Albania, from sea level to 2,764 m
From the Ionian to the Accursed Mountains
Where to go, how to get there and what to look out for on your first trip to Albania.
Places
Where to go in Albania
19 places that show the range of the country, from island-dotted coves to valleys reached only by boat and on foot.
Ksamil & Butrint
Turquoise coves and a 2,500-year-old city on the same afternoon
Himarë
The Riviera's laid-back heart, with a castle on the hill
The Blue Eye
A bottomless spring of impossible blue
Gjirokastër
The City of Stone, under a giant fortress
Berat
The city of a thousand windows
Tirana
Colourful, chaotic and the place most trips begin
Shkodër
Lakeside city and gateway to the Albanian Alps
Lake Koman Ferry
A fjord-like boat ride through the mountains
Theth
A remote village deep in the Accursed Mountains
Valbona
Alpine meadows, glacial river, enormous skies
Llogara Pass
Pine forests 1,000 m above the Riviera
Dhërmi
White pebbles, turquoise water and a hillside village
Mount Dajti
Tirana's mountain, 15 minutes up by cable car
Krujë
Skanderbeg's castle and a cobbled old bazaar
Durrës
Roman ruins and a long sandy shore, near Tirana
Osum Canyon
A river carved deep into the limestone
Korçë
Boulevards, beer and serenades in the south-east
Voskopojë
A mountain village with frescoed churches
Pogradec & Lake Ohrid
One of Europe's oldest lakes, on Albania's quiet side
Nothing here yet.
Itineraries
Ready-made trips
Day-by-day plans with travel times, where to sleep and what to see, from a long weekend to a week in the mountains.
Before you go
Three things first-timers wish they'd known
Buses run on local knowledge
There's no national timetable. Your guesthouse is the best source for departure times and stops, and most buses leave in the morning.
Cash rules in the mountains
Carry Albanian lek. There are no ATMs in Theth or Valbona, and minibuses and guesthouses rarely take cards.
Roads take longer than maps say
Mountain and coastal roads are slow and winding. Add a third to your map's estimate and avoid driving them after dark.