Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
Two weeks in Albania is enough for the mountains, two Ottoman towns and the southern coast: Tirana (2 days), Shkodër (1), Theth (2), Berat (2), Gjirokastër (2), Ksamil or Sarandë on the Riviera (3) and Tirana again (2). This is our suggested cut of the 31 days we spent in Albania in September and October 2023, keeping the stops that work in a fortnight and dropping Korçë and Përmet. It starts and ends at Tirana airport, so you can fly in and out of one place.
• Days 1-2, Tirana: Skanderbeg Square, Bunk'Art and the Dajti cable car. The airport bus to the center costs 400 lek; see our Tirana airport guide and the Tirana section of our Albania guide.
• Day 3, Shkodër: Rozafa Castle above the three rivers and Lake Shkodër. Arrange your Theth transport here.
• Days 4-5, Theth: the drive in takes about 2 to 2.5 hours on the paved SH21; shared furgons leave Shkodër around 7:00 to 7:30am. Use the full day for the Grunas Waterfall, the Lock-In Tower and the church, or the long hike toward the Blue Eye of Kaprre. See our Theth guide and how to get to Theth.
• Days 6-7, Berat: a long travel day back south via Shkodër. Berat's white Ottoman houses climb the hill below an inhabited castle, the reason it is called the city of a thousand windows.
• Days 8-9, Gjirokastër: a steeper stone town of slate-roofed houses below a large fortress, listed by UNESCO together with Berat.
• Days 10-12, Ksamil or Sarandë: beaches, the Blue Eye spring inland, and Butrint, the UNESCO-listed site of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian ruins about 4 km beyond Ksamil.
• Days 13-14, back to Tirana: a long drive north, then a final day in the capital before your flight.
Our real route was Shkodër (2), Theth (3), Tirana (4), Korçë (3), Përmet (1), Gjirokastër (3), Sarandë (3), Ksamil (4), Berat (3) and Tirana (5). For two weeks we kept the same core and cut three things:
• Korçë and Përmet, the eastern highlands: Korçë's Old Bazaar and brewery, and Përmet's Bënja thermal springs and Langarica Canyon. They are worth it with a third week, but they add a slow mountain road between Tirana and Gjirokastër.
• One coastal base instead of two: we stayed in both Sarandë and Ksamil. Ksamil is about 14 km south of Sarandë, so pick one.
• Fewer days in Tirana: two at the start and one or two at the end are plenty.
We also did Berat last, on the way back to Tirana from the coast. Either order works; doing it before Gjirokastër splits the long drive south. Our full route across three countries is in our Balkans itinerary.
Albania has no passenger trains running in 2026 (a rebuilt Tirana-Durrës-airport line is targeted for 2027), so the choice is a rental car or buses and shared minibuses (furgons). A car is the easiest way to link Berat, Gjirokastër and the Riviera and to reach the Blue Eye. Tirana airport is the main rental hub. Uber and Bolt do not operate in Albania.
Driving is the biggest real risk: roads can be aggressive, many rural roads are poor, and most are unlit at night. Avoid night driving, and allow more time than the map suggests on mountain and coastal roads. If you would rather not drive to Theth, take the furgon from Shkodër. Our Albania safety guide covers roads, scams and hiking.
Carry lek: Theth has no ATMs, and smaller guesthouses and restaurants prefer cash. See Albania cash and ATMs.
June and September are the best months for this route: Theth's guesthouses and trails are open (roughly June to September), the sea is warm, and the Riviera is calmer than in July and August. We were in Albania from mid-September to mid-October, which put Theth at the end of its season and the coast in its quiet, warm shoulder.
From November, snow can close the road into Theth, and many beach businesses in the south close for winter. Tirana and the inland towns are fine in spring and autumn, with mild days in the high teens to low 20s Celsius.
US citizens can stay visa-free for up to a year; rules for other passports differ. Check our Albania visa guide before you fly.
Yes for the main highlights: Tirana, Shkodër, Theth, Berat, Gjirokastër and the southern Riviera around Ksamil and Butrint. Korçë and Përmet need a third week.
Two nights is the minimum. The drive from Shkodër takes about 2 to 2.5 hours, so a full middle day is what lets you hike to the Grunas Waterfall or beyond.
Pick one. Ksamil is about 14 km south of Sarandë and closer to Butrint, which is about 4 km away; Sarandë is the bigger town with more services.
Not strictly, since buses and furgons link the main towns, but a car makes it far easier to combine Berat, Gjirokastër, the Blue Eye and the Riviera. Avoid driving at night.
June or September. Theth's season runs roughly June to September, and the Riviera is warm but less crowded than in July and August.
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