Yes, Albania is one of the easier and cheaper countries in Europe to backpack on your own, with hostels in every major stop and buses linking all the main towns.
Dorm beds in
Tirana,
Berat,
Gjirokastër,
Shkodër and
Sarandë run about 1,200 to 2,000 lek (US$13 to 22), and a daily budget of 3,000 to 4,500 lek (€30 to €45) covers a bed, meals and buses. Timetables are rarely online, so hostel staff are your best source for departure times. Younger Albanians often speak English, and in
Theth guesthouses with half board cost around 3,000 to 4,500 lek (US$33 to 50).
Ten days is the right length for a first trip to Albania, enough for Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër and the Ionian coast without rushing; two weeks lets you add the northern mountains.
With 5 days, stick to the south:
Sarandë,
Butrint, the
Blue Eye Spring and
Gjirokastër, all within 1.5 hours of each other. With 10 days, run from
Tirana through
Berat (2.5 hours by bus) to the riviera. With 14 to 15 days, add 4 days for
Shkodër,
Theth, the 6 to 8 hour hike to
Valbona and the Komani Lake ferry, best between June and September.
Yes, you can travel all of Albania without a car, since intercity buses and minibuses called furgons connect every town on the standard backpacker circuit.
Typical runs:
Tirana to
Berat about 2.5 hours for 400 to 500 lek (US$4 to 6), Tirana to
Shkodër about 2 hours, Tirana to
Sarandë 5 to 6 hours for 1,500 to 1,800 lek (US$16 to 20). Shkodër to
Theth by furgon takes 2 to 2.5 hours for 1,000 to 1,500 lek, and the Komani Lake ferry links Valbona with Shkodër in summer. Only a few spots, like the
Osum canyon or
Apollonia, need a taxi or day tour.
The places in Albania that justify the trip are Berat, Gjirokastër, Butrint, the Theth to Valbona hike and the beaches of the southern riviera.
Berat and
Gjirokastër are the two Ottoman-era towns, each worth 2 nights.
Butrint, 45 minutes by bus from Sarandë, layers Greek, Roman and Venetian ruins in a lagoon. The
Theth to Valbona crossing is a 17 kilometer, 6 to 8 hour day over a pass near 1,800 meters. On the coast,
Gjipe Beach and
Ksamil have the clearest water. Give
Tirana 1 to 2 days for Bunk’Art and its main square.
If time is short in Albania, skip Durrës, the town beach in Sarandë and a second Cold War museum, and spend those days in the mountains or the old towns instead.
Durrës has a Roman amphitheater, but its beachfront is a strip of high-rise hotels, and Tirana covers the city life.
Saranda Beach is fine for a dip, yet Ksamil is 30 minutes away by bus. If you’ve seen
Bunk’Art 1,
Bunk’Art 2 repeats much of the story. Keep Tirana to 1 night, and avoid Ksamil in August, when sunbeds fill by mid-morning.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Albania in seconds. Try it out!
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