In a nutshell
- In this article, we share our recommended Albania road trip itinerary at your own pace, covering all the major highlights Albania has to offer.
- For each stop, we’ll tell you how many days to plan, where to find the best accommodation, and how to get there.
- We’ll then give you concrete suggestions for how to adapt the route to 7 days, 10 days, or a full 2 weeks — so you can make it work for your schedule.
The Perfect Travel Route Through Albania on a Map
This is our suggested travel route through Albania. If you want to follow it exactly, you should plan for two weeks in Albania.
We’ll also show you how to shorten the route to 7 or 10 days.
Rental Car or Bus?
The best way to do an Albania road trip on your own is by car. Rental cars in Albania are affordable, the distances are short, and you get to go wherever you want, whenever you want.
Compare rental car deals on Discovercars
Albania has a reputation for aggressive driving, which makes traffic a bit more intense — but as long as you’re prepared for it, you’ll be totally fine getting around by car.
For more on road safety, check out our article on safety in Albania.
Our Albania itinerary is designed for self-drivers. We’ll also walk you through how to travel the country by bus if that’s more your style.
Can you travel to Albania in your own car or motorcycle?
Yes, and if you have plenty of time, it’s a great option. From Munich, it’s about 15 hours of driving to Albania. And by the way — Albania is a fantastic destination for motorcyclists. We ran into loads of bikers on our road trip.
Starting Point: Shkodra
- How much time to plan? 1–2 days
- Our hotel pick: Çoçja Boutique Hotel
Shkodra is a city in northern Albania, about 1.5 hours by car from Tirana’s airport — so it’s a natural first stop.
Plan for a full day here, since most of the highlights are a few kilometers outside the city center. Depending on when you arrive, you’ll stay one or two nights.
Top highlights in Shkodra:
- Rozafa Castle
- Shopping street Rruga Kolë Idromeno
- Ura e Mesit Bridge
- Lake Shkodra
To all our tips for Shkodra:
Day Trip to Lake Koman & Valbona
- How much time to plan? 1 day
- Our hotel pick: Bujtina Arturi
From Shkodra, book yourself onto a boat tour on Lake Koman with a transfer to Valbona included.
You’ll be driven from Valbona to the lake’s harbor, then cruise across the stunning reservoir in the Albanian Alps by ferry or guided boat tour.
After about 2.5 hours on the water, you’ll dock on the far side of the lake and take a shuttle to Valbona — a gorgeous valley in the Alps with authentic guesthouses, real peace and quiet, and beautiful nature.
Book your transfer from Shkodra to Valbona here
Book the guided transfer from Shkodra to Valbona here
Hiking in Theth
- How much time to plan? 2 days
- Our hotel pick: Guesthouse Gjin Thana
The next morning, hike over the breathtaking Valbona Pass to Theth. It’s a challenging but seriously rewarding hike in Albania.
The views along the way are stunning, and there are small cafés dotted throughout where you can take a breather.
You’ll arrive in Theth in the afternoon. Plan to stay one to two nights — and while you’re there, we really recommend doing the hike to the Blue Eye Theth.
From Theth, buses to Shkodra run twice daily. From there, you can continue your road trip by car.
Alternative for non-hikers: If hiking isn’t your thing, book a day trip from Shkodra across Lake Koman and then head back to Shkodra instead of continuing to Valbona. Rather than spending two days in Theth, you can use that time later on your road trip to spend more time at the beach.
To all our tips for Theth:
City Break in Berat
- How much time to plan? 1–2 days
- Our hotel pick: GrandView Hotel
From Shkodra, it’s a three-hour drive to Berat. If you don’t want to drive straight through, stop halfway in Durrës and cool off in the sea.
Berat itself is a small town, so you can walk through it in a single afternoon. But honestly — the more time you have here, the better. Berat is genuinely beautiful, with its well-preserved Ottoman architecture.
We recommend spending at least one night here. In the morning and evening, the crowds thin out and the town takes on a completely different, much more relaxed vibe.
Top highlights in Berat:
- Historic neighborhoods
- Gorica Bridge
- Berat Castle
Read more tips about Berat here:
Syri i Kaltër & Gjirokastra
- How much time to plan? 1–2 days
- Our hotel pick: Hotel Bebej Tradicional
From Berat, it’s about a 2.5-hour drive to Gjirokastra — another stunning Albanian town with impressive architecture that’s absolutely worth your time.
Top highlights in Gjirokastra:
- Old Town
- Gjirokastra Castle
- Gjirokastra Aqueduct
If you have the time, we recommend spending a night in Gjirokastra and continuing the next morning to the natural wonder Syri i Kaltër — a karst spring beneath a mountain lake where cold water bubbles up from below. It’s seriously impressive.
From Gjirokastra, it’s just under 50 minutes by car to Syri i Kaltër. If you’re tight on time, you can also take in both in a single day.
Since there’s no large town with accommodations near Syri i Kaltër, head straight to the coast after your visit — it’s only about 30 minutes away.
Beach Days near Ksamil
- How much time to plan? 2–4 days
- Our hotel pick: Amar Seaside
Once you reach the coast in southern Albania, take a few days to properly relax. Around the resort town of Ksamil, you’ll find loads of great places to stay and beautiful beaches.
Ksamil itself — with its turquoise water — is the ultimate tourist hotspot. But there are plenty of dream beaches nearby with fewer crowds and real peace and quiet.
Our picks for beautiful beaches in southern Albania:
- Lori Beach
- Mirror Beach
- Krorëza Beach
Read also our article on the most beautiful beaches in Albania:
Road Trip to Gjipe Canyon & Beach
- How much time to plan? 0.5 –1 day
- Our hotel pick: Golden View Residence (nearby)
From Ksamil, you can drive up the coast toward Vlora — about three hours in total. On your road trip, feel free to stop spontaneously wherever catches your eye.
We recommend parking at the main road near Gjipe Beach and hiking down to the beach — along the way you’ll get great views of the Gjipe Canyon, and once you’re at the bottom, you can cool off in the sea.
There are plenty of other beautiful beaches along the route worth pulling over for — Dhërmi Beach is a great example, and it’s also a lovely place to spend a night.
Brief Stopover in Vlora
- How much time to plan? 0.5 – 1 day
- Our hotel pick: Ulcas Guest Huse
The next stop on your Albania itinerary is Vlora. If you’re short on time, you can combine Gjipe Beach and Vlora into the same day.
In Vlora, the highlights are a stroll through the historic center and watching the sunset at the beach. That’s why we also recommend staying overnight by the sea here.
Top highlights in Vlora:
- Vlora Old Town
- Kuzum Baba Viewpoint
- Beaches
Final Stop: Tirana
- How much time to plan? 1–2 days
- Our hotel pick: Hotel Boutique Restaurant Gloria
The last stop on our Albania road trip is the capital, Tirana. From Vlora, it’s just over two hours by car.
You can cover the main attractions in Tirana in a single day at a comfortable pace:
- Bunk’Art Museums 1 and 2
- Pyramid of Tirana
- Skanderbeg Square
- Great Mosque
- Pazari i Ri neighborhood
- National History Museum
- Tirana Castle
- Tirana Park and Lake
If you’d like to explore the surrounding area, we recommend staying an extra day — you can do a tour to the beautiful Bovilla Lake or take the cable car up Mount Dajti.
From central Tirana, you can drive to the airport — or drop off the car when you arrive from Vlora and take the bus from the airport to the city center. That way you’ll avoid dealing with Tirana’s chaotic traffic altogether.
Read all our tips for Tirana:
Albania Road Trip: 7 Days
If you only have one week for your Albania road trip, you’ll need to skip a few stops. Here’s our suggested Albania travel itinerary for seven days that still lets you hit a ton of highlights:
- Days 1–2: Arrival & Shkodra
- Day 3: Berat
- Day 4: Gjirokastra & Syri i Kaltër
- Day 5: Beach days near Ksamil
- Day 6: Gjipe Beach
- Day 7: Vlora & departure
Albania Road Trip: 10 Days
In ten days, you can explore almost all of Albania’s major highlights. If you want to see everything, though, you’ll have a fairly packed schedule.
If that sounds too hectic, just drop a stop and spend more time at the places you love most.
- Days 1–2: Arrival & Shkodra
- Days 3–5: Lake Koman, Valbona & Theth
- Day 6: Berat
- Day 7: Gjirokastra & Syri i Kaltër
- Day 8: Beach day near Ksamil
- Day 9: Gjipe Beach
- Day 10: Tirana & departure
Albania Road Trip: 14 Days
14 days is the sweet spot for an independent Albania road trip. You can see all the major must-sees and travel through the country at a relaxed pace. Here’s our suggested itinerary for two weeks in Albania:
- Days 1–2: Arrival & Shkodra
- Days 3–5: Lake Koman, Valbona & Theth
- Days 6–7: Berat
- Day 8: Gjirokastra & Syri i Kaltër
- Days 9–10: Beach days near Ksamil
- Day 11: Gjipe Beach
- Day 12: Vlora
- Days 13–14: Tirana & departure
Albania Road Trip Without a Car
If you’d rather not rent a car, you can absolutely travel through Albania by bus. You can follow a similar route, but budget extra time since buses take longer.
We recommend spending 2–3 weeks in Albania if you’re going by bus. It’s especially well-suited for backpackers — which is why we’ve included a great hostel recommendation at each stop.
The best way to book bus tickets in Albania is through the Albanian Bus website, or just buy them on the spot at the bus station.
Days 1–2: Shkodra
From Tirana airport, take a bus to Shkodra. You can explore the highlights of Shkodra by bike — there are plenty of bike rental shops in town.
My Hostel – Private rooms & Dorms
Days 3–5: Lake Koman, Valbona & Theth
From Shkodra, book a boat tour on Lake Koman including a transfer to Valbona, then hike from Valbona to Theth. From Theth, take the bus back to Shkodra.
Guest House Rilindja (Valbona)
Guest House Rrashkadoli (Theth)
Days 6–7: Berat
Day 6 is a travel day. First, take a bus from Shkodra to Tirana (they run every half hour), then transfer at Tirana’s bus terminal to a bus to Berat. On Day 7, explore Berat.
Helin’s Hostel by Backpackers
Day 8: Gjirokastra
Buses run from Berat to Gjirokastra. The journey takes about four hours. If you leave in the morning, you’ll have plenty of time in the afternoon to explore the city.
Stone City Hostel
Days 9–12: Saranda
From Gjirokastra, continue on to Saranda. Plan to stay a few nights there — Saranda is a great base for a day trip to Syri i Kaltër and the beautiful beaches in Ksamil.
Central Boutique Hostel
Days 13–14: Vlora or Dhërmi
From Saranda, take a bus to Vlora or Dhërmi — depending on what appeals to you more. Dhërmi has a nicer beach, while Vlora has a prettier city center.
Vlora Backpackers Hostel & Bar LUNGOMARE
Days 15–16: Tirana
Spend the last days of your trip in the capital. You can walk to almost all the attractions. Bovilla Lake is best reached on a guided tour. Book the Bovilla Lake tour here.
Regular buses run from central Tirana to the airport.
Frequently Asked Questions About an Albania Road Trip
What should you budget for an Albania road trip?
Albania is a seriously affordable travel destination — you’ll pay roughly 50% of what you’d spend in Western Europe.
Here are our approximate costs in Albania:
- Accommodation: 35 euros per night for a double room including breakfast
- Dinner for two: 25 euros
- Rental car for 5 days: 120 euros
- Lunch for two: 20 euros
A daily budget of 50 euros per person will get you by comfortably in Albania — though it depends on where you stay, of course.
Is Albania safe for a road trip?
Yes, Albania is generally a safe country. The one thing we found a bit nerve-wracking was the traffic — people drive fast and aggressively, so just stay alert behind the wheel.
Do you pay toll fees in Albania?
Mostly not. Only on the A1 (which runs from Durrës northeast into the mountains) do you pay tolls on some sections.
Which months are best for a road trip through Albania?
We find May, June, September, and October ideal for an Albania road trip.
It’s warm enough for swimming, there’s little snow in the mountains, and it’s not too hot for sightseeing.
The summer months of July and August are great too, though cities can get very hot and beaches can get crowded. For hiking, July and August are actually slightly better since there’s no snow in the mountains at all.
