Albania, Stone Towns and Riviera

About this tour

Albania in six days, north to south and back along the sea. Tirana first, because it explains the rest: the painted blocks, the bunkers, the pyramid and the cafés of Blloku. Then the two Ottoman towns on the UNESCO list, Berat with its white houses stacked up the hill and Gjirokastër with its slate roofs and fortress, each with a night so you see them after the day-trippers leave.

The Riviera gets two nights at Ksamil, opposite Corfu, with the ruins of Butrint next door and the beaches a short walk from the hotel. The return to Tirana follows the coast over the Llogara pass, the most scenic road in the country. Driving days are three to five hours with stops; the roads in the south are good but slow.

1. Day 1
   Arrival in TiranaMeet at 15:00. A walk through the centre: Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey mosque, the pyramid, the Bunk'Art 2 museum in a Cold War bunker under the ministry and the Blloku district, closed to ordinary citizens until 1991 and now full of cafés. Dinner together.Airport transfer · 17 km · about 35 minOvernight: Tirana
2. Day 2
   Berat, the town of a thousand windowsSouth to Berat. The castle quarter is still inhabited, with Byzantine churches and the Onufri icon museum inside the walls; below, the Mangalem and Gorica quarters face each other across the Osum river. Afternoon walk, evening on the promenade. Wine from the Berat vineyards with dinner is a good idea.Tirana → Berat · about 120 km · 2 hOvernight: Berat
3. Day 3
   Gjirokastër, the stone cityThrough Fier and up the Vjosa valley to Gjirokastër. The fortress with its military museum and views over the valley, the old bazaar and one of the tower houses (Zekate or Skenduli) with its Ottoman interiors. Ismail Kadare and Enver Hoxha were both born here, which the town handles with mixed feelings.Berat → Fier → Gjirokastër · about 165 km · 3 hOvernight: Gjirokastër
4. Day 4
   The Blue Eye and the RivieraA short day. The Blue Eye spring (Syri i Kaltër), a deep pool of cold, clear water in a forest, then over the Muzinë pass to the coast and Ksamil. The afternoon is for the beach: the small islands are a few minutes away by pedalo or rowing boat.Gjirokastër → Blue Eye → Ksamil · about 65 km · 1 h 30Overnight: Ksamil
5. Day 5
   Butrint and a free afternoonMorning at Butrint, the ancient city on a lagoon a few kilometres from Ksamil: Greek theatre, Roman baths, a Byzantine baptistery and a Venetian tower, all under the trees. Afternoon free on the beaches or in Sarandë.Ksamil → Butrint → Ksamil · about 10 km · 25 minOvernight: Ksamil
6. Day 6
   The coast road back to TiranaThe long, scenic day. North along the Riviera through Himarë, with a lunch stop by the sea, then up over the Llogara pass at 1,000 m with the coast dropping away below, and on through Vlorë to Tirana. Arrival at your hotel or the airport by about 18:00. Book evening flights from 20:30 onwards.Ksamil → Himarë → Llogara → Vlorë → Tirana · about 280 km · 5 h 30 with stopsTour ends

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