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Last summer Wessel and I went Interrailing, and although Albania was not part of our Global Pass, we decided to visit anyways. We had heard amazing stories about the country’s turquoise blue waters, white sandy beaches, and majestic mountains. Our interrail passes would be valid again in the other countries along the Adriatic Sea, so we gave hitch-hiking and buses a try. These travel days were adventurous to say the least, and tremendously long! Although we wanted to see as much as possible with our Global Pass, we only had four full days in Albania and ended up visiting three cities.
Initially I started writing a complete travelogue of Albania, including tips on what to do when you are there. However, this article got so long I thought no one was ever going to finish it! So, this article will take you along our journey to Vlorë, our time spent there, and to the best place(s) to stay at during your holiday along the Albanian riviera!
Where to Stay in Vlorë
Before the start of this adventurous travelogue, and the full description of our hotel in Vlorë, you probably want to know where to stay! As this part of Albania is known for their beaches I would recommend staying at the hotel we booked, which was recommended by a friend of Wessel’s. The hotel called Vila Rahmi & Vela Dervishaj* is located a couple of kilometers south of Vlorë and has a private beach. The owner, Vili, is a chef and makes the most delicious seafood dishes!
Prefer to stay a little closer to the city but still have beach access and a little more luxury? Then check out properties like the Priam Hotel Luxury Resort. Not so bougie, and more a boutique kind of traveler? Try the Bohemian Boutique Suites with their adorable little rooms. If you prefer budget travel, don’t worry! Vlorë has a large selection of hostels too, like the NANA hostel located in the Old Town! Which we failed to visit. Wonder why? Then continue reading for my complete Vlorë travelogue!
*Vila Rahmi & Vela Dervishaj does not seem to be accepting any more bookings through Booking.com. They do have their own website through which you can book!
Hitchhiking in a Military Landrover
When we arrived in Igoumenitsa, Greece, by ferry, we were too late for the bus that would take us across border. We knew we would never get to our hotel in Vlorë in time if we would wait for the next one. So, with the cardboard signs we had prepared the night before, we found a nice spot to stand and wait until someone pulled over. Some people ignored us, others signed they had to go the other way, and after twenty minutes or so, a man in an old Landrover pulled over.
He asked us where we were going, and when we told him we needed to get to Vlorë, he told us he could bring us as far as Sarandë, but that he had to buy some rope first. Wessel and I were amazed by the car and the strong guy who stood before us, and decided to go with him, trusting our gut (and our eyes, because that car was dope). Over a cup of coffee and some water that he bought us, he told us he was a retired Albanian soldier who used to serve in the British army. Instead of working for the army, he now had his own parasailing company in Ksamil, for which he needed to buy specific strong ropes.
Although we visited multiple marine shops, we could not find the rope, and eventually started driving towards Albania. It was quite an experience: Wessel sat in the back while holding on to the frame of the car, and I sat in the passenger seat. I had to hold onto my sunglasses, as the front window was flipped down, and the wind was trying to steal my precious glasses. Our kind driver took us along a scenic route through beautiful hills overlooking the ocean. After having spent a week in Italy we truly felt like we were in another world. Gent, our driver’s name, told us about what we saw along the way, pointing out multiple old bunkers, which seemed to be everywhere. Although he had to go to Ksamil, he was kind enough to take us all the way to Sarandë, happy to help a young adventurous couple. Our drive with Gent ended up at the top of our favorite experiences of that trip!
Arriving in Sarandë and Getting Scammed
Once we arrived in Sarandë we were hungry and knew we still had a long way to go. We sat down at a restaurant near the road which turned out to be a trampoline park for kids. The food was nice, but mostly we were eager to get on the road again, as we were exhausted and looking forward to a comfortable bed. This time, getting a ride was not as easy. We were standing beside the road for quite some time, while people kept signing something at us. Eventually we figured out cars could not stop there, so we walked a little further. After quite some time a young Albanian family stopped and decided to drive us to Himarë.
They spoke no English, so we communicated through Google Translate. They asked us for some money, and we said it was okay. They showed us the amount through Google Translate, which was around twenty euros: for gas they said, which was the least we could do, we thought. We had a comfortable ride, trying to chat with them with our hands and feet, and me playing with their cute little girl. Before dropping us of, we stopped at a café where they bought us some coffee and would not let us pay, even though we really wanted to. When we got to Himarë, however, they turned out to be asking us two-hundred euros, instead of twenty. We were quite shocked, and a little bit scared, but we told them no. We gave them forty euros for their troubles and were soon saved by more pressure by another guy who told us there was a bus leaving soon which we decided to take, afraid of getting into a similar situation. The whole endeavor left a sour taste in our mouth, as we did not know whether we did the right thing.
The bus took us to a parking lot far above Vlorë, meaning we had to take a taxi from there to our hotel. We had arrived well past sunset and had to wait at a gas station where a bunch of locals were hanging out with their children. The taxi driver we called initially drove to our hotel, instead of the gas station, making us wait for an hour. When the taxi finally picked us up, we were relieved, until he started driving like a Formula 1 driver, overtaking cars in bends in the road while driving on the opposite lane without being able to see if someone was coming our way. We felt like we would die in that cab, and decided next time, we would tell the driver to slow down. Once we arrived at our hotel, we were so relieved we felt like the weight of the world was lifted from our shoulders. Our journey to Vlorë had been adventurous, to say the least!
Two Nights in Vlorë
Once we arrived at our hotel Vila Rahmi & Veli Dervishaj, we could hear music and laughter: it seemed like there was a small party going on. The owner, Villi, welcomed us with a shot of strong liquor and told us a mutual friend had left us a bottle of prosecco to enjoy together. After he showed us our room, we downed that bottle at the beach in no time. With a couple of glasses of wine in our bellies, and after some late-night snacking in the kitchen, we fell asleep immediately.
The next morning, we woke up well after breakfast was served, but ended up getting our breakfast anyways, as Villi had told the kitchen we could sleep in after our long journey. The breakfast was super fresh: eggs, tomatoes, cucumber, and the best feta cheese we had ever tasted. Well-rested, but still exhausted from our journey we decided to spend the day at the hotel’s private beach, where we laid down on two sunbeds. The waves were pretty high at some point, which made swimming challenging and fun (we could do some bodysurfing!). For lunch we sat down at the hotel’s restaurant again, where I had some delicious seafood risotto and Wessel some fried fish. Paired with a glass of wine we were in full vacation mode.
As we would be leaving the next day, we decided to go into Vlorë around five PM, to see the city and get some dinner. The town itself ended up being very modern, with lots of bars at the waterfront and a giant Ferris wheel (sidenote: we ended up completely skipping the old town, unintentionally. Later we would hear this was the best part of Vlorë). We sat down at one of those bars and ordered some cocktails. While we are usually more of wine- and beer-people, we could not let such a good deal slide! It was happy hour, and the cocktails were already cheap to begin with. They turned out to be very good as well!
After some people-watching and having finished our cocktails, we decided to walk around a little. There was a small market near the docks, with barbecues and a bar. We got some sausages there and sat down at the large picnic tables. After we finished, we walked on, passing a shop in a bus, and another night market. Towards the end of the night, and before we sat down for some more food, we entered a supermarket where everything was so tidy, we felt like we were in a dystopian movie! And when I say tidy, I mean all products were displayed so precisely, you could not discover any faults in the symmetry of the products. We just came in for a bottle of water, but ended up taking pictures, which we were reprimanded for by the staff (still a little scared here, so not sharing those pictures here). A little creeped out we walked on, sat down for some salad at another restaurant, and went back to the hotel to rest up before the next big day of travel.
Final thoughts
All in all, arriving in Albania was a whirlwind of emotions. From hitchhiking in the most amazing car ever, to nearly getting scammed by a cute family: this is a story we will probably tell our children one day! Still, we also had the most relaxing time at our hotel and exploring Vlorë’s boulevard. The ocean waters in Albania really are as pristine as they say. However, on our way there we already saw so much beauty and history – Himarë, old Soviet bunkers, gorgeous arid mountains – that we already knew we had too little time in this country. Still, we went on with our plan, and left two nights after arriving in Vlorë. Curious to see where? Look out for next week’s blog or follow me on Instagram to catch the latest updates. Prefer to get monthly summaries and other bits and bobs? Then sign up to my newsletter and get a gluten-free world map for free!
