We spent five days in Albania taking in the beaches, the historic central region, and the funky capital. It felt like the perfect travel itinerary for seeing the best bits without being rushed. If you’re thinking of heading to Albania, then read on for some trip inspiration.
In this guide, we outline how we spent 5 days in Albania including Tirana, Durrës, and Berat.
We spent two days in Durrës, one day in Berat, and then two days in Tirana. But if you’re not a fan of the beach, then one day in Durrës will probably be enough and you can spend an extra day in Berat instead.
Day 1 – Tirana To Durrës
Like most people visiting Albania, we flew into Tirana airport. But instead of heading into the capital, we immediately set off for Durrës on the coast. It’s a 30-minute drive and a taxi costs about 30 Euros.
We spent our first day in Durrës making the most of the warm weather and sunshine. It was actually my 40th birthday so we kicked it off with a leisurely few hours by the pool. The weather was gorgeous – bright sunshine and 30° – perfect lounging and lilo weather!
Dean had found us a newly opened hotel with a fabulous pool, modern interiors, and impressive view of the coast. The hotel pool had a great vibe with fun little details like a range of lilos and an inflatable ball which brought out the big kids in us. The upbeat music gave it a bit of a pool party vibe.
In the afternoon we headed down to Durrës Beach and walked along the seafront promenade. The sea was a beautiful colour blue and super warm at this time of year (July).
Unlike Albania’s southern beach resorts like Saranda, Durrës caters more to local tourists. Because it’s so close to the capital, it’s easy for locals to drive out for the weekend. This means it’s quite developed with tiki huts, beach bars, and hotels along the seafront, but it has a fun, authentic vibe.
We actually preferred Durrës to Romania’s main beach resort of Mamaia which had been pretty overdeveloped. It felt more like a tacky seaside resort than a real Balkan beach. While the Durrës coast has been developed for tourists, it’s not too busy and has a great atmosphere.
Day 2 – Durrës
On the second day, we explored Durrës itself. There’s an impressive Roman amphitheater, a seaside promenade, and plenty of historical buildings. Plus lots of mini side streets to explore on foot which is one of our fav things to do!
Durrës has a Mediterranean vibe with lots of cafes and locals socialising outdoors. It rained for most of the time while we were there but that didn’t dampen our enjoyment. And if we like somewhere in the miserable rain, then that’s a sure sign that it’s good!
Day 3 – Berat
On day three we headed to Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the mountains. It’s a 2.5 hour bus drive away from Durres so you can easily be there by lunchtime.
Beretta is a picturesque town set in a valley. It’s got beautiful traditional buildings set into the hillsides with a river running through the centre.
We really loved Berat – there were so many little cobbled alleyways to explore and zigzag pathways that made it feel like a maze. It reminded us of wandering around Kotor in Montenegro with its narrow alleys and old town vibe. Despite being UNESCO-listed, it wasn’t particularly busy. There were definitely more foreign tourists here than in Durres but not a lot.
Maybe because there’s no train or organised bus schedule to get here, a lot of travellers skip Berat. Which is a shame because it’s a real hidden gem and definitely worth the effort.
You can easily do all of Berat in a day. We explored the main promenade, many of the backstreets, and the neighbourhood on the opposite side of the river (which is not to be missed). If you like spending hours inside historical buildings or wandering around churches, then you might want to allow a bit more time.
We stayed local hotel built in traditional style with an incredible view over the river in the valley. It was run by a lovely Romanian lady who went out of her way to ensure we had a great stay.
After failing to get into a popular restaurant, we spent ages wandering around looking for authentic local food (with clear pricing!). Eventually, we found a quiet hotel roof terrace with incredible sunset views across the town and up towards the castle.
Dean had a great meal here but mine (meat skewers) was so-so. But the sunset views more than made up for it!
Overall it was a real bargain and very quiet, maybe because it’s not on the main drag and not obvious from street level. It was a classy place but the prices were cheaper than a lot of the restaurants on street level. If you want somewhere to take sunset photos in Berat or just nice aerial photos across the city, then this hotel’s roof terrace is perfect.
Day 4 – Berat To Tirana
The next day we walked from Berat’s old town through the new part to the bus station. This area offers more of an authentic Albanian experience than the polished historic area.
The walk was fun because it gives you more of a sense of what it’s like to live in this area. There were local people sitting in cafés, having a coffee and a catch-up, along with some colourful street art along the way.
The bus station is about a 40-minute walk from the old town which is fine for us because we only travel with small backpacks. If have large suitcases then there’s a shuttle bus for 30 lek (about 35 cents).
From Berat bus station, we headed to Tirana which took about 2.5 hours. The fun thing about getting the bus is that you get to take all of the views and see the countryside up close. It’s all those bits of a country in between the main sights that give you a real sense of what somewhere is like (outside of just the tourist areas).
Arriving in Tirana, we dumped our backpacks at the hotel and got a local bus into the city centre. We had a lovely time walking around the central area and exploring the different sights for a few hours.
Albania’s capital was a real surprise for us. Lots of the former communist blocks have been made over with brightly coloured murals. These impressive designs make it a fun and vibrant place to walk around.
A lot of the modern buildings here also featured unique designs and funky architecture. It seems like a place where they really embrace unique designs and push the envelope when it comes to the skyline.
In amongst all these buildings is loads of greenery so it’s no concrete jungle. Most of the street are lined with trees and there’s a peaceful river running through the centre. With shaded walkways on either side, it’s an ideal place to stroll and take in the balance of funky buildings and natural greenery.
Day 5 – Tirana
The next day we spent the morning at the hotel because it had a REALLY good spa. There were several pools and jacuzzis to choose from, plus a sauna, steam room, ice bucket shower, and salt room.
After chilling out there for a couple of hours we headed into town again. But this time we took a different route looking for more of the quirky street art that Tirana is covered in.
We also discovered some really funky cafes (like Hannah‘s Corner Café) and a cheeky little rooftop bar where you can watch the world go by. It was great to sit down after all the walking and just soak up the local atmosphere.
A short walk from Tirana city centre is a gorgeous lake with walking, running, and cycling routes around it. So after a little rest, we made our way to the lake and walked all the way around it. As fans of walking, this was an ideal way to end our Albanian trip.
5 Days In Albania Was Perfect
It was then time to head back to the airport and fly home to the UK. Five days in Albania felt like the right amount of time to see the coast, take in a bit of culture, and explore the capital. But you could easily extend your time with a few extra days at the beach or side trips from the city.
