Destinations in Albania

Every corner of the country, what each is actually like, and when it is worth going.

• Where should I stay in Tirana?

  Blloku for nightlife and restaurants, the centre for museums and transport, the outskirts for value. Tirana is Albania's only true year-round base.

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• Where should I stay in Sarandë?

  The widest choice of rooms on the Albanian Riviera, open longer either side of the season, and the base for Ksamil, Butrint and the Blue Eye.

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• Where should I stay in Ksamil?

  Ksamil has the islets and clear shallow water most images of the Albanian Riviera show. Mostly apartments and small guesthouses — book early for summer.

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• Where should I stay in Vlorë?

  Where the Adriatic meets the Ionian and the Riviera road begins. City beaches, boat trips to Karaburun and Sazan, and the gateway to the Llogara pass.

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• Where should I stay in Himarë?

  The quieter middle of the Albanian Riviera: good beaches either side of a working town, slower evenings, and better value than Dhërmi or Ksamil.

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• Where should I stay in Dhërmi?

  The liveliest stretch of the Albanian Riviera: beach clubs, music, and the highest summer prices on the coast. Old village above, beach below.

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• Where should I stay in Durrës?

  Albania's easiest beach: long flat sand, shallow water and a Roman amphitheatre in the middle of town, less than an hour from Tirana airport.

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• Where should I stay in Berat?

  Stay in Mangalem or Gorica for the Ottoman houses and the castle, or inside the castle walls itself. A UNESCO town that is best after the day trippers leave.

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• Where should I stay in Golem?

  Golem is Albania's apartment beach: kilometres of sand, pine-lined boulevards and self-catering flats a short drive from Tirana airport. What to book and when.

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• Where should I stay in Gjirokastër?

  Stay in the old bazaar quarter under the fortress for atmosphere, or in the newer town below for easier access. A UNESCO town on the road south to the coast.

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• Where should I stay in Shkodër?

  The staging post for the Albanian Alps and the Komani Lake ferry. Stay in the centre for the pedestrian street, or by the lake for quiet.

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• Where should I stay in Theth?

  A mountain village of family guesthouses in the Albanian Alps, at one end of the Theth–Valbonë pass. Very limited beds — book well ahead for summer.

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• Where should I stay in Valbonë?

  A national park valley at the far end of the Theth pass, reached by the Komani Lake ferry. Guesthouses and small lodges only, and very few of them.

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• Can you stay at the Blue Eye?

  Syri i Kaltër is a deep karst spring near Sarandë. There is nowhere to stay at it — visit as a half-day and book your room in Sarandë or Ksamil.

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• Where should I stay at the Llogara pass?

  The mountain pass where the road drops from pine forest onto the Albanian Riviera. A few park hotels at the top; Vlorë and Dhërmi either side.

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• Where do you stay to visit Butrint?

  Butrint is a UNESCO archaeological park south of Ksamil, layered from Greek through Roman to Venetian. No accommodation on site — stay in Ksamil or Sarandë.

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• Where should I stay in Shëngjin?

  Albania's northern sandy beach, close to Lezhë and Shkodër. Where Albanian families holiday, what it costs, and how it differs from Durrës.

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