Hindsight Musings: What to Do and What not to Do in Albania

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The past few weeks you have got to travel along with us through Albania. There was just so much to tell: from swimming and cocktails in Vlorë, to discovering the ancient streets of Berat, and cycling through the quaint city of Shkodër. Our hitchhiking adventures and long, overcrowded bus rides were too memorable not to share as well. Granted we did a lot of things right; we also did a lot of things wrong! These mistakes made our trip less pleasant than it could have been, and we are intent on returning to Albania one day to experience the country in the way it should be. I have gathered all these, so you will not make the same mistakes we did! From do’s and don’ts, to my advice on the perfect route, this is my ultimate Albania Travel Guide.

Don’ts

Instead of starting with the do’s, let’s start with the don’ts, shall we? These three tips all blend in and overlap, but still, I cannot stress these enough.

1. Avoid overly using public transport: public transport means buses. There are no trains, metro systems or trams in Albania, and the bus system is pretty confusing. I did a lot of research beforehand, because we had a pretty tight Interrailing schedule, and everything I could find about traveling through Albania were quotes like “travel slow and easy.” I should have taken a hint, because bus stations are not marked, there are no timetables to be found, and you can only get there by asking around. If you are visiting Albania for a week or less, skip the buses as they will eat up all of your time and energy. If you are there for two weeks or more, it is actually a fun adventure you should not miss if you are of the “I’ll just see where I end up”-traveler.
2. Don’t rush through it! The reason we were so tired after our time taking buses in Albania was because we had too little time. We planned everything in advance: from our Airbnb’s and hotels to our train reservations, because we had to be in Croatia two weeks later and had Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina crammed into our schedule as well. This made me a little stressed most of the time, as I was constantly worrying about sleeping enough and catching the right bus…  
3. Don’t try to see everything. This one kind is kind of the cherry on top of ‘don’t’ number two, as you will never have enough time to see everything, but you will maybe have time to see most highlights if you are traveling long enough. Besides having to move north quickly because we planned it that way, we also could have chosen to stay in one place for those four days and then travel onwards, but instead we chose to visit three cities. Let’s just say we could have seen so much more by not trying to see as much!

Do’s

Now onto the things you should do! You may have guessed the more positive advice based on our learning experiences I just told you about.

1. Rent a car! This is the best tip I could ever give you for traveling Albania. The freedom it gives you and especially the speed with which you can see so many places is just amazing. Wessel and I love roadtripping, and when you visit a country with less than average public transport, it is a must. Buses between the larger cities and touristy villages like Berat run fairly frequently, but when you want to go for a hike in the mountains, or visit a quiet beach, you’ll have to hitchhike (which can either be recommended or the opposite, based on our experience). Furthermore, you can stop anytime to take in the breathtaking views along the way. Renting a car is what we will do if we ever go back!
2. Take the time to explore and do your research. We had so many places and countries to go to, that we not only rushed through, but failed to do enough research on some of the places we went to as well. One of them was Vlorë: we just visited the main boulevard and were completely oblivious to the old city center that just looks gorgeous in the pictures. If you are not that into watching endless YouTube vlogs and spending all of your spare time reading articles, doing research could also just be asking locals what the best places to see are. Step out of your comfort zone and dive deep into the experience! But keep in mind that this can only be done by limiting your itinerary, which is my third and final ‘do.’
3. Limit your itinerary: slow travel is the key here! Pick the things you desperately want to see and leave time in between to relax and explore. The things that happen in those in-between hours are often the most surprising and leave you with some amazing memories. For me this was the hitchhiking ride in the old military Landrover, the spontaneous bottle of champagne and late-night snacking with the owner of our hotel in Vlorë, the homemade marmalade by our Airbnb hosts mother in Berat, and the bicycle ride in Shkodër.

The Terms of a Perfect Route

If we would have a car and, let’s say, three weeks to fill with awesome experiences and adventures, I would fill it with the mountains, the sea, and some cultural and historical sites. The one place I was most bummed out about that we could not see, was Theth and the mountains in general. I had heard such amazing things about the Albanian Alps, and could not believe there were no cars left on the day we meant to go. The Valbona to Theth hike is still on my list, which is part of the Peaks of the Balkans ten-day hike, which (surprise!) is also on my bucket list (if you’ve read this post, you will know I love hiking).

When it comes to the ocean and amazing beach vibes, I would have loved to visit Ksamil and Himarë. We passed through these cities on our way to Vlorë, and loved that the cities were not too big, and looked over the pristine blue waters. I could just imagine taking a stroll along the beach, visiting the castles and ancient ruins nearby, and drinking a fabulous cocktail at the end of the day.

Last but not least, and although we visited Berat, I would have loved to see the Unesco World Heritage site of Gjirokaster, which lies to the south of Berat. It is supposed to be a little bit bigger than Berat itself, showing different type of Ottoman architecture. This one, and the Blue Eye, a deep hole with fresh water which lies nearby and which serves its name, definitely go onto my bucket list for next time!

Final Thoughts

With these do’s and don’t’s, and hindsight musings on our trip back in 2022, I hope I have given you enough inspiration and information to start planning your trip to this beautiful country. And if you do, please send my your pictures in the comments, so we can all enjoy our wanderlust feelings. I’m off to planning my next trip, so if you want to stay up-to-date with all of my travels in the future, make sure to follow me on Instagram or sign up for my newsletter, and get a gluten-free world map, for free!