Two Weeks in Albania: A Relaxed 14-Day Itinerary for the Whole Country

Two weeks is the whole country. Not a rushed sampler — the actual country: the Alps and the Theth–Valbona hike, all four cities worth sleeping in, both UNESCO towns, Lake Ohrid's quiet side, and enough Riviera time at the end that you fly home rested instead of needing a second holiday.

This route builds on our 10-day itinerary and slows it down. The extra four days go to the places one-week visitors always regret skipping: a real day in Shkodra, the Korça–Ohrid southeast, and a second (and third) beach day.

Comparing trip lengths? Start with our 7, 10 and 14-day overview →

The two weeks at a glance

North first, then a clockwise loop: cities and lakes in the middle, coast at the end.

Days 1–2: Tirana, Kruja and Shkodra

Ease in with Tirana's centre and an afternoon up in Kruja — Skanderbeg's castle and an old bazaar that's been selling carpets and silver since the Ottomans. Day 2, drive the easy 90 minutes to Shkodra and give it the full day one-week visitors can't: the Marubi National Museum of Photography in the morning, bicycles and café streets after lunch, Rozafa Castle for sunset.

Days 3–6: the Accursed Mountains, done properly

Two full nights in Theth means you can walk to the Grunas waterfall and the Blue Eye of Theth without watching the clock. Then the day that headlines the whole trip: the Theth–Valbona crossing, 17 km over the 1,800-metre pass between two national parks, with a coffee hut at the top and long views in every direction. Six to eight hours at a friendly pace; luggage goes around by road, you carry a daypack.

Day 6 descends the Valbona valley and catches the Komani Lake ferry through its flooded canyon back toward the road south. This four-day mountain block is exactly what our guided Theth & Valbona trek packages — guesthouses, mules, ferry and guide included — if you'd rather not orchestrate it yourself.

Days 7–9: Berat, Korça and Lake Ohrid

Berat gets its full day: the lived-in castle, the Onufri icons, the Gorica bridge at golden hour, a winery for the evening. Then the route most itineraries skip — east to Korça, the 'city of serenades', for its handsome bazaar, its world-class medieval icon collection and its own beer.

Day 9 is Lake Ohrid's Albanian shore: one of Europe's oldest lakes, with the fishing village of Lin on its little peninsula and lake trout for lunch in Pogradec. You'll have the shoreline largely to yourself — the crowds are all on the North Macedonian side.

Days 10–11: the stone city and the southern classics

Cross the mountains to Gjirokastër for the fortress, the bazaar and the Skenduli House. Day 11 runs the southern greatest-hits: the Blue Eye spring early, Butrint's 2,500-year-old ruins in the late morning shade, and Ksamil's beach for the afternoon swim.

Days 12–14: the Riviera at last, unhurried

The reward for two weeks of castles and passes: nearly three days of coast. Beach-hop to Gjipe and Jale, take a boat from Himarë to the Pirates' Cave and the roadless coves, eat long seafood lunches. This is where the 14-day plan pays for itself — everyone else is checking out; you're ordering another coffee.

The last day crosses the Llogara Pass with the whole Riviera behind you, stops for a farewell seafood lunch in Vlora, and rolls into Tirana by early evening.

The practical part

Driving totals about 26 hours across fourteen days — never more than three and a half in any one day. A compact SUV covers everything, including the Theth road and the Korça passes. Book Theth and Valbona guesthouses and the Komani ferry ahead in high summer; everywhere else takes walk-ins outside August.

Want the same route without driving it? We build custom two-week trips from these exact blocks — the guided 7-day road trip plus the 3-day Alps trek covers most of it, and we fill the gaps to fit your dates.