate for several days due to arrests made of the owners, so keep an eye out for future developments or changes to how the ferries operate. We will explain the various options, our findings, and solutions in the Theth-Valbone Hike Guide.
If you’re on a shorter trip or not renting a car, you can also go for an all-inclusive tour from Tirana to the mountains which includes all transport, accommodation, and a hike guide.
The Two-Day Option | This highly-rated tour focusses on all of Theth’s attractions (including the Waterfall, the Blue Eye and the village itself) but does not include the hike to/from Valbone. Find out more here.
The Three-Day Option | This equally popular tour includes the ferry across Komani Lake, the guided hike from Valbone to Theth, and then all of Theth’s natural highlights (like the Blue Eye) the following day. Find out more here.
Day Three | Theth to Valbone Hike
We don’t do hyperbole at Along Dusty Roads, so it means something when we say Theth-Valbone went straight into the top three day hikes we’ve ever done, anywhere in the world.
We also don’t do brevity well here at Along Dusty Roads, but we’ll try: don’t miss this experience.
After a delightful breakfast at our guesthouse, enjoyed in the still early-morning air and set against a backdrop of towering mountain peaks, we set off towards the trail.
And our little feet didn’t stop until 9 hours later.
What seems like an eternal up culminates in the most incredible views from an alpine peak (that last scramble up the scree to the highest point of the trail is a challenge not everybody attempted, but it’s well worth extra push) before heading steeply back down towards the Valbone Valley, through true-life film sets seemingly stolen from the Sound of Music.
Even the last couple of tired kilometres across the small rocks of a dried-up river bed were punctuated as frequently by ‘wows’ as they were ‘are we nearly there yet’.
An important point to note is that current information out there about the official end point of the hike, and how to get to your Valbone accommodation (do you walk or find another way?) is a little lacking in specific detail. So upon reaching the tarmac road to the village at the end of the trail, we opted to jump into a waiting taxi to drive the 6km to our delightful little family-run guest house; the most perfect place for well-earned beers, much-need showers, and quickly-devoured homecooking.
Drive / No driving - our guesthouse in Theth agreed we could leave our car parked there.
Hike / The hike from our accommodation in Theth to the point at which we jumped in a taxi was a an 18 kilometre route, which took us nine hours to complete. This included lots of stops for photos, a short lay down amongst wild flowers, about 30 minutes to enjoy the peak and another 45 minutes for a beer break a couple of hours before the end. You could of course complete it much quicker, but most people will require a full day. This is much longer than we anticipated.
Stay / We highly recommend Guesthouse Mehmeti, but note that it’s around a 6 km walk from the trailhead, so you will likely want to take a taxi for €10 at the end of the hike.
Plan / There’s an in-depth guide to Theth-Valbone hike in the pipeline, which will cover absolutely everything you need to know before planning your own adventure, but in the meantime feel free to check out our Stories here or read the route profile + reviews on AllTrails.
Day Four | Valbone To Theth Hike - Shkodër
Before arriving in Theth, we couldn’t help but feel our solution of hiking both ways on the same trail in two days was somewhat ridiculous, so it was heartening to meet several other couples doing the same thing (some of whom were starting and ending in Valbone).
It also means we can provide a more well-rounded opinion on which way is better, and help those who only plan to hike one leg to decide which is the right way for them.
Again, we’ll go into much more depth on the whys and hows in our guide to the hike, but essentially - we much preferred the hike from Valbone to Theth.
Yes, the section up to the peak is bloody hardcore, your legs will scream and your lungs will hurt but the views from this perspective more than make up for it. Additionally, the route back down to Theth from the peak is infinitely easier in reverse, so much so that we actually ran most of the way.
We also had a deadline as we had to drive back to Shkodër in the afternoon, so that definitely put a little pep in our step!
We made it down to Theth about five and a half hours after we began hiking. We were sweaty, a little sunburnt, almost certainly dehydrated, very dirty and utterly famished; we’re not sure what genius decided to open a pizza restaurant a couple of hundred metres after the hike finish line, but it’s fair to say that it was a very astute business decision. Cold beer, Coca Cola, white carbs, cheese and tomato never tasted so good!
We struck it lucky on the drive up and down the mountain, and through the countryside, to Shkodër with perfect weather and little traffic (beside a shepherd and his 100 goats), and this was arguably the most scenic driving day we had.
Drive / You’ll likely be a bit quicker on the way back, but give yourself 3-4 hours again - keep an eye out for flocks of sheep with shepherds and a massive prison. There are a few places in mountain villages to stop for a coffee or food.
Eat / Back in the city, we treated ourselves to wine and very good Italian food at Pasta e Vino (the parmigiana di melanzane was perfectly decadent). Find it here.
Stay / We knew we’d want our own bathroom and comfy bed after two days hiking, so splurged on the popular Hotel Tradita in Shkodër.
Alt / We know that some of you may not want or be able to do these two hikes in two days. THe most common way, which is actually easier with public transport, is to do Shkodër-Valbone-Theth-Shkodër (or vice-versa), which means just one day of hiking.
However, if you’ve got a rental car, it’s not feasible to travel from Valbone back to Theth by road/boat (or vice-versa), which is why we opted to do two tough-ish hikes in two days. If that’s not realistic for your level of mobility, physical condition, or travel style, you will be better driving to Theth for a night or two to enjoying the scenery, the Blue Eye and a shorter day hike to the peak (or a little beyond). As mentioned, we’ll be writing a full guide to the Theth-Valbone hike which will make this all a lot clearer for you on routes, options, and alternatives!
Day Five | Shkodër - Berat
Sometimes travel days shift and plans change; this was one of those days.
We had initially intended to leave Shkodër in the early morning and head to Lake Komani. As logistically we knew we’d be unable to ride the ferry across to Valbone, we had heard about one of the companies offering a shorter boat ride and a kayak trip out on the lake - we thought that this would give us the opportunity to let you guys know whether this was scenery that should not be missed and what the road was like.
But we were shattered.
So, we decided to spend most of the day exploring Shkodër, and we’re really glad we did. The Marubi Photography Gallery was annoyingly shut for three days for an exhibiton change (surely do that before the summer season guys?), but we were deeply impacted by the Site of Witness and Memory, the first site of remembrance in Albania, which commemorates the victims of the communist regime in Shkodër. As we were not visiting Tirana until the end of our trip, where the majority of the museums dedicated to the country’s isolationist communist history are located, being able to visit this powerful site now really helped us understand a little more about the subject and how it continues to affect day-to-day life in Albania.
Bicycle-heavy Shkodër also had quite a few cool bars and cafes, and was a pleasure to wander around; it was definitely one of our favourite towns in Albania, and very liveable.
A short drive or bicycle ride from the city, there’s also Rozafa Castle and Shkodra Lake. The former offers impressive views, whilst the lake is a great shout for swimming and sunbathing if you know where to go (which we found out for you!).
Due to our time at the castle and the lake, we left later than we should have for Berat and so spent an hour driving in the dark through the countryside, and then struggled for about 30 minutes to find a parking space in the surprisingly busy town.
Drive / From the lake & castle south to Berat, it’s a chunky 196km drive, the longest on this itinerary. We covered it in four hours, including a couple of quick stops for fuel and coffee but we’d recommend setting off earlier so you can avoid arriving in the dark. Free parking in Berat is also quite limited.
Do / Spend a couple of hours in the Marubi Photography Gallery and Site of Witness and Memory, and explore the photogenic old town or head out on bicycle or by car to Rozafa Castle and Shkodra Lake.
Stay / The family-run Hotel Osumi in Berat is in a great location, the hosts are really friendly and welcoming, rooms wonderful and breakfast excellent. We honest couldn’t recommend them highly enough after our two nights.
Day Six | Berat
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Berat is known as the ‘town of a thousand windows’, and is composed of two old neighbouring villages - Mangalem and Gorica - which face each other across the Osum river. Together, they portray a unique architecture influenced by various civilisations and occupiers.
For tourists both local and from afar, Berat has become a must-visit destination in Albania, drawn in by both the town’s obvious structural beauty alongside its geographical location in the heart of the wine country.
We began our morning with a slow breakfast in the guesthouse before heading out to explore the myriad of tiny cobblestone streets that make up the neighbourhoods of Mangalem and Goricawa, criss-crossing the bridges for new vantage points of the sea of windows that reflect back across the river.
The ethnographic museum was unfortunately shut (a common theme during our two-week adventure in Albania) but we did make sure to pop in to the small Solomoni Museum that recounts the lives of the various Jewish people that sought sanctuary in Berat during the World War II.
After a short break back at Hotel Osumi to escape the sweltering heat, we risked losing our car parking spot to visit a couple of the wineries that dot the landscape not far from the town’s centre. First up was a tasting at Nurellari Winery (maps), which whilst well-established and popular, didn’t really meet our expectations as an experience; Pupa Winery (maps) on the other hand offered a much more pleasant and welcoming environment and served up a Rosé so delicious we snapped up a bottle to take with us.
Another popular option is Çobo Winery, but it’s on the other side of the town, and we had a designated driver to think of.
Returning to Berat around 7pm, we took a slow stroll along Boulevardi Republika, a long pedestrianised street lined by restaurants and bars on one side, and gardens on the other. Streets in Berat are quiet during the summer days as people seek refuge inside their homes from the heat, but in the early evening you’ll find countless groups of young and old enjoying enjoying a gjiro (the Albanian version of the Italian passeggiata), and competitive games of dominoes and backgammon in the shade of the trees.
Drive / It’s a 20-30 minute drive from Berat to the vineyards, through verdant green valleys - it’s a beautiful drive.
Do / Spend the morning exploring the neighbourhoods of Mangalem and Gorica, and visit the town’s museums, then jump in the car for some afternoon wine tasting.
Eat / For the best traditional food in town, head to Homemade Food Lili - just be sure to make a reservation in advance as it’s super popular.
Stay / Hotel Osumi
Plan / Our Guide to Berat
Day Seven | Berat - Himarë
High above Berat you’ll find Kalaja, the third neighbourhood which makes up the town and the site of another impressive 13th century citadel; remarkably, there continues to be a thriving community living within its old walls.
We spent the morning exploring Kalaja, taking in the views as the town awoke below, seeking out the ruins of the Red Mosque, the Holy Trinity Church and the old city walls and finished in the excellent Onufri Icon museum, before starting the coastal portion of this Albania itinerary.
This drive is just beautiful, taking you from wide open green valleys to perfect highways so new they’re yet to properly exist on Google Maps and the ridiculous heart-in-your-mouth Llogora Pass, a spectacular mountain road descent toward the sea (maps).
You GPS won’t necessarily take you via this mountain pass due to the additional time it adds to your route, so be sure to manually adjust it. Even nervous drivers don’t want to miss this!
Despite a relatively slow morning, we still arrived into Himarë with a few hours of day light, and headed to the town’s local free beach for a couple of hours in the sun (followed by a couple of happy hour spritzes to get us into that holiday mode).
Drive / From Berat to Himarë, it’s 183km and we recommend giving yourself 4 hours. It’s an enjoyable driving day past watermelon stands and fields, with a great stretch of new coastal road and some epic scenery along the way. Give yourself a buffer to spontaneous stops too.
Do / Get up early and head up to Berat’s citadel, timing your visit to coincide with the opening times of the Onufri Icon museum. The drive today is as much as an activity as it is a way of arriving at your next destination so take it slow, and take it in.
Stay / As we were spending three nights in Himare, we did quite a lot of research into where to stay, deciding that after a week of guesthouses, having our own space would be preferable. We landed on this excellent, modern apartment right on the beach, with a decent kitchen and balcony overlooking the water. Exactly what we wanted!
If you’d prefer a hotel or guest house there are a number of other really great options, including Artis Blue Relax, Soñar en el Mar, Geo & Art Boutique Hotel Himara and Margarita Guesthouse.
Day EIGHT + NINE | Himarë & FRIENDS
We chose Himarë for three nights as it looked like the ideal base for beach hopping, boat tours, and day trips along the northern section of the Albanian Riviera.
Thankfully, it turned out to be the perfect location, and for our readers (who like us don’t necessarily love resort-focussed towns) it will likely be the ideal spot too. Importantly, the beaches in this area are all pretty good too - and they’re not all completely dominated by private beach clubs.
We chose to have one slow day at the beach located just outside our Airbnb - a long narrow stretch that was mostly free of paid-for sun beds, and thus a higgledy-piggledy, kaleidoscopic assortment of parasols
If you’d actually prefer to hire out a sunbed but don’t want to have to journey far, we’d recommend walking around to Prinos and Potami Beaches, just a 10-20 minute walk from the centre of Himarë. We unfortunately didn’t discover these two until we’d already had our town-based beach day, but were really impressed by the setting and the set-up - it’s busy, but it doesn’t feel disorganised. Prices for two sunbeds and and umbrella vary, but you shouldn’t need to pay more than 1000 Lek for the day.
Our second full day was all about beach hopping, from busy resorts, to those that required a little leg power to reach, so that we could tell you our favourites! From Himarë, you’re close to several excellent beaches, with many more just a scenic 30-45 minutes drive north or south - you can find all our recommendations in this Albanian Beaches post (including everything you could possibly need to know and plenty you probably didn’t realise you needed to know) but for the sake of brevity, a couple that really, really stood out were Dhermi, Gjipe, Jale and Aquarium Beaches.
Drive / All the beaches we’d recommend visiting from Himare are less than 40 minutes away by car.
Do / Take it slow and enjoy the holiday portion of your, well, holiday. Feel free to hop, skip and jump along the coast like us, or read our Albanian beaches guide and find the perfect spot to call home for the day.
Stay / We stayed in this Airbnb but if you’d prefer a hotel or guest house there are a number of really great options including Artis Blue Relax, Soñar en el Mar, Geo & Art Boutique Hotel Himara and Margarita Guesthouse.
Plan / Our Travel Guide to Himarë + The 19 Best Beaches in Albania
Top Tip / If you’re looking for more of a holiday fly + flop destination, then Dhermi would be our recommendation (Palladium would be a good option as it has private sunbeds and umbrellas for guests at the nicest end of the beach), but the other more nature-based beaches on this part of the Albanian Riviera do have accommodation as well.
Day Ten | Himarë - Ksamil
Before heading south along the coast we took the short drive up to the old town of Himarë (or Himarë Fshat). Dominated by the ancient ruins of a castle that dates back to the 5th century, and dotted with a number of Orthodox churches in varying states of disrepair, much of the once bustling old stone town has been abandoned, and fewer than twenty families remain.
Despite this, it’s a truly beautiful place to visit, offering spectacular views over the coastline and a chance to step back in time.
It’s also possible to visit Himarë Fshat on foot via a strenuous walking trail that begins at the main beach or to jump in a taxi. This would be a gorgeous place to head for golden hour, so these may be two good alternative options if you’d prefer to go during your two full days in Himarë.
You don’t need long to explore the ruins, but be sure to allow enough time for a coffee or juice at the little family-run cafe you’ll find sign-posted here. The staff are super friendly, the coffee good (proper coffee is definitely not a given out here) and the views out west, north and south just wonderful.
Driving south you’ll pass lots of hidden coves and beach-side villages, but the most popular bases for visitors to the southern section of the Albanian Riviera are Sarandë and Ksamil.
The former is a large, commercially developed beach resort town and cruise ship stop, and we felt instantly vindicated on our short visit that we chose not to base ourselves there. Some of you may make a different choice due to its reputation for nightlife, its better affordability than Ksamil (Sarandë is where you’ll find the backpacker hostels), or the accommodation and free beaches available there, but many of you will be similarly put off by it.
Arriving in Ksamil just in time for several sunset Campari spritz, we were excited and really liked the vibe; as we explain below, our final impression of Ksamil had both positives and negatives.
Drive / From Himarê to Ksamil, give yourself two hours without stops. The distance is only 65km, but we encountered some utter idiots on this route - mostly young guys in expensive cars that drove like they were on the run, with absolutely no concern to fellow road users - that required us to drive a lot more cautiously. The can also be a quite a bit of traffic / congestion in summer (particularly on a weekend).
Sarandë is 15-20 minutes before Ksamil.
Stops / One of our very favourite beaches in Albania - Buneci Beach - is located around an hour’s drive south from Himarë. If you’re not in a huge rush to make it to Ksamil or you visited Himarë old town in the previous couple of days, we’d highly recommend stopping here for a few hours.
Stay / There are no hostels in Ksamil, which is why many backpackers end up staying in Sarandë - find all the hostels here.
We knew we’d need somewhere with private parking, so opted for comfort and convenience at the Area Hotel. We can definitely recommend it for Ksamil, with its location a little walk away from the main beach area being a positive for us.
Day Eleven + TwelVe | Ksamil & Friends
Touted as the ‘European Maldives’, Ksamil has a reputation as a beach paradise; it’s why many people, including us, choose it as a base for at least a couple of days on an Albanian road trip.
Unfortunately, we left with a very different impression to the one we arrived with.
Whilst Ksamil may indeed have once been that beach paradise, today it is very much an in-demand holiday resort town with a lot of on-going development, a lot of money, and a lot of people packed under parasols on its attached beach. In peak summer, not an inch is available for the public for free, with beach clubs dominating the area and filling every available piece of imported sand.
On top of that, it’s the place for wealthy young locals to be seen and splash their cash, with prices at a few bars and beach clubs significantly higher than you’d expect, and the desired clientele absolutely not being a traveller who only wants to spend €40 on their beach day. Absolutely nothing wrong with it being a fancier, more exclusive spot for domestic tourism - and we made the most of it for one day - but it’s not what many will expect from social media suggestions.
That doesn’t mean you should totally avoid Ksamil, as it’s still the best base to explore the surrounding area’s excellent beaches on day trips and there are definitely others positives to share. However, we think it’s a place that has changed so much in the last decade, that it’s important to share the negative aspects too.
Despite having had a decent quota of beach time in the preceding couple of days, we opted to spend our first full day in Ksamil at one of the quieter beach clubs, splurging on a couple of front row beds and alternating dips in the bath-like water a few feet away with lazy naps, and sips of our covertly bought cans of beer. It wasn’t quite the tranquil beach experience we expected in Ksamil, but we enjoyed it none the less.
Then it was back to exploring! First up was Butrint Archeological Park, just a few kilometres away. Shaded by trees and surrounded by wetlands, it is considered one of the country’s most important archeological sites and has gained both the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a RAMSAR-Wetland Site of International Importance.
We spent an hour and a half exploring its ruins before jumping back into the car to discover Ksamil’s nearby beaches; we left with two firm favourites: Mirror Beach (also known as Plazhi I Pasqyrave) and Pulëbardhës Beach. You can find full details on how to reach these, and everything you need to know to plan your visit in ‘The 19 Best Beaches in Albania’.
Either of these would be an ideal place to spend the entire day, but their proximity to one another means that it’s easy to combine the two.
Drive / Butrint is a short 10-minute drive south from Ksamil, whilst the best beaches are just 20-minutes north of the town. Note that in order to access them you have to leave the main road and negotiate smaller unpaved lanes with parking areas that can be a little challenging for nervous drivers in busy holiday season.
Do / These nights in Ksamil are very much your holiday time, so go slow and take it easy. Spend a couple of hours in Butrint Archaeological Site (we highly recommend visiting Butrint in the early morning, this means you can enjoy it without the crowds, and still make it to the beach for the day), rent a pedalo or kayak to across the water to Isole Gemelle di Ksamil, and treat yourself to a beach club day (whether that’s in Ksamil or one of the other gorgeous beaches nearby).
Drink / Poba’s roofotop for cocktails (€9 for a Campari Spritz though!)
Eat / The relatively new Casa Mexicana, owned and operated by a chef all the way from Oaxaca. Their ceviche and tuna tostada was so good that we found ourselves eating here twice!
Costs / €50 for two beds and an umbrella at in the first row at Orange, but options also available for €20-35 in Ksamil and at the day trip beaches. There are some €10 options too, but we wouldn’t recommend those we saw. Adult entry to Butrint was 1,000 lek / €10.
Stay / The Area Hotel.
Day Thirteen | Ksamil - Blue Eye - Gjirokaster
If you’ve made it this far, you’ll note that this is another ‘Blue Eye’ in Albania.
A natural spring which at least 50 metres deep and responsible for much of the country’s freshwater, this Blue Eye near the village of Muzinë is the more famous of the two, and a common day trip from Ksamil or Sarandë; as it’s along the way, we included it as a stop on our drive inland to Gjirokaster.
Whilst undoubtedly beautiful, we were blown away by the size of the packed car park, even in mid-July, and we’d say the Blue Eye today is very much a very popular and accessible tourist attraction in nature, rather than being a nature experience.
Most people will still feel it’s a mandatory inclusion on their Albania itinerary, and it would be more enjoy in the quieter shoulder season, but we didn’t enjoy several aspects of it.
The dip in the ice-cold water after the 30 minute walk from the carpark was however glorious!
We’ll be writing a proper guide to visiting The Blue Eye, but recommend you set aside 2-3 hours for it, perhaps more if you plan to have lunch at one of the restaurants down by the river.
As soon as we arrived in Gjirokaster, we knew we should have had longer than one night there.
Far prettier than we expected it to be, with a chilled out nightlife vibe in the nooks and alleys of the old town that had been surprisingly absent on the coast, it’s also got a lot of important history associated with it.
Thankfully, as the driving distances on this leg of the itinerary were shorter than anticipated, we managed to have a meaningful couple of hours and sunset at the vast, imposing 12th century Gjirokastra Castle, which was the final and most interesting of the various Albanian castles we visited. If you have the option of when to visit this impressive fortress, the views over the surrounding countryside and the town below were just spectacular at golden hour!
Drive / From Ksamil to the Blue Eye, it’s about an hour (35km), and then another hour (35km); make sure to set your Google Maps / GPS to go via the Blue Eye.
If skipping the Blue Eye, you can drive a different way to Gjirokaster in about 90 minutes.
Note that there is a totally brand new road from the highway into Gjirokaster, and Google Maps still hasn’t got this. We recommend you ignore your GPS - it may also send you via a tiny village - and keep going along the highway until a roundabout/turning where there’s a very clear and obvious new tarmac road with bright yellow lines on the left hand side. Follow that and you’ll end up in the old town.
Do / Visit the Blue Eye and upon arriving into Gjirokaster, head up to town’s vast and impressive castle.
Drink / Hangover Bar in Gjirokastra does the best cocktails we had in Albania, and charges very reasonable prices comparatively
Stay / We made a last-minute booking at Bed and Breakfast Kotoni, a family run place in the historic centre. It’s small, friendly and does a great breakfast but ensure you aren’t allocated the small, claustrophobic and musty double next to the reception - the other rooms are much better and have good reviews.
Hotel Kalemi 2 and Hotel Gjirokastra are two other highly-rated options.
Plan / Our Short Guide To Gjirokaster
Day Fourteen | Gjirokaster - Tirana
With the context and experience of Albania we now have, we would cut a night from Ksamil and allocate it here.
Despite having less time than we should have, we made the most of the time we did have in Gjirokastrer with an early morning alarm and later than planned departure.
Beginning with a slow stroll through the cobbled historic streets before many of the bazaar stall holders had opened, we got to experience the town waking up; old boys sipping their first coffee of the day, bakeries turning out piping hot borek, and a sense of what Gjirokaster would be like without the tourists.
Many photos (and a quick return to our guesthouse for a breakfast feast) later, we set about ticking off several of the most popular cultural attractions; the remodelled and unmissable Ethnographic Museum in the dictator Enver Hoxha’s childhood home, the somewhat disappointing Skenduli House and the Cold War tunnel, a bunker that was never properly used but would have served as an emergency shelter in the event of a foreign invasion during Albania’s communist era.
Our departure to Tirana in the early afternoon signalled the final proper road trip day of our Albanian adventure, and the longest drive on this itinerary.
Unfortunately, despite arriving with grand plans to explore Tirana in the early evening, the busy trip had taken its toll and a nap on the world’s largest bed was necessary. We did however make it out for a couple of beers and a couple of what were probably some of Albania’s best pizzas.
Drive / It’s a 230km drive north from Gjirokaster to the centre of Tirana. There are a couple of optional tourist places to stop along the way - including Tepelenë and Apollonia Ruins - but we sacrificed those for more time in Gjirokaster.
The drive took 4.5 hours, including a couple of break stops, and travelling via Durres.
As anticipated, driving into Tirana was the least enjoyable part of the road trip, but it was pretty standard ‘big city traffic’, with the main issue being six lanes of traffic trying to get into a two-lane slip road. Keep your wits about you, go slow, and make sure you’re navigator is helping not napping!
We have more advice in our guide to driving in Albania.
Do / Lots to squeeze in in Gjirokaster today, and whilst you may not have time for everything we’d recommend you don’t miss the Ethnographic Museum or Cold War Tunnel.
Eat / Pizzarte in Tirana (trust us, you won’t regret it!)
Stay / We treated ourselves to a fancier, modern option in Hotel Stela Center. Primarily because it had private parking for guests, and we really did not fancy trying to find a space in Tirana, but also because we knew we’d want something a bit more convenient and comfortable at this stage of the trip. The hotel was pleasant and we have no problems recommending it, but be aware that the breakfast is as bad as previous reviewers make out!
Day Fifteen | Tirana
Eschewing the somewhat mediocre breakfast at our hotel, we rose early in Tirana for a full day of activities. First, BunkArt 2, an old communist era bunker that has been converted into a museum chronicling the country’s police and security forces from the turn of the 20th century until the fall of communism in the 1990s. There are also a couple of rooms dedicated quite moving pieces of contemporary art on the same topic.
A quick coffee, a stop by the lacklustre ‘Cloud’ art installation and beautiful Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania and then it was on to the second museum of the day, the exceptionally well curated House of Leaves (much better curated than BunkArt 2 mentioned above).
Once an obstetric hospital, in 1943 it was covertly changed to become the headquarters of the Sigurimi, Albania’s secret surveillance force throughout the duration of the communist regime. Set over two floors, it is both educational and emotional; we spent nearly two hours inside but could easily have stayed longer.
After the House of Leaves we had traced a somewhat haphazard route through the city ticking off items on our itinerary; the much hyped Blloku neighbourhood (once only accessible to the communist elite, it has become the place to eat and drink), the Pyramid of Tirana, built as a museum to honour Enver Hoxha after his death and now being renovated to become a cultural hub for Albania’s youth, and the assortment of important cultural monuments in the Skanderberg Square.
We covered a lot of ground on our only full day in Tirana, an incredibly walkable city that surprised us; we expected communist-era architecture but instead we got cranes, brand new high-rises, and flashing neon lights. This is a city on the move.
Drive / No driving today; the car remains in the hotel parking.
Do / If you only have time for one museum, make it House of Leaves, but BunkArt 2 and the National History Museum are also worth stopping by. Don’t miss Skanderberg Square or the Pyramid of Tirana either. Blloku is only worth visiting in the evenings.
Two other popular activities a couple of kilometres outside of Tirana that we just didn’t have time for were BunkArt (another former bunker turned into a museum and contemporary art gallery, this one much bigger than its partner in the centre of Tirana) and the cable car that offers views over the surrounding countryside. Given the location of these two attractions outside of the city, we suspect they will only feature on two-day Tirana itineraries.
Drink / Radio Bar Tirana in the Blloku neighbourhood
Stay / Hotel Stela Center
Day Sixteen | Tirana - Home
We had an early flight back to the UK, so it was just a 30-minute drive to the airport (best give yourself 45-minutes though), dropping off the rental car (no damage, wahey!), and the world’s slowest slowest queue at the check-in desk.
Where to Next?
13 Wonderful Things to Do in Albania (published soon)
The 19 Best Beaches in Albania
23 Things to Know Before You Visit Albania (published soon)
Driving and Car Rental in Albania | Everything You Need to Know
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