Albania Must See

Tirana

Albania's energetic capital — colourful facades, café culture, museums and Mount Dajti rising behind the city.

Most trips start or end in Tirana. Skanderbeg Square, the Bunk'Art museums, the Pyramid and the cable car up Mount Dajti give the city range. It is walkable, affordable and has the country's best food scene.

Butrint

A UNESCO national park of Greek, Roman and Byzantine ruins set in a forested peninsula near Saranda.

Butrint is Albania's most important archaeological site, with a theatre, baptistery and city walls spanning 2,500 years. The setting — surrounded by lake and forest — is as memorable as the ruins.

Himare

A relaxed Riviera town with a long beach, an old hillside village and easy access to quieter coves.

Himare is a good base for the central Riviera — less intense than Ksamil, with a genuine old town above the sea and beaches like Jale and Gjipe within a short drive.

Saranda

The south's main seaside city and gateway to Ksamil, Butrint and the Corfu ferry.

Saranda is the transport hub of the south, with a long promenade, sunset views over Corfu and easy day trips to Butrint, the Blue Eye and the Riviera beaches.

Shkoder

A cultural capital of the north, set between Lake Shkoder and the mountains, with Rozafa Castle above the rivers.

Shkoder is the launch point for the Albanian Alps, Lake Koman and Lake Skadar. Its castle, pedestrian street and cycling culture make it one of the north's most likeable cities.

Lake Koman

A reservoir of emerald water between steep mountains, crossed by a famous car ferry.

The Koman ferry is one of Albania's signature experiences — a crossing through flooded valleys that connects the road to the Alps. The scenery is dramatic and the water improbably green.

Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)

A deep natural spring where turquoise water bubbles up from a karst source of unknown depth.

The Blue Eye is a striking spring near Saranda — vivid blue at the surface, dark below. Divers have explored it to 50 metres without reaching the bottom. It's an easy stop on the way to Gjirokaster.

Vlore

Where the Adriatic meets the Ionian — a port city and the start of the Riviera drive.

Vlore marks the turn from the flat Adriatic coast to the mountainous Ionian Riviera. It's a practical base, with Independence Square and a long beachfront, before the climb to Llogara.

Kruje

A hilltop town and Albanian national symbol, home to Skanderbeg's castle and a lively bazaar.

Kruje is the historic stronghold of Albania's national hero, Skanderbeg. The castle museum and restored Ottoman bazaar make it an easy half-day trip from Tirana.

Dhermi

A Riviera village with white-pebble beaches, beach clubs and a dramatic coastal setting.

Dhermi has some of the Riviera's most popular beaches — Drymades and Dhermi itself — backed by olive groves and limestone cliffs. It's lively in summer and quieter in shoulder season.

Valbona

A wide alpine valley in the Accursed Mountains, reached by ferry from Koman and the end of the Theth hike.

Valbona is the other half of the Theth–Valbona crossing. The valley floor is broad and green, ringed by peaks, with guesthouses and trails heading toward the Montenegrin border.

Osum Canyon

A river-carved limestone canyon near Berat, with steep cliffs and spring rafting.

The Osum Canyon is one of the deepest in the Balkans. Spring meltwater makes it a rafting destination; in summer you can walk along the riverbed. It pairs naturally with a Berat visit.

Mount Tomorr

A sacred, rounded mountain massif that dominates the skyline above Berat and Permet.

Tomorr is Albania's most spiritually significant mountain, the site of an annual Bektashi pilgrimage. Its long ridgeline is visible for miles and offers serious hiking.

Llogara Pass

A mountain pass at 1,027 m where the road twists from pine forest down to the Ionian sea.

The Llogara Pass is the dramatic entrance to the Riviera — a series of hairpins with a sudden view of the coastline. The pine forest at the top is a cool escape from the summer heat.

Permet

A green riverside town known for raki, natural hot springs and the Vjosa river.

Permet sits on the Vjosa, one of Europe's last wild rivers. Nearby Benja thermal baths and the drive up to Leskovik make it a quiet, authentic base in the south.

Korca

An elegant eastern city with a French-influenced boulevard, medieval art museum and a famous beer.

Korca is one of Albania's most cultured cities — cobblestone streets, Orthodox churches, a carnival in summer and the country's oldest brewery. It's a gateway to Lake Ohrid and Prespa.

Pogradec & Lake Ohrid

A lakeside town on the Albanian shore of UNESCO-listed Lake Ohrid, one of Europe's oldest lakes.

Lake Ohrid is shared with North Macedonia and is a UNESCO natural and cultural site. The Albanian side around Pogradec and the Bay of Bones is quieter and less developed.

Apollonia

An ancient Greek city and Roman trade hub, now a peaceful archaeological park near Fier.

Apollonia was one of the most important cities of antiquity in the region. Its ruins — a monastery, temple facades and a theatre — sit in rolling countryside and are far less visited than Butrint.

Divjaka-Karavasta

Albania's largest coastal lagoon — pine forest, wild beaches and a flamingo colony.

Karavasta is a Ramsar wetland where the Adriatic meets pine forest and salt lagoons. It's a habitat for the Dalmatian pelican and a peaceful alternative to the Ionian beaches.

Cape of Rodon

A wild, rocky cape north of Durrës with cliffs, a 15th-century church and abandoned bunkers.

Cape of Rodon is one of Albania's most rugged coastal spots — a peninsula of red cliffs, an old castle-church and Cold War bunkers. It's reached by a rough road and rewards with solitude.

Tirana City Hotels

Central stays within walking distance of Skanderbeg Square and the Bllok district.

Berat Boutique Stays

Converted Ottoman houses inside the Mangalem and Gorica quarters.

Gjirokaster Stone Houses

Traditional tower-house guesthouses in the UNESCO old town.

Ksamil Beachfront Stays

Rooms and apartments steps from the Ksamil islands and promenade.

Saranda Sea-View Hotels

Promenade hotels with views toward Corfu and easy access to Butrint.

Himare Seaside Stays

Quiet rooms above the sea, close to Jale and Gjipe beaches.

Theth Guesthouses

Stone guesthouses with home-cooked meals in the Albanian Alps.

Shkoder Lakeside Hotels

Central stays near the pedestrian street and Rozafa Castle.