How to Travel Albania in 12 Days - Perfect Road Trip Itinerary

Welcome to Albania, the biggest surprise of Europe. In this travel guide I will share with you amazing itinerary to make the most of your time here in Albania. Together we will discover the turquoise waters of Albanian Riviera, the cutest historic cities, magnificent Albanian Alps and the hospitality of locals that Albania is known for. My name is Kristi and I have my second home here in Durres, Albania and I promise you you will fall in love with this country the same way as I have. So let's get this off-the-beaten-path adventure started. Albania is a stunning southeastern European country located just above Greece and across the sea from Italy. The best time to visit is from May until October with the peak of tourism in July and August when it can get quite crowded. To kickstart this trip you will be landing in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Once you land, the first thing you want to do is to rent a car and pick it up at the airport. Your base for the next four nights will be the beautiful coastal town of Durres, located only 30 minutes from Tirana by car. It is the second largest city after Tirana, but unlike Tirana it is located by the sea. From here we will take trips around central Albania in the following days. Good morning, rise and shine! Now that you are all settled into your preferably beachfront vacay apartment, let's hit the road. Our first trip from Durres is going to be to Lake Bovila, which is a 1 hour and 15 minute drive. You need to hike about half a kilometer to reach the viewpoint. The hike is moderate with safe stairs. This lake is a hidden gem that very few people know about. It provides most of the drinking water to the capital Tirana. The views are incredible. After that, you can have lunch at Bovila restaurant while overlooking the lake. In the afternoon, go check out the capital Tirana, which is 50 minutes away. Tirana is a very pleasant city with great food. One of the coolest things to do here is to visit Bankard. When walking through the bunker's dark, spooky corridors, it is like going back in time to the Albanian communist era. Good morning from the seaside, ready for another day of exploration? Today we are driving to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Berat. Berat is also known by its nickname, the City of a Thousand Windows. Here you can admire the stunning mix of Ottoman and Albanian architecture. Take a stroll through the cutest little streets, hike up to Berat Castle, and enjoy the breathtaking views. Beautiful day, great company and outstanding coffee, what else? My biggest tip is to visit a local restaurant called Lili Homemade Food, which was the highlight of our trip. This was the best food we have tried throughout our trip. The restaurant is owned by amazing Lili and his wife. You are dining in their home with chairs and tables handmade by him. All the food you get there is organic, sourced from their garden. It cannot get more authentic than that. Hello, I am Lili from Albania. This is my small paradise. On the next day, it is time to leave Durres and head to the southwest. This area is also called the Albanian Riviera or the Maldives of Europe, thanks to the insanely turquoise water. On our way there, make sure to stop in Blor to explore this beautiful city. It was once the capital of Albania, before it passed this honor to Tirana. It has plenty of narrow streets with colorful houses and cozy cafes. A must-visit place in Blore is the Muraydi Mosque, dating back to the 16th century, which originally served as a Byzantine church in the 12th century. We are at the main promenade right now and it is super beautiful here. There is a sea and there are mountains behind it. It kind of reminds me of the lakes in Switzerland. Very beautiful view. And we continue our adventure at St. Mary Monastery, which is only a 10-minute drive from Blore. To get to the monastery, you have to walk across this charming wooden pathway. And it's really a wonderful experience. I've never seen anything like this. Laguna Enartes is a beautiful protected area with lots of wildlife, including the flamingos. Unfortunately, those were all the flamingos we saw that day. 40 minutes down south from Blore is one more special place worth a visit. What I want to show you is Brataj Stone Bridge. I've seen thousands of pictures of it and it goes across this beautiful turquoise river. And I'm curious if it's going to look so cool in real life. Wow, it is so beautiful. So I think we're gonna take a swim. And this right here is why I absolutely adore Albania. You just have all over the country places like this that take your breath away. And there are no tourists, no crowds. You have it usually just for yourself. And I don't think this is going to last long. So we just have to enjoy it till we can. The last thing on the list for today is to reach the beautiful coastal town of Sarande, where we will spend the next three nights. It is a brand new day here in Sarande and we have the whole morning to explore this town with its horseshoe-shaped bay and beautiful deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. Make sure not to miss hanging out by the gorgeous sea promenade. In the afternoon, soak up the sun on the beautiful beaches of Ksamil. It is a coastal village that is located only 15 minutes away by car from Sarande. It is famous for its turquoise waters and it is called the Maldives of Europe. My recommendation is to rent a sunbed, order some Aperol Spritz and just enjoy the clear waters of the Albanian Riviera. It's another morning and today we are on our way to explore a bit of Albania's famous nature, the Blue Eye, which is located 35 minutes by car from Sarande. You can rent an e-scooter to get from the parking lot to the Blue Eye. The Blue Eye is a water spring with extremely light blue water bubbles that are in a pool that is more than 50 meters deep. The water is so clear that you can see straight to the bottom and look at the river. The next super interesting site in the area is Butrint, the most visited archaeological site in Albania and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Butrint was an ancient Greek polis and later Roman city. There are many ruins to explore. My favorite was this well-preserved ancient Greek theater. The surrounding views are incredible, so make sure to take a moment here. Good morning! Today we will say goodbye to Sarande and begin our journey back north, starting with a stop in the cute town of Gjirokaster, located just one hour by car from Sarande. Gjirokaster is a very cute little town from the Ottoman era. Notice the beautiful architecture of the houses, the little streets, and it truly takes you back in time. This town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will easily fall in love with all the handmade goods that are created by locals right in front of you. The place where to eat in Gjirokaster is definitely Taverna Tradizionale Kardasi. It is a place where they serve home-cooked meal and it is delicious. We always love to come back and we even have our favorite table. We got some cofte and baklajan. It's all typical Albanian dish. A must visit is the castle of Gjirokaster, which dominates the town. Locals refer to it as Argyrokaster due to the legend of Argyro. It is believed that Argyro was a princess that did not want to be captured by the Ottomans. Therefore, she threw herself together with her infant son from the heights of the castle. The castle overlooks the city and the beautiful Drino valley, surrounded by impressive mountains. One hour and 20 minutes later, you will find yourself at the Benja Thermal Baths. These thermal pools are rich in minerals and serve for healing purposes. So let's take a health dip. I have never seen a view like this while bathing in a hot springs. Just above the hot springs is a medieval bridge that stretches over a brilliantly turquoise sulfur-rich river. It was cloudy but still picture perfect. We are now returning to Durres, where we will spend two more nights. If you are searching for accommodation in Durres, we have a beachfront apartment available in the perfect location and we would be delighted to welcome you. Let me give you a quick tour. Welcome to the bedroom. Just imagine waking up to this view. The bathroom is beautiful and clean. The living room also has an absolutely gorgeous view, a dining area and a fully equipped kitchen. But the highlight of the apartment is right here. A spacious terrace with an epic sea view and sunset panorama. This is my favorite spot to be. And I just love this place. If you are interested in staying here, you can book your stay through the link provided below in the description box. Good morning, rise and shine! This time we will finally explore Durres itself. It is the oldest city in Albania and the most important port in the country. It has a lively atmosphere and many historic monuments. In the morning, head to the city center, especially known for its huge Roman amphitheater. In the afternoon, you can chill on the beach along the beautiful Durres promenade. As Albania is budget-friendly, consider renting a jet ski. Unlike elsewhere, it is super affordable here. Have fun! After that, you can also head to Golem. Only five minutes away from the Durres center is Durres Riviera, which is mostly hotel resorts, but beautiful beaches. On the next day, we will pack our bags and head up north to the Albanian Alps. But we will make a stop in Kruje, which is located 45 minutes away from Durres. Kruje is a beautiful little town with rich history and stunning views. It is also a home to a national Albanian hero Skandenbeg. In the heart of Kruje is Old Bazar, which is over 400 years old, with over 200 shops that sell handmade traditional goods. You will find here gorgeous traditional Albanian handmade crafts, souvenirs, artwork, herbs, and so much more. Worth visiting is also the lovely Kruje castle that used to be the center of Skandenberg's rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. Kruje is so beautiful. It really looks like the time has stopped here. It is now time to continue north to Teth, which will take 3 hours and 20 minutes. Just know that the views along the way are spectacular. We will stay in Teth for the next two nights. Get ready to wake up to idyllic countryside charm. This is the Albanian Alps. Today we are hiking and the nature here is absolutely stunning. There is a river right behind me, in front of me. There are mountains everywhere and the weather is just awesome today. There are many beautiful hikes you can take here, but in case you would like to do the same one we did, here is a map of our 12.8 kilometers long route. On this hike, you will cross many bridges and then some more bridges. You will encounter local wildlife. Oh, hello, cutie. Look who's coming to say hi. Cross rivers. Get refreshed. Water source with the best water. And experience incredible view of untouched nature and majestic peaks. It's official. Albania is my favorite country I've ever traveled to. And then it's lunchtime. When I say that Albania is pure and traditional, this is what I'm thinking. I'm sitting here eating homemade cheese and homemade bread with this amazing view. It's just the two of us here and it's peaceful and quiet and that's Albania. After lunch, we will continue to the stunning Grunas waterfall. And we made it to the famous Teth church. It's in the center of the Teth village and this is the iconic spot because every time you see any pictures of Teth, you will always see this church. The final part of the hike was an adrenaline rush as we had to cross this river on this bridge. Spoiler alert, we survived. We have now reached the end of our Albanian adventure and all that is left is to return to Tirana, drop off your car and board a flight back home. I hope this itinerary has been helpful and inspires your travels. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram and I will get back to you. Subscribe for more travel inspiration and I will see you in the next video.