The 20 Best Places to Visit in Albania (Including Our Favorite Hidden Gems!)
If you’re looking for the best places to visit in Albania, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve been here a couple of times, and also did a big road trip around the entire country.
It’s one of our favorite countries in the world, which is due to the incredible amount of variety you can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful escape in nature or a wild weekend in the capital, there’s definitely something for you in Albania.
From the breathtaking mountain landscapes of the north to the paradise beaches of the south, and the scattered waterfalls to secret swimming spots, we’re covering all of the top places to visit in Albania, so you can have the most epic trip.
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The Basics of Building an Albania Itinerary
Albania has such a variety of destinations to visit that it can be overwhelming where to choose! Before diving into all of the best places to visit in Albania, let’s talk a bit about what the country is like and what you shouldn’t miss out on.
😍 What is the Most Beautiful Part of Albania?
Most people are starting to flock to Albania because it has beaches comparable to Croatia or Greece. The Albania Riviera is certainly one of the most beautiful places to visit in Albania, but the entire country is full of beauty!
If you love mountains, the most beautiful part is the north. If you love beaches, you’ll want to head south. Head inland and you’ll find some of the biggest surprises Albania has hiding.
Whatever you do though, make sure to plan your itinerary around nature. There are some cool cities, but the true beauty of the country lies in what Mother Nature gifted them.
📆 How Many Days in Albania is Enough?
If you’re looking to experience all of the best places to visit in Albania, you’ll need a couple of weeks to do so. We spent 15 days exploring the country on our latest trip, and we had pretty packed days.
If you have just a few days, we’d recommend sticking to one destination. If you have a week, you an experience the south pretty well, or you can do a taste of the north and the Albanian Riviera.
If you need help creating an ideal itinerary based on a special time frame or specific interest, then you can let us plan you a customized itinerary!
The Best Places to Visit in Albania (For Basing Your Travels)
Now that you know almost everything you need to know to travel in Albania, here are the best places to see throughout the country.
🏙 Tirana
We believe that every capital city is worth checking out, as it is where you find the most variety, great restaurants, the best nightlife, a good sense of the history & culture of a country.
While our favorite places to travel in Albania were certainly outside the capital, we do believe that Tirana is worth a stop, even if it’s for a night or two.
Tirana is perfect to learn about the culture of Albania.
Some of the highlights of the city include the Bunk Art museums, Et’hem Bej Mosque, and Skanderbeg Square. We suggest doing a free walking tour if you spend the day, and heading to Blloku for some of the great nightlife in town.
Book Your Stay: Hotels in Tirana
Book Your Activities: Tours in Tirana
Suggested Read: Tirana travel guide
🏔️ Theth
This is definitely one of the most beautiful areas of the country, and is a small town tucked away in the mountains of northern Albania.
Theth has a beautiful waterfall, the clearest spring, a long river, and some great trekking to take part in. Want to learn more? Take a looking at our full travel guide for Theth.
Book Your Stay: Hotels in Theth
Book Your Activities: Tours in Theth
Suggested Read: Theth travel guide
🏖️ The Albanian Riviera
Now let’s head down south for one of the most beloved regions of the country. The Albanian Riviera is a super popular area for both tourists and locals to travel in Albania. Gorgeous beaches, picturesque towns, and chic beach clubs line the entire southern coast of the country, and it’s an absolute must for your trip.
Want to learn all about the best places to visit along the Albanian Riviera and everything to expect? Take a look at our complete Albanian Riviera travel guide that we’ve written.
The Albanian Riviera has beautiful beaches but isn’t overcrowded or overpriced.
Book Your Stay: Hotels in the Albanian Riviera
Book Your Activities: Tours in Theth
Suggested Read: Albanian Riviera travel guide
🏘️ Berat
Located right in the heart of the country is another one of our favorite cities in Albania. Berat runs along a river and is super picturesque with all of the houses built into the hill, as well as the huge fortress sitting at the top of the city.
This city is also home to some amazing festivals, so definitely take a look before booking to see if you can line up your dates to experience one. We happened to be in town for a beer festival in July and had such a great time.
Book Your Stay: Hotels in Berat
Book Your Activities: Tours in Berat
🏰 Girokaster
We feel like Girokaster is truly one of the hidden gems of Europe. This fairytale town in the mountains has cobblestone streets, a beautiful fortress, and an amazing local vibe.
We suggest staying at Hotel Kodra, as it has spectacular views, a great restaurant, and cozy rooms. We also loved Girokaster for its Bazaar which has some amazing local vendors, and super delicious authentic restaurants.
Gjirokaster is one of the most picturesque cities in Albania.
Book Your Stay: Hotels in Gjirokaster
Book Your Activities: Tours in Gjirokaster
Other Great Places to Visit in Albania
Now that you know the top spots to base yourself in Albania, here are some other spots you won’t want to miss out while you travel in Albania.
💦 Benje
Right outside Girokaster is another one of our favorite hidden gems of the country. Benje is an area with natural hot springs scattered along a river, and is the perfect place to spend a few hours exploring and relaxing. We suggest getting here as early as possible, as it gets super crowded!
The whole area is completely free of charge to visit, but does not include a ton of amenities, so make sure that you are properly prepared.
🐍 Vjosa River Bend
While you’re in Benje, if you have a car you can head to the nearby Vjosa River Bend. There is a cool viewpoint where you can get a great panorama of the snake-like figure of the beautiful river running through the mountains.
We simply parked on the side of the road, and it took just 5-10 minutes to reach the point where we got this photo.
This viewpoint is a short walk off the side of the road.
🏞️ Osum Canyon
Osum Canyon is actually the Grand Canyon of Albania! It is a great day trip from Berat, as you can enjoy the canyon in a number of different ways. There are excursions that you can schedule straight from Berat, or you can visit Osum Canyon on your own like we did.
Osum Canyon is the Grand Canyon of Albania.
Book Your Stay: Hotels near Osum Canyon
Book Your Activities: Tours to Osum Canyon
Suggested Read: Osum Canyon travel guide
💎 Holt Canyon
Hidden gem alert! This canyon is located a bit in the middle of nowhere, but we stopped here on our way from Berat to Ohrid Lake. The canyon is unique because it actually features natural thermal waters which have a milky blue color!
Not only that, but there is a cool resort style club right outside so that you can chill by the pool or grab a bite to eat before or after visiting the canyon itself.
The canyon is 100% free of charge to visit, and we found it to only have a few other people there when we visited.
🧗🏻♂️ Bovilla Lake
This may just be the perfect day trip from Tirana. Bovilla Lake is an artificial lake that can be admired with stunning views from above. It’s important to note that Google Maps may not be correct.
We followed a point on the map that had us drive an hour and a half to the other side where you can’t reach the lake at all. In order to reach the right point, make sure to plug in “Bovilla Rock Climbing Line” or “Bovilla Restorant“.
The parking is free, and there is a restaurant on site. In order to get to the epic viewpoint, it is just a 5-10 minute walk up the stairs. It isn’t really for the faint of heart, but the views are truly worth it.
Bovilla Lake is the perfect day trip from Tirana.
🍃 Shkodra Lake
Shkodra Lake is located all the way in the north of the country, and is actually shared by Montenegro.
We actually visited from the Montenegrin side, but imagine that the experience visiting on the Albanian side is quite similar. We rented a kayak and rowed through a beautiful trail of Lilly pads, experiencing a variety of wildlife for just 10 euros/hour.
💧 Lake Ohrid
This is another amazing lake that is shared by Albania and another country (Macedonia). We actually visited Lake Ohrid on the Macedonian side, but do know that you can visit via Albania as well. Want to learn more about Lake Ohrid in Macedonia? Make sure to check out our full travel guide.
🛶 Komani Lake
There is surely no shortage of stunning water formations in this country! Komani Lake has super turquoise waters, and is surrounded by mountains, making you feel like you just teleported to another country. Located an hour and 45 minutes inland, you can visit here on a day trip from the city of Shkoder.
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💎 Lumi e Shales
This is a pure piece of paradise tucked away in the middle of Albania.
Lumi e Shales is definitely not one of those places that is easy to get to, but is truly worth it. In order to get here you’ll have to take a boat from Komani Lake, which will be a round trip excursion letting you enjoy the stunning area for a few hours.
Want to learn more about Lumi e Shales? We have a full Lumi e Shales guide that just came out! Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you stay in the know for the latest articles, as well as recieve exclusive discounts.
Lumi e Shales is a hidden slice of paradise.
Suggested Read: Lumi i Shales: An Unbelievable Place to Visit in Albania
🥾 Valbona Valley National Park
Looking for the top trek in all of Albania? Well, Valbona National Park is actually normally reached by the famous trek from Theth, which takes 8 hours each way. This is where you’ll get to experience the beauty of the mountains of Albania, and some of the most stunning landscapes in the country.
If you don’t want to trek here, you can actually visit here by car (north from Theth, but by visiting from the other side, a few hours away). You’ll have to access it from Rruga Azem Hajdara which connects from SH22, a highway that crosses the border from Kosovo.
👁️ Blue Eye
Let’s head back down south to see another hidden gem of the country. This is not the Blue Eye of Theth, but actually another Blue Eye in Albania. This is a water spring found in the village of Muzine which has extremely blue waters.
To reach here you will have to park in a small lot, cross a bridge, and then walk 20 minutes along a paved road to reach the spring. There is a bathroom on site, but we suggest bringing your own toilet paper. There is also a small souvenir shop right next to the Blue Eye.
You will see signs indicating that swimming is not allowed, but the spring was in fact full of people jumping in from the above platform. The water is 2 degrees Celsius, which is extremely cold, but refreshing to dip in quickly on a hot day.
The Blue Eye is a beautiful natural spring.
⭐️ Ujevara e Peshtures Progonat
Located a bit in the middle of nowhere, we really felt like we had just teleported into a fairytale with this one. Just an hour away from Girokaster, you can visit here on a day trip if you have a car. The hike is just about 15 minutes, but pretty steep along the rocks.
When we went the waterfall was actually dried up, but we took the opportunity to enjoy the small pool formed.
💧 Ujevara e Bogoves
If you plan on going to Osum Canyon, then this is the perfect stop on your way from Berat. Right in the middle of both, it is an hour from each one. We parked right at the end of the road nearby, and in less than 10 minutes got to this gorgeous waterfall.
You can visit here with a car, or by taking a tour to Osum Canyon from Berat (this stop is included in many of them).
This hidden gem is found in between Osum Canyon and Berat.
🥾 Ujevara e Sotires
This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Albania. Unfortunately we didn’t get to make it, as after speaking with a local we learned that it isn’t quite as easy to reach as we thought. In order to go on your own you’ll need to rent a 4×4.
The drive each way from Berat takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and the hike is a little under an hour. We honestly suggest getting a local guide to take you for this one, as it seemed very tricky from what the locals explained.
🌁 Vjose River
Just a bit north of Girokaster, this is another great place to stop by, and is on the way to the waterfall “Ujevara e Peshtures Progonat”.
The river actually runs quite long, but the place that we truly enjoyed visiting was where the Ali Pasha Bridge is located. The suspension bridge runs over the light blue waters, and is a true beauty to experience.
There is a suspension bridge that goes over Vjose River.
Final Tips About Experiencing the Best Places to Visit in Albania & What’s Next
Some of the best places to visit in Albania are the ones that few tourists ever make it to. Places like Holt Canyon and Lumi i Shales truly stood out to us for their natural beauty, and are certainly some of our top recommendations.
While Tirana is cool, it has nothing on Theth or the Albanian Riviera, which are undoubtably the two best areas of the country to base your trip.
We highly recommend renting a car to explore Albania, and a high clearance vehicle for making it to some of the place off the beaten path. Give yourself a light itinerary, because some of the best places to visit in Albania are those that pop up along the journey!
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👀 What’s Next?
Now that you know all of the best places to visit in Albania, let’s dive a bit deeper! Here are our other Albania travel guides:
🏙️ How to spend one day in Tirana
💎 How to visit Lumi i Shales
🏔️ Theth travel guide
🏞️ How to visit Osum Canyon
🏖️ Albania Riviera travel guide
🌊 How to visit Gjipe Beach
📖 Complete guide to planning a trip to Albania
So are you ready to experience the best places to visit in Albania? We know that wherever you choose to go, you’ll fall in love with this stunning country just as much as we did. We spent a total of 15 days exploring from north to south, and we were able to cover all of the spots on this list.
Want to learn more about visiting Albania? Don’t miss out on our other Albania travel guides! Also, we have more guides coming every week, so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest article updates, as well as exclusive discounts.
Ready to start planning your trip? We’re here to help! Scratch Your Mapa now offers customized travel planning services, so that you can sit back and relax, while we do the work. We can book your flights, find you unique accommodation, and even build you a full customized itinerary. Take a sneak peak at our different travel planning packages, or simply shoot us an email for your free consultation.
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