What is the best 2-week Albania itinerary covering Theth, Tirana, the Riviera and Berat?

1. 1Tirana2 days
2. 2Shkodër1 day
3. 3Thethvia the SH21 or the morning furgon2 days
4. 4Berat2 days
5. 5Gjirokastër2 days
6. 6Ksamil or SarandëButrint and the Blue Eye3 days
7. 7Tiranafly out2 days

The 14-day plan

• Days 1-2, Tirana: Skanderbeg Square, Bunk'Art and the Dajti cable car. The airport bus to the center costs 400 lek; see our Tirana airport guide and the Tirana section of our Albania guide.

• Day 3, Shkodër: Rozafa Castle above the three rivers and Lake Shkodër. Arrange your Theth transport here.

• Days 4-5, Theth: the drive in takes about 2 to 2.5 hours on the paved SH21; shared furgons leave Shkodër around 7:00 to 7:30am. Use the full day for the Grunas Waterfall, the Lock-In Tower and the church, or the long hike toward the Blue Eye of Kaprre. See our Theth guide and how to get to Theth.

• Days 6-7, Berat: a long travel day back south via Shkodër. Berat's white Ottoman houses climb the hill below an inhabited castle, the reason it is called the city of a thousand windows.

• Days 8-9, Gjirokastër: a steeper stone town of slate-roofed houses below a large fortress, listed by UNESCO together with Berat.

• Days 10-12, Ksamil or Sarandë: beaches, the Blue Eye spring inland, and Butrint, the UNESCO-listed site of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian ruins about 4 km beyond Ksamil.

• Days 13-14, back to Tirana: a long drive north, then a final day in the capital before your flight.

How this compares with our 31 days

Our real route was Shkodër (2), Theth (3), Tirana (4), Korçë (3), Përmet (1), Gjirokastër (3), Sarandë (3), Ksamil (4), Berat (3) and Tirana (5). For two weeks we kept the same core and cut three things:

• Korçë and Përmet, the eastern highlands: Korçë's Old Bazaar and brewery, and Përmet's Bënja thermal springs and Langarica Canyon. They are worth it with a third week, but they add a slow mountain road between Tirana and Gjirokastër.

• One coastal base instead of two: we stayed in both Sarandë and Ksamil. Ksamil is about 14 km south of Sarandë, so pick one.

• Fewer days in Tirana: two at the start and one or two at the end are plenty.

We also did Berat last, on the way back to Tirana from the coast. Either order works; doing it before Gjirokastër splits the long drive south. Our full route across three countries is in our Balkans itinerary.

Getting around: car, furgon or bus

Albania has no passenger trains running in 2026 (a rebuilt Tirana-Durrës-airport line is targeted for 2027), so the choice is a rental car or buses and shared minibuses (furgons). A car is the easiest way to link Berat, Gjirokastër and the Riviera and to reach the Blue Eye. Tirana airport is the main rental hub. Uber and Bolt do not operate in Albania.

Driving is the biggest real risk: roads can be aggressive, many rural roads are poor, and most are unlit at night. Avoid night driving, and allow more time than the map suggests on mountain and coastal roads. If you would rather not drive to Theth, take the furgon from Shkodër. Our Albania safety guide covers roads, scams and hiking.

Carry lek: Theth has no ATMs, and smaller guesthouses and restaurants prefer cash. See Albania cash and ATMs.

When to go

June and September are the best months for this route: Theth's guesthouses and trails are open (roughly June to September), the sea is warm, and the Riviera is calmer than in July and August. We were in Albania from mid-September to mid-October, which put Theth at the end of its season and the coast in its quiet, warm shoulder.

From November, snow can close the road into Theth, and many beach businesses in the south close for winter. Tirana and the inland towns are fine in spring and autumn, with mild days in the high teens to low 20s Celsius.

US citizens can stay visa-free for up to a year; rules for other passports differ. Check our Albania visa guide before you fly.

Frequently asked questions