9 days in Albania – a travel guide

Growing quickly in popularity, Albania had been on my radar for quite a while, and we finally found the time to go before it got too popular. We went mid to late May, a time of year that is highly recommended as you still get the good weather and the lively atmosphere without the crowds and chaos of the peak summer months – June to August. One and a half out of three ain’t bad, right? 

I would say for most of our trip, the sun struggled to show face but that’s completely up to Mother Nature and no one else, so it can’t be helped. We also found a few places to be much quieter than expected for the time of year, both in terms of people and establishments being open. All that said, we still had an amazing time in Albania and I’ll tell you all about it. 

During our trip we stayed in three towns/cities but visited five: Tirana, Dhermi, Drymades, Ksamil and Saranda. Be sure to stick around until the end for some very important tips and advice!

What to do and see in Tirana

Flying into the capital city, Tirana, and landing in the evening, we spent two nights here. The city of Tirana was a pleasant surprise. I must admit, we didn’t know what to expect and weren’t expecting much in particular, but we loved it! We had one full day to explore Tirana, and we filled that day well. 

Everything is pretty close together and mostly walkable distance which was ideal. We headed off in pursuit of Skanderbeg Square where a good number of sights and attractions can be ticked off in one. On the square, you’ll find the Skanderbeg Statue, “I Love Tirana” sign, the Clock Tower which you can climb for a view across the square and city (you need cash to enter), the National Historical Museum, the National Theatre of Opera, Ballet and Folk and Et’hem Bey Mosque all in this one area.  From there, we visited the gorgeous Namazgah Mosque and on to the Pyramid of Tirana – those steps are killer so take it easy!

By this point it was lunchtime, so we headed to the New Baazar, Pazari I Ri, a huge market selling all sorts, surrounded by plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. After lunch, our thirst wasn’t quenched, so our next stop was Tirana Castle – not so much a castle but more a walkway within castle walls full of shops, bars and restaurants. It’s the perfect spot for a pitstop and a drink or two. We ended our day of touring with a short bus ride out of the centre to the Dajti Ekspres – the longest cable car in the Balkans offering incredible views. It is well worth the trip, and you can spend as long or as little as you want at the top with viewpoints, gardens, a bar and restaurant and even minigolf!

Our day in Tirana was completed by enjoying the sunset in the Sky Club – an enclosed, revolving rooftop bar (yes, you read that right, revolving) – before a lovely dinner at Juvenilja, a short walk from Sky Club.

What to do and see in Dhermi

As I mentioned earlier, Albania is more and more becoming a hotspot for tourists, but I feel some places still have a way to go to meet the expectations of most and Dhermi is one of these places. Although I do hope it manages to find that balance between keeping its authenticity and catering to visitors — not an easy task!

Despite Dhermi still building up to being completely tourist ready (literally some places were an actual building site) we enjoyed our time here and filled our days well. We stayed at the Blue Boutique Hotel, a place with a lot of potential that we maybe didn't experience much of because of how quiet the town was at the time. Our room was great with a view of the mountains from the balcony, and the swimming pool was nice and quiet, so we were happy.

Dhermi was very, very quiet, almost like a ghost town at times which meant bars and restaurants were sometimes uncomfortably empty. As always, we made the most and had some really nice meals here. We quickly realised that the menus in Albania were heavily influenced by neighbouring Greece and nearby Italy. We had incredible pizza at Vela e Bardhe, fantastic pasta at Diego Bar Pizzeri Restorant and a lovely last night dinner at Luciano’s overlooking the sea. One night we stumbled upon Salinas Beach Bar with beanbags and fire pits spread out across the beach and loud music which made for a great atmosphere, we spent a few hours here and it got busier and busier as the night went on, it was a really good time. 

One day we headed up to Dhermi Old Town which is such a cute area. We hiked up to the Church of St Mary for an amazing view of Dhermi and out across the sea. It reminded me of the church in “Mamma Mia!” - if you know you know. On the way back down, we stopped for a refreshment at a bar overlooking the Church of St Spyridon, with its blue-domed roof reminiscent of Santorini. We then walked the historic Mills Trail down to the beachfront, a trail that locals would have once walked daily – if you choose to do this, watch out for snakes falling from trees... seriously. Another day of note was when we decided to go through to Drymades Beach, which has been described as the “most beautiful beach in all of Albania”. Now, I don’t know if it was the bad weather, or the fact that Drymades was even more a ghost town than Dhermi was, or the boldness of the statement, but I'm not sure I would agree. During nicer weather and busier months, though, I’m sure it’s worth a visit and for us it was something to do on a rainy day. Try to prebook a taxi back to Dhermi if that is your plan as it was very difficult to track one down. 

All in all, we had a good time in Dhermi. I'm unsure if it was the irregular weather or we maybe went just a little too early in the summer but if you like an all-round livelier atmosphere, go during the busier months or head to Ksamil instead.

What to do and see in Ksamil and Saranda

Ksamil was what drew me to Albania, as I'm sure will be the case for a lot of people who have found themselves longing for a trip to this Balkan country. The choice of beautiful beaches (and accompanying beach bars) is endless, you can book various day trips from here, you can visit Butrint National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Blue Eye Spring from Ksamil as well as being a short 20-30 minute drive to Saranda, the largest city on the Albanian Riviera.

We spent most of our days relaxing on the beach in Ksamil, when the weather allowed it. On arrival after an insane bus ride (more on that later), we went straight for food at Poda Beach Bar, right outside our hotel. It had been a recommendation, and it didn't disappoint –the food was great, the rigatoni bolognese in particular, and the atmosphere was much livelier than what we had experienced in Dhermi. We then went to watch the sunset on Bora Bora Beach, and it was a treat.

The next day we paid for sun loungers (a very common expense on the beaches in Albania) at Rilinda Beach Bar with our fingers crossed that the good weather would show up for us. It wasn't to be, but our visit was not in vain as we enjoyed a delicious lunch here and our server was great at his job and a really nice guy. Although Ksamil was much more atmospheric than Dhermi had been, we found that some bars and restaurants still hadn’t fully opened for the summer season, so it is worth keeping that in mind.

Saranda is a bustling city and is said to have the best restaurants and nightlife in the area. We spent a day here at Lost Beach Club, a bougee, Tulum/Maldives style spot to chill during the day and party at night. To spend time here, you need to pay for either sunbeds or cabana beds at the pool or down by the sea. Just watch out for those waves if you grab one of the beds over the sea! We loved our day here, although a little pricier than other places, and would recommend a visit here for sure.

Our final day in Ksamil (and Albania) was spent soaking up some long-awaited sun on Lori Beach, a private beach with turquiose water, a bar, restaurant and an incredible view. Again, we paid for our loungers for the day (around 10 euros per bed). On our walk to Lori Beach, we passed by the Hand of Ksamil, found on the shore of Coco Beach Bar, which makes for a great photo – just don't get your shoes wet and slip on the stairs like I did!

We were graced with an impressive sunset on our last evening in Albania so we grabbed a drink at Apollonia (a bar/restaurant with sun loungers and a pool) to give it the attention it deserved. The last supper was spent at Guvat which had come highly recommended and I can see why, it was a lovely restaurant with very good food.

The next day we were up and out to head back to Saranda to get the ferry to Corfu (yes, the Greek island) to fly home... and this is where the real tips and advice come in.

Tips & advice for your trip to Albania

A few key things to know before you go:

✈️ Airports: 

It is worth noting that Albania only has one major international airport – Tirana. Ideal if you’re flying into or out of the capital. However, if you’re planning to spend most of your trip in the south (Ksamil, Saranda, etc.), I highly recommend flying via Corfu instead. Here’s why… 

🚌 Transport: 

Public transport between towns in Albania is pretty much limited to public busses, which – to put it nicely – aren’t the most reliable. The roads are wild and the travel times given are very optimistic. 

We flew to Tirana as we wanted to spend a couple nights here. We then got a bus to Dhermi which was meant to take 4 hours but ended up taking closer to 6 or 7 and the roads, although providing incredible views, were treacherous as we were on a full-sized coach for this journey.  

Our bus from Dhermi to Ksamil basically showed up whenever it wanted, we just had to wait at the ‘bus stop’ (a corner on a bend of a mountain) and hope and pray that a bus going in the direction we wanted to go in showed up in decent time. When it eventually did show up, it was a minibus PACKED full of people with some (including ourselves) having to stand in the tiny aisle with our luggage – not the comfiest of journeys for anyone involved. This journey was meant to take less than two hours but took closer to 3 or 4, with its final stop in Saranda so we had to get a taxi to take us on the last 30 minutes or so to Ksamil. To add to this, there were people on that bus who had got on in Tirana and had been stuck on it for close to 10 hours; after being told it should only take around 4 to 5 hours.  

Long story short, the drive on the busses takes MUCH longer than they say they will, they either don’t seem suitable for the roads or are not suitable for the amount of people wanting to use them and they don’t have toilets. My top tip for anyone planning on travelling to and around Albania is to hire a car, you’ll have the freedom of running to your own schedule and a higher level of comfort, you will also be able to get around and see more of the areas you visit. 

Thankfully we decided we wouldn’t rely on a bus getting us back to Tirana on time for a flight before knowing all this and we planned our flight back from nearby Greek island Corfu. You can get a ferry from Saranda or Ksamil (although the Saranda ferry runs much more frequently) to Corfu which takes around 30 minutes, and the airport is then around 15 to 20 minutes' drive from the port. I would highly recommend this to anyone starting and/or ending their trip in the south of Albania.  

💶 Money: 

Lastly, a quick note on currency and cash. We found that most places took card, but some bars, restaurants, and attractions only accepted cash. We saw plenty of ATMs in both Tirana and Ksamil but they all charged to withdraw money so it would be a good idea to organise some cash before heading on your trip. Albania uses both euros and Albanian lek, we didn’t notice a preference to either so I would recommend using euros as they can be used for other countries if you don't use it all – just be prepared to sometimes get change in lek even if you paid in euros! 

I want to end in saying, we truly loved our time in Albania. I feel like some of this blog may come off as a bit negative, but it is just the truth as we experienced it. A travel blog would be pointless if the author didn’t share the highs and the lows. Albania is a wonderful country, and we are so glad we went. If you want to avoid some of the problems we came across, maybe wait a couple years for it to become a little more tourist ready. But sometimes experiencing a country in its rawer form is all part of the fun!