Routes

Ready-made road trips around Albania: a day-by-day plan, a budget guideline, key stops, and a map. The country is compact but mountainous — a car opens up what’s hard to reach by public transport: the passes of the Albanian Alps, the wine villages, the canyons, and the road to Theth and the Valbona valley.

How to choose a direction. North — the Albanian Alps with Theth, the Valbona valley, and Shkodër as the gateway; the stone UNESCO towns of Berat and Gjirokastër inland; south — the Albanian Riviera along the Ionian, from Sarandë and Ksamil to Himarë, Dhërmi, and Borsh, with the ruins of Butrint nearby; the coast — the Tirana → Durrës → Sarandë corridor. And to see it all in one trip, there’s the “Grand Tour of Albania,” roughly two weeks long.

Season and preparation. The best time for most routes is from late spring to autumn. In winter the mountain sections (the roads into the Albanian Alps, the pass to Theth, the road to Valbona) are harder, and passes are sometimes closed because of snow — check road conditions before setting off. For the high mountains and dirt roads, take an SUV. The mileage, days, and budget in the cards are guidelines, not exact measurements: it all depends on the number of stops, the season, and accommodation.