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Overview

Albania is our home country and we want to explore it as much as possible. Even, though it is a small country in the Balkans, you can find there immersing diversity. From gorgeous mountains, lakes, spectacular canyons, unique rivers such as Vjosa, the last wild river of Europe, the Albanian Riviera with great Ionian beaches to the rich history such as ancient archaeological parks and UNESCO status cities. Planning an Albania itinerary for 2 weeks is quite easy with so many places to visit.

To make it helpful for you, we have written a detailed travel guide on this post including two National Parks, a lake, a metropolitan area, an archaeological site, and the beautiful beaches of the Albanian Riviera.

Here is some general information about mobility, accommodation, cuisine, the best time to visit, language, and travel costs in Albania. Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa is the airport when landing in Albania. The airport has direct flights to main European cities and for visitors from other continents, a transit flight from Frankfurt am Main, Vienna, London, Paris, Milan or Istanbul is a great choice.

Regarding transport into the country, the cheapest option is van (furgon) or bus and you can reach most of the cities with them and the main tourist destinations. In the capital of Albania, Tirana, the nearest city to the airport, are two primary bus and van stations: the first is Southeastern Albania Regional Bus Terminal and the second is South and North Albania Bus Terminal. The railway system is almost inexistent throughout the whole country. The best way to move around in Albania is by car. Road trips take around 1.5-3 hours between places pointed to this itinerary and you can always make short stops during the trip. Taxis have quite steep prices and are not recommendable.

During your Albania itinerary, the most common types of accommodation are hostels, guesthouses, and hotels.

Tirana, Shkodra, Berat, and Gjirokastër are the cities that offer hostels. Guesthouses are common in North Albania and hotels are almost everywhere. They usually offer breakfast but lunch and dinner in general are not offered. Albanian cuisine is rich, authentic, and tasteful with a Mediterranean flavor. Some of the must-try dishes in Albania are flija in North Albania, beans (fasule), pickled olives (ullinj turshi), tavë kosi and bugaçe in Elbasan, Ohrid trout, endemic fish in Pogradec (tava e koranit) and lakror in Korça Region. We strongly recommend visiting Albania at the shoulder seasons. The perfect months would be May-June and September-October. The temperatures are ideal and the prices convenient.

The language of Albania is Albanian but people under 45 years old usually speak a good English. Being close to Italy, Albania has had an influence of Italian language from television and half of the youth are independent users of Italian. Currency of Albania is Lek (ALL) but Euro is widely acceptable. Cash is still the king but a good part of hotels or restaurants accept credit cards, especially in Tirana. The average cost per day is 50 € for a backpacker, 120 € for a mid-range traveller and 250 € or more for luxury traveller. Lets focus now at each destination individually.

• Koman Lake and Valbona Valley National Park- 4 days
• Tirana- 2 days
• Apolonia Archaeological Park- 1 day
• Himara and nearby beaches- 7 days

Koman Lake and Valbona Valley National Park

Both attractions offer a wild beauty of Albanian nature and spending a total of 4 days would be great. Koman Lake is on top three of our visited places in Albania. It just should not be skipped. After landing in Tirana International Airport you should rent a car and drive in direction of North Albania. Till Koman Lake it takes 2h 30 minutes. Here are two ferry operators for the route Koman- Fierza and vice versa, Ferry Berisha Itinerary and Boat Dragobia Itinerary. Both of them operate everyday from 15 April to 5 November for passengers and vehicles. To make a reservation and further information about ferries, here is the website of Koman Lake Ferry.

The ride at Koman Lake in your Albania itinerary take 2h 30 minutes but it doesn’t seem so long at all because at the both sides of the lake rise mountains covered with Mediterranean flora and offer a great view.

After arriving in Fierza, is time for Valbona. From Fierza it takes 1 hour to reach Valbona Valley. Here is not a lake to enjoy but the Valbona River. We highly recommend stops during the way to the Valley for photos or just to enjoy the view. You can relax at the chosen accommodation for the rest of the day. Guesthouses are common at the Valbona National Park and usually offer meals. Here is the best part of Albania’s itinerary to eat fresh food from the locals. Meat dishes are widely eaten in the North. Another try is dairy products with jam, both self-made.

The main attractions in Valbona National Park are Old Mill (Mulliri i Vjetër), James Lake (Liqeni i Xhemës) and Rrogami Waterfall.

On the second day in Valbona, you can visit the surroundings such as Old Mill (Mulliri i Vjetër) and James Lake (Liqeni i Xhemës). The first one was used by villagers to grind grains and now it has turned into a small attraction for visitors. It stands right after a small bridge on the Valbona River. James Lake (Liqeni i Xhemës) is a tiny lake but beautiful. Both attractions are close to the main road and easy to find.

The third day in Valbona is for Rrogami Waterfall. Depending on your place of stay, it takes from 40 to 60 minutes. You hike through the Valbona River to reach the waterfall which is a nice place to visit. The trail from Valbona River is the beginning of the most known Albanian trail Valbona Theth pass (Kalimi Valbona-Theth). It is an iconic hike that ends at Theth Village, another gem of Albanian Alps. The left part of the time, you can rest or consider another hike at the area.

Tirana

After leaving Valbona and Koman, you head back to Tirana, the capital city of Albania. Even though it is a bit chaotic for us, it is worth spending two days exploring. Here are a lot of accommodation options to choose from. One of the traditional dishes of Tirana is fërgesë. The main ingredient of the dish is a dairy product known in Albania as gjizë. Other ingredient of this dish are garlic and vegetables such as tomatoes and pepper.

The highlights of the Albania itinerary in Tirana are Gjergj Kastrioti’s Monument, National Historical Museum, Bunk’ Art 2, Mother Teresa Square and Grand Park of Tirana.

The center of Tirana is dominated from Gjergj Kastrioti’s Monument, National Hero of Albania. If you have searched for Tirana in internet, we are sure that you have seen the typical photo of a proud man standing on his horse. That is the first place to visit when in Tirana. Skanderbeg Square has around some significant buildings such as National Historical Museum, Opera & Ballet Theatre, The Bank of Albania and Et’hem Bej Mosque.

National Historical Museum represent the history of Albania from antiquity to nowadays. The ticket costs only 3.50 € and can be bought at the entrance of the museum. Online purchase does not work most of the time. The museum is rich with history documents and statues from different eras of Albania. It is quite interesting to see and enjoy. In total, plan around two hours to spend for the activity.

The Albania itinerary in Tirana offers a unique experience for you and that is Bunk’ Art 2, which represent the small country under communist years.

Almost half a century, Albania was under the communist regime. During this time were built all over the place, and even there were no one ever was bunkers. One of them is turned into a museum and it is called Bunk’ Art 2. The museum tells the inside work of the Secret Service State in communism. There are spy rooms, tunnels between ministries, and recreated scenes from investigations. To have the real experience of the interrogation in those times, an audio recorder is played continuously. Visiting Bunk’ Art 2 is not a joyful experience but you learn what it means to live in one of the most deconstructive periods in Albania.

Mother Teresa Square is a spacious place in Tirana, surrounded by historic important buildings such as the Polytechnic University of Tirana, the University of Arts, and the Tirana National Archaeological Museum. It is a cool place to relax, especially for students. At the square, often are organized great events such as concerts and festivals.

Close to the area is the Grand Park of Tirana. Part of it is Artificial Lake of Tirana and green areas with vegetation and trees. You can do some sports activities in the area or just relax in nature.

After spending two days in Tirana, our Albania itinerary leads to one of the ancient cities in the country, Apolonia.

Apolonia Archaeological Park

Apolonia Archeological Park is located close to Fier, a city in Southern Albania. For just a 15-minute drive from Fier, you reach a great place to spend some good hours, especially for history lovers. The ticket costs 5.35 € and you can purchase it online here or at the Park entrance. The parking lot is 150 m from the entry. The main attractions are the theater, the symbol of Apolonia, the church, and the museum. The last one is small but very well organized. It contains a lot of elements that represent the life of people in this city. Since the Park is a unique treasure, Albania has applied to UNESCO and the process is in progress. Two restaurants are in the area which serve traditional cuisine. A couple of hours would be good to spend here before heading to the gorgeous Albania Riviera.

Himara and nearby beaches

The Himara area is our favorite one in all of Southern Albania. It is not fully crowded, as the other parts have some of the most beautiful beaches that we always love to go to and great hiking trails between them. From Apolonia Archeological Park to Himara, the drive takes 2 hours. The road goes through Llogara National Park at a maximum elevation of 1000 m. In addition, there are other road alternatives to reach Himara but the one mentioned, is the most scenic of all of them. The Park is a massive forest and the road through it, is a must. A lot of restaurants are at the Park and you can stop by one of them for lunch or just a coffee. Homemade yogurt with walnuts and honey is the specialty of the area.

After resting in Llogara, now is time to travel to Himara. We suggest making it a base, as it offers a lot of accommodations and very good places to eat seafood. From this city, you can move around at nearby beaches by car for less than 30 minutes. The second week of the Albania itinerary would be spent in this area near the mountains, sea and the sun.

Gjipe Beach

On the first day at Albania Riviera, Gjipe Beach is the place to drive. It is a half-hour drive from Himara and after parking your car at the parking lot, is time for a 30-minute hike to the beach, unless you have an off-road car. Plan your day to not make the hike at lunchtime because the sun is at its peak hours. Apart from sunbathing, an interesting attraction is visiting the Gjipe Canyon which is right after the beach. In the peak season, there is a restaurant but outside July and August better take something to eat and drink when going there. With these hints in mind, Gjipe would be a great day.

Filikuri Bay

Filikuri Bay is not well known in Albania and apart from that it is a great beach to visit, you will be avoiding crowds at this place. The bay is completely public and is close to Himara City. The best way to reach it is with a canoe by renting it in Himara which is an easy and cool activity during your time in Albania. A boat is another available option but more expensive compared to the canoe. If you are a little more adventurous, rock climbing is an easy challenge. Don’t forget to bring your beach essentials with you because there is nothing.

Livadh Beach

Livadh Beach has a long coast of 1.20 km and is a mix of private with public, where the last one is at the extremities of the beach. Livadh is accessible from Himara by car for only 10 minutes. If you are a sporty type, hike from Himara to Livadh for 30 minutes. Livadhi Beach has a lot of facilities from hotels, restaurants, shops, and cafes. Even though the infrastructure is not at the top, we have always enjoyed our days at Livadh Beach. This one is a must-see place on your Albania itinerary being so close to Himara.

Aquarium Beach

Aquarium Beach is a small and nice bay close to Himara and Livadh. The bay is reachable by car from the Jala side or by hiking from the Livadh side for less than half an hour. Most of the boats from Himara make a quick stop and a short introduction for their passengers here. The beach is quite picturesque and a great spot for photographs. We saw it many times on travel creators traveling to Albania.

These are the top beach recommendations from us in the Himara area. For the rest 3 days you can visit the Castle of Himara, which offers quite a view direct to Livadh Beach, and other beaches in the area, or visit twice one of the beaches above that you like most. This part of the Albanian Riviera has many beaches to spend a week’s vacation.

Albania is a perfect option for a two weeks road trip and with the recommendations given by us in this blog post, you will get a good introduction to the country and why not consider it for coming back. At Albania itinerary, you will learn that Albanians are welcoming people and they will do their best to help you when asking for it.