Albanien Roadtrip-Planer

The mistake almost everyone makes on a first Albanian trip is planning by distance. Two hundred kilometres on the coastal road is four hours; the same distance on the A1 is two. Plan by hours and halve your ambitions for anything north of Shkodër.

Seven days: Shkodër, Theth, back to the coast at Durrës, Berat, Vlorë, Llogara, Himarë. That is already a full week with no rest days and one genuinely hard mountain drive.

Ten days: add Valbona and the Koman ferry, which is the single best half-day in the country and requires booking a vehicle place in season.

Fourteen days: add Përmet, the Vjosa and Gjirokastër on the way south, and give yourself two nights on the Riviera instead of one. This is the version we would actually recommend.

Fill water at every campsite you pay for, and empty waste at Saranda, Berat, Pogradec or Shkodër. Between those, assume nothing.