Albania

Add this beautiful country to your bucket list!

This summer, our family went to Albania! We are excited because it truly had a bit of everything; mountains, beaches, charming towns, and some very unique experiences! You can hike through alpine villages in the morning, soak in natural hot springs by afternoon, and end the day with fresh seafood on the coast. Plus — no crowds, no chain restaurants, and no shortage of amazing memories. We are off on a real adventure and can’t wait to show you around.

So… many of you may be asking… ‘Albania? Where exactly is that?’ Albania is in Europe on the Balkan Peninsula… tucked right between Greece and Montenegro, and east of Italy across the Adriatic Sea.

We think that Albania is a hidden gem and is flying under the radar as far as tourism goes, for now!

Note: This trip took place in July 2025

Here is our full itinerary:

Check out our full vlog here:

Day 1: Arrive in Tirana

Albania was totally isolated from the world until the ’90s while under the rule of communism. It was one of the hardest countries to enter – or to leave. This resulted in a struggling economy, political repression and lack of information to their people. However, 30 years later, tourism is really starting to come into its own in Albania!

We landed in the capital city of Tirana, and then grabbed our rental car from Enterprise and took the 30 min drive downtown to our Airbnb, where we set off to get some food after a long day of travel. Our airbnb was incredible with beautiful views (See pics below!) of the city and walking distance to everything. We loved the big balcony where we could enjoy sunset. It was also spacious with 3 bedrooms!

Day 2: Full Day Tirana

On our first full day in Albania, we were eager to explore. After a delicious breakfast at Crepe de Paris, we wandered around to see some of Tirana’s most famous sites, taking in the mix of old communist-era buildings, street art, and modern cafés.

We visited Skanderbeg Square first – This is the heart of Tirana — a giant open plaza where you’ll find kids on scooters, couples strolling, and a statue of Albania’s national hero, Skanderbeg, who fought against the Ottoman empire in the 15th century.

One interesting thing you’ll notice about Albania is that there are so many bunkers – over 170,000 concrete domes built during the communist era. One that we knew we couldn’t miss was called BunkArt2 – a Cold War-era bunker turned museum. Built as a shelter for Albania’s communist leaders, it now tells the story of the secret police and the decades of dictatorship that shaped the country. It’s interesting to walk through the various displays throughout the small rooms of the bunker. It was hot and crowded in the summer though!

In the afternoon, we explored the Blokku neighborhood, climbed the Tirana Pyramid, saw the House of Leaves museum and the Old Bazaar. Tirana was a very walkable city with each of these attractions close together and made for a perfect 1 day itinerary.

Our evening was spent at Tirana castle, which is an ancient walled area that now has shops and restaurants. We ate at Tartuf and absolutely loved all the truffle flavored dishes. We got the truffle bread and truffle risotto, both delicious.

Day 3-4: Head to North Macedonia

I know we just made it to Albania, but today we are heading to a new country! Don’t worry… we will be back to Albania soon. But, for a long time we’ve been reading about North Macedonia and it’s beauty and culture and we couldn’t pass up a visit when we were this close. We wrote all about our 2 days in Ohrid in our North Macedonia blog (and it’s included in our vlog above!) Check that out!

Day 5: Drive to Permet

After a restful evening, it was time to head back into Albania. We made a few stops along the way and had great views of Lake Ohrid on our way out of North Macedonia. Our first stop back in Albania was the town of Korçë for a look around the bazaars and a huge lunch at Mr. Crepe! This town was very charming and way less crowds than we had seen. The food at lunch was so inexpensive, we decided to try a lot of Albanian dishes we haven’t had yet, and enjoyed a giant feast!

The drive to Përmet was full of surprises – super windy mountain roads, sheep herders guiding their flocks across the road & cows meandering along the highway. We even found a place to shoot some hoops in a tiny town of Erseke on our way.

The roads along this drive are so beautiful, but also so windy – you may need some motion sickness meds! But, check out these views!


In Përmet, we stayed at Funky Guesthouse—super cozy and just a short walk from the river. We had a 2 bedroom apartment with mountain views and a homemade breakfast for $60/night. We were also right in the center of town so that we could walk to the river and to dinner. That evening we went swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Vjosa river, surrounded by mountains and that laid-back small-town vibe. 

The Vjosa River was chilly and felt great on a warm evening. The swimming hole was just a short walk from the city square, had some small cliff jumps you could take, and to top it off a random stray dog was there protecting swimmers. We ate dinner at Sofra Permetare which was delicious.

Day 6: White Water Rafting Permet

The next day was packed with adventure. We joined a whitewater rafting trip on the Vjosa River, one of Europe’s last wild rivers. While the rapids weren’t too intense, the guides kept it fun with cliff jumps and plenty of swimming stops. The trip was organized by our guesthouse and I would highly recommend! It lasted from about 9am – 1pm.



That evening, we visited the nearby Benja hot springs, nestled in a mountain gorge with a centuries-old Ottoman bridge beside them. The water wasn’t exactly “hot,” but the setting was unforgettable. You could walk or lay down in the cold river water, or try one of the many hot springs. There is one giant one, and then many smaller ones you can walk to through the gorge.

Another thing you can’t miss while in Permet is the giant boulder near the river. Getting to the top meant climbing up a sketchy metal staircase — maybe 160 steps or so — to the flattened top-platform, to get the full 360-degree panoramas: the town below, the flowing Vjosa River, patchwork fields and rugged hills all around. 

Day 7: Gjirokaster and Blue Eye

Our road trip continued toward the coast, but not before stopping in Gjirokastër, a UNESCO world heritage recognized town known for its dramatic stone houses and hilltop castle. The bazaar here was one of the prettiest we saw in Albania. It’s a really beautiful town but was filled with tourists. We were lucky enough to find some parking at someone’s home who sells parking spots in their driveway. It’s a very steep walk also from the castle to the bazaar. Getting there early would be helpful.

Next, we visited the Blue Eye spring—a natural pool of icy turquoise water that seems to bubble up endlessly from underground. While it was beautiful, it’s also very popular, and the crowds made it feel a bit less magical. Once you park there are places to grab a drink or snack. It was very hot while we were there and it’s a very long walk to the spring – so grab some drinks to go. You can also rent a scooter for $5 to drive to the spring, or take a train $3 each way. The train comes every 15 minutes or so. I took the train both ways while everyone else walked. I was glad for the train because the walk was long (maybe close to a mile?) and was very steep, up and down hills. And – wasn’t all that pretty – just a concrete road basically.

The blue eye itself is exactly like the pictures – super clear and really blue!

By the time we arrived in Sarandë, we were ready to relax. Our hotel had a private beach and pool with stunning views over the Ionian Sea, making it the perfect place to unwind.

If you want to stay in the same hotel – use our link. It’s a truly amazing hotel: Vila Klacuni

Day 8: Sarande

After a busy travel schedule, we needed a recharge day — and Sarandë was the perfect spot for it.

Sarandë is right on the Albanian riviera and gets over 300 days of sunshine a year. Along the coast you’ll find tons of quaint beach towns with crystal blue water. Sarande was a great base for us, and our hotel was close to restaurants. Few restaurants we enjoyed: Pizzeria Maria Madalena, My Family Restaurant and Baci A Tutti for gelato.

We didn’t explore too much of Sarande, and mostly just enjoyed our hotel with it’s crystal clear water, amazing pool and views. Having a hotel with a private beach AND pool was incredible.

Day 9: Day Trip to Corfu

One highlight of basing ourselves in Sarandë was the easy ferry ride to Corfu, Greece. The process was simple: we bought tickets at the terminal the night before and chose between slow, medium, or fast ferries. We used a company called Finikas and took the medium ferry over, and the fast one back. You’ll want to check out the specific times because – if, like us, you need to get over there at a certain time, you need to ensure that the type of boat you want arrives on time.

The process is fairly easy after getting your tickets. You went through security and Albanian passport control to get on the ferry, and then once you arrive, you’ll go through passport control in Greece, which only took about 20 minutes. We caught a taxi to the old town.

In Corfu, we spent the afternoon wandering the UNESCO-listed old town with its Venetian architecture.


The highlight of our time in Corfu was our private boat trip. From the water, we floated past Corfu’s Old Fortress and the massive New Fortress, saw million dollar yachts and the beautiful old town from the water. Transparently – we booked this tour at the last minute, and there were many others you could get if you booked in advance. We were happy with it though. Our tour guide was great and we enjoyed the swimming time. It being private was a perk as well. Some of the faster boats (with 100+ tourists on them!) can go a bit further and to (maybe) some more beautiful swim spots – so you just have to weigh priorities.

Day 10: Drive to Theth

For our last adventure in Albania, we started a long drive, first making a stop at Apollonia Archaeological Park, once one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world and now has impressive ruins without the crowds. It was only about $5 to enter per person and had so much to see! I couldn’t believe the amount of statues and ruins.

For our final stop, we drove north into the Albanian Alps to reach Theth, a remote village surrounded by dramatic peaks. The last hour of the drive to Theth was a narrow, winding mountain road, but it was fully paved and safe—just a matter of squeezing past oncoming cars.

In Theth, we stayed in a family-run guesthouse called Hotel Zallina which was a super charming place with views of the mountains and a flowing river you could hear through the open windows. We enjoyed the patio with stunning views and the friendly people at the guesthouse. We had 2 rooms for our family, and it was fun for the kids to get their own bedroom.

Our first night we just got dinner since it was late. We just walked into town to find some place to eat, with no specific plans. We came across an adorable guesthouse/restaurant called Restaurant Logu I Harushave. It had small tables in the grassy lawn and charming lights all around. The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere was great. We even came back for lunch once more and saw horses, cows and chickens from the lawn.

Day 11: Blue Eye Theth and Grunas Waterfall

Our first hike in the Albanian Alps was to the Blue Eye of Theth — not to be confused with the one near Sarandë. We cut the trek down to about 4 miles by driving part of the way, but it was still a challenging climb with some steep sections. We drove our car to the town of Nderlysaj where we parked next to a small drink stand. We paid a few dollars to park there but we were glad we did.

We arrived around 9:30am and were glad we were not any later – it was already crowded. The first part of the trail is fairly easy, but pretty quickly you reach sections where it’s very steep. It took us about 1hr to get to the Blue Eye but you have beautiful views all around on the way.

You’ll get to first pass a beautiful spring and cross a bridge, but then you get to the main Blue Eye. The water is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and you can swim (if you dare!). It’s extremely cold but lots of brave people, including Brian, jumped in. Whether you’re swimming, relaxing on the rocks, or just taking in the view, it’s one of Theth’s most unforgettable spots.

Later that afternoon, we hiked up to Grunas Waterfall, a 30-meter cascade surrounded by sheer cliffs and alpine views. The trail started right by our hotel, which was very convenient. It’s a bit of a steep gravel trail before you come across a small drink stand with seating if you need a break. Then, you’ll head into the forest before reaching some pretty steep rocks to climb up. You have to do a bit of scrambling to get up to the top, but it’s very worth it. It’s crowded, but you can still get some swimming time and pictures without crowds. The pictures below are not altered, it’s really that clear!

On the way back, the skies opened up and we got absolutely drenched. Instead of being miserable, the kids turned it into a game — splashing through puddles and laughing the whole way. Honestly, it might have been the highlight of the day.

After a long day of hiking, we headed to one of the many cozy guesthouses in Theth for dinner. Hotel Restaurant Alpet quickly became one of our favorites.

Day 12: Theth -> Valbona Pass

The next morning, Brian tackled the Valbona Pass hike — one of the most iconic trails in the Albanian Alps. It’s part of the famous Peaks of the Balkans route, connecting the villages of Theth and Valbona. The climb is strenuous, with over 1,200 meters of elevation gain and steep cliffs. Many people continue down after reaching the top towards Valbona. In Brian’s case, he hiked to the top then returned back to Theth.

The kids and I explore a bit more of Theth – including Theth Church and walked along the beautiful river.

After lunch and we were all back together, we tried out the Theth Zipline. It’s just one line and costs about $20/pp but was a great activity for the afternoon, right in the center of town.

We headed back to Alpet Guesthouse again for dinner and the best views in the area. We enjoyed the local food, the views and the little kitty cat that wanted to sit with us.

Watching the sun set over the mountains, we couldn’t help but reflect on how much this country had surprised us—its history, its landscapes, and the warmth of its people.

We would highly recommend Albania as a place to add to your bucket list. We will continue to share some of our tips and tricks for visiting – because it’s a bit more logistically challenging than other trips we’ve taken. But it truly has everything and is such a great trip!

Watching the sun set over the mountains, we couldn’t help but reflect on how much this country had surprised us—its history, its landscapes, and the warmth of its people.

Don’t forget to check out the other blogs from this trip! Bratislava, Vienna and Belgrade!

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