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Are you planning a trip to Albania? From the beaches of Ksamil to mountains of Theth, these are the top places to visit in Albania!
I’ve been to Albania twice now, and I really think it’s one of the most up-and-coming countries in Europe. It’s being billed as one of those “visit now before it changes” places. I first came here 12 years ago, and I can tell you it has changed a lot in that time. It used to be this raw, rugged place that hardly anyone visited. Well, now it is much more catered towards tourists, but that raw beauty is still very much there wherever you look.
On my first trip, I made it as far north as Shkoder. This time around, Chloe and I came back with our two little ones for an epic road trip through the south. We skirted the coast from Vlore to Ksamil, stopping off at beach towns along the way, before heading inland to the mountains around Permet.
If you’re umming and ahhing about Albania and whether it’s right for you, it is. It’s like Greece, but at a fraction of the cost, and the scenery is absolutely stunning.
Between those two trips, I’ve covered most of the best places to visit in Albania. That’s why I wanted to put this guide together, to shine the spotlight on a country I think everyone should be visiting right now. There are still a couple of places I’m desperate to explore, Theth and Valbona in the Albanian Alps, so I’ve included those too. Hopefully it helps you plan your trip here, because Albania is such a beautiful place to visit!
Getting around Albania
I’ll be writing a separate article all about getting around Albania, but here’s the short version: hiring a car is the best way to do a road trip like this. It gives you the freedom to stop wherever you like, and you can reach places like the Blue Eye and Benja Thermal Springs without relying on tours. I hired a car with Discover Cars, and they were brilliant as usual. It only cost £55 for 8 days car hire. I told you Albania was cheap!
Now, I was warned A LOT about the driving in Albania. It was almost the first thing people talked to me about. Honestly, I found the driving okay. There were only a couple of occasions where we came across some crazy Albanian drivers, but if you keep out of their way, it’s fine.
As you’d expect, some of the mountain roads are super winding, but I just took everything slowly. It was only driving on the motorways around Tirana that I didn’t really like.
Map of Albania
To help you plan your trip, I’ve put together this interactive map with all of the places to visit in Albania featured in this guide. Every spot is pinned, from the beaches of the Albanian Riviera to the mountains of Theth and Valbona, so you can see exactly how it all fits together and plan a route that works for you.
Vlore
I think Vlore is the perfect place to start an Albanian road trip. It’s where Albania declared its independence in 1912, and it makes a great base for exploring the northern end of the Albanian Riviera.
The Lungomare is the main stretch of coast in town, and it’s lined with bars, cafes and restaurants. If you’re looking for some beach time or a place to relax, then this is it. There are loads of beach clubs to choose from too. We had cocktails at Ammos Lounge, and the views were gorgeous. I could’ve easily spent the whole day there.
The Old Town of Vlore is surprisingly small, but it’s still well worth seeing. Wander along Justin Godart Street, a restored, traffic-free stretch lined with cafes and gift shops, then head to the Independence Monument in Flag Square. Just around the corner are the remains of the ancient city of Aulon, dating back to the 5th or 6th century BC.
Just outside the city is St Mary’s Monastery on picturesque Zvërnec Island, dating back to between the 11th and 14th centuries. There’s a charming wooden walkway over to the monastery, which our boy loved. Keep your eyes peeled for flamingos in the lagoon too.
Dhermi
Dhermi was our first stop on the drive down the Albanian Riviera from Vlore. It’s a cute beachside town that sits just south of the Llogara Pass, where the road winds down from the mountains to the sea. It’s very small, but it was lovely stopping here for a coffee.
What makes Dhermi special is that it’s really two places in one. Down by the sea is a long white pebble beach with crystal-clear water, lined with beach clubs that come alive in summer with music festivals and parties. Up on the hillside is the old village, with narrow stone paths, traditional stone houses and old Orthodox churches. It feels a world away from the beach scene below.
If you’ve got more time, Gjipe Beach is close by too. It’s a hidden cove tucked between the cliffs of Gjipe Canyon, and you’ll need to hike down to reach it, which is all part of the adventure.
Himare
Now this place was everything I’d expect of the Albanian Riviera. Beautiful bright blue waters, waves gently lapping on the rocky beach, and people lazing in cafes watching the world go by. It’s the Albania I remembered from 12 years ago, and it hadn’t changed.
Himare is a laid-back beach town, and it’s the perfect place to slow down for a few days. We stopped here for lunch at Enigma Restaurant on the promenade and had a big feast of yoghurt dip, baked cheese and grilled vegetables. Everything was great.
Perched on the hill above the town is Himare Castle and the old town, where you can wander past stone houses and old Byzantine churches to some incredible views of the coastline. Just south of Himare is Porto Palermo Castle too, a triangular fortress built by Ali Pasha in the early 1800s on its own little peninsula. Both are well worth adding to your list.
Saranda
Saranda is the biggest town on the Albanian Riviera, and we based ourselves here for a few nights. It also makes a brilliant base for exploring the south, with Ksamil, Butrint and the Blue Eye all within easy reach.
The heart of Saranda is the promenade. We’d head down there in the evenings for ice cream and cocktails. You can’t beat a sunset cocktail after a long day exploring, can you? Cocktails for us, ice cream for the kids. Perfect. And if you’re after pizza, Marea Restaurant was as good as anything you’d get in Italy.
For the best view in town, head up to Lekursi Castle for sunset. It was built in 1537 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and from the old towers you can look down over Saranda’s bay to the Ksamil islands and across the water to Corfu. This is one of those Instagram spots that’s actually well worth the hype.
A boat trip along the coast is the most popular thing to do in Saranda. The coastline is packed with hidden beaches and sea caves that you can only really reach by water.
Ksamil
Ksamil has been branded by the Albanians as the “Maldives of Europe”. With little islands and pristine white sandy beaches, it’s easy to see why. Saying that, it’s nothing like the Maldives, because all of the beaches are man-made! It’s very much a tourist gimmick, but it’s still one of the best beach spots in Albania.
Ksamil is a beach town that’s really up and coming, and everyone seems to be talking about it at the moment. It’s a mix of bougie beach clubs and lazy bars. It’s a bit like Tulum, with Instagrammable sculptures and hammocks floating above the water.
Now there’s a massive caveat here. We visited Ksamil out of season, so everything was basically shut. Luckily, one place was open, Bar Restaurant Tre Ishujt. We had a really delicious lunch there and then spent the afternoon on the beach playing in the sand.
I can imagine Ksamil is absolutely packed during high season. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular, and it’s only a 10-minute drive from Butrint, so you can easily combine the two in a day.
Butrint National Park
This was probably my favourite place on our latest trip. Just to the south of Saranda and near the Greek border is Butrint National Park. Butrint (or Buthrotum) was an ancient Greek, then Roman, city that was very prominent between the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD. In 1992, it became Albania’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was made a national park in 2000.
This is the type of place you have to explore slowly. The ruins are spread out among the trees beside Lake Butrint, a salt lagoon, so it’s a lovely place to explore on foot. Highlights include the ancient theatre, the Roman baths, the Great Basilica and the baptistery. Our son loved the theatre and climbing up all the steps.
I’d recommend finishing at the Venetian castle on the hill, which houses a small museum and has great views back over the site. The museum is mind-blowing. It’s very hard to believe that the statues are over 2,000 years old, as they’re so well preserved. This was my second visit to Butrint, and I loved it even more this time around. You can read all about it in my guide to Butrint National Park.
The Blue Eye
This is a place that everyone raves about. The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) is one of Albania’s most famous natural sights. It’s a karst spring where water bubbles up from deep underground, creating a vivid pool of blue surrounded by green. Around 6,000 litres of water gush out every second, and it stays at a chilly 10°C all year round. It’s definitely one of the prettiest places I’ve visited in Albania.
The Blue Eye is around 30 minutes inland from Saranda on the old SH99 road towards Muzinë, so it’s an easy stop if you’re heading on to Gjirokaster. From the car park, it’s around a 2km walk to the spring. Alternatively, there’s a little train for 600 lek return, which the kids absolutely loved. Entry is 50 lek per person, and parking is an extra 300 lek per car.
Just note that swimming isn’t allowed, as it’s a protected area. I’ve seen plenty of videos saying you can swim in the Blue Eye, but you can’t anymore, so please don’t try.
Gjirokaster
Known as the City of Stone, Gjirokaster is one of the most unique towns in Albania. The old town is made up of Ottoman-era stone houses with grey slate roofs, stacked up the hillside beneath a huge castle. It’s so well preserved that it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I’ve been to Gjirokaster before, and it’s awesome. The best thing to do here is just wander through the Old Bazaar, with its steep cobbled lanes lined with souvenir shops and traditional cafes. Beware: some of the streets are very steep! You can then make your way up to Gjirokaster Castle for sweeping views over the Drino Valley. Inside the castle, you’ll even find an American Air Force jet from the Cold War era. This was probably my favourite spot in Gjirokaster.
Beneath the castle is the Cold War Tunnel, a huge underground bunker built in the 1960s under the communist dictator Enver Hoxha, who was born in the town. It’s a fascinating and slightly eerie insight into Albania’s recent past.
Gjirokaster is around an hour’s drive from Saranda, so it makes a great day trip or an overnight stop on the way inland. We skipped it on our latest road trip in favour of Permet, but if you’ve never been, it’s a must.
Permet
Places like Berat and Gjirokaster are already really popular, so on our latest trip we wanted somewhere off the beaten track. That’s why we added Permet to our road trip. This is an authentic town tucked away in a valley on the banks of the Vjosa, often called Europe’s last wild river, and the surrounding scenery is absolutely stunning. I really liked Permet, and it’s so different to the Albanian Riviera.
Its most famous landmark is Guri i Qytetit, or the City Stone, a huge 42-metre rock right by the river. I climbed the 160 or so steps to the summit for some brilliant views over the Vjosa valley.
The top attraction nearby is Benja Thermal Springs. These are natural hot springs beside an old Ottoman bridge at the mouth of Lengarica Canyon. They’re more like warm springs at around 28°C, but you can’t find a more beautiful place for hot springs. Walk past the bridge into the canyon too, as it’s well worth exploring.
Berat
Berat is known as the City of a Thousand Windows, and once you see it, you’ll understand why. Rows of white Ottoman houses are stacked on top of each other up the hillside, their windows all gazing down over the Osum River. Along with Gjirokaster, it’s one of Albania’s UNESCO-listed historic towns.
The most famous part is the Mangalem quarter, which sits beneath the castle. Across the river is the quieter Gorica quarter, connected by the old Gorica Bridge. Head over there in the evening for the best view of Mangalem lit up at night.
Above it all is Berat Castle, and what makes it so unique is that people still live inside its walls. Make sure you visit the Onufri Museum, housed in an old church inside the castle, with beautiful icons by the 16th-century painter Onufri.
I’ve been to Berat before, and it’s such a lovely place to visit. It’s around a two-hour drive from Tirana, so it’s easy to fit in at the start or end of a trip. If you’ve got time, the Osumi Canyon and the local wineries nearby are well worth exploring too.
Tirana
Tirana is where most trips to Albania start, including ours. The capital is a colourful, fast-changing city where communist history sits right next to a buzzing cafe scene, and it’s well worth spending a day or two here before you hit the road.
Start at Skanderbeg Square, the huge main square named after Albania’s national hero. Most of the main sights are within walking distance from here, including the Pyramid of Tirana, a communist-era monument that’s been given a new lease of life, and you can now climb it for views over the city.
To understand Albania’s recent past, head to Bunk’Art. These are vast Cold War bunkers that have been turned into museums. Bunk’Art 2 is right in the centre and focuses on the secret police, while Bunk’Art 1 is a five-storey nuclear shelter on the edge of the city.
In the evening, head to Blloku. This was once a district reserved for the communist elite, and now it’s packed with bars, restaurants and cafes. I will say this now – Tirana is a great night out. The Albanias really know how to party!
Shkoder
On my first trip to Albania, Shkoder was as far north as I made it. It’s the cultural capital of the north, sitting on the shores of the vast Lake Shkoder, which stretches across the border into Montenegro.
The top sight here is Rozafa Castle, perched on a rocky hill above the city where the Buna and Drin rivers meet. Head up for sunset and you’ll get views across the lake towards Montenegro. Back in town, Kolë Idromeno Street is a lovely pedestrian street for an evening stroll. Just outside the city is Mesi Bridge, one of the best-preserved Ottoman bridges in Albania, and lots of people hire bikes to cycle out there.
Shkoder is also the gateway to the Albanian Alps. From here, you can head up to Theth on the newly paved mountain road, or take the Komani Lake ferry towards Valbona. It’s been 12 years since I was last here, so I can’t wait to come back and use it as a base for exploring the mountains.
Valbona
Now this is one of the places I’m desperate to visit. On our latest trip, I really wanted to explore the Albanian Alps. But as Chloe pointed out, with two little ones, hiking wasn’t exactly on the cards. So for now, Valbona is very much at the top of my list.
Valbona Valley National Park sits in the far north of Albania. It’s a wide glacial valley surrounded by limestone peaks over 2,500 metres high, and it’s remote, wild and seriously adventurous, which is exactly why it appeals to me so much.
Half the fun is getting there. Most people travel from Shkoder and take the Komani Lake ferry through a dramatic flooded gorge, often compared to the fjords of Norway, before a short transfer into the valley.
Valbona is also the starting point for the classic Valbona to Theth hike. This is roughly 17km over the Valbona Pass at around 1,800 metres, and it takes most people six to eight hours. The trail is only really open from June to October, so plan your trip around that.
Theth
Theth is the other place in the Albanian Alps I’m itching to explore. It’s a remote mountain village in the heart of Theth National Park, surrounded by jagged peaks, and every photo I’ve seen of it looks incredible.
The good news is that Theth is much easier to reach than it used to be. The road from Shkoder has now been paved, so you no longer need a 4×4 to get there, although heavy snow can still close it in winter.
There’s loads to do once you’re there. The most famous hike is to the Blue Eye of Theth (not to be confused with the one near Saranda), a deep turquoise pool fed by a small waterfall. There’s also the 25-metre Grunas Waterfall, an easy walk from the village. Make sure you see the iconic little stone church, built in 1892, and the Lock-in Tower, where men once sought refuge during blood feuds.
Theth is also the other end of the Valbona to Theth hike, so you can tick off both places in one big adventure. Hopefully next time, that’ll be me!
My experience of Albania
Albania really is one of the most exciting countries to visit in Europe right now. Between the beaches of the Riviera, the ancient ruins of Butrint and the mountains of the north, there’s something for everyone. Book the trip, and you won’t regret it!
I’m expecting tourism in Albania to explode over the next few years, so get in there now before they jack the prices up. I have a feeling Albanian will go the same way as Croatia, and it will be more aimed at affordable luxury, so much more expensive than it is. You heard it here first! Either way, I hope you have the best time exploring Albania – it really is a special country.
Are you planning a trip to Albania? Which of these places would you like to visit first? Let me know in the comments below!
If you’re planning a trip, make sure you check out my Albania road trip itinerary, where I go through our 8-day route through the south day by day, and my guide to Butrint National Park for everything you need to know before you visit.
