Albania Itinerary: Ultimate 2 Week Trip (2024)
Welcome to my favourite country in Europe: stunning Albania! A country that truly has something for every type of traveller, and one that doesn’t break the bank!
From the pristine beaches of the Albanian Riviera, the jaw-dropping peaks of the Albanian Alps all the way to the charming Ottoman towns.
Soon enough, Albania will be on everyone’s bucket list. Use this ultimate 2 week Albania itinerary ideas to check out this stunning country.
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A Bit About Travelling Albania
Travelling through Albania is truly an amazing experience and it is becoming more popular by the day! As places like Croatia have become more expensive, those on a budget are looking south, outside of the Schengen zone and into countries not overrun by mass-tourism!
Albania used to be Europe’s most isolated country. From 1975-1991 the country was completely shut-off from the outside world; no one could leave and there was horrific social oppression.
To those who lived through that time, the reputation remains and they might think it is dangerous due to its past. But worry not, Albania is an incredibly safe country to visit and is often safer than tourist hotspots such as Rome and Paris.
This guide will focus on travelling the country on a budget, so everywhere in this Albania itinerary is reachable by furgon (minibus). I have an easy-to-follow guide on how to get around Albania without a car. It may seem daunting at first but it’s actually quite straightforward!
The Ultimate 2 Week Albania Itinerary
This is mainly the route that I followed for 3 weeks in July 2023. I have tweaked it slightly and if I were to travel back to Albania, this is what I would do if I started in Tirana.
Day 1-3: Tirana
Welcome to Albania! To start off this ultimate 2 week Albania itinerary, you will begin in the buzzing nation’s capital, Tirana. Spending an afternoon and two full days here is the perfect amount of time here.
You will have enough time to wander around, check out some of the city’s numerous museums as well as catching the Dajti Ekspres (gondola) up to the top of Dajti Mountain.
You will fall in love with the colourful architecture and the very affordable, but tasty food on offer.
How To Get To Tirana:
Getting to Tirana is simple and the best place to start an Albania itinerary. Thankfully, it is very accessible from neighbouring countries Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece through daily bus connections. It is also possible to fly straight into Tirana from most major airports in Europe.
Where to Stay in Tirana:
I am always staying in hostels on my travels. They are affordable and a great way to meet people. Tirana is a city that has no shortage of hostels to choose from. Personally, I stayed at Blue Door Hostel Tirana on my Albania itinerary.
Day 4 & 5: Berat
After you’ve spent a couple of days in Tirana, it’s now time for a serious culture trip. The next stop on this Albania itinerary is Berat. A small, but charming town only 30 minutes south of Tirana and one of my favourite spots in the country!
What I loved about this place was how unique the architecture is! The town is known as “The City of a Thousand Windows” and rightly so. You will simply fall in love with the terraced houses that line the Osum River
An afternoon and one full day here is plenty of time to explore Berat. You will have the chance to climb up to Berat Castle for sunset, get lost in the historic Mangalem & Gorica Quarters and check out the National Ethnographic Museum.
Berat is a food-lover’s haven. No matter where you are in the city, you will find delicious and affordable dishes. I beg you to climb the Berat Castle and have a meal at Temi Albanian Food.
How To Get To Berat:
Berat is super easy to get to and probably the most straightforward journey on this 2 week Albania itinerary. Ride the KAMËZ bus near Skanderberg Square to Tirana’s Regional Bus Station and from there, it takes anywhere from 2-2.5 hours to get to Berat and will cost you roughly 500 LEK (5 EUR). Once you get to Berat’s bus station, you will then catch the blue bus into the city centre. That will cost you 40 LEK.
For a bit more detail, check out my guide on how to get from Tirana to Berat
Where to Stay in Berat:
There aren’t anywhere near as many hostels here as in Tirana, but the ones here are good! I stayed at Hanna’s Hostel.
The owner cooks an amazing breakfast, and even gives you a complimentary glass of Rakija on arrival! How can you say no to that? If this hostel is booked out, Berat Backpackers and Maya Hostel also good choices.
Check out my in-depth guide to Backpacking Berat
Day 6-8: Gjirokastër
You may have heard that Gjirokaster and Berat are quite similar, and are debating whether or not to visit both. In my opinion, both should be fit into your Albania itinerary.
This is without a doubt, my favourite place in the country. Gjirokaster is the next stop on this Albania itinerary. Known as the “Stone City”, this stunning town is full of amazing architecture, stunning scenery, great food and a cool fortress on the top of the hill.
The first day you arrive you can relax and wake up feeling fresh the next day! Spend your first full day exploring the city and it’s calm Old Town Bazaar, full of colourful rugs and ceramics. If you’ve seen any photos of Gjirokastër, chances are that it’s right here.
You can actually enter some of the houses in Gjirokaster too if you wish to!
If you’re not too tired from walking around, I recommend walking up to the castle and checking out the museum inside. It costs 200 LEK (2 EUR) for entry and another 200 LEK for tickets to the museum.
On day 2, you can get lost in the beautiful Manalet Quarter, characterised by the winding streets and unique houses. I also recommend seeing Gjirokastër’s Cold War Tunnel!
Finish off your day by walking out to Ali Pasha Bridge. This was the highlight of my time in Gjirokastër, and one that i’ll always remember from my 3 weeks in Albania itinerary. It’s a bit of a tough walk, especially in the heat but it’s so worth it. It’s almost like something out of the Lord of the Rings!
Check out my in-depth 2 Days In Gjirokaster Itinerary
How To Get To Gjirokastër from Berat:
Gjirokaster is a logical stop on this Albania itinerary after Berat. However, most days there are only two direct furgon lines from Berat to Gjirokastër, and i’ll always recommend getting the direct one. Albania hasn’t quite got the same tourist infrastructure as neighbouring countries and it can get complicated. If you’re interested in seeing how to get around Albania, check out my easy guide.
It is more or less a 4-hour minibus ride and will cost you about 1000 LEK (10 EUR). You can find the bus schedule online at Gjirafa Travel!
Want to spend more time in the city? Check out How Many Days In Gjirokaster
Where To Stay In Gjirokastër:
The best hostel in Gjirokaster and perhaps all of Albania is without a doubt, Stone City Gjirokastër. No one dislikes this place, it’s the vibe and was my favourite on my Albania itinerary.
Check out my full guide on backpacking in Gjirokaster
Day 9-12: Himarë
Next up on this Albania itinerary is your time to relax! Himarë is a beach town located on the Albanian Riviera and has some of the clearest water i’ve ever seen! There is no shortage of stunning beaches here. For this reason, Himare is worth visiting.
You have plenty of down-time but make sure you see Himarë Castle. If you would like, people often take a day trip out to Dhermi, a hillside village with cool houses and churches, as well as good beaches!
My favourite beach in Himare is Filikuri Beach. You have one of two ways to get there. You can trek through sharp bushes and essentially abseil down to the beach, or, a lot of people hire a kayak and paddle around the peninsula! I wish I knew how hard the first option is in 40 degree heat!
How To Get To Himarë from Gjirokastër
The best way to get between the two places is via Sarandë. Lots of people stay in Sarandë as well, but I found it very underwhelming. Look at Gjirafa Travel to find the schedule and be sure to let your driver know you will be going to Himarë after Sarandë.
With Albania’s unreliable transport, you can often be late. To avoid missing your connection, the driver will often call ahead to stop your bus from leaving! The trip should cost no more than 1000 LEK (10 EUR)
Here is the location of the bus stop in Gjirokastër. You will find buses and drivers will shout out locations at you, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding the right bus.
Where To Stay In Himarë
Do yourself a favour and stay at Himara Downtown Hostel.
It has a fantastic social vibe and the owner, Spiro is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. His mum also comes in every morning and cooks everyone the best breakfast you’ll ever have in a hostel. So much food!
Read: Himare or Sarande?
Day 9-14: Shkodër & Albanian Alps
To put a quick disclaimer on this one – I didn’t get to visit Shkodër or the Albanian Alps during my 3 week Albania itinerary. I flew back into Tirana and went south and then into North Macedonia.
If I didn’t have to be in Belgrade by a certain date, I would have definitely done it! I wish I could’ve somehow fit it into my plans.
Shkodër is Albania’s traditional capital and the fifth most populated city in the country. Base yourself in this city before going to the most scenic region of the nation, the Albanian Alps.
From research and people i’ve spoken to on my travels, they usually spend 2 days in Shkodër itself before spending the next 3 days hiking in the Albanian Alps.
How To Get To Shkodër From Himarë
You have a few options! You can opt to spend one more night in Tirana on the way, extend your trip by staying in the resort town of Vlorë or going straight from Himarë to Shkodër which will take roughly 7 hours on a furgon.
Personally, Vlorë is skippable seeing as you’ve seen better places as part of this Albania itinerary so I would lean towards Tirana if you had to stop over.
Himarë doesn’t actually have a bus station, but rather and designated spot on the road where they pull up. Here is the location on Google Maps (across from BIG Market) but if you are still unsure, ask your hostel staff or even locals. They are always willing to help!
It will cost you roughly 1500 LEK (15 EUR) to go straight from Himarë to Shkodër.
Albania Itinerary Budget
Albania is a very budget-friendly country, and perhaps the most affordable in all of Europe. You will not go hungry, big platters of food can go for as little as 8 EUR. During my 3 weeks Albania itinerary, the most I spent on a hostel was 14 EUR and this was in July of 2023.
Albania is becoming incredibly popular as backpackers seek to travel off-the-beaten-path and I predict that each year will be even crazier! So get in before it becomes not so friendly to your wallet.
Costs Of Travelling Around Albania
Per Day Range: 15 EUR – 100 EUR
It really is up to you. How much you’re willing to spend on this Albania itinerary and how often you want to eat out and do paid activities such as boat tours. The beauty of Albania is that since it is so affordable, you can splurge a bit without it breaking the bank!
I was able to spend less than 20 EUR a day as I only ate out on a couple of occasions and cooked instead. Hostels being as little as 10 EUR a night meant that I had another 10 EUR a day to spend on food and activities.
You will almost never need to be doing a paid activity every day on this Albania itinerary as there are quite a lot of things that are free! Even if you do spend 30 EUR one day doing a tour, it will even itself out when you don’t do them in the following days.
Best Time To Visit Albania
The best time to do this Albania itinerary is the same for almost any country, the shoulder season!
May/June as well as September is the perfect time to go as June & August can be scorching hot and humid, which is one of the things you should know about backpacking Albania.
I visited in July 2023 and although it didn’t feel that bad, there were a few days where it was hell on earth. I remember one day in Berat it was 38 degrees Celcius and almost 100% humidity. As soon as I walked out of my air conditioned room I was soaking wet from sweat.
Is Albania Safe To Visit?
Like I mentioned earlier, the reputation Albania has from it’s dark past sort of remains. This is understandable, as Albania was completely shut off from the outside world until as recently as 1991!
Thankfully, it is now a very safe country for you to visit and in my personal experience, quite a lot safer than places like Rome and Paris.
Despite their colder exterior, the locals are the friendliest people i’ve met on my travels, on par with Laos!
After speaking with friends about their experience, the main problem is catcalling and stares for women which is very uncomfortable but not exclusive to Albania. My advice would be to avoid dark areas at night, especially if you are alone.
Where Should I Go Next?
Using this Albania itinerary means you can finish anywhere. Albania borders Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece & Kosovo (although getting to Kosovo can be complicated with border disputes with Serbia).
You can go from Shkoder to Montenegro.
You can go from Tirana to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia.
If you end this Albania itinerary in Sarande, you can go to Corfu in Greece.
Final Thoughts!
Before setting foot in the country, I was so excited. It really lived up to my expectations! Everyone that I had spoken to previously had loved it and almost forced me to go, which i’m glad I did!
I hope that you enjoy the country with this Albania itinerary!
Book Your Trip With My Favourite Resources:
Cheap Flights: I always use Skyscanner to browse for cheap flights. It offers so many options to help you find a good deal! It even allows you to search for “anywhere” if you haven’t decided where to go yet!
Accommodation: I start my hostel search with Hostelworld. Most hostels are now on this platform making it the place to find the best hostel for you.
Travel Insurance: If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. It is so important to have when travelling as it will save you from illness, injury, theft and cancellations! I always use Worldnomads when travelling on a budget as they have the best deals for me.