A week is enough to see the best of Albania’s culture and coast if you keep the route in a loop. This itinerary starts and ends in Tirana and can be done by rental car, with a driver or as a guided trip.
Day 1: Tirana
Spend the first day in the capital: Skanderbeg Square, the National History Museum, the Pyramid and the Blloku district for dinner. Tirana is also the easiest place to collect a rental car or meet your guide.
Day 2: Kruja and Tirana
Take a half-day to Kruja for the castle, the Skanderbeg Museum and the old bazaar, then return to Tirana or continue toward Berat. If you prefer the coast, Durrës with its Roman amphitheatre is the alternative.
Day 3: Berat
Drive south to Berat, the “city of a thousand windows”, about two hours from Tirana. Walk the Mangalem and Gorica quarters and the castle, where people still live inside the walls.
Day 4: Gjirokastër
Continue to Gjirokastër, the stone city with tall Ottoman houses and a castle above the town. Berat and Gjirokastër are listed together by UNESCO as the historic centres of Berat and Gjirokastra.
Day 5: Saranda and Butrint
Reach the coast at Saranda and visit Butrint, a UNESCO archaeological site close to the Greek border. Add the Blue Eye spring if time allows.
Day 6: The Riviera
Follow the coast road north over the Llogara Pass toward Dhërmi and Himarë. Use the afternoon for a beach stop and stay on the coast or in Vlorë.
Day 7: Back to Tirana
Return to Tirana via Vlorë and Apollonia or Ardenica if you want one last stop, then head to the airport. Allow extra time on summer weekends.
Tours on this route
- Tirana City Tour
- Discover Berat – City of a Thousand Window
- Discover Gjirokastra
- Full-Day Saranda Tour
- A Journey Through Berat and Gjirokastër
Short on time or prefer not to drive? We can run this route as a guided trip or adapt it to your dates. See all organized tours, request a tailor-made itinerary or contact our team in Tirana.
