The Albanian flag over the stone keep of Porto Palermo castle, the Ionian beyond it

Seven days, Alps to Ionian

Albania week tours

Theth to Ksamil is roughly 480 kilometres, most of it two lanes and switchbacks. A week covers the ground properly: three UNESCO sites, the Riviera, the mountains, and enough slack for the afternoon that was not planned.

See the 24 tours Day by day
Why a week

Why choose an Albania week tour?

The length at which the country stops being a highlights reel.

Seven days is the honest minimum

A week is enough to reach coast and mountains, ancient history and modern culture, cities and remote villages — at a pace that leaves room for spontaneous detours and for actually talking to the people who live in these places.

The whole country, at a walking pace

All three UNESCO sites, the Riviera, the edge of the Alps and a few days in Tirana. Seven days is long enough to reach everything without a 6am start every morning.

Time to stop

A week leaves room for the afternoon that was not on the itinerary — the market, the second coffee, the road someone recommends over dinner.

Works in any season

Summer weeks lean on beaches and mountains; spring and autumn weeks lean on the cultural sites and the walking, when the stone towns are not baking.

Better value per day

Transport and guiding are largely fixed costs, so a week costs less per day than a weekend while covering considerably more ground.

Day by day

The classic grand tour

The route most seven-day tours follow, anticlockwise from Tirana. Individual operators vary the order.

  1. Arrival in Tirana

    Day 1
    • Airport transfer to a hotel in the Blloku district
    • Walking tour of the capital: communist history and what replaced it
    • Welcome dinner with live folk music
    • Evening walk through Rinia Park and the Grand Park

  2. Kruja

    Day 2
    • Kruja castle, Skanderbeg's fortress and the national symbol
    • The bazaar below it, for crafts that are still made here
    • Ethnographic museum and how mountain households worked
    • Lunch on the ridge, with the Adriatic laid out below

  3. Berat

    Day 3
    • Ottoman quarters at Mangalem and Gorica, facing each other
    • Berat castle, with its working neighbourhood and Byzantine churches
    • Onufri iconographic museum and its medieval panels
    • Wine tasting at the Alpeta winery above the town

  4. Gjirokastër

    Day 4
    • Gjirokastër castle, the largest fortress in the country
    • Ottoman bazaar and the craft workshops still working in it
    • Zekate house, an Ottoman mansion left intact
    • The Cold War tunnel system under the castle

  5. Butrint & the Blue Eye

    Day 5
    • Butrint national park: 2,500 years of continuous occupation
    • Greek theatre, Roman baths and a Byzantine baptistery
    • The Blue Eye, a karst spring nobody has found the bottom of
    • Dinner on the Saranda waterfront

  6. Ksamil and the coast road

    Day 6
    • Ksamil, four small islands close enough to swim to
    • Swimming in the Ionian, which is warmer than the Adriatic
    • The coast road north through Dhërmi and Himara
    • Llogara Pass, where the mountain drops straight to the sea

  7. Return to Tirana

    Day 7
    • Breakfast at a family restaurant before the drive
    • Last shopping at Pazari i Ri
    • Airport transfer with photo stops on the way
    • Departure
Other shapes

Four other ways to spend the same week

Same seven days, weighted differently depending on what you came for.

Adventure week

  • Days 1–3: Albanian Alps walking and village guesthouses
  • Day 4: the Komani Lake ferry and the transfer south
  • Days 5–6: the coast — swimming, kayaking, coastal paths
  • Day 7: Tirana, and whatever energy is left

Cultural week

  • Days 1–2: Tirana museums, galleries and contemporary culture
  • Days 3–4: all three UNESCO sites, at length
  • Days 5–6: craft workshops and village homestays
  • Day 7: cooking, and the meal that follows it

Slow week

  • Days 1–2: unhurried Tirana and thermal spa treatments
  • Days 3–4: Berat wine and walking that never becomes hiking
  • Days 5–7: the beach, with as little scheduled as you want

Photography week

  • Golden hour: Berat at sunrise, the Blue Eye at midday for the colour
  • Portraits: villages, and the people who agree to be photographed
  • Landscape: the Alps, in the two hours either side of dawn
  • Urban: Tirana's painted blocks and new towers
The tours

Week tour packages

24 available

Seven-day departures, covering most of the country between them.

Planning

Planning the week

Season, packing for two climates, what it costs, and the beds it buys.

When to go

Best overall
May–June, September–October
Beach
July–August, warm and busy
Cultural
April–May, October–November
Walking
June–September in the mountains

Packing

Clothing
Layers — coast and altitude in one week
Footwear
Walking shoes and sandals
Beach
Swimwear and sun protection
Tech
Camera, power bank, EU adapter

What a week costs

Lean
€400–600 per person
Mid-range
€600–900 per person
Comfortable
€900–1,400 per person
Covers
Beds, meals, transport, guides

Where you sleep

Cities
Boutique hotels with some character
Historic towns
Converted Ottoman houses
Coast
Riviera seafront properties
Mountains
Family guesthouses
Questions

What people ask before they book

Is one week enough to see all of Albania?

A week covers the major regions, the UNESCO sites and the range of landscapes at a comfortable pace, with time left for things you find yourself. It is the duration most people settle on for a first visit.

How much driving is involved in week tours?

Daily transfers are typically 1.5-3 hours with scenic stops. Albania is small, so the distances are manageable, and professional drivers handle the mountain roads.

Can week tours be customised?

Yes. There are themed variations focused on adventure, culture, photography or a slower pace. Private groups can rewrite the itinerary; small group tours allow optional activities.

What's included in week tour packages?

Accommodation, daily breakfast, most lunches and dinners, transport, guides, entrance fees and activities. Personal spending, some drinks and optional extras are not included.

How do week tours support local communities?

A week spends money in more places: family-run accommodation, local restaurants, guides, artisans and cultural experiences, spread across several regions rather than concentrated in one.

What if I want to stay longer than a week?

Many travellers add independent days or an extension — Alps trekking, a stretch on the coast, or a crossing into Montenegro, Kosovo or North Macedonia. Extensions can be arranged with the same operator.