Albania Itinerary – The Lion Voyager

Inspiration

NINE DAYS ITINERARY - Albania

TheLionVoyager

This trip will take you across the beautiful country of Albania, seeing all the variety and complexities of this territory. In this post, I’m going to share with you an itinerary of 9 days, the same trip that I have done in August 2018 with my partner and her cousins.

Day 1: Land in Tirana airport (the only international airport of the country) and hire a car, you can’t go around Albania without one. Drive just 30 minutes towards the coast and you will be in Durrës. If you land in the morning you will have enough time to do some sightseeing of the city, the main attractions like the Venetian Tower and the Amphitheatre are in the centre of the city where most of the restaurants and bars are – (sleep in Durrës)

Day 2: Today you can discover the North part of the country, starting with a stop at Kruja Castle and then the region of Kukes with stunning views of the Fierza Lake just 2 hours north of Durrës – (sleep in Durrës)

Day 3: You can start the day exploring more about Durrës or relax at the beach, and after lunch just one hour north, you can spend all afternoon discovering and relax in The Cape of Rodon. It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty, this narrow strip of land, in the shape of a peninsula, offers not only beautiful views but also a beautiful castle and a church overlooking the sea – (sleep in Durrës)

Day 4: You can start your way south, the first stop can be for a swim just after the city of Valona, from this point until the end of Albania every beach is worth it. We spent the night in the middle of the Llogara National Park at Llogora Tourist Village – (sleep in Llogara National Park)

Day 5: The coastal road that you will drive from north to south Albania has very scenic views, in this area you can relax in the many beautiful beaches and the colour of the water is amazing, the more you go south toward Greece and the more you will have spectacular beaches, spend the day in one of this beautiful beaches: Dhërmi, Jalë, Livadi, Sfageio, Borsh – (sleep in Dhërmi)

Day 6: Enjoy the beaches around the area and spend the evening in Sarandë, where you will find plenty of restaurants around the harbour – (sleep in Dhërmi)

Day 7: Explore Ksamil beaches, in my opinion they are some of the best of the country – (sleep in Ksmail or Sarandë)

Day 8: Explore Ksmail beaches and Butrint National Park – (sleep in Ksmail or Sarandë)

Day 9: Flight back from Tirana airport or you could get the ferry from Sarandë to Corfu, approximately 1 hour journey, spend few days enjoying Corfu island and fly back from Corfu airport as the journey to go back north will take you approximately four hours

Some cool tips you should know about Albania

01.

Try the “albanian byrek”

It’s a baked or fried filled pastry made with several layers of dough known as “pasta phyllo”, you can have it with spinach and cheese, with potatoes or with meat, byrek is very popular in the cuisines of the Balkans.

02.

Check out the south of the Albanian Riviera

You cannot go to Albania and only visit Tirana or Durrës or the north of the country. The south of the Albanian Riviera is home to some of the most beautiful beaches of the Adriatic Sea, some of them can be compared to the Greek beaches. You will find many hidden coves, beaches and nice villages.

03.

Explore this beautiful country

You will be surprised by how much Albania can offer,. From beautiful beaches and lakes to natural parks, castles and archaeological parks. Its popularity is continuously growing year after year and it is still considered to be the Balkan’s hidden gem.