How Many Days Do You Need in Albania? Our Honest Answer After Two Weeks
Ten to fourteen days. That is long enough to do the Albanian Riviera and the Albanian Alps properly, which are the two halves of the country worth crossing the world for, and they are a five hour drive apart.
We had 14 nights in July 2025 and we still got the split wrong. Two of those nights were wasted, four were the best of the trip, and if we booked it again tomorrow the plan would look quite different. That is the useful part of this, so it is what the rest of this blog is about.
If you only have a week, the honest answer is to pick one half of the country rather than rush both. Albania looks small on a map and drives much bigger than it looks.
How many days is enough in Albania?
It depends almost entirely on whether you want the beaches, the mountains, or both.
Seven days is enough for one region. A week on the Riviera, or a week built around Shkodër and the Alps, is a genuinely good trip with no rushing. A week trying to do both means two long driving days out of seven and you will feel it.
Ten days is the point where both become comfortable. You get four or five nights on the coast and four in the mountains, with the transfer absorbed rather than dominating.
Fourteen days is what we would book. Not because you need two weeks to see Albania, but because it is the length at which you stop moving every second day. Albania rewards sitting still. Our best days were the ones where we did not drive anywhere.
More than two weeks and you would be adding Berat, Gjirokastër and Lake Ohrid, which we have not been to, so I will not pretend to advise on them.
What we actually did with 14 nights
We flew into Tirana, drove south to Sarandë, worked our way back up the coast, then went inland and north to Shkodër and the Albanian Alps.
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| Stop | Nights | My rating | Would we do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarandë | 3 | 9/10 | Yes, exactly as it was |
| Ksamil | 2 | 7.5/10 | No, day trip it instead |
| Himarë | 4 | 10/10 | Yes, and we would add a night |
| Vlorë | 2 | 4/10 | No |
| Shkodër | 1 | Loved it | Yes, but one night was not enough |
| Albanian Alps | 2 | 1000/10, and I mean it | Yes, and we would add nights |
Two things jump out of that table. The places we gave the most nights to were not the places we rated highest, and the two stops we would remove entirely account for four nights, which is more than a quarter of the trip.
The split we would actually book
Same 14 nights, redistributed. This is the plan I would give a friend.
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| Stop | Nights | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sarandë | 3 | Base for the whole south, with Ksamil and the beaches as day trips |
| Himarë | 5 | The one place we wanted more of, and the best value on the coast |
| Shkodër | 2 | One night before the mountains and one after, not a single rushed night |
| Albanian Alps | 4 | Valbonë, the pass to Theth, and time at Shala River rather than a day trip |
That drops Ksamil and Vlorë as bases and puts those four nights where we actually enjoyed ourselves. It also removes a hotel change, which sounds minor until you have packed a car for the fourth time in nine days.
The reasoning behind dropping Ksamil is the whole argument of our Sarandë or Ksamil comparison: the beaches are worth a full day, but Sarandë is the better base and it cost us less per night.
Vlorë is simpler. We gave it two nights as a break in the drive back towards Tirana, and we did not enjoy the parts of town we saw. That is our experience of one area at one time of year rather than a verdict on the whole city, but with 14 nights to allocate I would not spend two of them there again.
Where we would stay in each region
If you take the split above, you only need three bases for the whole country. These are the ones we would book, one per region, so you can hold the whole trip in your head rather than juggling six reservations.
Hotel Real, Sarandë
Central, which in Sarandë is the thing that matters most, because parking was the one consistent frustration we had with the town. Being able to leave the car and walk to dinner and the beach solves it. From here Ksamil, Pulëbardha and Lëkurësi Castle are all day trips. It scored 9.1 from 443 reviews when I checked.
Dimitri Hotel, Himarë
Himarë is where we would spend the most nights and it is the stop we rated highest on the coast. We stayed in an Airbnb, but Dimitri is the hotel I would book, at 9.5 from 760 reviews when I checked, which is a lot of reviews for a town this size. The pool earns its keep after the walk up from the beach.
Tias Hostel, Shkodër
This is the one we actually booked and would book again. It is where we arranged the whole Alps trip, dinner was included at one long table with everyone heading up the next morning, and they held our luggage while we walked the pass. Booking the mountains through your Shkodër base rather than assembling it yourself is the single best planning decision we made in Albania. It scored 9.4 from 66 reviews when I checked.
Tias is a first-hand recommendation. Hotel Real and Dimitri are the hotels we would compare against the apartments we used, so check current dates and recent reviews before booking either. If you are going cheaper, comparing hostels and budget stays will get you well under what we paid as a couple.
Is 7 days enough for Albania?
Yes, for half of it. Here is what I would do with a week.
Seven days on the coast. Fly into Tirana, drive to Sarandë, three nights there with a full day in Ksamil, then three nights in Himarë, then back. You would get the best beaches, the Lëkurësi Castle sunset, a boat day and enough slow time to feel like you had a holiday. One long drive at each end.
Or seven days in the north. Two nights in Shkodër, three in the Alps across Valbonë and Theth, a Shala River day, then back to Shkodër. This is the version I would choose if I could only have one, because the Alps were far and away the best thing we did in Albania.
What I would not do is both in seven days. Tirana to Sarandë is about 275 kilometres and four to four and a half hours by the route we drove, and getting from the far south up to Shkodër is most of a day. Two of your seven days become driving days, and you would arrive at the Alps tired.
How many days do you need on the Albanian Riviera?
Five to seven nights, split between two bases rather than four.
We used four bases on the coast in nine nights and it was one too many. Sarandë covers everything south, including Ksamil, Pulëbardha and the castle. Himarë covers everything in the middle. You do not need a base between them and you do not need one north of Himarë unless you are heading to Vlorë deliberately.
If you only have three or four nights on the coast, give them all to one town. Himarë if you want quiet and good food, Sarandë if you want more to do in the evenings.
How many days do you need in the Albanian Alps?
Three to four nights, and we only gave it two.
Our package covered two nights, the transfers and a Shala River day, which was enough to do the Valbonë to Theth walk and see Theth properly. It was the best money we spent in the country. It was also the part of the trip where we most clearly ran out of time.
Two changes I would make. I would go back to Shala River for two or three nights rather than seeing it on a day trip, having met people who were staying at the chalets there. And one night in Shkodër either side of the mountains, rather than a single night, means you are not arriving off a bus and repacking for a 6am start on the same evening.
The walk itself is a full day and genuinely hard work in July heat. Our Valbonë to Theth hike guide covers how long it actually takes and what the package included.
How many days in each town
Short version, so you can build your own route.
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| Place | Nights we would give it |
|---|---|
| Sarandë | 3, as the base for the whole south |
| Ksamil | 0, go for the day from Sarandë |
| Himarë | 4 to 5, the one place we would extend |
| Shkodër | 2, one either side of the mountains |
| Valbonë and Theth | 3 to 4 |
| Vlorë | 0 |
| Tirana | We only passed through, so I cannot tell you |
Do you need a car, and how long is everything really?
We hired a car for the coastal section and it was the right call. The best beaches on the Riviera are down unmarked turnoffs and the bus network is not built for beach hopping. For the Alps we did not drive at all, because the package included every transfer and the roads up there are not what you want to be learning on.
These are the planning estimates we used for our own route, not guaranteed journey times. Traffic through Vlorë and the coast road in July both ran slower than the map suggested.
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| Leg | Distance | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Tirana Airport to Sarandë | About 275 km | 4 to 4.5 hours |
| Sarandë to Ksamil | About 15 km | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Ksamil to Himarë | About 63 km | 1.5 hours |
| Himarë to Tirana Airport | About 225 km | 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Tirana to Shkodër | Bus | About 2 hours |
The coast road between Ksamil and Himarë is slow in the best way. It climbs, it switches back, and there are pull-offs where you will want to stop. Do not schedule that leg as a transfer with somewhere to be at the other end.
If you are pricing a car, compare car rental prices for your exact dates, because July rates are nothing like May rates. For the northern half, comparing bus times and prices is worth doing, though plenty of Albanian routes are still bought at the counter on the day.
When to go, and how it changes the length
We went in July, which is peak. The trade-off with timing is not really about how many days you need, it is about how many of those days you spend in crowds.
June and September give you the same country with fewer people on it, cheaper beds and the Alps still open. August is the busiest month on the coast because it is when Albanians and Kosovars holiday at home. Outside roughly May to October the Valbonë to Theth route is a different proposition entirely, so if the Alps are your reason for going, that window is what sets your dates.
We have written up exactly what two weeks in Albania cost us if you want the July numbers behind all of this.
What we would tell someone booking tomorrow
- Decide coast or mountains first, then work out how many days you have for the other one.
- Two bases on the coast, maximum. Sarandë and Himarë.
- Give the Alps more than you think. Everyone we met wished they had another night.
- Do not schedule anything for the day you drive the coast road. It is the drive, not a transfer.
- Book Himarë for longer than feels sensible. It is the only place we left early.
Was two weeks the right amount?
Two weeks was right. The split was not.
We spent nine nights on the coast and five in and around the mountains, and by the end it was obvious we had that backwards. The coast is lovely and we would go again, but the Alps are the thing we still talk about. My rating for that section was 1000 out of 10.
If you have ten days, give four to the Alps. If you have fourteen, give six to the north and stop moving so much in the south.
Start with our free two-week Albania guide for the day-by-day route, stops and map links.
Keep planning with our complete Albanian Alps guide and where to stay in each region.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Albania?
Ten to fourteen days is enough to do both the Albanian Riviera and the Albanian Alps without rushing. Seven days is enough for one of the two. We had 14 nights and would keep the length but change the split.
Is 7 days enough for Albania?
Yes, if you pick one region. A week on the coast between Sarandë and Himarë works well, and so does a week built around Shkodër and the Alps. Trying to do both in seven days turns two of them into driving days.
Is 10 days enough for Albania?
Ten days is the point where both halves of the country become comfortable. Roughly five nights on the coast and four in the mountains, with a night in Shkodër in between.
How many days do you need on the Albanian Riviera?
Five to seven nights, using two bases rather than four. Sarandë covers everything in the south including Ksamil, and Himarë covers the middle of the coast.
How many days do you need in the Albanian Alps?
Three to four nights. We had two, which was enough for the Valbonë to Theth walk and Theth itself, but it was the part of the trip where we most clearly ran out of time.
How many days do you need in Sarandë?
Three nights. That is enough to use it as the base for Ksamil, Pulëbardha Beach and Lëkurësi Castle, without needing to move accommodation to see the south.
How many days do you need in Ksamil?
None as a base. Go for a full day from Sarandë. The beaches are worth the day, but it cost us more per night than anywhere else in Albania and there is less to do once you are off the sand.
Do you need a car in Albania?
For the coast, yes. The good beaches are down unmarked turnoffs and buses are not built for beach hopping. For the Albanian Alps you do not, and we would not want to drive those roads anyway. Our transfers were included in the package we booked.
What is the best month to visit Albania?
June or September for the same country with fewer people, cheaper accommodation and the Alps open. July and August are the peak. We went in July and the coast was busy.
