10-Day Albania Grand Tour

Duration

10 days

Country

Albania

Albania is small on a map but diverse in terrain — mountains, UNESCO cities, thermal springs, and coastline that feel like different countries entirely. This 10-day grand tour goes deeper than the standard week: an extra night in Berat for the countryside, a stop in Përmet (the thermal-bath town most itineraries skip), both UNESCO old towns, Butrint, Ksamil's beaches, and a finish on the Albanian Riviera via the Llogara Pass — one of Europe's great mountain road panoramas. Boutique accommodations throughout, private transfers, and 24/7 on-the-ground support.

1. 01

   Arrive in Tirana

   Tirana

   Private airport pickup. Check into your boutique hotel. Afternoon exploring Tirana — Skanderbeg Square, BunkArt, and the Blloku neighborhood. Welcome dinner at a traditional Albanian restaurant.

2. 02

   Tirana to Berat

   Berat

   Transfer to the UNESCO city of Berat (~2.5 hours). Check into your Ottoman boutique hotel. Afternoon walking the Mangalem quarter, white houses stacked on the hillside reflecting in the Osum River.

3. 03

   Berat Castle & Wine Country

   Berat

   Castle citadel with Illyrian foundations from the 4th century BC, the Onufri Museum’s 16th-century icon collection, and a local vineyard wine tasting — Albania has one of the oldest winemaking traditions in Europe.

4. 04

   Berat to Përmet — Thermal Springs

   Përmet

   Drive through Albania’s mountainous interior to Përmet (~3 hours), the ‘City of Roses,’ through the dramatic Kelcyra Gorge along the Vjosa River. Soak in the Bënja thermal baths — natural hot springs at a centuries-old Ottoman bridge. Check into a family-run guesthouse.

5. 05

   Përmet to Gjirokastër

   Gjirokastër

   Transfer to UNESCO-listed Gjirokastër (~1.5 hours), the ‘City of Stone.’ Check into a traditional stone tower-house hotel. Visit the massive castle — one of the largest in the Balkans — and the Ottoman bazaar.

6. 06

   Blue Eye Spring & Ksamil

   Gjirokastër

   Morning stop at the Blue Eye Spring (Syri i Kalter). Continue to Ksamil. Arrive at your beachfront villa. First evening watching the sunset over the Ionian Sea.

7. 07

   Butrint National Park & Ksamil Beach

   Ksamil

   Morning guided visit to Butrint (UNESCO) — 2,500 years of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian layers. Afternoon on the beach or an optional speedboat island tour.

8. 08

   Ksamil to the Albanian Riviera

   Ksamil

   Scenic coastal drive north via Porto Palermo — Ali Pasha’s fortress on a peninsula — and Himara for a fish lunch. Arrive on the Riviera (Dhërmi/Himara area), where dramatic cliffs meet turquoise water.

9. 09

   Riviera Day at Leisure

   Himara

   Full day on the Riviera. Swim at Gjipe or Drymades beach, explore the stone village of Dhërmi, or simply relax on the crystal-clear coastline.

10. 10

    Riviera to Tirana — Departure

    Himara

    Transfer back to Tirana (~4 hours), driving the spectacular Llogara Pass at 1,000m — one of Europe’s great mountain road panoramas. Stop in Vlorë for a waterfront lunch. Drop-off at Tirana International Airport.

• Both UNESCO old towns plus Përmet, the thermal-springs stop most itineraries skip

• Bënja thermal baths — natural hot springs at a centuries-old Ottoman bridge

• Butrint National Park and the Blue Eye Spring

• A full Riviera finish via the Llogara Pass, one of Europe’s great mountain drives

• Ten unhurried days — mountains, UNESCO cities, thermal springs, and coast