Best Things To Do in Albania 2026

The coastline from Vlorë to Sarandë — Dhërmi, Himara, Borsh, Qeparo and Ksamil have some of the clearest and least developed coastal water in the Mediterranean. The mountains of the Albanian Alps drop dramatically to the Ionian Sea. Ksamil (4 islands with turquoise lagoons, 5km north of Sarandë) is the finest beach area.

💡 A hire car is essential for the Riviera — the best beaches require driving along the SH8 cliff road (breathtaking views but steep sections). Arrive at beaches early in July–August before domestic tourist crowds.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site — a perfectly preserved Ottoman city of white-painted houses with distinctive multiple windows climbing a hillside above the Osum River. The castle quarter (Kalaja) at the top, the Christian quarter of Gorica across the river, the Ottoman quarter of Mangalem below. Some of the finest Byzantine icons in Albania in the Onufri Iconographic Museum.

💡 Arrive in the late afternoon — the light on the white houses at golden hour is extraordinary. Stay overnight — Berat is much more atmospheric without the day-tripper coaches.

The second UNESCO-listed city — a stone castle city built on steep slopes above the Drinos valley, birthplace of novelist Ismail Kadare and dictator Enver Hoxha. The castle (which houses a captured WWII-era US spy plane), the Ottoman bazaar, the Skenduli House (an extraordinary Ottoman mansion still owned by the original family) and the Stone Ethnographic Museum.

💡 The castle is extraordinary — allow 2 hours. The city bazaar below is one of the most authentic in Albania. Gjirokastër deserves an overnight stay.

The Valbona to Theth one-day hike (7–8 hours, 1,800m pass) is one of the finest mountain treks in the Balkans — through the peaks of the Albanian Alps with extraordinary views, river crossings and traditional mountain guesthouses (bujtina) at each end. The mountain villages of Valbona and Theth are among the most authentically traditional in all of Albania.

💡 Stay 2 nights (one in Valbona, one in Theth) for the full experience. June–September for the best conditions. The pass can be snow-covered in May and October — check conditions.

A natural spring where deep-blue water emerges from an unmeasured underground source at a constant 18°C — one of Albania's most extraordinary natural phenomena. The pool surface shows concentric circles of colour from deep indigo at the centre (where the underground water rises) to turquoise at the edges. Free entry. 20km from Gjirokastër.

💡 Combined with Gjirokastër on the same day — stop at the Blue Eye on the way in or out. Free entry, good facilities. Easiest by hire car.

Albania's colourful capital — the Blloku neighbourhood (formerly reserved for Communist Party elites, now Tirana's most fashionable dining and nightlife area), the National History Museum (the largest museum in Albania — covers Illyrian, medieval and communist history), Skanderbeg Square, the BunkArt museums (communist-era nuclear bunkers converted into extraordinary historical museums) and the new Lantern promenade.

💡 Allow 1–2 full days. The BunkArt museums (BunkArt 1 in the hills, BunkArt 2 near the centre) are extraordinary — built into actual communist-era nuclear shelters, they document the Hoxha regime with extraordinary artefacts and photography.