Albania is an undiscovered wonder. Filled with natural beauty, wonderful people and incredible prices, Albania will soon be on the top of ‘must see’ destinations. We had five amazing days in Albania. It was very busy as we spent a lot of time hopping from one place to another, trying to see it as much as possible, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. While we obviously couldn’t visit everywhere, our Albania travel itinerary includes some of the best sights and things to do in Albania.
We visited Albania in summer and it was scorching hot. I think Europe as a whole was having a terrible heatwave in July. That said, we had a fantastic time! It was so nice to have Lucas travelling with us again as he was still in university during March break.
We travelled to Albania by road after having visited Montenegro but our Albania travel itinerary can also be used if flying into Tirana. If flying directly to Tirana, we recommend staying in the capital city for your first night. One of the top sights in Albania is the Bunk’art museum in Tirana so if you have time, we highly suggest you visit the museum the next morning before heading to Kruje. Travel from Tirana to Kruje is only an hour and can easily be done by bus, taxi or private transfer.
Summary of the Places We Visited with our Albania Travel Itinerary
Day 1: Kruje
Day 2: Berat
Day 3: Apollonia, Zvernec and Himare
Day 4: Sarande
Day 5: Gjirokaster and Sarande
Our Albania Travel Itinerary
Day 1: Kruje
Our Albania travel itinerary starts at the north of Albania in the incredible medieval town of Kruje.
If travelling from Montenegro to Albania as we did, the roads from Budva to Kruje are very good. As with our other excursions in Montenegro, we booked Milos at M Tours for our transfer from Montenegro to Albania.
The border between Montenegro and Albania can get backed up but we didn’t have any problems or delays. If you have more time, consider stopping in Shkoder as you’ll pass it shortly after the international border crossing. I’ve read that they have an amazing souk (traditional market). We didn’t stop as our stay in Kruje would be a short half day and we wanted to take advantage of the time we had.
Whether travelling from Montenegro or Albania’s capital city, Tirana, plan to arrive in Kruje by early afternoon.
We arrived around 1pm, said goodbye to our driver, Milos, and checked in the Panorama Hotel. We then enjoyed lunch at Deal restaurant, a wonderful little café near the bazaar that has a balcony with an amazing view of Kruje castle.
After lunch, we wandered the main road, visiting the shops of the bazaar along the way, en route to Kruje Castle. The bazaar is over 450 years old and is one of, if not the, best bazaar in Albania.
At the end of the bazaar, follow the uphill walk to Kruje Castle. During the Ottoman Empire, the Kruje Castle was undefeated for over 35 years thanks to Albania’s most well known hero, Gjergi Kastriot Skanderbeg. He defended the walls of Kruje castle until his death and a museum in his honour sits in the midst of the castle grounds. The Skanderbeg Museum gives great insight into Albania’s tumultuous history and the heroic actions of Skanderbeg himself.
While exploring the remaining areas of the castle grounds be sure to visit the old clock tower. It was handcrafted by the artisans of the old bazaar of Kruje and is the same one that rang to announce the death of Skanderbeg in 1468.
You’ll also be able to explore a former church and the ethnographic museum. The ethnographic museum was unfortunately closed for renovations during our visit but if you get a chance, make sure to visit. The 300-year-old home would have been amazing to explore.
Consider booking your dinner in Kruje in advance. We really enjoyed our meal at Restorant Bardhi Agroturizem, a family operated inn and restaurant on the castle grounds. The majority of their ingredients are grown and raised on their own farm. While they have a great menu, we went with their recommendation of the tasting menu, including many of their specialties. The meal was delicious and the view was amazing.
Kruje castle grounds at night
If you'd like, you can stay at an inn on the castle grounds but we opted to stay at Panorama Hotel and really liked it. It was within walking distance to everything and had amazing views of the castle, day and night.
View from our hotel on arrival. Amazing!
Our view at night after our visit to the castle grounds
Gorgeous rooftop patio with a bar located next to the pool
The boys loved tossing the ball around in the rooftop pool
Day 2: Kruje Bazaar and Berat
Staying overnight in Kruje means that you can enjoy a full morning exploring the bazaar area before tourists arrive on day trips from Tirana. After breakfast, Sydney and I returned to the bazaar to enjoy it in the morning sun. The shopkeepers were chatty as they were placing their goods outside the shops. Our favourite shop was run by the granddaughter of a local artisan who made traditional costumes. During our morning we bought a small rug for Sydney’s bedroom and a dainty silver filagree bracelet for each of us.
Plan to leave Kruje for Berat in late morning. It will allow you time in the Kruje bazaar and will have you settle into your accommodation in Berat by lunch time.
The trip from Kruje to Berat is only two hours by car. We booked a private driver with Visit Albania Tour Operator (VATO). Their price for the one way trip was very reasonable. Since they’re based in Berat, we also booked a walking tour with them for the afternoon.
Be forewarned, Berat is on a hill and GoogleMaps is hit or miss. You will absolutely get lost but that’s half the fun … unless you have all your luggage with you! We stayed at Hani I Xheblatit, a small but wonderful boutique hotel. This was the absolute best accommodation we had in Albania and we highly recommend it. We booked two rooms for our family and each room had a wonderful fruit platter and chilled water on arrival.
The view from our room
Overlooking the entrance
Our included breakfast the next day was set on their balcony with a beautiful view of the other side of Berat. The set meal was incredible with at least 8 different dishes for our family.
Their incredible breakfast location
An amazing tasty array of food!
Back to day two of our Albania travel itinerary. After finally finding our unique little hotel and having lunch we met up with our private Berat city walking guide a few streets away. We spent the next four hours exploring everything this wonderful medieval town has to offer: the picturesque mosques, the incredible castle area and of course, the amazing town itself … it isn’t hard to understand why Berat is known as the town of a thousand windows. At only 50 euros for the family, this walking tour should absolutely make it on your Albania travel itinerary.
Inside King's Mosque (Sultan's Mosque)
Exploring the Castle Grounds
Church of St. Nicholas
Church of the Holy Trinity
Overlooking Berat from viewpoint on castle grounds
Don't miss our upcoming post on our visit to Berat Castle.
Day 3: Berat to the Albanian Riviera
Figuring it was time for a bit of a beach break to enjoy the Albanian Riviera we decided to spend some time near the beach. After much research, we decided that Himare was the best place. It wasn’t overly busy and had several beautiful beaches and a nice old town. We don’t regret it for a minute.
The route from Berat to the Albanian Riviera is not for the faint of heart. The roads are fairly good but once you reach the Llogora Pass, they are twisty, and many people don’t actually adhere to the rules of the road. While we could have rented a car and driven all of our other routes so far, I’m so glad we had a driver for this route. We booked a driver with Leka Tours. They were wonderful to deal with leading up to our trip and we also booked our upcoming 2-day rental car from them as well. I would absolutely book the rental with them again. The price was great, the car was new and in pristine condition, and they delivered it on time on our arrival in Himare. That said, I’m not sure I would book the transfer with them again. It was a five-hour transfer from Berat to Himare and our van had no air conditioning. It was incredibly uncomfortable in almost 40-degree Celsius heat, and it was the only transfer we had that was problematic. I’d recommend instead doing transfers with VATO (see above ) but definitely rent a car in the Himare/Sarande area or private day tours with Leka Tours.
The drive from Berat to Himare is five hours long but we made several stops along the way to break it up. We chose the ancient city of Apollonia and the Zvernec Monastery but you could also choose Duras to visit the amphitheater or a winery, or Vlore to visit the nearby beaches. I also considered a stop at Manastiri i Ardenicës, a picturesque monastery where Skanderbeg got married.
Our first stop was the ancient city of Apollonia, a 6th century BC Roman city named after the Roman god Apollo, where Caesar’s grandson, the later Emperor Octavian Augustus attended school. He later expressed his gratitude to the city by releasing it from paying taxes. After an earthquake in the 3rd century, Apollonia was detached from the city by the sea, and it gradually lost its economic purpose and became a religious center. Many call it the Pompeii of Albania as only 8% has been discovered. While I expected our visit to this UNESCO World Heritage site to be a short, we absolutely loved exploring the nearby Byzantine monastery and Church of St Mary.
Forty minutes from Apollonia is Zvernec. Zvernec Island is located just after Vlore and is home to St. Mary’s Monastery. While abandoned during the second World War, it has been since recognized by a summer festival where locals and others begin a pilgrimage to celebrate Mary’s birthday. Have a look behind the monastery where you’ll find the tomb of the woman who embroidered the first Albanian flag of independence in 1912.
An hour or so after Zvernec you'll reach the Llogora Pass. There is a stop to look over the coast and it is amazing! You can also get a preview of the incredible twists and turns to come.
Aim to arrive in Himare by 3pm. This will allow you time to enjoy the afternoon at the beach. There are a number of beaches in or near the town and some are busier than others. We stayed at Dhima Hotel, a small hotel across the road from Prinos Beach and loved the location. We had a pizza lunch and breakfast the next morning. It was really good. The kids still talk about the pizza! We rented beach chairs and relaxed for the afternoon. Prinos Beach reall is one of the best beaches in Himare.
The view from our room at Hotel Dhima.
In the evening, we were able to easily walk into Himare for dinner. We passed several of the beaches along the way and enjoyed the boardwalk. They actually roast corn!
Day 4: Sarande
While we didn’t rent a car elsewhere in Albania, we do recommend renting a car along the Albanian Riviera to explore the coast and inland from there. We rented our car from Leka Tours and it was perfect. They delivered it for a small additional charge to our hotel in Himare and we used it for the next two days to move to Sarande and visit Gjirokaster. The rental price was incredibly low and was significantly less expensive than booking a private tour.
Leave mid-morning and head towards Sarande with plans to visit Butrint National Park after checking into your hotel.
The drive from Himare to Sarande is fairly straightforward but twisty. Sydney was car sick several times on this route. Take the time to make a few stops along the way including a stop at Porto Palermo to scope out the World War II submarine tunnels and the castle of Ali Pasha. While Sarande is a city with not a huge amount to offer, it has a nice boardwalk and is conveniently close to Butrint, the beaches of Ksamil, Gjirokaster and the ferry to Corfu.
Once you’ve checked into your hotel, head to Butrint National Park. 2400 years ago, the ancient city of Butrint was one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire. In 300AD much of it was destroyed by an earthquake but its ruins remain today. If visiting in summer, be sure to bring water as it is incredibly hot with very little shade.
As leaving Butrint, visit the panoramic lookout to see another castle of Ali Pasha. There is also a viewpoint to see over the Ksamil and its fine beaches. In summer, these beaches are jam packed but during the shoulder seasons, it is an amazing place to enjoy the Albanian Riviera.
If your timing is right, you’ll be able to see a remarkable sunset from Lekursi Castle. Today, the castle is primarily a restaurant but it does have beautiful views. While I highly recommend the above, the kids bailed on me so we actually missed our planned day in Butrint and Ksamil. I can't wait to return to visit.
Grab dinner at a local restaurant. We really enjoyed Haxhi. It’s a few streets up from the boardwalk but it’s a short trot and the food is good. It’s quite a unique place! It does get busy so if you can, make a reservation in advance.
After dinner, explore the Bulevardi Hasan Tahasini, the beach boulevard of Sarande. It’s a lively atmosphere in the summer months with buskers, ice cream shops and even a ferris wheel.
Just a note, we enjoyed staying on the waterfront but the one troubling factor for us was the number of small children begging along the boardwalk in the evenings. I do believe there was an adult nearby watching over them as we did see them with women from time to time but we found ourselves watching these little ones while they wandered alone until it was clear they were with a family member. These little children were too young to be out this late and definitely too young to be in a situation where they were begging for money for the family. Some of these children were no more than 3 years old. It was very sad to see.
Day 5: Gjirokaster
After breakfast hop in your rental car for an easy two hour drive to Gjirokaster. Most of the guided tours stop at the Blue Eye along the way but after much research, we decided against it. Look into it for yourselves though as many do enjoy it.
After getting more than a little lost by following Google Maps when entering Gjirokaster, we finally found the road leading to the old town and were able to park across the street from the Tourist Office.
I had prebooked a walking tour with Gjirokaster tourist office so we quickly met our guide and headed towards the castle.
After an hour of wonderful stories, we visited a traditional home and the old bazaar.
Once we left our guide, we enjoyed lunch at a small restaurant in the bazaar and then had a short tour of one of the few open cold war tunnels. It really was fascinating!
Make sure to check out our upcoming post for more details on our day in Gjirokaster
Upon our return to Sarande, return your rental car and enjoy your last evening of our Albania Travel Itinerary. We planned to leave for Corfu very early the following morning. We enjoyed dinner and wandered the boardwalk in Sarande for the remainder of the evening.
While in Sarande we stayed at Hotel Pina. We had two separate rooms on different floors but we really liked the hotel. The breakfast was yummy and it was in a great location.
Such an amazing view from our hotel balcony. Right in the middle of everything but still quiet.
Final thoughts on our Albania Travel Itinerary
Albania is a fantastic family destination. There is so much to do, you’ll only just touch the surface with five days. With more time, we would have loved to have visited Shkodra, Tirana, Theth National Park, the wineries near Durras, and the villages near Lake Ohrid.
If you’re considering visiting Montenegro as well, make sure to check out our Montenegro Travel Guide and our 10 day itinerary for Montenegro and Albania.
Coming soon:
A Visit to Berat Castle
A Day In Gjirokaster
A Lovely Five Days in Corfu
Want to refer back to our Albania Travel Itinerary? Pin It!
0 Comments