So Albania has long been billed the Maldives of Europe - quite the undiscovered gem. Now while this may be a little bit of an exaggeration, check out our other blog for details, there are still nonetheless some stunning parts of the country to see.
A bit of a health warning though, the country in summer is rammed with tourists and doesn't really have the capacity to cope, especially on the Riviera. So don't go there expecting deserted bliss.
Read on below for our 7 day itinerary
Day 1: Dhermi
Day 2: Dhermi
Day 3: Himare
Day 4: Himare
Day 5: Ksamil
Day 6: Ksamil/Gjiokaster
Day 7: Tirana
Day 1 - Tirana - Dhermi
So we landed in Tirana on Day one and got ourselves sorted with our car. I'd certainly recommend using RentalCars.com. We used Local Rent and to be honest, while the price was much cheaper, we had issues with the car the whole way around for one reason or another. As they say you get what you pay for! You can also get SIM cards sorted at the airport - the sim with unlimited data for the week was about £20 which given we hotspotted off each other meant it really wasn't much at all. Equally you can sort this out in advance using Airalo which gives you an ESim before you even land.
We got ourselves out of Tirana on the rather hectic roads and made our way to Vlore where we stopped for lunch. From there we hit the mountain road which is spectacular.
After arriving in Dhermi we checked in at our hotel - The GoGo Boutique hotel booked through VRBO just up from Drymades beach was a lovely spot. It was clean and had everything we needed really! It cost just under £200 for two nights which split between two of us really wasn't bad at all. We arrived late so nipped down to the beach for a drink and then ate dinner at the hotel and had drinks/watched sunset on the balcony there.
Day 2 - Dhermi and Gamma Bay
Our trip kicked off with a thrilling boat ride along the rugged coastline to Gamma bay. Luciano’s (tour provider) picked us up and gave us a tour of the coast along the dramatic cliffs and hidden coves. ⛵The Boat ride was only 30 Euros each and was worth every penny - we loved it.
🏞️ Gamma Bay: Our first stop was Gamma Bay, a secluded haven where we had the entire beach to ourselves. The turquoise water and the surrounding olive groves created a picture-perfect setting for a day of sun and relaxation. This was the only place really in the whole of Albania that we felt like we were in somewhere deserted.
After whizzing back down the coast we then got dinner down in town - there are a host of restaurants all over the place so check out wherever you want. Luciano's was a great option and a lovely setting
Day 2 - Gjipe Beach
🏖️ Gjipe Beach: Gjipe was our stop for day 2. Take a drive down to the car park (remember to take cash), and then a 2km walk down to the beach. It wasn’t as ‘deserted’ as people advertise but still a nice day spent down at the beach. Don't forget to take everything with you as everything down on the beach is rather heavily priced. We forgot our sun cream which was rather special of us so we ended up spending 20 Euros on a very small bottle but needs must i guess!
From Gjipe we then continued on down the coastal road down to Himare. A quiet coastal town! We were slightly nervous as a friend of our abandoned his honeymoon to Himare early as he had hated it. We booked in to the Ionian Terrace. This was again good value at £90 per night and was right on the beach front.
Day 3 - Himare Beach day
For Day 3 we felt we had done a lot of activity so went for a day on the beach. We went for the 🏖️ Sfageio Public Beach & Promenade: Crystal-clear waters, a picturesque promenade, and the perfect spot to soak up the sun. This is a public beach and you can use the locals umbrellas for free until they come to use them! Neat hey!
After spending the entire day here, we headed for dinner at EOS Potam: A taste of the Mediterranean in the heart of Himare. EOS Potam’s tapas delights are a true culinary adventure. A great place to eat!
Day 4 - Himare
We spent the day on 🏖️ Plazhi I Maracit: A more hidden beach that we used on a couple of the day. Pristine sands and turquoise waters - what more could you ask for? This had a locals vibe again to it and had a simple yet good pizza place on the beach where we had lunch. After a beach day we changed and went to 🌆 Cobra Rooftop Bar where sunset cocktails come with unbeatable views and lively music. We also checked out Umi Cocktail Bar: It had a good cocktail menu and a happy hour. It is also on the main promenade right next to a host of other bars.
Day 5 - Ksamil
Our penultimate stop on the trip and the one that had been most hyped prior to flying. Ksamil is sort of the poster location for Albania and to be honest was a bit of a let down. We sort of had in our heads beach clubs with a sort of Ibiza/Mallorca vibe but it really didn't hit this level at all. But there are nice places to go so if you want to discover Albania do check it out!
We stayed at Ventus Hotel . Again a simple and efficient hotel with not many frills - the breakfast was fine but don't expect anything ground breaking. The main positives of the hotel is it's location close to the beaches.
The beaches in Ksamil aren't quite the white sandy beaches one expects but they are fine. The sunbeds are quite expensive with 30 Euros at least for two beds so don't expect to get one too cheap! We went to Principotes beach club - a fairly bouji beach club on the waterfront. We had lunch here as well and the food was very good. Only slight issue is they kept having power cuts which actually was a blessing as they were pumping out stupidly loud euro trash techno. We had dinner in town at Hotel Denoel but lots of options to choose from!
Day 6 - Ksamil/Gjirokaster
We were actually rather glad to only have a morning left in Ksamil as the place was hectic and not really as relaxing as expected. We spent a morning at the beach club again and then started making our way back to Gjirokaster.
Gjirokaster is an old market town and billed as 'old school Albania' with a cute market and castle to boot. It's a pretty epic drive down to the town but be sure your car handbrake works on some of these roads, they are very steep! The castle is stunning and tells some great local history. There is also old tunnels to discover.
The Market is perhaps a little disappointing, as we had expected very authentic Albanian vibes but it was rather commercial and touristy. Felt like nothing there was really homemade but rather a load of tourist tat - controversial opinion. We wondered down the hill and went to Taverna Kuka which was awesome food so worth checking out.
Once we had finished it was back on the road up to Tirana for one of the most scenic drives of the trip. Entering in to Tirana was a rather interesting experience as it's rather chaotic and cars diving everywhere so make sure you have the most confident driver at the wheel! We checked in to a local Airbnb. This only cost us £50 for the night and was perfect.
There are a host of things to do - We checked out Skanderburg square which has a host of history around it. We decided to spend the afternoon wandering the city and checking out the sites.
We had been recommended Radio Bar in Tirana - a cocktail bar with it's own unique character. It has old school radios and items everywhere and the bar staff are on point to make pretty much any cocktail you need. So we'd highly recommend this place. worth a visit and drinks are reasonably priced.
After the bar we started to get quite hungry and following another recommendation - Artigiano just a five minute walk away, we decided to head there. This place is a modern Italian chic vibe and the food was great. Check it out!
After dinner we turned in for the night ahead of our final day.
Day 7 - Tirana/Hamallaj
For our final day we felt we had rather done Tirana so we headed a 40 minute drive out of town to a beach called Hamallaj. We had literally found this on google but was probably the best beach on the entire trip! Nice open and sandy beaches. We'd highly recommend trying to stay nearby! We spent the day eating and relaxing here and then headed for the airport.
So there it is! Our 7 day itinerary. - we've kept it light and simple so you can try and beat your own path which we always think is the best way when travelling! What do you think?
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