Away to Albania
Getting Situated
When to go: Without question, shoulder season is the best time to go. That’s the front and back end of their major summer tourist season. Albania’s shoulder season is May to early June, and the first two weeks of September, when the weather is still summery and the beach towns are open, but most of the Europeans have returned home from their summer trips.
Currency: the Lek, which you can get out of an ATM at the airport on arrival.
Getting Around: If you are relying on public transportation, buses are currently your only option. The buses are extremely cheap, so if you are on a super low budget, this is your move. However, that doesn't mean this is the best way to get around; I would absolutely recommend opting for private cars, as they are also very affordable, and much more convenient.
Here’s why: The bus makes many stops, and isn’t the most comfortable ride; passengers who don’t get a seat are sitting on the floor and on stools in your foot space. All this makes for a very amusing experience - and certainly gives you a fun anecdote to tell - but it’s not the smoothest way to travel. On top of that, you’ll need to organize transportation to and from the bus stations, which will likely mean you’ll be in taxis anyway.
My view from the back of the bus
In comparison, private taxi rides between cities were cheap, comfortable, and much more convenient. With the costs of the taxis to and from the bus factored in, the private rides (split between me and my two friends) were within a few dollars of the total bus costs. Beyond this, the drivers were often friendly, and - if they spoke English - were great sources of local context and travel tips. To me, that makes it an easy choice! Better yet, you don’t need to book a long taxi trip in advance; we had thought we’d be best off booking private cars before arriving, but we actually found that asking our hotel for a transport service was cheaper and more convenient, so don’t worry about it until you get there.
Tirana
In all likelihood, you’ll fly in and out of Tirana (unless you fly to Corfu and get the 45 minute ferry to Sarande on the coast). It is a cute little city with an interesting history. One long day is enough to get in your sightseeing, as the rest of your trip awaits.
Activities:
Walking tour
Bunk Art Museum 2
House of Leaves (Propaganda) Museum
Bars:
Berat
Berat is a beautiful old city with really gorgeous views. The main activities are going up to the fort and taking wine tours.
After a delicious lunch at Zonja Gjene, we made our ascent - the options are a very long uphill walk or a very cheap (~$5) taxi ride. You can guess what we picked! Afterwards, we did a guided wine tasting, booked through our hotel. We had a great time with our local guide Denis, who we ended up hanging out with all evening. He was also the driver our hotel booked to get us to Gjirokaster the next day, so we really got to know him! It was a gorgeous vineyard and a beautiful experience.
From the vineyards of Berat
Gjirokaster
The town was very compact and cute. It was lovely to stroll through, stop in the little shops around town, and admire the surrounding mountains. However, for us, the big draw in Gjirokaster was the gorgeous resort we stayed at: Kerculla Resort. It is expensive by Albania standards, but quite affordable compared to what a resort of that caliber would cost elsewhere.
Our beautiful room was $182 for the night to sleep 3 people (but had space for 5) and came with a truly spectacular breakfast. The elegant room, the stunning views, the impeccable service; I could not recommend it more highly!
We also ate dinner there to make the most of the views and the pool.
Himare
Now we move to the beach portion of the trip. We preferred Himare over Dhermi because it was quiet and relaxing, but if you prefer a party, Dhermi is the go to.
There are a few strong hotel options in Dhermi: Zoe Hora has become popular after Dua Lipa spent time there. The views are stunning, so go for a drink if nothing else. La Brisa also looked fantastic, but was fully booked by the time we were considering booking it. We ended up staying at Prado, which was quiet and luxurious.
We also spent some time in Ksamil, which had more of a beach town vibe. Though it wasn’t as luxurious, Ksamil is a great pick if you’re on your way to Corfu, and we had a great time at the Tre Ishujt Beach Club there, as well as one of our favorite meals of the trip at Villa Olive - get the Tave Kosi and wear loose clothes.
If you do only one thing while you’re on the coast, a boat tour is an absolute must. Ours was ~6 hours and took us north to Grama Bay. We booked it by visiting the dock on Spile Beach a day earlier and comparing features and prices for the vendors there.
It was beyond gorgeous; if you dream of romantic Italian or Greek coastlines, this is every bit as beautiful, at a fraction of the cost. After your boat tour, stop for a bite of Greek food (you’re just a few miles away from Greece!) at To Steki sti Gonia.
After the beach portion of the trip, we got a private transfer back to Tirana and flew out from there, but you could also fly from Corfu. Our Albania trip lasted 9 days (with a few relax days built in for working remotely), and it could have been longer!
If we’d have had more time, we’d have gone up to the Albanian Alps: Shkoder, the Valbona Valley, Theth, and more.
Valbona
There’s always next time! And there will be a next time. I came away with a huge appreciation for the people and culture of Albania, and would love to return.
While we were there, we saw and heard first hand about the upcoming tourist boom Albania expects: they are building new roads, new train routes, a new international airport on the coast (expected to be operational in March 2025), and a ton of new hotels to accommodate tourists who are just now learning about the opportunity to travel to their beautiful country. If you’re thinking of going, now is the time!
