The Perfect Albania Road Trip Itinerary: 7, 10 and 14-Day Routes
By Go Tour Albania Team · May 19, 2026 · 14 min read
Three routes covering the Alps, the UNESCO towns and the coast, with realistic driving times. Google Maps underestimates Albanian roads.
Albania is small on the map and huge on the road. The country is two-thirds mountains, the coastal highway bends around every cove, and Google Maps' time estimates are wildly optimistic. Plan around that and a road trip here is hard to beat: castles without queues, empty mountain passes, and good coffee at every fuel stop.
Below are the three routes we drive with guests, with realistic timings. Rule one for all of them: never plan more than three hours of driving in a day. Rule two: leave room for detours.
Albaniaitineraryataglance:7,10or14days
Not sure how long to spend? Here's how the three road trip routes compare.
Route
Driving
Best for
Don't miss
7 days
~16 hours total
A first visit, highlights only
Berat, Gjirokastër, the Riviera, Llogara Pass
10 days
Add ~6 hours
Highlights plus the mountains
Theth, the Valbona pass, Komani Lake ferry
14 days
Relaxed pace
Seeing the whole country
Shkodra, Korça, Lake Ohrid, a second Riviera day
7days:thegreatesthitsloop
Day 1–2: Tirana and Bovilla Lake: ease in, eat well, hike to the Gamti viewpoint. Day 3: Berat, the city of a thousand windows; sleep in the old town under the castle. Day 4: drive south through the Osum valley to Gjirokastër, the stone city; visit the castle and the Skenduli House. Day 5: the Blue Eye spring early, then over the Muzina pass to Ksamil and Butrint. Day 6: the Riviera north, Gjipe or Livadhi beach, sleep in Himarë. Day 7: over the Llogara Pass (the best road view in the country) and back to Tirana via Vlora.
Total driving: about 16 hours spread across a week. It feels relaxed, and it sees every landscape Albania has.
Take the 7-day loop and bolt the north on the front: two nights in Theth via the newly paved (and still spectacular) mountain road from Shkodra, with the Grunas waterfall and the Blue Eye of Theth. Then the Komani Lake ferry, three hours of fjord-like scenery, and down to join the loop at Tirana.
The ferry needs booking a day or two ahead in summer, and Theth guesthouses fill up fast in July and August. Dinner at a Theth guesthouse (slow-cooked lamb, mountain honey, homemade everything) is one of the country's great meals.
Two weeks lets you do the 10-day route plus the bits everyone regrets skipping: a day in Shkodra itself (Rozafa Castle at sunset), Korça and the Ohrid lakeside in the southeast, and a second Riviera day where you do absolutely nothing but swim. If you only add one thing, make it the Theth–Valbona hike: leave the car in Shkodra, hike the pass between two valleys, and pick up the trip via the ferry.
Roads: main routes are good asphalt; the last kilometre to anything beautiful is often gravel. A compact SUV is the sweet spot. Fuel and cash: fill up in towns, carry lek for village cafés. Police checkpoints are routine; carry your licence and rental papers.
If you'd rather watch the scenery than the road, our 7-day guided road trip runs the same loop with a local at the wheel. But with these notes, you can also drive it yourself.
Tours along this route
Multi-Day
Tirana → Albanian Alps → Berat → Riviera → Saranda
One week, one country, every landscape: alpine valleys, UNESCO towns, the Llogara Pass and the whole Riviera, with a local guide-driver and handpicked family hotels.
The classic Theth-to-Valbona crossing of the Accursed Mountains, with guesthouse nights, home-cooked dinners and the Komani Lake ferry, fully organised so you just walk.
Two southern icons in one day: the stone city of Gjirokastër with its hilltop fortress, and the Blue Eye, a 50-metre-deep spring of vivid blue water.
Full day
From€42
Frequently asked questions
01How many days do you need for an Albania road trip?
Seven days covers the highlights: the UNESCO towns of Berat and Gjirokastër and the Riviera coast. Ten days adds the northern Alps, and fourteen lets you see the whole country at a relaxed pace.
02Is Albania good for a self-drive road trip?
Yes. Main roads are good asphalt, fuel is cheap and distances are short. Plan around two things: the last stretch to many beaches and viewpoints is gravel, and Google Maps underestimates drive times. A compact car handles most routes; take an SUV for Theth and mountain tracks.
03What is the best 10-day Albania itinerary?
Start in the north with Theth, the Valbona pass and the Komani Lake ferry, then drop south for Berat, Gjirokastër and three nights on the Riviera. The full day-by-day is in the 10-day section above.
04Can you do an Albania road trip without a car?
You can follow most of these routes by intercity bus and furgon, but it is slower and timetables are loose. If you would rather not drive, our 7-day guided road trip covers the same loop with a local driver.
Want to see it with a local?
Our small-group tours cover everything in this guide: pickup, guide and advice included.
Multi-Day
Adventure
Day Trip
