Our Recommended Itineraies

ITINERARIES

1 Week Road Trip, Albania

Option 1

Day 1-3: Tirana, If you are flying into Tirana, then I recommend spending a couple of days exploring the city. Tirana is a vibrant young city with plenty of interesting museums such as the House of Leaves and Bunk art 1 & 2. There’s also some great restaurants and other nearby points of interest.
Day 3-5: Saranda, The seaside city of Saranda is one not to be missed. It’s a great base to explore and there are tonnes of great things to do. I always recommend people to stay at least 3 nights in Saranda so you can see some of the best nearby attractions. Make sure you have time in the city as well as hop on a bus and visit Ksamil and Butrint, a UNESCO site.
Day 5-7: Dhermi, Dhermi is another favourite for travellers coming to Albania With its beautiful beaches like the main beach in Dhermi or Drymades (my personal favourite), adventure activities and lots of great sites nearby (like Gjipe, Palase beach, Vuno and Llogara national park), Dhermi is a great place to stopover for a couple of nights. Travelling back to Tirana (via car) will take around 4 hours.

1 Week Road Trip, Albania

Option 2

Day 1-3: Tirana, If you are flying into Tirana, then I recommend spending a couple of days exploring the city. Tirana is a vibrant young city with plenty of interesting museums such as the House of Leaves and Bunk art 1 & 2. There’s also some great restaurants and other nearby points of interest.
Day 3-5: Shkoder, From Tirana, you can catch the bus or drive to the northern city of Shkoder. Shkoder is a charming city and a gateway into the Albanian Alps. You will love the north if you are more into the mountains than the beach. There’s a lot of things you can do in Shkoder including visiting Rozafa Castle. If you like museums then you can check out Shkoder history museum, the site of witness and memory (which is set in a communist prison) or the Marubi Photography museum.
Day 5-6: Theth, Once you have had some time to explore the city of Shkoder, it’s time to do some hiking! The Theth to Valbona trail is the most popular and most beautiful in Albania. To get to Theth you must take a shuttle or taxi from Shkoder. Usually, you can ask your accommodation and they can organise one for you or go to the nearest tourist agency. On the way out of Shkoder towards Theth usually many 4wds wait to take people to Theth so you could head straight there and get a ride right away. The price is usually between 10 -15 euro per person. It’s not recommended for tourists to drive as the road is built for 4wd and it’s not in good condition, leave it to the locals!

Once you arrive in Theth you can relax at one of the beautiful guesthouses and get ready for your hike tomorrow. The hike take 7-8 hours and you need a medium level of fitness. The total distance of the hike is 17km.

Note: You do not need a guide to do this hike. The trail is relatively easy to follow. You can also do an extra hike to the Blue eye from Theth. You may opt to do this the day you arrive into Theth or you can stay an extra night to complete this one too. You won’t be able to do both hikes in one day.

Day 5-6: Valbona & Lake Koman, You will walk for 7-8 hours until you reach the beautiful village of Valbona! You will want to spend a night here to relax after your intense hike up the mountains. Here are some great guesthouses to relax in. From Valbona you can take the Komani Lake Ferry to Komani and from there they will take you back to Shkoder. The ferry ride is about 3 hours long and is a beautiful ride, one that has become increasingly popular due to how beautiful it is!