7-Day Albania Highlights

Duration

7 days

Country

Albania

This is the itinerary every travel blogger recommends, done properly: both of Albania’s UNESCO old towns, the Blue Eye Spring, and the crystal-clear beaches of Ksamil, in a week that never feels rushed. Boutique accommodations throughout, private transfers, a personalized roadbook, and 24/7 on-the-ground support. End the trip either by ferry to Corfu or a scenic drive back to Tirana — we arrange either.

1. 01

   Arrive in Tirana

   Tirana

   Private airport pickup. Settle into your boutique hotel in the Blloku district. Evening free to explore Tirana’s vibrant café scene and the colorful buildings along Rruga Murat Toptani.

2. 02

   Tirana to Berat

   Berat

   Morning transfer to Berat (~2.5 hours), the ‘City of a Thousand Windows.’ Check into a restored Ottoman-era boutique hotel. Afternoon exploring the cobblestone streets of Mangalem and Gorica quarters.

3. 03

   Berat Castle & Old Town

   Berat

   Full day in Berat. Visit the castle citadel — Illyrian foundations from the 4th century BC, where families still live among Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques. Explore the Onufri Museum’s 16th-century icon collection. Evening dinner overlooking the Osum River.

4. 04

   Berat to Gjirokastër

   Gjirokastër

   Transfer south (~4 hours) to Gjirokastër, Albania’s second UNESCO ‘museum city.’ Check into a traditional stone tower-house hotel. Afternoon exploring the Ottoman bazaar and the Zekate House, the finest example of Gjirokastër’s tower-house architecture.

5. 05

   Blue Eye Spring & Ksamil

   Gjirokastër

   Morning visit to the Blue Eye Spring (Syri i Kalter) — a crystal-clear karst spring of stunning blue. Continue south to Ksamil (~1.5 hours total). Arrive at your beachfront villa. Afternoon at the beach — crystal-clear water and the Ksamil islands visible offshore.

6. 06

   Ksamil & Butrint

   Ksamil

   Morning visit to Butrint National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) — 2,500 years of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine ruins surrounded by lagoons. Afternoon beach time or an optional speedboat tour around the islands.

7. 07

   Departure — Corfu or Tirana

   Ksamil

   Morning at leisure. Two departure options: (1) transfer to Sarandë port for the ferry to Corfu (30–75 minutes) — fly home from Corfu or continue to the Greek islands. (2) Return transfer to Tirana airport (~4.5 hours, with a scenic lunch stop). We arrange either option.

• Both of Albania’s UNESCO old towns — Berat and Gjirokastër

• The Blue Eye Spring, one of the country’s most striking natural sights

• Butrint National Park — 2,500 years of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine history

• Beachfront villa in Ksamil with island views

• Flexible finish: ferry to Corfu or scenic drive back to Tirana