The Best of Albania: Ultimate Two Week Albania Itinerary (14 Days)

So you’ve decided to visit Albania? Excellent choice! It boasts the same beautiful coastline as its Balkan neighbors, but without any of the mass tourism (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 difficult to plan a first trip there and leave you unsure what to expect or how to get around. That’s how I felt, at least! So now, after having spent five weeks slow-traveling the country, I’m sharing what I think is the perfect two week Albania itinerary for first timers.

Now, I have to warn you. This Albania itinerary for two weeks is quite detailed. Like, how-the-hell-do-you-have-time-to-write-all-this detailed. And I did that on purpose. You can go to any old website to get a vague “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! Those buses, man…). You’d have to go look up those things after. But not with this itinerary.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is: get ready for a long article! (About a 30 minute read.) You will probably want to save this for later right now by bookmarking it, saving it on Pinterest, or texting/emailing it to yourself, just in case you don’t finish all in one go. Then, grab a cuppa, sit back, and let’s get to it!

Psssst: If you are debating a shorter trip to Albania, also check out my Albania itinerary for 7 days!

The Perfect Two Week Itinerary for Albania

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

Day	City	Overnight In
Day 1	Tirana	Tirana
Day 2	Berat	Tirana
Day 3	Travel day (to Sarandë)	Sarandë
Day 4	Ksamil & Butrint	Sarandë
Day 5	Gjirokastër & Blue Eye	Sarandë
Day 6	Himarë	Himarë
Day 7	Boat day	Himarë
Day 8	Free day in Himarë	Himarë
Day 9	Travel day (to Shkoder)	Shkoder
Day 10	Komani Lake	Valbona
Day 11	Hike Valbona Pass	Theth
Day 12	Hike to Blue Eye	Theth
Day 13	Shkoder	Shkoder
Day 14	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 ten vacation days, but you get fourteen actual days in Albania.

What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Albania?

The best time to visit Albania is probably the shoulder seasons of late May – June and September – early October. This allows you to see everything in comfortable weather, but to avoid the extreme heat and slight crowds of July and especially August. 

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

If you plan to swim, I’d personally aim for September, so that the water has had all summer to get warm. But since Albania is located quite south, the water will be nice even in May.

What is the Best Way to Travel Around Albania?

This is definitely the worst part of visiting Albania. The country’s tourist infrastructure is still developing, and it’s hard 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 two week Albania itinerary is completely car-free, relying solely on buses. Not public city buses, but buses moving between the main transport hubs of the country. 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. 

(But I do give my recommendation at the end of this post for amending this Albania itinerary to fit a car rental!)

I will warn you right now, these buses are not comfortable. The drivers often smoke inside, the aircon 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 taken. Plus, the schedules aren’t set. Even the schedules posted at the bus stop can’t be trusted.

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

But not you! I’m taking allllllll my learnings from zigzagging around the country by bus for over a month to efficiently move you around Albania in two weeks. I’ve already done the guesswork of deciding which buses you can take on the same day, which journeys are better as organized tours, and 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 some legwork, since schedules change depending on the season.

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

• The best way is to talk 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. Travelers share updates of the buses they took or what they were recently told at the station or tourist office. It helped me a lot in planning my trip.
• The final way is by reading the Google reviews comments for the bus stop. People sometimes upload a picture of the recent schedule or comment what time their bus left, and if the comment is recent, it’s helpful.

These would all be things you do just a 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 around when I was traveling around Albania, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of these routes. I can already see that at least some things aren’t fully accurate. So if you have experience with using Google’s timetables on your own Albania trip, please comment down below and let us all know how it went!

Albania travel tip: bring something to do 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 long…!

Money in Albania

Albanian Currency

Albania is in Europe. But it is not in the Eurozone (nor the Schengen area, nor the EU). This means 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.

Credit Cards in Albania

Cash is still king in Albania. You will pay for a 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 two week Albania itinerary do not have ATMs (like Theth and Valbona). Others only have a couple, 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 allow you to 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 in euros online, but pay in lek in person, the host will likely make a calculation to change the booked price in euros to lek. That rate is normally just the current rate everyone in Albanian tourism is using at that time. In my experience, it was close enough to the actual rate. But it’s just something to be aware of and double-check!

Is Albania Cheap?

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

Language in Albania

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

(Finally) The Actual Two Week Itinerary for Albania

Beforehand, I just want to let you know that you can do this itinerary in the order I have it or the reverse. Also, at the very end of this page, I have a section on how to adjust this itinerary if you need to. And if you still have questions, I’m pretty good about responding to my comment section (the final thing on this page). Ready?!

Tirana

As Albania’s capital and largest city, Tirana will likely be your entry (and exit) point to the country. Tirana is famous for its interesting architecture and 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. Albania’s main international airport is Tirana International Airport (TIA). To get to the city center from TIA, you have two options:

• Option 1: Take a bus. From the end of the parking lot at TIA, you will see buses that go to central Tirana. If you have any trouble locating them, ask airport staff to point you to them. When I took the bus, the ride cost 400 lek (about €4). One fellow passenger paid with card (I am not sure if it was debit or credit). Another fellow passenger tried to pay in euros (which I did read from one blog prior to my trip was acceptable for this airport bus ride), but euros were not accepted. The drive from TIA to central Tirana is quoted as taking 30 minutes but 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 check out the lines they have from the airport to other Albanian cities at the airport site.
• Option 2: Take a taxi. There are taxis outside the airport, which you can of course take to your accommodation. This takes about 25 minutes and costs 2500 lek (about €25).

What to Do in Tirana (Half Day)

In this Albania itinerary, I recommend seeing Tirana at the end, when you come back to Tirana to fly out of Albania. This is mostly to account for a scenario of your flight into Tirana getting in later in the day, plus any potential jetlag, giving you less than a full day here on the first day in Albania. It is also because, due to the lack of being able to reserve bus journeys in advance, it would be risky to plan to travel by bus on the same day of a flight, in case of delays with the flight or bus. So I recommend to use whatever you have of this first day in Albania to do the following:

• 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: 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.

You can check out footage of me getting my SIM, walking to the bus, the inside of the bus, and journey into central Tirana here.

If your flight instead gets in early in the day, you can get some Tirana sightseeing in on this first day. To do this, move what I have as the last day of this itinerary (day 14) to this arrival day (day 1). That would then give you an extra day to tack onto another spot of your choosing! I explain this and more itinerary adjustment options at the very end of this post.

Berat

Sitting along the Osum River and nestled into a hilltop underneath a castle, Berat will charm you. They call it the city of a thousand windows, and even just by looking at pictures, it’s easy to see why. Though you can definitely justify spending a night or even 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

Head 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 out than the other bus terminal, which is for buses in and out of the country. A taxi ride from central Tirana to this bus station cost me 700 lek (around €7), though the first driver I approached quoted me much more.

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. Let them know you are going to Berat, and they will point you to the next bus. The buses also have the final destination’s name on a sign on their dashboard. If your bus is already there and waiting, they 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 total of 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).

Once 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 buses will leave once they fill up if they fill up early. The Berat bus terminal has toilets and even hot food. So I recommend that you show up early, pay for your seat on your return bus, load your luggage, and then just relax inside the bus terminal while you wait.

From this parking lot of the Berat Terminal (Terminali i Autobusave), catch the next bus into central Berat. This will be a proper city public bus. Everyone who just got off the minivan bus with you from Tirana will likely also use this to get into central Berat, so you can just follow the crowd and do as they do. 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 Vlorë. 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 worst drive of my entire time 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 versus 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.

What to Do in Berat (One Day)

• Sarajet e Vrionasve: Now a museum of Berat’s history and culture, this was once a mansion. You’ll pass by it between where the city bus drops you off and the castle, which is stop numero dos on your self-guided tour of Berat.
• 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, so that made it easy to make sure you didn’t miss things while not having to think much about where you were going. 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 enjoy that typical postcard view of Berat’s thousand windows.
• Gorica Bridge (Ura e Goricës): Another Ottoman bridge offering nice views of Berat and its surroundings.

Sarandë

Chances are that images of Albania’s coastline are what initially put the country on your travel radar, and 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. Due to 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, tell the workers that you need a bus to Sarandë. They will get you on a bus to Sarandë. This drive from Tirana to Sarandë should take 5 – 7.5 hours, depending on how early you depart 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 hugs the sea and offers views of Greece’s Corfu just across the way. It’s lined with palm trees, eateries, and small shops. I loved walking along it around and just after sunset!
• Sunset from Lëkurësit Castle: Called Kalaja e Lëkurësit in Albanian, 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). 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. The final option is to walk, but it will be quite the workout, especially after that long bus journey from Sarandë.

Ksamil (and Butrint)

Located just south of Sarandë is Ksamil, and just south of that, Butrint. Ksamil is the most beloved part of the Sarandë area due to its beaches that are clearer, sandier, and full of lusher greenery than Sarandë’s. Butrinti is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It boasts ruins that date as far back and the 7th century BC! Ruins include those from Greece, Rome, the Byzantines, and the Venetians. It 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!). Together, these two spots 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” (check out the exact spot here). There are a couple stops for this bus line within Sarandë. So I highly recommend getting on at the exact stop I have linked above. This is so that you can secure a seat before the bus 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 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 snap a pic of the schedule. They have it taped in a couple of the windows. This should theoretically give you the most up-to-date schedule for the return buses. But I found that this was more of an intended schedule rather than reality. Instead, the buses just seemed to simply loop between Sarandë and Butrint all day.

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 go in. The ride from Sarandë to Butrint took 1.3 hours. Entry into the park was 1000 lek (around €10).

After exploring the park for a few hours, go back to the parking lot. Here, 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 various stops within Ksamil. So you can choose whichever one piques your interest 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 for which stop is closest to it.

After you’ve had your fun in the sun, 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. Like I said above, 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

Famous for its iconic castle and its storybook-like Ottoman old town, Gjirokastër is a must while in southern Albania. I spent four nights in Gjirokastër. And while it’s deserving of more time if you have it, I have to admit that you can see the main tourist sites in a single afternoon. So, I recommend visiting as a day trip from Sarandë. This not only saves yourself the hassle of moving hotels an additional time, but it saves you from having to deal with the bus system an additional time, too.

How to Get to Gjirokastër from Sarandë

There are two options for how to do this without a car. The first is to use the buses, which I will describe next.

Head to the Sarandë bus station. There are several, all clustered around the same area. So stroll by 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 to Sarandë that day are. Decide which you want to take, and make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early to ensure you get a seat. Beware of taxi drivers who hang out in this area and tell you they can take you instead.

That being said about the taxi drivers, you may 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 very uphill after the first 5 minutes! 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.

The second option for how to visit Gjirokastër from Sarandë is to use an organized day trip.

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.

The nice thing about these is that they can include a stop at the Blue Eye, which is otherwise quite inconvenient to visit without your own car. So if you want to fit the Blue Eye into your two week Albania itinerary, I recommend choosing the organized tour group option.

What to Do in Gjirokastër (One Day)

• Castle of Gjirokastër (Kalaja e Gjirokastrës): Until the 15th century, the people of Gjirokastër were mainly living inside this castle. Now, it houses a military museum. But it still offers the same panoramic views of Gjirokastër and is quite 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 eateries dates way back to the Ottoman times. It truly looks out of a Disney cartoon!
• Xhamia e Pazarit: This 17th century mosque is one of the oldest in Gjirokastër.
• Cold War Tunnel (Muzeu i Luftës së Ftohtë): Constructed in the 1970s in fear of potential nuclear attacks, this tunnel can be visited through a guided tour. It’ll set you back 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 again suggest booking a tour to Gjirokastër that includes this 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 stop (at least for those of us traveling by bus and not able to get to the best of the best!). It’s so much more quaint than Sarandë or Ksamil, but still boasts gorgeously clear waters and 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 for the stop 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 (Three Days)

Day One

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. I recommend making a stop at the dock at some point today (preferably not too late) to check out the boat tours available for the next day.

Day Two

Take one of the earliest boats out to an excursion of your choice. My boat left at 9am, and I know there was another leaving at 10am. But 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. Since I was on one of the first boats out, we had the beaches pretty much to ourselves for quite a bit of time! As you can imagine, things slowly get more and more crowded as the day progresses.

Like I said above, I recommend stopping by the day before, after checking into your hotel and maybe grabbing a bite to eat. That way, you can be sure to book the boat trip you prefer, rather than just whatever is left on the morning of.

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 Pidgeon 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.

Day Three

This is just an extra day on the coast! If you prefer, you can remove this day from Himarë and add it onto Sarandë, so that you can have an extra day there or in Ksamil. But I found Himarë to be my favorite out of the three (due to crowds). So that’s why I’ve placed this empty coastal day here in this two week Albania itinerary.

You can do another boat trip up north, you can rent kayaks and head to a secluded cove south of Himarë, you can take a cab to a quieter beach town (like Queparo), or you can just lay out on the (pebbly) beach in between taking dips into the sea. You really can’t go wrong!

Valbona

This small village is the start or end point to the popular Valbona Pass Hike, which runs between Valbona and another village, called Theth. In order to do this hike as a one way hike, you will need to carry everything you need with you for the next couple days in your backpack during the hike. This requires you to drop off the bulk of your luggage in Shkoder, the jumping off point to get to and from both Valbona and Theth.

The other option would be to just visit one village, hike the trail up to the pass, and then hike right back down to the same village.

This is what I decided to do, due to not loving the housing options left for me in Valbona at the time I was booking and also being a little unsure of how to fit all my valuables plus what I would actually need in the medium-sized backpack I had.

So, I did not visit Valbona, and I only based myself in Theth. This is what I would recommend for those who do not want to do the full Valbona Pass hike, because Theth is the more picturesque village and it allows you to do two popular hikes. Being based in Valbona allows you to pass through Komani Lake on the way there. But it is not actually necessary to visit Valbona in order to see the lake. You can simply visit it on a round trip day trip from Shkoder, if you really want to see it.

Even though I fully based myself in Theth, I did do all the research on how to get to Valbona, because it was my original intention to hike the trail as a one way hike and not an out and back. And if I had planned my trip enough in advance to find good accommodation in Valbona and bring a backpack large enough to fit all the things I would need to carry with me on the hike, it is definitely what I would have done. So that is what I am going to recommend and walk you through in this itinerary.

Related Reading: How to Travel Carry-On Only

How to Get to Valbona from Himarë

This is going to be a two-part (and two-day!) journey. The first part is getting to Shkoder from Himarë. Then you still stay the night in Shkoder. The second part is getting to Valbona from Shkoder, which you will do the very next morning.

Part 1: How to Get to Shkoder 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), make sure to be in the correct area to flag the bus down as 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 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. All the passengers coming from Sarandë will already be on, so try to pay your ticket and drop off your luggage as fast as possible, to ensure 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. 

Then, ride this bus to Tirana. 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. 

After arriving at the Tirana South and North Albania Bus Terminal, ask the workers to help direct you to the next bus to Shkoder*. These buses are less frequent than what is advertised on the sign at the station (which says they leave every 30 minutes), but they are still quite frequent (leaving every hour, in summer at least). The journey between Tirana and Shkoder should take around 2 hours. This will set you back 300 lek (around €3).

*If you prefer to break this journey up, you can do this the next morning instead. But by doing the journey all in one day, you save moving hotels an additional time. I also recommend combining the journeys because you have to get picked up first thing in the morning to get to Valbona (and the same is true of getting to Theth, in case you edit this itinerary to go there). So if you arrive in Shkoder the next day, you will have to stay there all day, allowing you to fit less into your 14 days in Albania.

Part 2: How to Get to Valbona from Shkoder

The very next morning after arriving in Shkoder, you will get picked up from your accommodation to head to Komani Lake. Then, you will take the boat across the lake. Once across the lake, you will be driven to and dropped off at your accommodation in Valbona.

I recommend arranging this journey in advance with your accommodation in Shkoder. They are used to arranging and accepting payment for pickups from Shkoder hotels to Valbona and Theth. Be sure to book a hotel that allows you to leave your luggage with them until you return from Theth in a few days. Most provide this for a per-day fee.

You can also book this journey yourself with a tour provider. This gives you a bit more work but also a bit more say in your schedule.

Important Note!!!

There are absolutely zero ATMs in Valbona and in Theth. So before leaving Shkoder, be sure to withdraw all cash that you will need for transport to Valbona, accommodation in Valbona, accommodation in Theth, meals in both places, snacks in Theth, and transport back to Shkoder from Theth. And then a bit extra, just in case!

What to Do in Valbona (One Day)

From Valbona, you will start the hike to Theth via the Valbona Pass. Breakfast should be included in your accommodation booking. If it is a hot day, try to have breakfast and leave as early as possible to avoid the midday heat.

There are places along the trail where you can purchase meals. But I recommend bringing enough snacks and water.

Once you arrive in Theth, check into your accommodation. You can freshen up with a well deserved shower before heading out for a meal and snapping pics of the pretty church you see in everyone’s Theth pics. If you haven’t already, have your accommodation set up your transportation from Theth to Shkoder for the morning after tomorrow.

Theth

This picturesque little town nestled in between mountains is probably what you have seen pictures of when researching Albania. There are a few hikes you can do from here, but after yesterday’s hike from Valbona over the pass, you’ll probably only have energy for one more. But don’t worry, it’s a lot easier than the Valbona Pass hike!

What to Do in Theth (One Day)

Today, you will hike to the Blue Eye. (Yes, there is one near Sarandë and there is one near Theth.) You can ask your guest house hosts to point you in the right direction, but it will be pretty clear where to go once on the route. And, especially in high season, others will be going that way too! There are a few spots to grab food along the route, so you don’t need to stress if you don’t have a packed lunch.

Once you get back to your guesthouse after your hike, confirm your transportation for tomorrow morning.

Shkoder

Although it’s mostly just a jumping off point for Theth and Valbona, I actually quite liked Shkoder! It is one of Albania’s oldest cities, is home to a pretty cool castle, and just generally has a nice, relaxed yet lively vibe. Which is why I recommend giving it about half a day, since you have to pass through anyways! 

How to Get to Shkoder from Theth

After having breakfast, the minivan you booked through your accommodation will pick you up and take you to Shkoder. Mine did not drop us off individually, but rather near the roundabout near all the bus stops. 

What to Do in Shkoder (One Day)

Once in Shkoder, check into (or drop your bags off at) your hotel. Then, head out and explore the city a bit.

• Shkoder Fortress (Кalaja e Shkodrёs): This fortress dating back to the 4th century BC is one of the largest in Albania and offers views all around, especially of Shkodra Lake. Entry costs 400 lek (around €4).
• Kole Idromeno Street: I loved the vibes on this lively, eatery-trodden street as well as some of the ones surrounding it. And I enjoyed eating dinner on the upper outdoor level of Bar Restaurant San Francisco, from which I could watch the sun set behind the nearby Ebu Bekr mosque.

Tirana

After a whirlwind 13 days, you are back in Tirana, where your trip all started. With all the context you have now gained of the country, from its Ottoman history and architecture, to its mountains and their villages, to its bustling coastline, you’ll be able to understand Tirana and its museums much more. 

How to Get to Tirana from Shkoder

Head to the street with all the bus stops (the same one you got dropped off at when coming from Tirana). Locate your bus to Tirana and take the 2 hour journey back to the nation’s capital. This will again set you back 300 lek (around €3). The day before you leave Shkoder, you can enquire about the schedule at the tourist center. It was located here during my visit.

What to Do in Tirana (One Day)

Tirana’s main attractions are all located quite compactly, so you shouldn’t have any trouble putting together your own game plan for what order to visit them. Decide which ones feel worth visiting to you and which ones you might forgo in order to use that time to instead simply roam around this colorful capital city.

• 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 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 attacks 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!! And it’s conveniently located right by all Tirana’s attractions, so I felt it worth mentioning.

How to Get Out of Tirana

Like all good things, your epic two weeks in Albania have 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 Two Weeks

• Extra day in Sarandë or Ksamil instead of Himarë: You can move the free day I have for Himarë and put it towards another night in Saranada or Ksamil, if that interests you more. I just personally wasn’t as in love with what I could see in Ksamil without a car rental, so I preferred Himarë.
• Flying out of (or into) Corfu instead of Tirana: It’s a little inconvenient that Albania has only one airport you can use for your trip. 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 (including Berat day trip) > Shkoder > Valbona > Theth > Shkoder > Himarë > Sarandë (including Gjirokastër, Butrinit, and Ksamil day trips) > Corfu. OR the exact reverse order! But keep in mind that you will have to go through border control between Corfu and Sarandë.
• Skip sightseeing in Shkoder: If Shkoder doesn’t really tickle your fancy, you can just hop right on the next bus to Tirana once you get to Shkoder from Theth. That frees up one more day to add elsewhere into this two week Albania itinerary.
• Skip sightseeing in Tirana: If your flight out of Tirana is late, and you don’t care to see Tirana, you can save another day there, too. You would then just travel from Shkoder to Tirana on the 15th day (the day of your flight) rather than how I have it on the 14th day (the final night in Albania).
• Sightsee after an early flight into Tirana on day 1: If your flight into Tirana gets in early on day 1, you can move my day 14 of this itinerary to be day 1. That would then free up day 14 as an extra day to put wherever you’d like.
• Changing this two week Albania itinerary to fit a car rental: Having your own set of wheels is going to allow you to move through Albania a looooot more efficiently than relying on the bus system like I did. I obviously can’t speak from experience of having rented a car. So I am just speaking to what I would have been able to do in a lot less time than what it took me!

Day	Activity	Overnight In
Day 1	Arrive in Tirana	Tirana
Day 2	Drive to Berat. Explore Berat.	Berat
Day 3	Drive to Gjirokastër. Explore Gjirokastër.	Gjirokastër
Day 4	Drive to Sarandë, stopping at the Blue Eye on the way. Later, drive to Sarandë Castle in time for sunset.	Sarandë (or Ksamil)
Day 5	Drive to Butrint. Explore Butrinit. Then drive to Ksamil. Enjoy the beach(es).	Ksamil
Day 6	Enjoy the beach(es).	Ksamil
Day 7	Drive to Himarë, potentially stopping in Qeparo on the way.	Himarë
Day 8	Drive to preferred nearby beaches, rent a kayak to explore coves, and/or join a boat tour.	Somewhere further north than Himarë.
Day 9	Drive to preferred nearby beaches, rent a kayak to explore coves, and/or join a boat tour.	Somewhere further north than the previous stay.
Day 10	Drive to Shkoder. Explore Shkoder.	Shkoder
Day 11	Travel to Valbona via Lake Komani.	Valbona
Day 12	Hike the Valbona pass to Theth.	Theth
Day 13	Hike to the Blue Eye.	Theth
Day 14	Travel to Shkoder. Drive to TIrana. Explore Tirana.	Tirana

Any Questions on These 2 Weeks in Albania?

I know that was A LOT! If you’re planning your own itinerary for 14 days in Albania soon and want some personalized advice, drop a comment below with your questions. I love playing travel agent for people!

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