A Road Trip Across Albania
Image taken in Gjirokaster
My friends and I took 6 days out and travelled around Albania, stopping at the most stunning places and now I want to share our journey with you. Albania is often over-looked and under appreciated for its natural beauty, however, with its mountain rages in the North, crumbling stone buildings in the centre and white sandy beaches in the South, it’s not surprising that it’s starting to attract the eyes of tourists. I’m aware that it can be quite rough in some places so just go careful and stick to the main spots. We (3 women aged 25) had no issues whilst we were out there, so I think as long as you’re vigilant, you should be fine. The driving is entertaining so always expect the unexpected and don’t enter into any road rage as it can escalate very quickly.
Affordability: Cheap as chips
Transport: Car recommended
Food: Inland - Interesting... Coast - Good seafood.
Where to go?
Day 1: Tirana to Berat.
We travelled from Tirana airport in the centre of the country, down to Berat, otherwise known as the ‘Town of a Thousand Windows’ - I think you can tell why it gets that name. We explored the historic sights of Berat Castle before wandering around the cobbled streets. The print in the image above was drawn by a local artist who sits in a little archway in the wall, just up from the castle. There were an abundance of rugs hung up on washing lines for sale, I was so tempted to bring one home! (Spoiler alert, I did buy one Gjirokaster…)
Day 2: Berat to Gjirokaster & Ali Pasha’s Bridge
When it rains, it pours - was something we learnt very quickly on day 2 of our trip! We left Berat a little soggy and continued onto another hilltop town called Gjirokaster. Our accommodation for the night was located in the centre of Gjirokaster which meant there was a VERY steep and VERY tight drive up through the narrow cobbled streets. If you’re not a confident driver, I wouldn’t recommend driving into the centre. From the centre, we walked to an old bridge called, Ali Pasha’s Bridge, a must-see when in Gjirokaster. The walk was fairly easy going and the views of the bridge were absolutely stunning. We didn’t struggle finding a place to eat in the town centre, it comes alive at night and there’s an abundance of restaurants and bars to choose from.
Day 3: Gjirokaster to Ksamil via The Blue Eye
Leaving the beautiful Gjirokaster, rug in stow, we headed south to the white sandy beaches of Ksamil. On route, we stopped off at The Blue Eye, 1 of 2 natural phenomenons in Albania. The Blue Eye is a natural spring over 50 meters deep with a cave at the bottom which pushes the 10 degree water up to the surface. The walk to and from The Blue Eye isn’t long or difficult however, there is an option to walk around the whole lake to get back to the carpark which I would recommend doing. We then finished the drive down to the coast and were greeted by a gorgeous sunset over the sea.
Day 4: Ksamil to Vlore (Hotel Liro)
We spent most of the day wandering along the unreal white beaches of Ksamil, dipping in the sea and eating delicious seafood. Lots of the beaches are private so you have to pay for a sun bed, however, it was only 10€ for the day which is incredibly reasonable compared to most European countries. There are some stunning beaches in Ksamil that are a bit quieter and don’t require you to pay for a sun bed. After lapping up all of the sun, we drove to our next and last stop, Hotel Liro, just outside of Vlore.
Day 5: Hotel Liro & Vlore
Where do I begin with Hotel Liro… This was the most breathtaking hotel I have ever stayed in, and I think ever will. The hotel is located just outside of the city of Vlore and is wedged into the cliff face with undisturbed views of the sea. The restaurant was the only fairly pricey thing during the whole holiday but it was absolutely delicious. Breakfast is included in your booking and I recommend you make the most of it as I've never had better. During the day, we booked onto a boat trip which took us inside a huge cave called Haxhi Cave where we jumped into the freezing cold water. They then took us to an island off the coast of Vlore to explore, however, there were a lot of sea urchins which made it tricky to get in and out of the water in certain parts of the island. To celebrate the end of a lovely little trip, we had some drinks on the terrace of the hotel during sunset.
Day 6: Hotel Liro to Tirana Airport
The last day is always the least fun, we packed up and took the 2.5 hour car journey back to the airport. Our car rental was super easy to handover and I’d really recommend them, we used EcoRent via DiscoverCars.
If you go to Albania after reading this blog, please tag me in your photos - I’d love to see!
@amys_littletrips x