How to Spend a Summer’s Week in Albania

The restaurant Mrizi i Zanave near Lezha, Northern Albania.

This article is the first in a two-part series, to soon be joined by “How to Spend a Summer’s Week in Kosova.”

Albania now hosts an ever-increasing number of guests each year. As its touristic landscape expands and evolves, it grows all the more crucial for visitors to access accurate and detailed information to help plan their visits.

The following guide is not meant to be the last word on what to see in Albania. Indeed, there is a striking variety and depth of options to be found in its mere 28,000 km². There is bound to be a reader or two upset that their region of origin or favorite destination was not included, but such are the constraints of time.

The aim here is to provide a full itinerary, based on extensive experience, from which the visitor can pick and choose as they see fit. Divided into three parts on a regional basis, this was first sent to a friend, and I hope it retains some of its personal quality.

No matter the depth of detail, what is not possible to communicate through the written word is the unique sense of hospitality rooted in a culture which has valorized it for centuries and a contemporary society eager to open itself up to the world. This you have to be there to experience.

1. Tirana

The vibrant capital is much like a good workout: it’s worth doing but should be executed quickly. If you get there in the morning or early afternoon, it would be best to spend that full day and the next in the city, heading to the South of the country early the following (more on that in section two).

For lodging, you can go with the time-tested Hotel Rogner, right next to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Marriott, which boasts the unique advantage of having been built as part of the Air Albania Arena and offers full views of the pitch, or one of the many highly affordable Airbnbs near the city center.

You will find that many of the best sites are very close-by. The National History Museum, government buildings, and the stadium sit either on Skanderbeg Square, Mother Teresa Square or the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard (Dëshmorët e Kombit) which connects the two. You can spend the first day and evening touring around here and dine at one of the city’s many exceptional restaurants.

For seafood, consider: Il Gusto, Fiore di Mare, Sea Soul

Higher-end experience: Padam Boutique

Traditional: Oda

Later in the night, Blloku is a nightlife district not quite like any other in Europe. Formerly the guarded-off “block” exclusive to the communist leadership, it now boasts its openness through the city’s most chic bars and lively nightclubs. It is striking to find yourself enjoying a drink or two with a view of the former dictator Enver Hoxha’s villa.

You must start the second day with a run or walk around the Grand Lake (Parku i Liqenit), the Albanian response to Central Park. It is a good 6 km or so and the greenery makes the early rise beyond revitalizing.

This second day can be spent experiencing the creativity of the post–90s era in interpreting the country’s heavy history. Perhaps the best start would be BunkArt 2, built by the former dictator as a nuclear bunker and turned into an exposition blending the communist past and contemporary art. In the same category is the House of Leaves, a heart-wrenching yet important reflection on the lessons drawn out of the communist regime's atrocities, housed in the former headquarters of the State Security Service.

On the more active end, a great option is Dajti, a mountain overlooking the city and surrounding countryside. The cable car journey up is just as delightful as the environment once you have reached its heights.

Whichever way you structure the first half of the day, there is only one right way to end it: I mentioned that the city itself had top-notch restaurants, but the surrounding countryside is even better. Perhaps the most memorable of these is Fustanella, which brings together the best of Central Albanian cuisine and an unforgettable sunset over Petrela Castle and the rolling fields ahead.

As an adieu, once you’re back in the city, walk up the steps of the Pyramid (you can’t miss its outsize presence at the heart of the main boulevard). Originally a mausoleum for the dictator, it has been turned into more things than I can count in the decades since, before seeming to have found its identity as a center for tech education and public events. At night, it offers a breezy and expansive view of the city not to be missed. If you’re keen for a drink afterwards, Arka and similar rooftop bars also offer exceptional views.

The statue of the Albanian national hero towering over Tirana's Skanderbeg Square, as seen at night.

2. The Bulk of the Trip: The South

As the title suggests, much of your time in Albania is likely to be spent in the South. Before heading down, there is an important choice to make: whether to rent a car. In my view, you'd be wise to get one early in your second day in Tirana, as it would facilitate your way to the restaurant in the peripheries and is rather mandatory for the trip southward, considering that the rail system has been rendered virtually nonexistent since the downfall of communism.

The question of where to set up your base in the South is not an easy one due to the sheer abundance of options. While Saranda is known as the gem of the region for many reasons, it tends to be relatively crowded in the summer. As such, the best options are Qeparo and Himara (likely in that order). These are stunning coastal villages, though a section of Qeparo offers views of the Ioanian from the hills above. From here, you should spend three to four days prioritizing the following sites:

1. It is not a trip to Albania without the beach. Though you can and should indulge in the local coastline in whichever village you stay, in my view the best beach in the country is Krorëz. Having been isolated for years by a ban on speedboats, it is now mostly accessible via vessels that take off from Saranda several times a day. It is best to book a trip in one of the many services offering it in Saranda’s main seaside boulevard.

2. Speaking of Saranda, it is worth spending an afternoon and evening there, exploring the cafés and activities along the coastline before heading up to Lëkurës Castle, the site of old fiery battles and now a restaurant with an unparalleled view of the region.

3. Picking back up on the nature-oriented theme, the Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) is an undisputed must-see. The blue of the natural spring combined with the surrounding greenery come together to make a tranquility hard to describe.

4. Butrinti ranks among the most important archaeological sites to be found on this side of Europe. First developed by Ancient Greeks, later declared a veterans’ colony by Julius Caesar after the Roman Civil War and built on by the “Albanian Napoleon,” Ali Pasha of Tepelena, it is a must-visit for anyone interested in the complex history of the region.

5. Last but not least, there is nothing quite like Gjirokastra. Immortalized as the City of Stone by one of its most famous sons, the great novelist Ismail Kadare, it blends traditional Albanian and Ottoman-era architecture with some of the most important sites of modern Albanian history. A single street, prophetically named “The Avenue of the Madmen,” was the childhood home of both Kadare and, decades earlier, Hoxha. As the latter’s birthplace, it presents a more complicated picture of how some in the country have dealt with its post-communist legacy.

   
   

   

   Saranda, Albania as seen from the heights of Lëkurës Castle.

3. The Wonders of the North

   
   

You could begin your way North by taking a detour to the unique Southeastern region on the way up. Korça was known in the early twentieth century as Le Petit Paris for a reason, namely its quiet, artistic character. Slightly further north, Pogradec raised some of the country’s best poets, no doubt in part because of the enchanting nature surrounding Lake Ohrid.

Now, for the North itself. There are four main options to consider, listed in more or less southern- to-northernmost order.

1. First comes Kruja. Only 20 km north of Tirana, this could be either one of the visits during your stay in the capital, or the first on the northern journey. Its castle is arguably the country’s most cherished historical gem, as the main fortress of Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbej, the national hero who led a 25-year rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century and remained the talk of Europe for quite some time. The nearby traditional bazaar also adds a unique touch.

2. On your way up, you must stop for lunch at Mrizi i Zanave, in my mind the best restaurant in the country. Located in the village of Fishtë, near the ancient city of Lezha, it is named after a poem by Gjergj Fishta, regarded as the Homer of the Northern Albanian literary tradition, whose childhood home sits a few kilometers away. Mrizi sources all of its products from local farmers, encouraging sustainable economic development while producing fantastic traditional dishes. A second location recently opened in Tirana, if this works better with your schedule.

3. Shkodra is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with over two millennia of history. Its culture, informed by Italian influences and its local predominantly Catholic tradition, is unlike any other in the country. It would not take more than a few hours to see the historic center of the city and Rozafa Castle, whose unique myth is worth reading beforehand.

4. Let’s end by returning to an active note. Rafting in the stark blue waters of the Valbona Valley is one of the most unique ways to take in the North's nature, with several programs readily available.

5. Last but not least, the village of Theth has become the symbol of the breathtaking views offered by the Albanian Alps. and makes for a worthy final act of the trip.

Albania offers a unique combination of the urban and ancient, the coastal and mountainous. I hope this guide paints a clearer picture of how these elements might be best combined, yet there is something to be said for allowing space for the unexpected; to find the peculiar experiences that ultimately make the travails of travel worthwhile.