How long is the Albania Heritage and Riviera Loop from Tirana route?

This route takes 8 days taking in 6 stops.

Where does this route start and end?

The route runs from Tirana to Tirana in Southern Albania, Albania.

When is the best time to travel this route?

The best time to travel this route is May to September.

How active is this route?

Activity level: Active. Moderately active — expect some walking and light physical activity.

What transport do I need for this route?

This route works best with a car.

What budget do I need for this route?

Budget-friendly — this route is well-suited to travellers keeping costs low.

What type of accommodation suits this route?

Mixed accommodation works well along this route.

What is the pace of this trip?

Balanced — a good mix of sightseeing and downtime.

What type of trip is this?

This route is well-suited to: Culture, Scenic, Coastal, Classic road trip.

Albania Heritage and Riviera Loop from Tirana

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The route · 6 stops

1
Tirana
1 night
Albania's lively capital rewards an evening on foot. The Blloku district, once reserved for Communist Party elite and now the city's best collection of cafes and restaurants, is the place to start. The National History Museum on Skanderbeg Square gives essential context before the journey south.
Albania's lively capital rewards an evening on foot. The Blloku district, once reserved for Communist Party elite and now the city's best collection of cafes and restaurants, is the place to start. The National History Museum on Skanderbeg Square gives essential context before the journey south.
Blloku is walkable from central hotels. Traffic is heavy by day; move your car to parking early morning. Skanderbeg Square has a large paid underground car park.
2
Berat
2 nights
One of Albania's two UNESCO World Heritage cities, Berat is known as the City of a Thousand Windows for its hillside Ottoman houses. The Kalasa fortress sits above and is still partly inhabited. Two nights allows the castle, the Onufri icon museum and the lower-town Mangalem and Gorica quarters.
One of Albania's two UNESCO World Heritage cities, Berat is known as the City of a Thousand Windows for its hillside Ottoman houses. The Kalasa fortress sits above and is still partly inhabited. Two nights allows the castle, the Onufri icon museum and the lower-town Mangalem and Gorica quarters.
The Kalasa fortress is a 20-minute walk from Mangalem. Go in the late afternoon for the best light on the white Ottoman houses. The Onufri Museum inside has Albania's finest Byzantine icons.
3
Gjirokastra
1 night
Albania's other UNESCO city, Gjirokastra is an Ottoman hill town of grey-stone houses and a massive 13th-century castle. The writer Ismail Kadare and Albania's communist dictator Enver Hoxha were both born here — a biographical tension that defines the town's atmosphere. The bazaar below the castle is largely intact.
Albania's other UNESCO city, Gjirokastra is an Ottoman hill town of grey-stone houses and a massive 13th-century castle. The writer Ismail Kadare and Albania's communist dictator Enver Hoxha were both born here — a biographical tension that defines the town's atmosphere. The bazaar below the castle is largely intact.
The castle contains a Cold War-era US spy plane captured in 1957 and a museum of the communist period. The cobbled bazaar streets are steep; wear comfortable shoes.
4
Saranda
2 nights
The main resort town of the Albanian Riviera, Saranda sits on a sweeping bay with views to Corfu. Base here for two unmissable day trips: the UNESCO Roman and Byzantine ruins at Butrint National Park (20 minutes south) and the Blue Eye spring, an eerie turquoise natural pool 25 km east.
The main resort town of the Albanian Riviera, Saranda sits on a sweeping bay with views to Corfu. Base here for two unmissable day trips: the UNESCO Roman and Byzantine ruins at Butrint National Park (20 minutes south) and the Blue Eye spring, an eerie turquoise natural pool 25 km east.
Visit Butrint National Park early morning when it is cooler and quieter. The Blue Eye spring (Syri i Kaltër) is signposted from the Gjirokastra road and free to enter.
5
Himara
1 night
A traditional coastal village that has changed less than the resorts north and south, Himara sits below a hilltop Byzantine citadel. The beaches at Livadhi and Potami are among the best on the Riviera. The SH8 coastal road into Himara from Saranda through the Llogara Pass is among Albania's finest drives.
A traditional coastal village that has changed less than the resorts north and south, Himara sits below a hilltop Byzantine citadel. The beaches at Livadhi and Potami are among the best on the Riviera. The SH8 coastal road into Himara from Saranda through the Llogara Pass is among Albania's finest drives.
Himara's old village above the main town is worth a 20-minute walk up for views. The Llogara Pass (1,027 m) north of Himara offers panoramic Ionian Sea views; allow extra time on the descent.
6
Tirana
The loop closes back in Tirana via the A2 Autostrada north from Vlore (approximately 230 km, 2.5-3 hours from Himara). Allow time for a final morning in Blloku or Skanderbeg Square before heading to Tirana International Airport, 17 km from the centre.
The loop closes back in Tirana via the A2 Autostrada north from Vlore (approximately 230 km, 2.5-3 hours from Himara). Allow time for a final morning in Blloku or Skanderbeg Square before heading to Tirana International Airport, 17 km from the centre.
Tirana International Airport (TIA) is 17 km from Skanderbeg Square. Allow 30-45 minutes by taxi. The A2 Autostrada from Vlore to Tirana is the quickest return route.

Route highlights

Viewpoint
Berat Kalasa Fortress
The citadel above Berat has been continuously occupied since at least the 4th century BC and is still home to a small residential community. Inside its Byzantine and Ottoman walls are several churches, the Onufri Museum of Byzantine icons, and sweeping views over the Osum valley and the City of a Thousand Windows below.
Activity
Butrint National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, Butrint contains one of the most complete sequences of ancient settlement in the Mediterranean: Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman layers all visible above ground in a setting of lakes and lagoons 20 km south of Saranda. The 3rd-century BC theatre seats up to 2,500.
Culture
Gjirokastra Castle Museum
The 13th-century fortress above Gjirokastra houses a museum of the communist period, a collection of traditional Albanian weaponry, and a Lockheed U-2-type reconnaissance aircraft captured (or forced down, accounts differ) in 1957 and displayed in the inner courtyard. One of Albania's most unexpected museum exhibits.
Viewpoint
Blue Eye Spring (Syri i Kaltër)
A natural spring of extraordinary clarity 25 km east of Saranda, where cold water surges up from an underground river through a pool of brilliant turquoise-blue. The temperature stays around 10°C year-round. The short forest walk to the pool from the car park takes around 15 minutes.
Scenic Drive
Llogara Pass and Coastal Drive
The SH8 road over the Llogara Pass at 1,027 metres is one of Albania's most dramatic drives, switchbacking from the Ionian coast to a mountain col with views over the whole Albanian Riviera before descending to the Vlore plain. The road continues north along the coast with successive clifftop sea views.
Culture
Tirana Blloku District
Blloku, a few blocks of low-rise streets in central Tirana, was walled off during the communist period as the exclusive residence of the Politburo. Since 1991 it has become the city's most energetic neighbourhood: cafes, restaurants, street art and nightlife in the former homes of the Albanian nomenklatura.

Albania Heritage and Riviera Loop from Tirana

The route · 6 stops

Tirana

Berat

Gjirokastra

Saranda

Himara

Tirana

Route highlights

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Albania Heritage and Riviera Loop from Tirana

The route · 6 stops

Tirana

Berat

Gjirokastra

Saranda

Himara

Tirana

Route highlights

Photos & videos · 0

No photos yet

Frequently asked questions

Ratings & reviews

Comments · 0

No comments yet

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