Albania Unfiltered: 11 Days of Mountains, Beaches & Unexpected Adventures
We came to Albania expecting dramatic mountains, turquoise beaches, charming towns and affordable travel. What we didn’t expect was just how much could happen in 11 days.
From hiking Valbona to Theth and swimming beneath a freezing waterfall, to road-tripping along the Albanian Riviera, Albania gave us incredible landscapes, amazing food and more than a few unexpected adventures. Including a dead rental-car battery, lost belongings and a drone that ended up in the water.
This is our honest 11-day Albania itinerary, following our journey from the mountains in the north to the beaches and historic towns of the south. We’ll not only share what we did, but also what we loved, what went wrong and what we’d do differently.
And since we travelled fully plant-based, we’ve also put together a separate guide to help other vegan travellers: Is Albania Vegan-Friendly? A Complete Vegan Travel Guide.
Day 1 – Memmingen to Shkodra
Our Albanian adventure started with an early drive to Memmingen Airport in Germany, where we caught our flight to Tirana. Since we were travelling on a budget, flying from Memmingen was a cheaper option for us than flying directly from Switzerland.
After landing in Tirana, we didn’t stay in the capital just yet. Instead, we headed straight north towards Shkodra, our first stop on the trip. The easiest and most budget-friendly way to get there was by bus directly from Tirana Airport, which cost us €11 per person. After the flight, it was nice to simply sit back and watch the landscape change as we made our way further north.
Exploring Shkodra
We spent our first night at WanderersHostel, which was a great base for exploring the city. With only one afternoon and evening in Shkodra, we kept things fairly relaxed and spent some time wandering around the city and getting our first impressions of Albania.
Shkodra felt relaxed and laid-back, with colourful streets, cafés and plenty of bikes around. We explored the centre for a while before getting ready for what was waiting for us the following day.
Getting ready for the Accursed Mountains
The main reason we had come to northern Albania was the Valbona to Theth hike, one of the highlights we were most looking forward to on this trip. Before starting the hike, we got a short briefing where we they told us some information about the route and what to expect.
And with that, our first day in Albania came to an end. We had only just arrived, but the next morning was already going to be a very different kind of adventure: leaving Shkodra behind and heading into the mountains towards Valbona.
Day 2 – Shkodra to Valbona
Our second day started very early. At 6:00 AM, we had breakfast at the hostel before getting ready for a full day of travelling into the Albanian Alps. At 6:45 AM, our transport picked us up in Shkodra and we set off towards Lake Komani, where the first highlight of the day was waiting for us.
The journey through Lake Komani
From Lake Komani, we boarded the ferry towards Fierzë. The ferry ride takes around two and a half hours and is definitely not just a means of getting from A to B. As the boat made its way through the narrow canyon-like landscape, surrounded by steep green mountains, the journey itself became one of our favourite parts of the day.
Once we reached Fierzë, we had another hour of transport ahead of us before finally arriving in Valbona. Because we were staying at the second location of Guesthouse Adenisi, we shared a private car with four other travellers heading to the same area.
After several hours of travelling, we finally arrived at around 1:30 PM. And honestly, stepping out of the car and seeing the mountains surrounding Valbona for the first time made the long journey completely worth it.
Our first afternoon in Valbona
We grabbed some food and then headed down to the river to explore the area and take some photos and videos. The crystal-clear mountain river, huge peaks and peaceful surroundings made it the perfect place to get some cool shots for our trip.
Since we were going to start the Valbona–Theth hike the following morning, we didn’t do too much for the rest of the afternoon. Instead, we enjoyed the surroundings and prepared ourselves for the big day ahead.
A surprisingly vegan-friendly guesthouse
In the evening, everyone staying at the guesthouse had dinner together, which made for a really nice atmosphere. When we arrived, we had already told the owner that we were vegan, and he was incredibly accommodating. Most of the food served at dinner was naturally vegan, and he even prepared vegan börek for us.
One thing we quickly learned about staying in mountain guesthouses is that you need to plan ahead when it comes to food. Before leaving Shkodra, we had already bought plenty of snacks to make sure we would definitely have something vegan to eat along the way. Since we would be hiking the following day, we also had to prepare our packed lunch and breakfast for the next morning ourselves that evening.
After dinner, we got everything ready for the hike and tried to get an early night. The next day was the one we had been waiting for: the famous Valbona to Theth hike through the Accursed Mountains.
Day 3 – Valbona to Theth: Hiking Across the Accursed Mountains
This was the day we had been looking forward to the most: hiking from Valbona to Theth through the Albanian Alps.
Our day started at 5:30 AM with a quick coffee before taking a short transfer at 6:00 AM to the actual starting point of the trail. This transfer isn’t included in the hike and cost us €4 per person, but it saved us some unnecessary walking and allowed us to start the trail early.
The climb to Valbona Pass
We started hiking at around 6:30 AM. The first part of the trail was definitely the more challenging section. It was quite steep, and we had roughly 1,000–1,100 metres of elevation gain ahead of us before reaching the pass.
That being said, we found the climb completely doable. It was tiring, especially because of the early start and the constant uphill walking, but taking it at our own pace made it manageable. And the higher we got, the more impressive the views became.
After around two hours of hiking, we finally reached the top: Valbona Pass at around 1,795 metres above sea level.
Taking in the views
We spent around an hour at the top, simply enjoying the views and taking a well-deserved break. After the climb, it felt amazing to just sit down, take everything in and enjoy the mountains around us.
Of course, we also had to get some footage. We took out the drone and captured some incredible aerial shots of the surrounding mountains and the trail winding through the landscape. It was one of those moments where we were very glad to have brought our camera gear with us.
At around 9:30 AM, we started making our way down towards Theth.
The descent to Theth
Luckily, we found the descent much easier than the climb up. The trail wasn’t nearly as steep in most places, and we were able to enjoy the scenery a little more without constantly focusing on the next uphill section.
The trail took us through beautiful forest sections, with plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the surroundings. Along the way, we also came across a small restaurant and a little shop with a sitting area. After several hours of hiking, this was the perfect place to stop for lunch and recharge.
From there, we continued towards Theth and finally arrived at around 12:30 PM.
In total, the entire hike took us about six hours, including roughly four hours of walking and two hours of breaks. Along the way, we also filmed parts of the hike and captured the incredible scenery, which added a little extra time to our journey. For us, that still felt like a really good pace, especially considering the significant elevation gain.
Arriving in Theth
Once we reached Theth, we walked to our accommodation, Guesthouse Dreni, where we could finally take a proper break. After the hike, we spent some time relaxing before heading out again in the afternoon.
Around 3:00 PM, we walked to Grunas Waterfall, which was about a 30-minute walk from the guesthouse.
A very cold swim at Grunas Waterfall
After hiking for most of the morning, going for a swim sounded like the perfect idea. The water at Grunas Waterfall was absolutely freezing, but after the hike it was also incredibly refreshing.
We definitely didn’t stay in for very long, though! After cooling down, we made our way back to the guesthouse for what turned out to be an amazing dinner.
Another great vegan dinner
Dinner was included at Guesthouse Dreni and was served as a buffet. Since we had mentioned that we were vegan, one of the workers showed us which dishes we could eat. There were actually quite a few vegan options available, which was a pleasant surprise after spending the day in such a remote area.
We had also brought some tofu with us, and the kitchen staff were kind enough to prepare it for us. Once again, we were impressed by how accommodating the guesthouse was when it came to our vegan lifestyle.
After such a long day, we were more than ready for bed. We went to sleep early, tired but very happy with the day. We had officially made it from Valbona to Theth and the hike was every bit as beautiful as we had hoped.
Day 4 – Theth to Tirana: From the Mountains to the Capital
After the big hike the day before, we had a much slower morning in Theth. We had breakfast at Guesthouse Dreni, which was included with our stay. As with dinner, we mentioned that we were vegan, although the breakfast options were a little more minimalistic this time. Still, it was enough to get us ready for the journey back to Shkodra.
Back to Shkodra
At around 10:00 AM, we took the transport from Theth back to Shkodra. After the winding mountain roads, we arrived back in Shkodra around 12:00–12:30 PM.
By this point, we were definitely ready for some proper food. We had been craving a smoothie bowl, so we went looking for somewhere that had one. We ended up at Stolia Coffeehouse & Brunch, where we finally got our smoothie bowls. They weren’t quite the amazing smoothie bowls we had imagined, but after the hike, we were happy to have something fresh.
After lunch, we headed back to the hostel and waited for our next transport. Our bus to Tirana left at around 3:00 PM, marking the end of our time in northern Albania.
Arriving in Tirana
The journey to Tirana took around two and a half hours, and we arrived at approximately 5:30 PM. From there, we walked to our accommodation and settled in.
Since we had spent the previous few days hiking and travelling, the evening was mostly about getting organised. We ordered some food, did some much-needed laundry and prepared for the next part of our trip.
There was also one important thing we hadn’t expected to happen quite so early: we got our rental car!
We had originally booked the car starting from the following day, but the owner offered to hand it over to us already that evening as it was more convenient for him. For us, this worked out perfectly. Having the car one evening earlier meant we could start the next day without having to organise a pickup first thing in the morning.
After a few days of buses, ferries and shared transfers, it felt good to finally have our own wheels. The next morning, our Albanian road trip could officially begin.
Day 5 – Tirana to Berat via Bovilla Lake
After a few days of buses, ferries and hiking, it was finally time to properly start our Albanian road trip. We had breakfast at our accommodation and packed some snacks for the drive before setting off in our rental car.
Our first stop of the day was Bovilla Lake, just outside Tirana.
Bovilla Lake
The drive towards Bovilla Lake was fairly straightforward at first, but the final part of the journey became a little more adventurous. The road gets very narrow, bumpy and winding, so we had to take it slowly. But eventually, we made it to the lake at around 10:00 AM.
From the parking area, we walked up towards the viewpoint. The hike itself only took around 30 minutes, but there was one major challenge: the heat.
It was already around 35°C, and with very little shade, the short uphill walk felt much harder than expected. We were sweating before we even reached the viewpoint!
Once we reached the top, though, we immediately understood why Bovilla Lake is such a popular stop. The turquoise-blue water surrounded by dramatic mountains made for an incredible view. We took some photos and filmed some cool shots, but because of the heat, we couldn’t stay up there for very long.
After enjoying the view for a while, we made our way back down to the car, where we were very happy to get back into the shade and air conditioning.
Driving to Berat
From Bovilla, we continued our road trip south towards Berat, one of Albania’s most famous historic cities.
By the time we arrived, we were ready to slow down for the rest of the day. We parked up and walked around 10 minutes uphill to our accommodation. The walk with our luggage was a little effort after the heat and the morning at Bovilla, but the view from our accommodation made it worth it.
We spent some time relaxing and enjoying the panorama over Berat before heading out for dinner.
Exploring Berat at night
For dinner, we found a restaurant with a few vegan options, which was enough to keep us happy after a long day of travelling.
Afterwards, we went for a walk through Berat. Exploring the city at night was actually one of our favourite parts of the evening. With the historic buildings lit up and the streets much cooler than during the day, Berat had a completely different atmosphere compared to what we had experienced earlier.
After a busy start to our road trip, it was the perfect place to slow down and enjoy our first evening in one of Albania’s most beautiful historic cities.
Day 6 – Berat to Vlora: The Car Battery Incident
After breakfast at our accommodation, we packed up and got ready to continue our road trip towards Vlora. We were looking forward to a more relaxed day by the coast, but Albania had other plans for us.
When our rental car wouldn’t start…
We got into the car, turned the key and… nothing.
At first, we had no idea what was going on. Then we remembered what the rental car owner had told us when we picked up the car: if you leave the lights on, it doesn’t make a warning sound to let you know that they’re still on when you get out. And, well… we had apparently managed to leave them on.
The switch needs to be turned twice to completely switch everything off, but we had only turned it back once. The result? A completely empty battery.
Now we just needed to find someone who could help us jump-start the car.
A scene straight out of a movie
We spent the next one and a half hours trying to find someone with jumper cables. A few people were willing to help us, but unfortunately, nobody seemed to have the cables.
Eventually, we finally found a taxi driver who was willing to help. He drove with us to our car, and somehow another taxi driver managed to provide the cable, through the windows of the cars while they were driving towards each other from opposite directions.
Honestly, the whole situation looked like something straight out of a movie. After all the searching and waiting, we finally managed to jump-start the car.
And thankfully, it worked!
After losing around two hours of our morning to the battery incident, we could finally continue towards Vlora.
A small detour to Zvërnec
On our way to the coast, we stopped at Zvërnec, a small island located within a nature reserve. We walked across the wooden bridge connecting the mainland to the island, which was a nice little break from driving.
While the setting was pretty, we have to admit that Zvërnec wasn’t really a highlight for us. The water levels were extremely low when we visited, which took away some of the appeal of the area. Still, it was a nice place to stretch our legs and break up the drive.
Finally arriving in Vlora
After our eventful morning, we finally continued towards Vlora. Once we arrived, we grabbed some lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing at our accommodation.
We also learned another little Albanian parking rule the hard way in Berat: we got a parking ticket for parking facing the wrong direction. Apparently, that’s not allowed in Albania!
At this point, we had already had a dead car battery, spent hours looking for jumper cables and received a parking ticket, all before properly settling into our day. It definitely wasn’t the smoothest start to our time on the Albanian Riviera.
But the day ended on a much better note.
Sunset in Vlora
In the evening, we stayed at our accommodation and enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our terrace. After everything that had happened earlier that day, sitting back and watching the sun go down over the coast was exactly what we needed.
It was one of those travel days where almost nothing went according to plan, but somehow it still ended up being a memorable one.
Day 7 – Vlora Day Trip: When Everything Went Wrong
After the chaos of the car battery the day before, we were hoping for a much more relaxed day. We decided to make a day trip from Vlora and explore some of the surrounding area.
Our first stop was Kaninë Castle, located just outside Vlora.
Kaninë Castle
When we arrived, we quickly noticed that parts of the castle were under construction. Despite that, we were still able to visit, and actually had the entire place almost completely to ourselves.
Being there without any other tourists made it feel quite special. We had some time to explore, take a few photos and enjoy the views over the surrounding area before continuing on our road trip.
A swim at the Bridge of Brataj
From Kaninë, we drove for around 35 minutes towards Brataj, where we had heard about a small old bridge crossing the river.
The area was beautiful and much more peaceful than some of the places we’d visited so far. We went for a swim in the river and spent some time enjoying the scenery. Of course, we also wanted to capture the place from above, so we got our drone out and filmed some cool shots.
Everything was going perfectly.
Until it wasn’t.
And then we lost our drone…
When we were finished filming, we brought the drone back and tried to land it. Suddenly, completely unexpectedly, it flew off by itself and crashed into the water.
What a bummer.
The drone was unfortunately damaged by the water, and there was no realistic way for us to fix it ourselves. The timing was almost the only thing we could be grateful for: it was already day seven of our trip, so we had managed to get most of the footage we wanted before it happened.
Still, it was incredibly annoying. We had planned to spend the second half of our trip along the Albanian coast, and now we wouldn’t be able to film any more drone footage over the ocean.
We drove back towards our accommodation and even tried looking for a repair shop, but eventually decided that it was probably better to leave it alone and send it to DJI once we were back home.
And then… the ring was gone
Unfortunately, the drone wasn’t the only thing we lost that day.
Later, Daan realised that his ring was missing. It wasn’t just any ring either, he had made it himself while he was travelling in Indonesia, so he was quite emotionally attached to it.
We went back through our footage to figure out where he might have lost it. Luckily, we had filmed ourselves while swimming at Brataj, and we could actually see that the ring was still on his finger when we went into the water.
But when we got back to our accommodation, it was gone.
That meant there was only one thing we could do: drive back to Brataj and look for it.
We retraced our steps around the river and searched as much as we could, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find it.
After losing the drone and then the ring on the same day, we decided we’d had enough adventure for one day. We went out for dinner and called it a night.
Definitely not the day we’d planned, but unfortunately, sometimes that’s just part of travelling.
Day 8 – Vlora to Sarandë: Driving the Albanian Riviera
After spending a few days around Vlora, it was time to continue south along the Albanian Riviera towards Sarandë. We were especially excited for this part of the trip because of the coastal roads, mountain views and beaches along the way.
Driving along the Albanian Riviera
The drive from Vlora to Sarandë was one of the most scenic drives of our trip. We headed south through the mountains and drove through the Llogara Pass, passing through the Dukat area along the way. The road offered incredible views over the coastline, with the mountains rising on one side and the deep blue sea stretching out below us.
We stopped at one of the viewpoints to take in the scenery and, of course, get some photos and videos. From up in the mountains, you could see the dramatic coastline stretching out below us, with the deep blue sea contrasting against the rugged landscape.
The rest of the drive continued along the coast, with plenty of beautiful views appearing around almost every corner. It was definitely one of those roads where we didn’t mind taking a little longer because we kept wanting to stop and look at the scenery.
A detour to Aquarium Bay
Before reaching Sarandë, we decided to make another stop at Aquarium Bay.
Getting there turned out to be an adventure in itself. The road down to the beach was probably one of the worst roads we drove on during the entire trip. Calling it a road might actually be a bit generous, it was basically a steep, uneven off-road track covered in sand, rocks and huge bumps.
We had to drive very carefully, and along the way we even saw another car that had ended up with a flat tire because of the rough road.
When we finally reached the beach, we were surprised by how busy it was. Despite the difficult drive down, Aquarium Bay was packed with people, so it wasn’t quite the peaceful hidden gem we had imagined.
Still, it was another interesting stop along the coast and gave us a good excuse to take a break from driving before continuing towards Sarandë.
Finally arriving in Sarandë
After the rather adventurous drive to Aquarium Bay, we finally made it to Sarandë. We explored the area around our accommodation a little before getting ready for dinner.
And then we found something we had been hoping to find for days: a completely vegan restaurant!
We went to Green Life Market – VEGAN bistro, a fully vegan restaurant in Sarandë. After having to search for individual vegan options at almost every restaurant throughout the trip, it was such a nice change to be able to look at an entire menu without having to ask what contained dairy, eggs or meat.
And the food was amazing.
The restaurant was definitely one of our food highlights of the entire Albania trip. Everything was vegan, and it felt like the perfect way to end our first day in Sarandë.
After dinner, we headed back to our accommodation, excited to explore the Albanian Riviera from Sarandë.
Day 9 – The Blue Eye & Exploring Sarandë
After a relaxed breakfast at our apartment, we wanted to get an early start and make the most of the day. Our first destination was one of Albania’s most famous natural attractions: the Blue Eye.
Visiting the Blue Eye
We arrived at around 8:30 AM, and the parking area was already surprisingly busy. Parking cost us 300 lek (around €3.50). From there, we walked towards the entrance, where we paid another €0.50 per person to enter.
From the entrance, it was about a 15-minute walk along the road to reach the Blue Eye. A small tourist train also runs along this route, but we decided to walk.
Luckily, when we arrived, there weren’t too many people around yet, which meant we could take some nice photos and properly enjoy the incredible blue colour of the water.
However, it didn’t stay quiet for long. Only around 20 minutes later, more and more people started arriving.
One thing that really annoyed us was how many visitors completely ignored the rules. There was a fence and a clearly visible sign saying not to enter the area or swim in the water, yet we saw lots of people walking past the fence and standing in the Blue Eye. Even though they weren’t swimming, entering the water was still not allowed.
We found this particularly frustrating because the Blue Eye is such a unique natural site, and respecting the rules is important to help protect it.
Taking the quieter hiking path
Instead of walking back the same way, we decided to take another path that looked more like a hiking trail.
This turned out to be a completely different experience. The trail took us around 35 minutes and offered some beautiful views along the way. At times, it felt almost like a little jungle hike, with parts of the trail being quite overgrown and not always clearly marked or well maintained.
But that was also what made it fun. There were far fewer people on this route, and we really enjoyed the peaceful walk back.
When we reached the entrance again, we realised something quite interesting: if we had taken this hiking path to the Blue Eye in the first place, we wouldn’t have had to pay the entrance fee.
So, if you’re visiting, that’s definitely something to keep in mind!
A beach afternoon at Shpella e Pëllumbave
From the Blue Eye, we continued towards Shpella e Pëllumbave Beach for some time by the sea.
The beach itself was beautiful, with incredibly clear water, although it was quite small. Unfortunately, almost the entire beach was covered with sun loungers, leaving very little space to simply put down your own things.
We found a little spot on a wall where we could leave our belongings and then went straight into the water.
And the water was so nice.
After spending the morning walking around the Blue Eye, it was the perfect place to cool down and relax for a while.
Sunset and another vegan dinner
Later in the afternoon, we headed back to Sarandë and spent some time exploring the city. We walked around, took in the atmosphere and eventually found a nice spot to watch the sunset.
On our way to dinner, we noticed a thin mother cat with her kittens right next to our apartment. We couldn’t just walk past them, so we went to get them some food and water before continuing to dinner.
And of course, we had to return to our favourite food discovery in Sarandë: Green Life Market, the fully vegan restaurant we had discovered the night before.
After already loving our first meal there, we went back for dinner, and after that, we also treated ourselves to some vegan ice cream.
After a full day of swimming, hiking, exploring and eating, we headed back to our apartment and called it a night.
Day 10 – Sarandë to Tirana via Gjirokastër
After a few days exploring the Albanian Riviera, it was time to start making our way back towards Tirana. We had one final stop planned along the way: Gjirokastër, one of Albania’s most famous historic cities.
Exploring Gjirokastër
We drove from Sarandë towards Gjirokastër and spent some time exploring the city, including the impressive Gjirokastër Castle. The castle sits high above the city and offers beautiful views over the surrounding landscape.
After exploring the castle, we walked back towards our car, expecting to simply continue our journey to Tirana.
Instead, we found the police standing right next to our car.
Another parking fine…
Yep, we had somehow managed to get another parking ticket.
What made this one particularly frustrating was that we couldn’t see any signs or markings indicating that parking there wasn’t allowed. There were also around 20 other cars parked in exactly the same area.
We even spoke to the police officer and tried to understand why we were being fined, but unfortunately, he couldn’t really explain it to us either.
At that point, we were pretty annoyed. After already getting a parking fine in Berat earlier in the trip, this felt especially frustrating. We obviously can’t know why the ticket was issued, but it definitely left us with the impression that the situation was more about making money than keeping the area properly organised.
After another unexpected travel expense, we got back into the car and continued towards Tirana.
Back to Tirana
Once we reached Tirana, it was time to return our rental car. After handing over the keys, we were back in the capital and ready to explore the city on foot.
After spending so much time on the road, we enjoyed simply walking around Tirana for a while and taking in the city.
For dinner, we found Veggies, a vegetarian restaurant with several vegan options. The restaurant was located right next to a park with a lake, which turned out to be the perfect place to spend the evening.
After dinner, we walked along the lake and caught a beautiful sunset over Tirana. It was a much more relaxed way to end our last full day in Albania.
Of course, we couldn’t finish the evening without one last ice cream. After grabbing some, we slowly made our way back to our accommodation.
Tomorrow would be our final morning in Albania before heading back to the airport ,and after eleven days of buses, ferries, mountain trails, rental cars, beaches and more than a few unexpected adventures, we definitely had plenty of stories to take home with us.
Day 11 – Tirana to Memmingen
Our final morning in Albania had arrived. After eleven days of exploring the country, it was unfortunately time to head home.
We got up early and had some breakfast at our accommodation before walking to the bus stop for the airport bus. The bus was well organised and only cost us €4, making it a convenient and affordable way to get to Tirana Airport.
Soon after, we were on our flight back to Memmingen, bringing our Albanian adventure to an end.
From hiking through the Accursed Mountains and swimming in freezing rivers to road-tripping along the Albanian Riviera, discovering beautiful towns, eating vegan food and dealing with a few unexpected mishaps along the way, Albania definitely gave us an unforgettable eleven days.
And although the drone came back with us but was damaged, and we also lost a ring along the way, we came back with plenty of memories, photos and stories that made the trip completely worth it.
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