The Best Albania Travel Itinerary for 1 Week in 2024

I, Reanna, visited Albania with a friend during the summer of 2023 and it was incredible! Backpacking in Albania or taking a more luxurious trip, really should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Here is our Albania itinerary for 7 days.

Albania is one of the most underrated countries that I have had the pleasure of visiting. When planning our itinerary in Albania, I really underestimated how much there is to see in this beautiful country and my only regret when visiting was not spending enough time here.

With white sand beaches and turquoise water like Greece, mountains, that wouldn’t look out of place on a Swiss postcard and ancient histories like Rome. Combining this with the delicious food, Ottoman towns, and welcoming hospitality of the locals, it’s easy to see why this Southern European country is becoming increasingly popular and topping every traveller’s bucket list.

We spent 7 days in Albania as part of a longer Balkan road trip, however, we wished we had been able to stay longer to enjoy the beaches more, do more hikes and spend longer in some of the National Parks.

This Albania road trip itinerary is for 7 days. However, it can easily be added to a 10-day, or even longer, Albania travel itinerary if you are planning to visit for more than 7 days.

Travelling in Albania is magical. There’s no doubt about it. Use this Albania travel itinerary
to discover the country home to the last wild river of Europe, incredible mountains, and white sandy beaches.

Things you need to know before backpacking in Albania:

– In Albania cash is king. Most places only accept cash and not credit or debit cards even in the larger places. ATMs also charge around £7 per transaction so it’s best to withdraw a big chunk in one go or bring some with you.
– Albania uses the Albanian Lek currency
– Albania is not part of the EU or Schengen area to it’s a great option to hop to if you’re reaching your 90-day limit in Schengen
– Book your accommodation in advance. Whilst you can book the night before it does mean you’ll be stuck with some questionable places to stay whilst on your Albania road trip or some very expensive hotel rooms, so book in advance. A holiday rental can also be a great option, especially if you’re with a larger group.

Is Albania safe?

Before planning your Albania itinerary you might ask yourself: Is Albania safe? Our answer? Every country can be safe and every country can be dangerous.

But, if asking is Albania safe? In a word, yes.

Whenever travelling to a new country you should always be sensible and exercise proper safety precautions, as you would in any country. Everyone that we met whilst travelling Albania was helpful and friendly and we (two female travellers) didn’t feel unsafe at any moment. Of course, this is just down to personal experience. But, we certainly wouldn’t deem Albania as an unsafe country.

Albania was cut off from the rest of the world by its government’s communist regime until the early 1990s, tourism is now hugely valuable to the country and growing industry in the country and huge developments in infrastructure and facilities are ongoing. This only heightens the want and need for strong tourism in Albania and means that the majority of people won’t do anything to destroy this.

Tirana – Days 1-4 on your Albania Itinerary

Begin your Albania itinerary by flying into the colourful capital city of Albania: Tirana.

The capital and the place where you are more than likely to start your Albania road trip in. Most Albania itinerary’s will include Tirana, even though, in our opinion, it’s not the most exciting place to visit in Albania.

Some people love the capital and extend their time during their Albania travel itinerary to stay for longer here. However, if you are short on time or are not a big fan of large cities then we recommend just spending 1-2 nights here.

Nestled between the majestic Dajti Mountain and the boundless plains, Tirana is a city that seamlessly blends its Ottoman, Italian, and Communist past into a fascinating mosaic.  Spend your time strolling through Skanderbeg Square, explore the National Historical Museum, echoing tales of Albania’s resilience and heritage.

Then head to the vibrant Blloku district, once reserved exclusively for Communist elites and now a thriving hub of cafes, boutiques, and eclectic street art.

Dajti Ekspres/ Dajti Express – Day 2

Our highlight of our time in Tirana was going on the Dajti Express, the cable car Tirana, and should certainly be included in any Albania itinerary where you stay in Tirana for more than one day.

Prepare to journey to the summit of Mount Dajti the via the longest cableway in the Balkans. The views are breathtaking the whole way up and the top has a Dajti Tower Hotel and Cliff-top Restaurant “Ballkoni Dajtit” where you can sit and enjoy a meal or cold beer. If you’ve always wanted to say you played golf ontop of a mountain it also has a mini golf course!

To get to the Dajti Ekspres/ Dajti Express from the city we got a taxi, this cost us approximately £8 to the cable car Tirana.

Tickets cost £6 for one way or £12 for a return ticket.

It’s also worth noting that the last cable car in Tirana down is at 6:30pm.

Komani Lake day trip – Day 3

Located in the northern part of Albania, not far from Shkoder lays the beautiful man-made lake. Lake Komani is secluded and wild, filled with emerald water and surrounded by impressive mountains.

Doing a day trip to Komani Lake from Tirana is a great alternative if you don’t have much time on your Albania itinerary.

To get we to Komani Lake we took the minibus from Tirana at 4:50 am. The journey takes around 3.5 hrs, getting you there just in time for the 9 am boat.

We booked at day tour online which includes hiking around the lake, kayaking and lunch. It also includes a smaller boat trip to take you along the lake and to the spot you stop off at for lunch, otherwise you go on one of the large ferries through the lake. Unfortunately due to the awful rain when we visited, this is what we ended up doing. But it was still beautiful and a highlight of our Albania road trip.

Alternatively, you can go on a 2 day trip, staying overnight on Komani Lake. Or a day trip from nearby Shkoder.

Ksamil – Days 4-6

A beautiful town nestled along the Albanian riviera. Ksamil has began extremely popular in recent years due to its crystal clear water, resembling the Maldives and white sand beaches.

If you’re thinking about visiting and looking for an ‘off the beaten track’ destination then Ksamil probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re looking for beautiful beaches, a range of beach bars, hotels and restaurants. Plus, an abundance of sun loungers for you to enjoy the Ksamil is for you.

We loved Ksamil, but, it’s definitely a love hate place. I have also heard that it is wonderful out of season, much quieter and cheaper. So, if you want to visit then shoulder season would be ideal to visit Ksamil.

If you’re looking for the best beaches in ksamil then read this post.

Sarandë/ Saranda – Days 6-7 – the last days on your Albania itinerary

Just down the road from Ksamil is Saranda. Ksamil and Sarandë are neighboring coastal towns and both popular choices on an Albania itinerary.

Sarandë is a gateway to the enchanting UNESCO-listed archaeological site of Butrint. It also boasts its own historical treasures, including the Lëkurësi Castle perched on a hill.

As well as this it is also the gateway to the Greek island of Corfu. If you’re looking to combine your trip to Albania with one to Greece then this is a great way to do it.

The boat takes approximately 30 minutes and costs approximately £40 pp per way from Saranda to Corfu.

Blue Eye day trip – Day 7

If you have two days in Sarana, or even if you only have one. Then something that we highly recommend doing is visiting the Blue Eye.

There are 2 Blue Eyes in Albania, one near Theth and one near Saranda. We visited the Blue Eye near Saranda.

A Blue Eye (or Syri i Kaltër in Albanian language) is a naturally occurring geological phenomenon. The eye is filled with blue, clear water. Making it a beautiful spot to visit.

From Saranda you can either get a taxi, public bus, hitch a ride or of course drive to the Blue Eye. The drive takes approx 30 minutes or the bus takes 1 hour.

The bus costs 400 LEK approx £3.33.

It is worth noting that the last bus back to Saranda is at 5:30pm so if you’re wanting to stay later then we recommend doing a trip to the Blue Eye.

The entrance to the Blue Eye costs 50 LEK to enter, approx 42p.

We hope that this has helped you to plan your 7 day Albania itinerary! It really is a magical country with so much to offer. If you’ve been, where was your favourite spot?