Ultimate One Week Albania Itinerary (7 Days) by Bus

Though not as famous as some of its neighboring countries, Albania definitely packs a punch! It boasts a stunning coastline, has some of the cutest stoney villages, and offers some great hiking trails. And all that without any of the mass tourism of its neighbors (yet!). The only downside is that Albania doesn’t have as much travel information out there as its neighboring countries do. This can make it pretty confusing to plan a first trip there, leaving you unsure what to expect or how to get from point A to point B. Well, that’s how I felt, at least! That’s why, now, after having spent five weeks slow-traveling the country, I’m sharing what I think is the perfect one week Albania itinerary for first timers.

Now, I have to warn you. This one week Albania itinerary is pretty detailed. Like, how-the-earth-do-you-have-time-to-write-all-this detailed. And that’s on purpose. You can go to any old website to get a simple “two nights in here” and “one night here,” bare-bones itinerary for Albania. But those itineraries won’t tell you what things to do in each place, or how to get from one city to the next (which was honestly the hardest part of traveling in Albania for me! Man…those buses…). You’d have to go look up those things after. But not with this itinerary.

Basically, what I’m trying to tell you is: get ready for a long article! (About a 20 minute read.) You will most likely want to save this for later right now by bookmarking it or texting it to yourself, just in case you don’t finish all in one go. Then, grab a cuppa, kick those feet up, and let’s get to it!

Psssst! If you have two weeks, be sure to check out my Albania itinerary for 14 days.

The Perfect One Week Itinerary for Albania

Let’s start off with an overview of this epic Albania itinerary for seven days, so you can have an idea what to expect.

Day	City	Overnight In
Day 1	Tirana	Tirana
Day 2	Berat	Tirana
Day 3	Travel to Sarandë	Sarandë
Day 4	Ksamil & Butrint	Sarandë
Day 5	Gjirokastër & Blue Eye	Sarandë
Day 6	Himarë	Himarë
Day 7	Travel to Tirana	Tirana

If you’re the average traveler with limited vacation days, I suggest breaking it down like below*. This way, you only need to use five vacation days, but you get seven actual days in Albania.

One week itinerary for Albania in calendar format.

*If you are flying to Albania from the Americas, there’s a good chance that your flight will land the next day, due to the time zone difference and flight time. But if you are traveling to Albania from a closer distance, like from within Europe, you’ll land the same day. That will give you one extra day versus this one week itinerary. I recommend you add that as one extra night in Himarë to do a boat excursion.

What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Albania?

The best time to visit Albania is the shoulder seasons of late May – June and September – early October. This lets you enjoy everything in comfortable weather while avoiding the extreme heat and slight crowds of July and especially August.

What? What crowds? But didn’t I just say that Albania didn’t suffer from mass tourism? Yes, Albania doesn’t suffer from mass tourism. But the country still receives tourists from neighboring Balkan countries, and also from Italy! So it will be a lot easier to find a calm spot to lay your beach towel and to book your accommodation if you avoid visiting Albania in August.

If you plan to swim, I’d personally time your visit for September. This way, the water has had all summer to get warm. But since Albania is located quite south, the water will be nice even as early as May.

What is the Best Way to Get Around Albania?

This is hands-down the worst part of visiting Albania. The country’s tourist infrastructure is still developing, and it’s not easy to find information in advance* on how to move around Albania as a tourist.

Unless you rent your own car, you will be traveling around on buses. So this one week Albania itinerary is totally car-free, relying solely on buses. Not public city buses, but buses moving between the main transport hubs of Albania. For shorter and medium distance journeys, these drives will be in large vans. And for large journeys (like between Tirana and Sarandë), these will be coach buses.

I will warn you right now, these buses are in no way comfortable. The drivers often smoke inside, the air conditioning will not always reach your seat, and extra “seats” in the form of plastic stools will be added in the “aisle” if all proper seats are filled. Plus, the schedules aren’t set. You can’t even trust the schedules posted at the bus stops.

This is why I gave myself a lot of time to travel through Albania. I didn’t know what journeys I could combine into a single day, how often buses left each day, or where the bus stations were even located. So I needed extra days in each location just to make sure that I would have time to figure out how to get to my next spot.

But that won’t be you! I’m taking allllllll of my learnings from zigzagging around the country by bus for over a month to efficiently move you around Albania in one week. I’ve already done the guesswork of deciding which bus journeys you can combine to be on the same day, which trips are better as organized tours, and even what order to see things. I’ve also provided all the Google Maps locations of the bus stations, so that you don’t have to go confirming them in advance like I did.

However, you will still need to do a bit of legwork, because schedules change depending on the season.

There are a few good ways to confirm your bus journeys in Albania:

The best way is to talk directly to the driver(s) at the bus station or the staff at the city’s tourist office, if the city has one.
Another way is in this Facebook group. In this group, travelers currently in Albania share updates of the buses they just took or what they were recently told at the station or tourist office. It helped me a ton in planning my trip.
The final way is by checking out the Google reviews for a bus stop location. People sometimes upload a picture of the recent schedule or comment what time their bus left, and if the comment is dated with a recent date, it’s helpful.

These would all be things you do just one day or two before your bus journey.

*Google Maps seems to now offer results for public transport in between major Albanian cities. This was NOT available when I was traveling around Albania, so I can’t confirm the accuracy of these routes. But I can already see that at least some things aren’t fully accurate… So if you have experience with using Google’s timetables during your own Albania trip, please comment down below and let us all know how it went!

Albania travel tip: bring something to entertain you during the bus rides! Whether that be downloaded TV series, a book/Kindle, etc. As you will see while reading through this itinerary, some bus journeys will be rather long…

Money in Albania

What Currency does Albania Use?

Albania is in Europe. But it is not in the Eurozone, the Schengen area, nor the EU. This means that Albania does not use the euro, but rather the Albanian lek. At the time I am typing this, 1 USD equals 90 Lek, 1 EUR equals 100 Lek, and 1 GBP equals 120 Lek.

Can You Use Credit Cards in Albania?

Cash is still king in Albania. You will pay for lot of your meals, excursions, and, yes, even accommodation in cash. So bring euros to exchange at currency exchange counters or plan to withdraw money from ATMs as you go.

Certain destinations on this one week Albania itinerary only have a couple ATMs, and you might find that one doesn’t work (like I did in Berat!). So always keep this in mind and make sure you have enough lek on hand to last you until your next stop in a place that definitely has ATMs.

Many places let you pay for this in euros instead of in lek, but the exchange rate used is not always the actual one. Similarly, if you book your hotel online in euros, but pay in lek in person, the host will likely make a calculation to change the booked price in euros to lek. This rate is normally just the current rate that everyone in Albanian tourism is using at that time. In my experience, this rate was close enough to the actual rate. But it’s just something to be aware of and double-check!

Is Albania Cheap?

In general, traveling around Albania will be quite budget friendly compared to western European countries or even some of its Balkan neighbors (especially Greece and Croatia). However, I felt that groceries were more expensive than in central and western European countries. I also found that, while not necessarily expensive, accommodation was not always a great value for your money as a solo traveler in certain cities (like Sarandë). Splitting the cost with at least one other person would have made things very, very cheap!

Language in Albania

Don’t expect to easily get around with just English in Albania. Some of your waiters, tour operators, etc. might speak it at a level acceptable for their work (i.e. for tourism-related things). But most people that you interact in Albania with as a visitor will not. Come prepared with the Google Translate app on your phone (iPhone and Android), and have Albanian pre-downloaded for offline use. I also recommend that you try to learn the basics, like common questions and “thank you.” Combine all that with a lot of pointing and smiling, and you’ll be just fine!

(Finally) The Actual One Week Itinerary for Albania

Before we get into it, I just want to let you know that you can do this itinerary in the order I have it or in the exact reverse order. Also, at the very end of this page, I have a section on how to adjust this itinerary if need be. And if you have any questions, just drop a comment down below. Ready?!

Tirana

Tirana is Albania’s capital and largest city. It will all but surely be your entry (and exit) point to the country. The city is famous for being quite colorful considering the strong presence of Soviet-era buildings. The capital is not the country’s main tourist draw (that would be the coast!). But since you have to pass by Tirana anyways, it makes sense to explore it and get a more holistic understanding of the country.

How to Get to Tirana

This is the start of your trip, so you’ll need to fly in. The main international airport in Albania is Tirana International Airport (TIA). To get to the city center from TIA, you have two options:

Option 1: Take a bus. From the far end of the parking lot at TIA, you will see buses that go to central Tirana. If you have any difficulty locating them, simply ask airport staff to point you to them. When I took the bus, the ride cost 400 lek (about €4). One fellow passenger paid by card (I do not know if it was debit or credit). Another fellow passenger tried to pay in euros (which I did read on one blog I found prior to my trip was acceptable for this airport bus ride), but euros were not accepted. This drive from TIA to central Tirana is quoted as taking 30 minutes, but it took about 45 minutes for me. Some people asked to be dropped off earlier along the route, which is a good idea if you are staying close to the bus terminal instead of in downtown Tirana. You can view all the bus lines they have from the airport to other Albanian cities at the airport’s website.
Option 2: Take a taxi. There are taxis outside the airport, which you can of course take straight to your accommodation. This ride takes about 25 minutes and costs 2500 lek (about €25).

What to Do in Tirana (Half Day)

How much you will be able to do in Tirana will depend on what time your flight gets in on day one. If you arrive earlier in the day, you may have time to fit in all the attractions I suggest seeing, especially since they are compactly located. If you arrive in the late afternoon, you will have to just pick which attractions interest you most and potentially see the rest on your return to Tirana (for your exit flight). And if you arrive at night, you will probably have to save whatever attractions interest you for your return to Tirana.

In any case, on your first day in Albania, be sure to do the first two things on the following list!

Withdraw cash at an airport ATM: Before leaving the baggage claim area of the airport, you will find a couple ATMs from which you can withdraw cash. You will absolutely need to do this, because no matter how you plan to get from the airport to your accommodation, it will require cash. I tried both ATMs and found that the green one charged a lower fee than the red one, so I withdrew my cash from the red one. Try to do this quickly if you can, due to the next bullet point!
Get an Albanian SIM card (if you need one): You can do this at the airport, but be warned that the line will likely be very long (because everyone has the same idea as you!). If you are comfortable traveling from the airport to your accommodation without any SIM card or are able to use roaming from another SIM card plan, consider getting a SIM card in central Tirana instead. I did not have any other active SIM card, and I did not want to look for my accommodation without having any internet. (This ended up being a smart move, because I ended up needing the internet to locate my hostel!). So I waited about an hour to get my SIM card at the airport. There were two phone carrier stores right next to each other, by the exit of the arrivals terminal. I went with One, because it had better tourist-oriented plans from what I could see. My plan was 23G of data for 30 days, which cost me 1600 lek (around €16). The other carrier was Vodafone.
Skanderbeg Square (Sheshi Skënderbej): This is Tirana’s main plaza. You’ll see the statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, the military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, as well as some other neighboring countries.
Et’hem Bey Mosque (Xhamia e Haxhi Et’hem Beut): Closed under communist rule, the mosque reopened as a house of worship in 1991, constructed in the late 1700s to early 1800s, At the time it was built in front of Mosque was the old Bazaar, was spared destruction during the atheism campaign of the late 1960s because of its status as a cultural monument. Small and elegant, it’s one of the oldest buildings left in the city, opening hours finicky
Clock Tower of Tirana: This was completed by the Ottomans in the early 1800s and, for years, the tallest building in the capital, sounding a bell every hour on the hour. You can climb it for impressive views of Skanderbeg Square. It will set you back 200 Lek (about €2), but the opening hours are finicky!
National History Museum: This is the largest museum in Albania. It starts with Albania’s earliest history just past the entry and then continues to more contemporary history. Unfortunately, when I went, the only part with descriptions in any language other than Albanian was the first/earliest part. So while the rest of the museum seemed genuinely super interesting, it was impossible to truly appreciate it. For that reason, I’d recommend skipping this attraction or going in with Albanian pre-downloaded on Google Translate (app for Apple and Android). That way, you can use the camera translation function to translate the Albanian descriptions into your preferred language of choice. Entry was 500 lek (around €5).
BunkArt 2: This former anti-nuclear bunker was built to withstand a potential nuclear attack that never came. It’s now a super interesting museum telling the story and horrors of the Albania’s communist regime. It took me a lot more time than I expected to get through! Entry with the audioguide (which I recommend getting) will set you back 700 lek (around €7).
Kalaja e Tiranës (Tirana Castle): Old meets new here, where this former castle’s walls blend into Murat Toptani Street. On this street, you’ll find plenty of places to grab a bite.
Tanners’ Bridge (Ura e Tabakëve): 18th-century Ottoman period stone footbridge
Pyramid of Tirana (Piramida e Tiranës): Opened in the late 1900s as a museum of the life of Albania’s former dictator, it’s served a few different purposes since then. Now, you can just observe from outside if it interests you.
Pizzarte: Not an attraction, lol! But I loved the wood-fired pizzas from [this place maps.app.goo.gl/vyTwReTgaAezsW8c8]!! And it’s conveniently located right by all Tirana’s attractions, so I felt it worth mentioning.

Berat

Nestled into a hilltop underneath a castle and with a calm river passing through it, Berat will charm you. They say it is the city of a thousand windows, and even just from viewing some photographs, it’s easy to see why. Although you can absolutely justify spending a night or more in Berat, I would recommend visiting it as a day trip from Tirana if you only have limited time in the country and don’t have your own set of wheels. This way, you don’t have to check in and out of hotels again (and travel on the buses with your luggage) for just one night somewhere.

How to Get to Berat from Tirana

Get yourself to Tirana’s South and North Albania Bus Terminal (Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut). This is the bus terminal for domestic buses around Albania. It is further away from the center than the other bus terminal, which is for buses in and out of the country. I paid 700 lek (around €7) for a taxi ride from central Tirana to this bus station, though the first driver I approached quoted me much more.

Once you arrive, several men working at the bus terminal will probably start approaching you, asking where you are going. If not, go and find one of them. Tell them that you are going to Berat, and they will point you to the next bus. The buses also have the name of their final destination on their dashboard. If your bus is already there and waiting, the men will help you load your suitcase in the back, too. From my taxi drop off to sitting in my seat in the bus (minivan) to Berat, the whole whirlwind of a process took me a whopping total of just 3 minutes. They are really efficient at what they do! This drive from Tirana to Berat takes 2 hours and cost me 500 lek (around €5).

After you are off the bus and in Berat, confirm with the drivers at the Berat bus station what times the buses will leave to Tirana later that same day. Make sure to arrive early enough before your bus’s departure time, because if buses fill up early, they will leave. The Berat bus terminal has toilets and even hot food for purchase. So you can comfortably wait there after showing up early and paying for your seat on your return bus.

From the parking lot of the Berat Terminal (Terminali i Autobusave), catch the next bus into central Berat. This will be a regular shmegular city public bus. All the folks who just got off the minivan bus with you from Tirana will probably also use this to get into central Berat. So you can just follow the crowd and do as they do if you are in doubt. This ride takes 20 minutes and cost me 30 lek (around €0.30).

*Now, after reading that, you might be wondering, “Why is she recommending a day trip for a place that takes 2 hours each way to reach and is in between Tirana and the next stop on the itinerary? Wouldn’t it make sense to just stay overnight in Berat?”

You can totally do that. But the drive from Berat to the cities down south is really inefficient by bus, due to double-backing in Vlore. So taking the bus straight from Tirana to Himarë, Sarandë, or Gjirokastër takes close to the same amount of time as doing it from Berat. I was really surprised by this! (And highly disappointed, as the bus driver from Berat was smoking almost the entire drive, making it tie for the worst drive of my entire month plus in Albania.)

So, although slightly annoying, I think that doubling back to Tirana is worth not having to change hotels one extra time, plus the higher frequency of buses leaving from Tirana vs from Berat. This is what I would have done in retrospect. But if you prefer, you can definitely make this an overnight stay in Berat instead of a day trip. I discuss this more in the adjustments section of this post, down below.

What to Do in Berat (One Day)

Sarajet e Vrionasve: It is now a museum of Berat’s history and culture, but this was once a mansion. You’ll pass by it between where the city bus drops you off and the castle, which is stop number two on this list.
Berat Castle (Kalaja e Beratit): I loved exploring this place! It’s one of Albania’s oldest castles, and (like all the others I visited in the country) it was basically free to roam however you liked. It did have suggested routes to follow via signage. That made it easy to make sure you didn’t miss things while still not having to think too much about where you were going next. Because it’s quite a lot to explore! Entry seemed free on the day I went (no one was working the ticket booth and the entrance was open). But others said that entry should have cost me 300 lek (about €3).
Ura e Varur: This Ottoman-era hanging bridge is where you can take in that typical postcard view of Berat’s thousand windows.
Gorica Bridge (Ura e Goricës): This is another Ottoman bridge offering nice views of Berat and its surroundings.

Sarandë

Images of Albania’s coastline are probably what initially put the country on your travel radar, aren’t they? Well today, you’ll finally be hitting the coast! Albania’s main city on the coast for visitors to the country is Sarandë. It’s a small city that triples in population during the summer months and is literally so close to Greece that you can see it from Sarandë’s shores. Because of its popularity, I highly recommend booking your Sarandë accommodation as soon as you decide that you are visiting Albania!

How to Get to Sarandë from Tirana

Once again, head to Tirana’s South and North Albania Bus Terminal (Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut). This time, let the workers know that you need a bus to Sarandë. They will get you on the right bus. This drive from Tirana to Sarandë should take 5 – 7.5 hours, depending on how early you depart to avoid traffic and the route your bus takes. So be sure to bring all the snacks, water, and entertainment that you might need!

What to Do in Sarandë (Half Day)

Walk the promenade: This seaside pathway goes along the coast and offers views of Greece’s Corfu just across the water. It’s lined with palm trees, places to eat, and small, tourist-geared shops. I loved walking along this promenade around and just after sunset!
Sunset from Lëkurësit Castle (Kalaja e Lëkurësit): This castle overlooks the city of Sarandë. It has a restaurant where you can enjoy a meal and/or drinks. You can also come just for the view, too (which is what I did). You have a few options on how to get to this castle. One option is to hire a driver to take you from central Sarandë to the castle, wait for you up there, and then drive you back. You can also walk, which would take an hour one way from the promenade. Or, you can book a tour to Gjirokastër which includes a stop at the castle afterwards. I saw these tours advertised along the main promenade. But I don’t know if they would time the castle visit with sunset, which I highly recommend you do! The colors were truly magical at that time.

Ksamil (and Butrint)

Located just south of Sarandë is Ksamil, and just south of that, is Butrint. Ksamil is the most hyped part of the Sarandë area due to its beaches that are clearer, sandier, and full of lusher greenery than Sarandë’s. And Butrinti is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its ruins date as far back as the 7th century BC! These ruins include those from Greece, Rome, the Byzantines, and the Venetians. It actually reminded me of a more wild and overgrown version of Pompeii. And its ample trees create a lot of shade and keep things bearable even when temps hit 100°F/40°C (like during my visit in August!). Together, they make a pretty easy (but pretty full!) day trip from Sarandë.

How to Get to Ksamil (and Butrint) from Sarandë

Head to what in Google Maps is called the “Bus Stop to Ksamil & Butrint” (here is the exact spot). There are a couple stops for this line within Sarandë, but I highly recommend getting on at the exact stop I have linked above. This way, you can make sure you have a proper seat before it gets too full. Within just two more stops (still within central Sarandë), the bus was already full. And by the time we left the city, it was absolutely packed. But at that first stop, be sure to keep an eye out, because my bus stopped a bit up the way from the actual stop. So the others waiting there and I had to run to catch it! The ride cost 150 lek (around €1.50). This bus had AC, but my return bus didn’t, so you never know.

Once inside the bus, you might want to take a picture of the schedule. They have it taped in a couple of the windows. In theory, this should give you the most up-to-date schedule for the return buses. But in my experience, it was more of an intended schedule rather than reality. The buses just seemed to simply loop between Sarandë and Butrint all day long.

The final stop on this line is Butrint National Archaeological Park (Parku Kombëtar i Butrintit). If this park interests you, like it did me, just stay on the bus until it ends up here. It will drop you off at the parking lot of the historical site. From there, just walk over to the entrance to get your tickets and enter. The ride from Sarandë to Butrint took 1.3 hours, and entry was 1000 lek (around €10).

After exploring the park for a few hours, go back to the parking lot to wait for the bus back to Sarandë. Reference the schedule you took a picture of earlier!

Once on the bus, get off at Ksamil. This ride cost me 100 lek (around €1). The bus makes multiple stops within Ksamil. So you can choose whichever one looked the best to you on the initial ride to Butrint. If you have a particular beach club that you would like to visit, you can keep an eye out on Google Maps for which stop is closest to it.

After you’ve had your fun at the beach(es), head back on the same bus line, in the direction of Sarandë. This ride cost me 150 lek (around €1.50) and unfortunately was riddled with traffic on top of having no AC.

What to Do in Ksamil and Butrint (One Day)

Butrint National Archaeological Park (Parku Kombëtar i Butrintit): As described above, this UNESCO World Heritage site is home to a mix of ruins. Again, entry will set you back 1000 lek (around €10). It took me around 1.3 hours to tour the site.
Head to the beach! You have a couple options here.
- Ksamil public beach: At a public beach, you have the option to rent sun beds or just find an empty spot to lay your own towel down. Sunbed rental prices fluctuate depending on the month or even the time of day. I didn’t rent any during my time in Albania, opting instead to lay my own towel out.
- Ksamil private beach: There are quite a few private beaches in Ksamil tied to either beach clubs or hotels. Both were much less crowded than the public beach was on my visit. Those tied to hotels looked the calmest, while those tied to beach clubs had restaurants and/or bars attached.

Gjirokastër

Known for its imposing castle and its fairytale-like Ottoman old town, Gjirokastër is a must while in southern Albania. I spent four nights in Gjirokastër. And although it’s deserving of more time if you have it, I have to admit that you can definitely see the main tourist sites in a single afternoon. So, I recommend visiting as a day trip from Sarandë. This saves yourself the hassle of moving hotels an additional time.

Ottoman-style houses in Gjirokaster's old town

How to Get to Gjirokastër from Sarandë

Head to the Sarandë bus station. There are many of these, and they are all clustered around the same area. So stroll by them the day before to confirm with the drivers which stop will have buses to Gjirokastër and at what time. This drive is a fairly short one, though it does traverse some mountains. It should take about 1 hour and set you back 500 lek (around €5).

Once at the bus station in Gjirokastër, ask the workers there what time the buses back to Sarandë later that day are. Decide which bus back you want to take. Then make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early to ensure you get a seat. (Because, remember, buses leave when full!) Beware of taxi drivers who hang out in this area and offer to take you back to Sarandë instead.

That being said about the taxi drivers, you might want to take a taxi up to Gjirokastër’s historic center if you are not comfortable walking uphill. It is not far from the bus station (about a 30 minute walk). But it is steeply uphill after just the first 5 minutes of that 30-minute walk! If you do decide to grab a cab, I suggest you leave the bus station area (which is really just a gas station) and hail a cab from the main street to avoid the hectic atmosphere.

If you do not want to deal with this hassle of getting to bus stations early to ensure a seat and everything else that comes with bus travel in Albania, consider an organized day trip to Gjirokastër from Sarandë. I saw these advertised in Sarandë, which I got to after visiting Gjirokastër. In retrospect, it’s probably what I would have done, for a reason I explain in the “Swim at the Blue Eye” bullet in the next section.

What to Do in Gjirokastër (One Day)

Castle of Gjirokastër (Kalaja e Gjirokastrës): Until the 1400s, the people of Gjirokastër were mainly living inside this castle. Now, it is home to a military museum. But it still offers the same panoramic views of Gjirokastër and is pretty fun to freely explore. Entry will set you back 400 lek (or €4).
Gjirokastër Bazaar (Pazar i Vjetër): This picture-perfect set of cobblestone streets lined with little shops and places to eat dates way back to the Ottoman times. It truly looks out of a storybook cartoon!
Xhamia e Pazarit: This 17th-century mosque is one of the oldest in Gjirokastër.
Cold War Tunnel (Muzeu i Luftës së Ftohtë): Built in the 1970s in fear of potential nuclear attacks, you can visit this tunnel through a guided tour. It costs 200 lek (around €2). I learned a lot and only had two others on the tour with me, plus the guide.
Swim at the Blue Eye: The famous Blue Eye is a very easy stop between Gjirokastër and Sarandë if you have your own set of wheels. But it’s quite inconvenient to visit on your own using the bus system. You could get there just fine by asking the driver to stop for you there. But there is no guarantee that you will get a bus back. You’ll have to wait for them to pass and try to flag one down, hoping that it has an empty seat. (I tried this elsewhere in Albania, and it failed. I gave up after two hours and let a man working at a nearby restaurant call me a cab.) Plus, you have to pay the full bus price each way, even though it’s a very short drive from Sarandë! So, if you really want to visit the Blue Eye, I suggest booking an organized tour to Gjirokastër that includes the Blue Eye as a stop on the way back to Sarandë. I saw some of these advertised in person in Sarandë, but you can also book one in advance if you prefer to have all your ducks in a row before departing for Albania.

Himarë

Sarandë may be the most visited stop on the Albanian Riviera, but Himarë seems to be the favorite one! At least… it is for those of us traveling by bus and not able to get to the best of the best!). It’s so much more laid back than Sarandë or Ksamil, but still has that gorgeously clear water and very pretty sunsets. On top of that, it has the mountains right behind it, which are so close that you can only fully appreciate them looking back at Himarë from the sea.

How to Get to Himarë from Sarandë

Head to the Sarandë bus station. Once again, confirm the day before which stop will have buses to Himarë and at what time (the options were 10:30am and 1:00pm during my visit). This is the location on Google Maps of where the stop was located during my trip. This drive is a fairly simple one, without all the mountains you’ll have passed between Tirana and Sarandë. So, luckily, it should only take 1.5 hours. It cost me 700 lek (around €7).

What to Do in Himarë (One Day)

As one might expect from a beach town, the main thing to do here is enjoy the beach! There are also plenty of eateries to choose from for lunch and dinner.

If you arrive early enough, you might also see if you can take a boat out to an excursion of your choice. There are many little companies offering similar trips, some leaving at the hour, and others leaving at the half hour. So there will be a few options to choose from.

I was originally signed up and had paid €40 to do a trip all the way up to Gjipe Beach (Plazhi i Gjipesë), one of the most famous beaches in Albania. It’s really hard to get to without your own set of wheels, especially on a trip of just two weeks in Albania. So I was really excited to have found this option! But due to sea conditions, I unfortunately couldn’t go.

So instead, I got my money back and booked a last minute boat trip to another beach that morning. We first stopped at a stunning swim spot, where we jumped in from the boat. Then, we went into a little cave. After that, the boat dropped each of us off at the beach of our choice from the options described to us at booking. I chose a beach apparently called Pigeon Beach while some others chose what seemed to be less-pretty but emptier beaches. (Don’t bother looking up Pigeon Beach on Google, because it’ll give you a different result elsewhere in the country.) This tour cost €20 or 2500 lek (around €25 euro, so it was cheaper to pay in euros), and all the beach drop off options are ones you can only get to by boat, which is nice!

For these beaches, you will have to pack your own everything – food, water, entertainment, etc. Because once you are dropped off, the boat is not coming back to get you until pick up time! For my trip, that was around 4pm.

Tirana (Again…!)

You unfortunately have to head all the way back up to Tirana now, in order to catch your flight out of Albania tomorrow. The good news is that this journey will be a bit shorter than the drive from Tirana to Sarandë, since you are already part way back north.

How to Get to Tirana from Himarë

Head to the Himarë Station (it’s just a simple bus stop, as you will have seen on your drive in). But, especially if you are the only one waiting (which you probably won’t be), be sure to wait in the correct area to flag the bus down when it makes its stop in Himarë. The day before my journey, I waited by the stop to see the bus pass and make sure I had the correct stop. That day, it stopped twice – once across Las Nubes and in front of Big Market. But on the day of my actual journey, it only stopped across Las Nubes. So, like usual when using the buses in, always keep your eyes out!

Once at the stop, wait for the bus with a Tirana sign on its dashboard. It should be a large coach bus. Remember that the passengers coming from Sarandë and heading to Tirana will already be on the bus. So try to pay your ticket and drop off your luggage as fast as possible, to ensure that you get a seat. On the day of my journey, we luckily all got seats (but just barely!). But when I was watching the day before, I saw that some people unfortunately had to stand.

This journey cost me 1200 lek (around €12) and took 5 hours, though the journey is originally quoted as 4 hours long. The bus made a pit stop around 3 hours into the drive, so you will be able to use the toilet and purchase snacks if needed.

What to Do in Tirana (One Day)

After arriving at the Tirana South and North Albania Bus Terminal, you can grab a cab into the city center. If you are able to barter a good price, you can do that. Or you can insist that the driver use the meter. If you have time, you can explore more of Tirana. And if not, you can kick your feet up, relax before your flight tomorrow, and think back on what an amazing week you just had in Albania!

How to Get Out of Tirana

Like all good things, your epic one week in Albania has sadly come to an end! You’ll need to get out of Tirana.

Option 1: Take a bus. The bus is stationed behind the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet. This costs 400 lek (about €4).
Option 2: Take a taxi. Make sure to get an official taxi, and consider having your accommodation arrange one for you, just in case. Once again, this drive takes about 25 minutes and costs 2500 lek (about €25).

Adjustments to this Albania Itinerary for One Week

Skipping Tirana and going straight to Berat on day one: If your flight gets in early enough, you can totally do this. You could then spend the rest of day one in Albania exploring Berat. This would free up an extra day in your itinerary! You can allocate the extra day as an extra night in Himarë or Sarandë/Ksamil.

Flying out of Corfu instead of Tirana: It’s a little inconvenient that Albania has only one airport you can use for your trip, isn’t it? It would be nice if you could fly into or out of Sarandë, to save some of the backtracking. But you might have noticed that there actually are flights to quite near Sarandë – in Corfu. There are ferries between Saranada and this Greek island. So you could hypothetically use that to either start or end your two week Albania itinerary. In that case, I would recommend something like: Tirana > Berat (as day trip or overnight stay) > Himarë > Sarandë (including Gjirokastër, Butrinit, and Ksamil) > Corfu. OR the exact reverse order! But remember that you will have to go through border control between Corfu and Sarandë, since Greeces is in the Schengen Zone and Albania is not.

Any Questions Planning Your One Week in Albania?

Phew, I know that was A LOT! If you’re planning your own itinerary for 7 days in Albania soon and want some personalized advice, drop a comment below with your questions. I love playing travel agent for people!