In May, Luke and I took a trip to Albania and it was absolutely amazing! If Albania is not on your list of must see destinations then it definitely should be added straight away. This secret Mediterranean paradise will not be kept a secret forever, and is predicted to be swamped with tourists in the next ten years to twenty years. Because this country is so uncharted, we found it really difficult to find information on where to go and what to see there. Lonely Planet didn’t even have a book for it! So to encourage other travelers to go there and make it easier for them to find information, here is our itinerary for the Albanian Riviera and general tips that we found very useful:
General Tips:
- Don’t drink the tap water! I was told by several locals and our guide book that the tap water is fine for brushing teeth, but to be consumed with caution because the pipes throughout Albania are very old and not regularly maintained.
- One quirky cultural difference that we noticed is that Albanians shake their head in the opposite direction for yes and no. In many cultures, shaking the head left and right means “no” and up and down means “yes”. In Albania, this is the opposite so be careful which direction you’re shaking your head when talking to Albanians as there might be a misunderstanding.
- No businesses in Albania accept credit cards. This includes car rental companies and hotels. We recommend bringing cash. Most places will accept Euro, and there are lots of exchange places around in touristy areas. Another option is to take money out at an ATM, but there’s usually not a lot of those around.
- Although I love Google Maps, it is not that accurate in Albania. Although most of the routes are correct, the roads aren’t great so most destinations take about double the amount of time shown to get to. It is also important to note that business opening hours are not usually correct. This is because most Albanian small business run on their own time and open and close when they feel like it.
- There are buses between the main cities: Sarandë, Tirana, Durrës and Gjirokastra. However, the easiest way to get around is to rent a car. Although it’s the easiest way to get around, I would only recommend this if you are really comfortable driving as the roads aren’t built well and drivers don’t typically follow rules, so you would have to drive very defensively. If you do decide to take a bus in Albania, definitely allocate more travel time, as the buses are not often on time.
Meal Price Guide for Albania:
| Expensive | 1,500 Lek+ |
| Reasonable | 500-1,000 Lek |
| Cheap | under 500 Lek |
We decided we wanted to fly into Corfu, Greece and take the ferry over to Sarandë. We found this would be easier than booking a roundtrip flight to Tirana because it’s about a 5 hour drive from Tirana to Sarandë. With flying into Corfu we could head in one direction and wouldn’t have to backtrack the 5 hour drive.
Day 1- Ksamil:
We took the ferry into Sarandë from Corfu. Because we were there off season, it was not necessary to prebook this ride. During the summer, I would advise booking before your arrival, as the prices go up based on availability. It is also important to note that there are only two main ferry companies (Finikas Lines and Ionian Seaways) that take about an hour to get to Sarandë. The other ferry companies take anywhere from an hour and a half to two and a half hours. Please check the timetable before booking, as Finikas Lines and Ionian Seaways ferries only leave twice a day from Corfu: once early in the morning, and once in the afternoon.
When we arrived in Sarandë, we picked up the rental car and drove down to Ksamil, which took about an hour to get to. In Ksamil, we dropped our bags at the hotel and headed down to the beach even though it was a bit damp outside. We took a stroll along the beach and had an amazing meal at Guvat. We had appetizers, drinks, entrees, and dessert for two for a total of 3,350 Lek (28 EUR). We later learned that this is pretty expensive for Albania, but for the quality and views we still say this was such a steal. Of course there’s loads of other restaurants in this area, for cheaper rates with similar views of the beach.
Day 2- Himarë:
On day 2, we drove back up the Albanian Riviera from Ksamil to Himarë. It was about a three hour drive from Ksamil to Himarë. If the goal of your vacation is just to relax on a beach and stay in one place than I wouldn’t recommend this drive. However, it you are in Albania in peak season then choosing Himarë over Ksamil might be ideal if you have rented a car. Himarë is beautiful, but off the beaten track a bit as it is not as close to the Sarandë port as Ksamil. Therefore, there is less tourists, and the beaches are less taken over by restaurants.
On the drive up to Himarë, we happened upon the Porto Palermo Castle by accident. Although there was little to no information about the castle offered inside, it was still a cool fortress to explore with fantastic views from the top.
In Himarë, we stayed at Vila Kosteli which cost about 35 EUR for the night. Because there were no other tourists there, the owners put us in their best room available. We had an amazing view, and then an amazing breakfast the next morning The owners were incredibly friendly and really proud of their gem of a guest house.
We dropped our stuff in the room, and headed to the beach. We choose to go to Jali Beach which was one of the closer recommended beaches because the weather wasn’t great. By the time we got to the beach it was raining heavily, but to the locals’ surprise we still went swimming anyway. If we had had the time and the weather, we would have opted for Gjipe Beach as that is apparently the beach to go to in Himarë.
That night we had a sunset dinner at Maestro, which was right down the street from our accommodation. Now I’m not exaggerating in saying it was the nicest shrimp I have ever had in my life, and I’m really not a seafood fan, but it was absolutely divine. Also the view from the restaurant was spectacular, and again the prices were of course astonishingly cheap.
Day 3- the Blue Eye & Gjirokaster:
After just a day in Himarë, we backtracked back down to Sarandë, and then from Sarandë on to the Blue Eye. The Blue Eye is a natural underwater spring that resembles an eye, hence the name. The surrounding area is also gorgeous with lots of woodlands and springs to explore. We walked along the streams until we found a spot to sit down and just enjoy the scenery.
From the Blue Eye, we headed on to to Gjirokaster, one of the popular UNESCO World Heritage sites in Albania. Gijrokaster is an absolute must for Albania; however, it is an absolute disaster to drive into as this ancient fortress did not foresee the development of cars. We stayed at Guest House Salaria, which was my favorite accommodation of the trip. We got a bit lost trying to find the place because the roads are so confusing, but the owners were super helpful. Also the accommodation definitely had the most unreal view of the city.
When we finally got to the accommodation, we dropped off our luggage and walked up to the castle at the top of the hill. You can walk around the castle for free, but if you want to go into the museum you have to pay a small price. After the castle, Luke and I spent the day walking around the city, drinking espressos.
Day 4- Gijrokaster & Bënja Hot Springs:
On day 4, we woke up to a huge breakfast with a view at Guest House Salaria. After breakfast, we left our luggage at the accommodation for a few hours, so we could check out the Cold War Tunnel. I believe we paid about 100 Lek each, for a really unusual and alternative tour of the tunnel. I use those adjectives, because there was no information in the tunnel, so you had to believe what the tour guide was telling you. Our tour guide in particular told us not to touch the walls, because there were loose electrical wires. Despite the imminent danger, we really did find the tunnel very cool. It’s something that you can’t really see anywhere else to witness the paranoia that the Albanians must have felt. However, a bit of advice for future tourists: wear closed toed shoes.
For me, the Bënja hot springs were the best part of the trip. While everyone visiting Albania typically knows about the Blue Eye, not so many know about these hot springs. Because of this there was little to no one around, so Luke and I had the place all to ourselves. Although the hot springs weren’t piping hot, they were very relaxing.
We didn’t venture too far away from the main hot springs beside the bridge, but as we were leaving some other travelers told us there were loads of smaller hot springs further into the canyon. One of the closest town to the hot springs is Permet, where we stayed the night at Funky Guest House & Adventures. Permet is a small town, but the local square had lots of food options available which makes it the ideal pit stop before heading on to Tirana, the country’s capital.
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