In this budget itinerary, Albania is probably not the first country for anyone’s visit to Europe. The country is a gem awaiting discovery for those of us who have been to other parts of Europe. The country doesn’t exactly has the best publicity from Hollywood either. Albania has been portrayed as a centre for human trafficking, prostitution, and arms deals. Even in the fantasy world, Albania seems the place where fallen wizards would flee in exile. The country’s historic connection to Communism isn’t quite appealing either. Communism has often been portrayed as totalitarian and controlling, where freedom and privacy is lacking.
However, since the early 90s, Albania has undergone various structural changes and is currently awaiting EU membership. It is one of the few European countries not yet using the Euro, and for this reason, travelling on a budget in Albania is still very much possible. I felt pretty safe when I was there, even in the evenings, where I was pretty comfortable walking around solo.
6 Days Budget Itinerary for Albania
The following is a content and summary of this itinerary:
- Why go?
- How to get around and about?
- When to go?
- Where to start and what’s there to see?
- Day 1: Tirana to Berat
- Day 2: Berat to Tirana
- Day 3: Day Trip to Kruja
- Day 4: Tirana to Shkodra
- Day 5: Lake Koman and Valbona
- Day 6: Valbona to Theth and back to Shkodra
- Expected total expenditure
- Links
Add a day for Gjirokastra, and another for Saranda, and do factor in the journey time for the bus rides.
Why go?
It is possibly the most affordable country in Europe. If possible, go before Albania joins the Eurozone within the next few years, and before Albania is part of the Schengen agreement. Despite the extra time crossing borders, it is a souvenir on the passport to get an Albanian stamp. Its native name, Shiqiperia, means the land of the eagles, and the eagles are emblems of the Albanian flag. I haven’t noticed any eagles so far, but I know that the Albanian Alps gives the Swiss Alps a run for the money and has so much potential.
How to get around and about this budget itinerary for Albania?
For the purpose of budget control, public buses are the way to go. There is an established system of buses intercity which are affordable, though the buses may take a little long, and they don’t arrive at their target stops at the scheduled time.
Car Rentals are pretty affordable too, for a week’s long rental for around USD50. However, renting a car means moving the car with you from point A to point B, and unless you have two cars, getting a car to Valbona would mean that you would have to make the return hike back to pick up your rental car. There’s also limited space for the car on the Lake Koman ferry and would cost extra. Other than taxis, there are local ride hailing apps which may not work on your foreign mobile account. To solve this problem, there are private hire vehicles known as furgons, where hostel or accommodation can help to arrange for pickups to the same destination.
When to go?
Summer is best for treks from June to August, when the trails are warm enough during the day for walking and the nights not too cold in the villages as most homestays lack heating. I remember cowering under the thick blankets in the evenings.
Where to start and what’s there to see?
If coming straight to Albania, the defacto start point will always be Tirana. If coming from neighbouring countries via land, there are many options. From Greece, start in the south at Saranda. Start in the North at Shkodra if coming from Montenegro. If busing in from North Macedonia, head straight to Berat, though a change in buses is necessary at the road junction.
Budget Itinerary Albania Day One: Tirana to Berat
Tirana
Tiranë, or Tirana, the capital of Albania is a necessary stopover to get to different towns and attractions across the city. Intercity buses are also not centralized to a single bus terminal. However, his was not too much of a problem, as most buses within the city near to these bus terminals will have to pass by the city centre where the Skanderbeg square is.
To save time, and to coincide with bus departures/arrival timings, I used these windows to visit the city itself. As such, there was no full day stay in Tirana per se. I had half a day after arriving from Berat. Then, I had another half day after spending time in Kruja. There was also some time another morning before the bus departs for Shkodra. As such, within these time windows, I had managed to visit most attractions within the city. These free-to-access sights were all within walking distance from Skanderbeg square.
Berat
It takes about 2.5 hours by bus to reach Berat from Tirana. Make sure to board the bus that takes you all the way to Berat and not simply to Lagja Kombinat, which is 3km north of Berat. Fret not though as there are connecting buses from Lagja Kombinat to Berat. Thanks to the longer summer days, I was able to make my way up to the Berat castle after checking into accommodation. I had picked accommodation to be in Old Town where where my room were one of those thousand windows. After a walk up the rather steep access point for an elevation change of 100m (think climbing a 30 storey building), I let myself soak up to the breathtaking views around.
The castle itself is also home to many families and thanks to this, access to the grounds is free of charge. I managed to explore the place and lingered till after the sun has set at about 2030hrs, settling in for dinner at a family restaurant within the castle grounds, before leaving. Getting downhill in my summer flip flops was much more difficult down the same path up. The entire sloped street is paved with marble and walking on the very handsome marble was largely a slippery affair. I was very fortunate not to slip and fall. I explored Bulevardi Republika in the evening which was evidently the town centre. The place was bustling with a music exposé, crowds, and lots of life on a Saturday night. The town is generally safe and I went about roaming the streets and riverside with no issue.
Budget Itinerary Albania Day Two: Berat to Tirana
Berat
Get out to take in the fresh air and prepare to return to Tirana. Buses usually leave every thirty minutes or the hour to Tiranë, though there are usually no buses at lunch time.
Tirana
Skanderberg square, is truly unusual with water being pumped out of the ground. The Square is like a giant fountain of sorts with pools at seemingly random locations. At first, I had thought that the water mains had broken, before I realized it was everywhere. Portions of the square is covered with water, and is too slippery to walk on. As such, these puddles organizes the space by directing the flow of people in a certain manner. Skanderbeg’s statue is at the southern end and leads to a few historic buildings, which forms part of the old town fabric towards Tanner’s bridge.
Around the square, are the landmarks of the city, with Toptani Centre, being a state-of-the-art mall with Dyson fittings. Walking south towards Mother Teresa Square from Skanderbeg Square, one will pass by the Cloud, which was part of the Serpentine Gallery in London 2013. On the park opposite is part of the Berlin wall and a bunker, and the park ends with the Taiwan Centre, which has now become a casino. Continue heading south and the Pyramid of Tirana, will come into view, before the stately Tirana University buildings around Mother Teresa Square.
Budget Itinerary Albania Day Three: Day Trip to Kruja from Tirana
Kruja
Kruja was the capital of the first Albanian state and it is at Kruja where the Albanian national hero George Kastrioti Skanderbeg has held its ground to defend Albania from invading Ottomans between 1450 and 1467. At 600m above sea level, it is 40km away from Tirana and reachable within an hour by public bus from the roundabout of Zogu-Zi. The bus terminal is about 15minutes walk from Skanderbeg Square in Tirana. Buses leave hourly or 2 hourly for Kruja, though one could take a bus to Fushe-Kruja or F.Kruja in short, then do a car-share with other travelers to Kruja from Fushe-Kruja if one had missed the direct bus. Fushe-Kruja is the town at the base of the mountains leading up to the mountain town of Kruja.
There’s not much to do at Kruja apart from window shopping at the old bazaar which unfortunately didn’t cater to a backpacker’s interest. The Skanderbeg museum which showcased the history of Kruja was the other sight to see. It was designed by the daughter of the Enver Hoxha, whose was first secretary of the Albanian government for some 44 years. The vicinity does allow for some panoramic views towards the Albanian Coast. After spending some 3.5hours at Kruja of which 1.5hours involved dining, and an hour at the museum, it was not difficult to get onto the bus to return to Tirana.
Tirana
Continue exploring Tirana in the evening and discover the various districts, and the ubiquitous bunkers where more than 170,000 bunkers were built in a massive “Bunkerization” exercise during Communist times. Tirana also has a night lighting scheme for the city for further exploration.
Budget Itinerary Albania Day Four: Tirana to Shkodra
Shkodër or Shkodra is about 2.5 hours from Tirana by public bus. It is known to be inhabited by the Illyrian tribes from the 4th century BCE and became one of the Roman capitals in the third century CE.
Shkoder is a necessary stop to access the Lake Koman – Valbone Valley – Theth loop, though one can access Valbona Valley from Tirana via Bajram Curri where there’s a bus from Tirana. Despite being small, it has a certain charm, character and cleanliness to it. Rozafa Castle also looks like it is worth a visit.
Budget Itinerary Albania Day Five: Lake Koman to Valbona
Lake Koman
Lake Koman is actually a reservoir created by damming the Drin River. The journey between Shkodra and the Lake Koman ferry pick-up point would be by Furgon. Furgons is a local term for private car hires where the driver who would pick up enough passengers to fill the entire car. The ride to the ferry point was understandably rushed, as the driver needs to reach the destination before the ferries leave for the day, whilst picking and dropping passengers, with a short coffee and toilet interlude.
The Ferry
I was picked up from my accommodation at 0645hrs, and by 0900hrs, I was dropped off at the ferry pick up point. There are two ferries: a larger one called Berisha that can carry vehicles, and a smaller one called Dragobia for only passengers. Naturally, I took the smaller ferry, which was more the size of a large boat, rather than a ferry, as it was cheaper. The smaller ferry is also taken by more locals as it was able to make more stops as per required by locals at various stops along the lake.
Apart from the smokers on board, the boat ride was largely enjoyable passing by various mountains like it would do for, at a fjord cruise of sorts. Dragobia reached Fierze only at 1230hrs, a little later than Berisha due to the additional stops taken. However, as the 21-seater transfer to Valbona is yet to be full, passengers who were on Berisha had to wait for passengers on the Dragobia to board. There is a café at the ferry drop-off point in Fierze, but good only for those with vehicles. I had my packed sandwiches on board the Dragobia.
Thoughts
The nice thing about Lake Koman is its serenity. There is likely only one other boat on the entire reservoir apart from the one you are on. It is calm, with lesser crowds. The minor chatter on board is tolerable, apart from the occasional second hand smoke. It is also interesting to be travelling with locals staying in villages accessible only by boat. The boat moves at a steady pace without being too much into the wind. As such, standing outside on the deck to enjoy the views very comfortable in summer. It was all very relaxing, which makes it a very affordable kind of luxury.
Valbona
The transfer from Fierze took some 75 minutes, dropping passengers at their respective lodgings in the valley. It finally arrived at its destination at the Fusha E Gjes Hotel. My lodging was made through accommodation in Shkodër where the homestay owner was a relative. As such, the rate offered is supposedly more affordable. A fellow backpacker from Finland joined me at the same homestay as he has not reserved any accommodation. There was no mobile signal, and we couldn’t call the owner to pick us up. We were thankful for the hotel to share their wifi password with us so that we can attempt contact for the homestay pickup.
Our host, who didn’t speak a word of English finally picked us up at 1430hrs. Upon checking in, he suggested by sign language that we could do a mini hike. The trail was just behind the house up the hill to get a feel of the Valbona Valley. I did the hike alone, as my newfound company preferred to rest. The mini hike was worth the time and effort. I felt like singing “The hills are alive with the sound of music.” The scenery was so pretty that I felt light in my footsteps despite having been up since 0600hrs. We had a nice relaxing dinner. Then we went to bed after last light as the sky is now too dark for anything else. The area wasn’t well lit by lights.
Budget Itinerary Albania Day Six: Valbona to Theth and back to Shkodra
Valbona and the Valbonë Valley National Park is absolutely worth the effort to get there. The pictures above speak for themselves. The trek is doable even for first timers, though there is a portion of the trek near to the Valbonë Pass where a wrong step may lead to slipping off trail.
We did not wake up until 0800hrs when the day is all warm and sunny. By 0930hrs, our host had drove us out to the start point of the hike. Be careful not to overshoot Rrogam and miss the trail head turning right. It is typical to take 3.5 hours up the the Valbona pass though some may be quicker or more relaxed depending on your pace. At the pass of 1795m, one could even go slightly higher to 1815m. The view to the Theth valley on the other side of the pass, paled in comparison. Going downhill could be painful ordeal if your shoes are too tight.
Theth
Theth or Thethi Valley is on the west of the Valbona Pass. It is much greener and more majestic to look at from the village of Theth itself. On an ascent to or descent from the Valbona Pass, it was interesting to see that supplies at both cafes along the trek on either side of the Valbona Pass, came via donkeys from Theth. Much of the descent down towards the village at Theth is wood lands, with a few clearings along the way. It was largely uneventful, and the trail does leave the wary trekker seeking a better sense of arrival towards the end of the trek.
Try to arrange for a furgon with one of the homestays at Theth to return to Shkodra. If not be prepare to stay the night, and only leave for Shkodra the next day.
In some sense, it is this kind of uncertainty that brings back the romantic notion of travelling on this budget itinerary in Albania. For land crossings enroute to the neighbouring countries, please see this page.
Expected Total Expenditure
For 2026, expect to spend about USD35 per day excluding airfares, accommodation and shopping in Albania. While post pandemic inflation has almost doubled the prices 10 years back, Albania remains a relatively affordable destination. Euros are accepted in lieu of the Albanian Lek at a street rate of EUR 1 to LEK 100.
| Transport (Buses/Furgons/Ferry) | LEK5500 |
| Meals and groceries | LEK11000 |
| Admissions | LEK1000 |
| Total | LEK17500 |
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