Albania is one of the most surprising and varied countries I’ve travelled through in Europe. In just a week you can experience a little bit of everything: the chaotic buzz of Tirana, shaped by decades of communist dictatorship; UNESCO-listed Ottoman-era towns like Berat; stunning beaches along the Albanian Riviera; and even rugged hikes in the north that rival more famous spots in the Balkans. It’s not as polished as neighbouring Greece or Italy, but that’s exactly what makes travelling in Albania so rewarding. Every stop along the way feels different, and together they build a picture of a country that’s only recently opened its doors to tourism but has so much to offer.
If you’re planning an Albania itinerary, this post covers the practical details of getting between cities, plus my favourite things to do in Albania — from history in Tirana, to fortress views in Berat, and finally the turquoise beaches of Ksamil, which we chose over Sarandë for a more relaxed vibe.
How to get from Tirana airport to the city?
There is a great bus option running from the airport to the centre of Tirana. It’s quick, easy and comfortable. We bought our tickets once we left the airport terminal and could almost get straight on a bus – no long waits in the hot sun!
The bus will drop you at a square in the centre of Tirana and lots of local buses depart from here so getting to accommodation is pretty easy. We stayed at a hotel nearby and we were able to just walk from where the bus dropped us off.
How to get around Tirana?
Buses and walking are your best bet in Tirana – it’s not a huge city nor super modern so bus and walking will serve you well. Though you can of course catch a taxi if you need though noting that Uber doesn’t exist in Albania so isn’t an option.
The bus system is easy to navigate and the buses run often, though not always to the timetable listed on the bus stop. You’ll buy your bus ticket while the bus is driving — a ticket attendant will come round the bus and sort you out so make sure to have your cash (preferably in small coins) at the ready or you’ll be given a few dirty looks.
What to do in Tirana
While you’re probably not going to Albania specifically to see Tirana, it is absolutely worth a stop as we found it really interesting, a different city to any other I’ve visited in Europe and it gave the rest of our trip through Albania some much-needed context.
Truthfully, I think if I had gone straight from Corfu to Sarandë or Ksamil, I might have been a bit taken aback by the infrastructure and appearance of towns. Let’s be clear; the riviera is not the Cinque Terre, South of France or even Greece. In much of Albania, including the south, its long communist history and only recent opening of its borders are clear. While you would learn this while traveling through Albania, I can’t recommend enough stopping in Tirana for a day or two just to learn more about its history and really help contextualise your experiences there.
So, now that I’ve convinced you to stop by the capital, what is there to actually do in Tirana? First up, I can’t recommend a Tirana walking tour enough. Like in any city, it’s the best way to get your bearings and learn about the city’s layered history. We did one on our first afternoon and it made the rest of our stay so much easier to navigate, while also giving us a deeper appreciation for why the city might feel a little outdated in parts.
For something more sobering, visit the House of Leaves (Surveillance Museum) right in the city centre. It’s both fascinating and sad, but incredibly important for understanding Albania’s communist past. If you’ve got the time, make sure to also head out to Bunk’Art 1 Museum, a huge underground bunker just outside the city that’s been turned into a history and art space. It takes a bus ride and a few hours to explore properly, but it’s absolutely worth it. There’s also Bunk’Art 2 in the centre, but with only a short stay we opted to do the surveillance museum and the larger bunker instead.
And for something lighter, climb the clock tower for sunset. The city can be a bit hazy, but the view is still interesting and the tower itself has a quirky history that’s worth hearing about.
Getting to Berat
Berat isn’t one of the most common places to visit in Albania but I can’t recommend enough a night or two in this charming little town. The great news is that getting from Tirana to Berat is super easy — there’s a cheap local bus that leaves from the city centre and drops you at the main bus depot just outside of town. From there, I’d recommend jumping in a taxi to get into the centre, it’s not exactly a walkable distance or road.
What to do in Berat
Once you’re settled, a walking tour is a great way to get your bearings and learn a bit about the town’s history. They’ll usually take you up the big hill to the fortress, but I’d suggest going back up on your own too — you won’t get much time up there during the tour, and it’s worth exploring properly. We spent a few hours wandering around the fortress and checking out all the various ruins and one of my favourite photos from the trip is the colorful traditional rugs on display at the centre.
Also, make sure to walk along the river while you’re in town and keep an eye out for one of the more unique things we noticed in Albania: Mosques with shops built into the first floor — a reflection of the country’s religious history from the Ottoman Empire all the way up until the dictatorship that ended in the 90s.
If you’re looking for a unique Albanian souvenir, there are some great ceramics in shops along the river — we took home some gorgeous little ramekins but you could get yourself a fancy ashtray if that’s your thing.
Getting to Sarandë and Ksamil
Sarandë is the main port in southern Albania and definitely the easier base to reach, but it’s also much busier and more built up. We passed through a couple of times and were glad we didn’t stay. The bus from Berat to Sarandë takes about 4 hours and drops you near the port, where you’ll also find other connections. This was by far the most unusual bus ride of our lives – we had purchased tickets the afternoon before when we first arrived in Berat (thank god) but there was a lot of confusion when boarding the little minivan style bus and it wasn’t clear if people with pre-purchased tickets were prioritised over people who rocked up in the morning. We were eventually very tactically arranged in the bus and my sister and I ended up in the back row next to a family with their maybe 5 year old child on their laps the whole time. The younger men on the bus were the not so lucky boys who had fold out stools placed down the aisle of the bus for the 4 hour drive (they were good sports about it and we all had a laugh together). We had a quick petrol, bathroom and refreshment stop and then were arranged back in the van. This is not at all to deter you from catching the bus – it was definitely an adventure and one of the funniest experiences from the trip plus it was a good way to experience Albania like a local.
Once in Sarandë, if you’re continuing on to Ksamil, the bus is cheap and straightforward — you don’t need to book tickets in advance, you just pay as you board. The only catch is that it’s a bit of a free-for-all since the buses aren’t super regular, and it’s not always obvious where they’ll pull in at the depot. Our accommodation told us which stop to get off at, and the driver even called which stop was which. Flagging that there’s only one narrow road in and out of Ksamil, and it can get really congested at peak times. Leaving early in the morning is fine, but if you’re travelling in or out later in the day, allow extra time.
What to do in Ksamil (and why we chose it over Sarandë)
Ksamil is still a lively town but has more of a relaxed holiday feel compared to the busy vibe of Sarandë. The main attraction here is the Ksamil beaches, known for their bright turquoise water and little islands just offshore. There aren’t really public beaches, so expect to pay for a lounger at one of the many Ksamil beach clubs. For us, this stop was all about slowing down — most days we just swam, read books, and napped by the sea. Food and drinks at the clubs can be on the pricier side, so we often (sneakily) brought our own snacks and bought a couple of drinks from the bar throughout the day.
Not all the beaches in Ksamil are the same though. The main beach in Ksamil is beautiful but extremely busy, especially with families in summer. It’s worth checking out early in the morning for photos, but I wouldn’t stay there all day. Our favourite was African Beach Club Ksamil — it’s a bit of a walk further around the coast but much quieter, and more than once we had the water completely to ourselves. For the ultimate highlight, make sure to head down to the beach (even the main beach) in the evening because the sunset in Ksamil is spectacular — the colours lighting up the clear blue water were unforgettable.
Food in Ksamil wasn’t quite as cheap as we expected (we actually found some meals in Corfu cheaper), but it’s an interesting mix of Italian, Greek and Middle Eastern flavours thanks to Albania’s geography and history. The seafood in Ksamil is especially fresh and high-quality, and we finished plenty of meals with baklava, which was some of the best of the trip.
Why we chose Ksamil over Sarandë
If you’re deciding between staying in Sarandë or Ksamil, it really comes down to what you want out of your trip. Sarandë is bigger, busier and has more restaurants and nightlife, while Ksamil is smaller, calmer, and offers the best beaches in Albania for swimming and relaxing. For us, Ksamil was exactly the kind of beach break we were after.
What we regret about our trip
While it was purposefully a restful beach trip with a hit of history, I regret not going north to do a hike as the scenery is so beautiful and definitely an underrated part of Europe to visit. The beaches and riviera were so great to see and experience but I do wish we’d built a little bit of northern Albania into our itinerary. The north is gaining more and more attention so I’d love to go back and visit sooner rather than later before tourism changes it too much.
The 7-Day Albania Itinerary
Day 1: Fly into Tirana and Explore Tirana
- Land in Tirana and sort out cash and sim card at the airport
- Catch the bus into the city centre
- Check into accommodation
- Explore the city
- Free walking tour – if you’re visiting in summer, I highly recommend doing the tour in the evening as it can get HOT.
- Dinner at Odas Garden – this was a recommendation from our walking tour guide and it was delicious, had live music and served authentic food. Little bit of a wait in line but very worth it.
Day 2: Sightseeing in Tirana
- Coffee at town square to start the day. Coffee is a serious culture here and you’ll see cafe after cafe lined up around the square.
- Visit Bunkart 1 – a quick bus in and out of town. Set aside a few hours for this fascinating site.
- House of Leaves
- Rinia Park
- Piramida Tirana
Day 3: Tirana – Berat
- Explore Berat town
- Grab lunch at one of the restaurants tucked into the little streets in the Old Town
- Walk up to the fortress (take it slow, especially if it’s hot – I was bright red by the time we made it to the top)
- Explore the fortress
- Walk along the river that runs through the middle of town
- Evening walking tour (be prepared to go back up the hill)
- Dinner at Lorenc Garden Restaurant and Bar
Day 4: Berat – Sarande – Ksmail
- Catch the early morning bus to Sarandë
- Catch the local bus from Sarandë to Ksamil
- Arrive at Ksamil and check into accommodation
- Straight to the beach – we discovered Africana Beach Club n day one and never looked back
- Return to Ksamil Beach for the sunset
- Dinner at one of the dozens of restaurants in town – you can’t really go wrong
Day 5: Ksamil
- Beach day – back at Africana Beach Club – it’s affordable, quiet, good selection of chairs and loungers, no kids
- Grab breakfast from one of the local bakeries on the way to the beach
- Dinner at Taverna Afa – one of the best seafood linguines we had and tasty cocktails
Day 6: Ksamil
- Beach day – we looked at other beach clubs but anything that was as calm as Africana was much more expensive.
Day 7: Ksamil – Corfu
- Taxi back to Sarandë for early morning ferry – we pre-booked the taxi via whatsapp and the driver was prompt, safe and gave us some great info about the area on the drive
- Ferry to Corfu
We definitely front-loaded the week with the history and adventure and by the end of the week we were ready to sit, relax and read by the water. Albania is definitely a country where you can do both!