My first post-vaccination trip to Europe in July 2021 was to visit Albania. Many other Americans were going to familiar and “safe” destinations such as Greece and Italy, which didn’t sound all too bad to me either. However, Reuben convinced me that Albania was a worthy option off the beaten path given its location surrounded by popular tourist spots such as the aforementioned Greece and Italy, as well as Croatia and Montenegro. It had to be beautiful, and hopefully undiscovered… right?

While not technically part of the EU (yet–Albania is a candidate for EU membership), but located in the greater European continent, the country has a storied history associated with the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and more. It was previously a communist nation that now embraces capitalism, but is also known to have an active organized crime community as of late. Regardless, it is generally safe for tourists to visit.

Taking all of this into account, I agreed to plan a trip to Albania, starting with the beaches located on the southern coast, just north of Greece. Can you sense my reluctance? While Albania admittedly wasn’t my first choice destination for a summer vacation, I was intrigued by the country and hopeful that we’d find a hidden gem.

Getting to Albania from the U.S.

The entry point to Albania is through its capital city, Tirana. Unsurprisingly, there are no nonstop flights from the U.S. to Tirana. We decided to book roundtrip flights from JFK to FCO via Delta, then separate flights from FCO to Tirana via Alitalia, which is out of business at the time of this writing. The newly formed ITA Airways would be the new option to reach Albania via Rome. The next best choice would be flying with British Airways via LHR. Turkish Airlines through Istanbul would be another option, especially if traveling from the west coast.

We were traveling during post-vaccine times in summer 2021, when international travel generally felt safe, or at least a lot safer than it had for over a year. However, entry requirements were still changing every day and details remained unclear on a country-by-country basis. Since we were fully vaccinated Americans, we knew we’d be able to enter Italy and Albania on our outbound trip, but we weren’t sure if Italy would let us back in for our overnight layover returning from Albania. Oh well, we’d figure that out when the time came, Reuben told me. Worst case scenario we’d sleep in the airport, although I really REALLY hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

It’s kind of a long story, but Delta ended up offering us 80,000 miles each to add a layover at CDG en route to FCO, which we gladly accepted since we were already going to have a long layover before our flight to TIA. Given that we had only used 67,500 miles to book our roundtrip flights (which I then upgraded with Global Upgrade Certificates for the JFK>FCO leg), we felt like we were essentially being paid to fly business class to Rome. Not complaining!

After a quick transfer through CDG (no need for the Yotel this time, thank you very much) we had a much longer stop at FCO and were able to access the Plaza Premium Lounge since we both had American Express Platinum cards. The lounge used to be a Priority Pass partner, but has since discontinued that relationship for reasons unbeknownst to me.

Then we were finally on our way to Tirana on what would be our penultimate Alitalia flight ever–no arguments from me. While our fellow passengers were quite unfriendly about switching seats so Reuben and I could sit together, they had no problem pressuring me to give up my aisle seat so I could sit in between an overweight nun and a grandma with a baby.

Thankfully, the flight was only an hour long. Immigration and customs in Albania were quick and straightforward, and before we knew it Reuben and I were in our Dacia Duster SUV rental and ready to explore a new country together.

Day in Gjirokastër

Rather than drive straight to the southern coast of Albania, we decided to make a pit stop in the historical Ottoman town of Gjirokastër, approximately a three hour drive from Tirana. Along the way, we made our first observations of Albania: the roads were very well maintained, there seemed to be an inordinate number of privately-owned gas stations, convenience stores and hotels along the road, and many people were driving expensive luxury cars imported from Germany. No signs of Communism here.

It was late and dark by the time we reached our Gjirokastër hotel: Kerculla Resort. We had chosen the hotel for its hilltop location and corresponding views, plus its modern amenities in a traditional setting. I was shocked that it cost less than $100/night, but quickly realized that Albania hotels had at least one thing going for them–incredible value. It was also fascinating (and rather annoying) that Booking.com seemed to have a complete monopoly on Albania hotels. I HATE using online travel agencies to book hotels, but there was literally no other option in Albania–the properties just weren’t set up to handle direct bookings.

Anyway, back to our road trip. After nearly three hours on the highway, the winding drive uphill to Kerculla through narrow cobblestoned streets added to the ambiance as we caught glimpses of the well-lit Gjirokastër Fortress. Finally, we were able to dump the car, drop our bags in the room, and head to the resort’s outdoor restaurant, which was quite fun with live local music and a number of full tables on a Friday night. It wasn’t going to be a late evening for us, but we were happy to enjoy some food and drink in a lively setting before crashing for the night.

We woke up early the next morning and headed to the hotel’s upper terrace for a very filling breakfast, including our first taste of traditional Albanian doughnuts. They reminded me of beignets, served hot with sides of jam and honey.

Kerculla had a very inviting pool that overlooked the castle and the town, but Reuben and I agreed that it was too early in our trip for lounging time. We wanted to get out and explore for at least a few hours before we felt ready to chill.

We drove back down the winding hill to the town of Gjirokastër, parked the car, and started wandering toward the castle. The town itself was charming enough, albeit a bit touristic. For reference, Gjirokastër’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to the 14th century. Aside from the small Ottoman old town, the main site to see is the fortress, which occupied about an hour of our time. I think it was worth a visit, but I was glad that we hadn’t planned to spend more than one day in the area.

Visiting the Blue Eye

The drive from Gjirokastër to Sarandë, our next stop, was about two hours. Approximately halfway through, we passed by the Blue Eye, a well-known tourist destination in Albania. Since it was literally on the way, we couldn’t not stop to check the place out, right?

You might be asking, what is the Blue Eye? It is essentially just a natural spring of incredibly clear blue water. People visit for a brief swim, or to enjoy lunch along the banks, or to just ooh and ahh at the views and take a few quick pictures (which is what we did). It was completely worth a quick stop between Gjirokastër and Sarandë, but I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to see the Blue Eye.

Night in Sarandë

Next up was our first night on the coast, aka the Albanian Riviera. The drive from Gjirokastër to Sarandë was increasingly beautiful, complete with winding roads, dramatic foliage and bright blue skies. I started to get very excited about our decision to road trip through Albania and would now argue that there is no better way to experience the country!

There are a number of coastal resort towns in southern Albania and we had a hard time deciding where to stay at first. We ultimately opted to start in Sarandë for a night. One of the southernmost beach towns in Albania, Sarandë is also the point for the ferry to the Greek island of Corfu. I’ll admit I was very tempted to try to sneak in a visit to Greece during our Albania trip, but eventually decided it would be too rushed given our itinerary.

Another difficult decision: accommodations in Sarandë. Unlike some of its neighbors, Albania wasn’t yet a booming international tourist destination, for better or worse. As someone who often plans travel around iconic hotels, I found it hard to select a place to stay in a country with limited options. On the pro side: we were able to stay in clean and modern (often brand new) accommodations at an extremely affordable rate–never more than $200/night. On the con side: the properties lacked character. And always had to be reserved through booking.com. Ugh.

We decided to spend three nights in the Albanian Riviera, starting with one night in Sarandë. Given the limitations mentioned above, we ultimately landed on the Villa Kalcuni Sarandë. The opulent columned facade of the building was not at all aligned with my aesthetic preferences, but we were able to book a suite on the top floor with a large private terrace and an expansive view of the sea.

We didn’t have big plans for our night in Sarandë–we spent some time on the beach, then headed into town for dinner. The crowded waterfront scene reminded me a lot of other busy European coastal cities (Barcelona, Nice, Split). So much for off the beaten path.

Visiting Butrint National Park

Before heading 90 minutes north to Himarë, our next stop, we took a slight detour south to Butrint National Park. Mostly renowned for its historical monuments, Butrint features archaeological sites such as a Roman theater and not one but two castles. However, it is also home to an expansive natural conservation area including freshwater lakes, marshes, wetlands and more. We stopped for a quick one hour visit and enjoyed exploring the ruins and admiring the views.

After, we stopped in the town of Ksamil for lunch overlooking some of the nearby islands. If we had planned differently, I would’ve loved to take a quick boat ride over to one of the islands for a beach club day. Oh well, next time!

Two Nights in Himarë

As I mentioned previously, the drive up the coast to Himarë took about 90 minutes, and once again it was a beautiful trip winding through dramatic seaside cliffs and sparkling olive groves. While we had a number of options for towns to stay on the Albanian Riviera, we decided on Himarë for our second and final stop as it seemed relatively small and intimate and it was conveniently located midway along the coast. I also liked the new boutique family-run hotel ARXONTIKO that I found–again, through booking.com (insert eye roll here).

Reuben may argue with me here, but I would say ARXONTIKO was my favorite hotel of our trip to Albania. While the sterile, modern design lacked character (as was a la mode in the country), the family-owned boutique hotel was small enough that we were able to develop a relationship with the proprietor from the moment we checked in and he handed us shots of welcome raki to the breakfasts when he served us doughnuts from his Grandma’s recipe to when we checked out and had to run to the ATM to get additional cash. Oh, I realize I forgot to mention another downside to Albania’s lack of an international tourism market–almost all hotels and restaurants required payment in cash.

Our plan for Himarë was pretty chill. This was our beach time, remember?! We visited the (rocky) beach down the hill from our hotel the first day, then visited Gjipe beach (also rocky) the following day. Reminder to bring solid sandals when visiting Europe for a beach holiday! Gjipe was a ten minute drive, then a twenty minute walk downhill, but the relaxing and isolated scene was so worth it. The beaches in town were much more crowded with lots of families; Albania may be off the beaten path for U.S. tourists, but the locals seemed to all flock to the beach for the summer holidays.

We went out for dinner our first night in Himarë, popping into an outdoor beachfront restaurant across the street from our hotel. One thing we discovered very quickly in Albania: very little diversity in their menus. Virtually every restaurant offered the same exact dishes: grilled vegetables, seafood, and meats, plus some pasta and pizza. For this reason we decided to get a bottle of wine and takeaway pizza our second night in Himarë, which we enjoyed on our private balcony.

Night in Berat

We enjoyed our time in the Albanian Riviera and appreciated some seriously stunning views, but I don’t think either of us were totally wowed. Next we were heading north and inland to hike the Albanian Alps, but we still had a couple overnight stops planned.

First, another Ottoman town: Berat. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Berat is known as the “Town of a Thousand Windows” due to the number of historic, window-adorned hillside homes bordering either side of the Osum River.

The drive from Himarë to Berat may have been the most incredible and dramatic yet. We twisted and turned up, over and down the Llogara Pass, trying not to drive straight over the cliffs as we stared at the stunning views. I also couldn’t help laughing when we got stuck behind a slow and tiny hatchback with a “Bimbo Aboard” sticker on the rear window (“bimbo” meaning baby, not the rude slur against women in the U.S.)

After driving over the magnificent Llogara Pass, we drove through Vlorë, another Albanian seaside resort town I had read about. I was relieved that we had decided to skip staying in Vlorë, as it felt crowded, busy and touristic.

One place I was glad we visited: Cobo Winery. Located approximately 15 minutes from Berat, this family-run winery was charming and laidback. No reservations required; we walked (well, drove) right in and enjoyed a brief tour, a tasting flight, and local snacks.

Following the theme of our other nights in Albania, we had booked a modern, character-less, yet quite affordable hotel via booking.com: Hotel Rezidenca Deseret. On the pro side: it was conveniently located to Berat Castle; we were able to walk out of the hotel and up the hill to the castle, where we wandered around for awhile and I even experienced my first bee sting on the bottom of my toe! Good news: I am not allergic to bees.

The castle itself was a rather quick and easy visit, but definitely worth the stop. We explored the site (dating back to 200 B.C.) and admired the views overlooking the town, then decided it was time for a drink and some food.

We ended up walking down an isolated dirt path on the other side of the castle toward town. At moments I worried that Reuben was steering me in the wrong direction, but we eventually reached a residential part of the small town and were able to quickly make our way to the main tourist drag along the river.

My friend Johnny had recommended Homemade Food Lili for dinner, but we hadn’t made a reservation at the tiny restaurant and were told it would be a 45 minute wait when we checked in with the host/server/manager. At this point we had been pretty underwhelmed with most of Albania’s food so we decided to settle for a touristic restaurant with a terrace along the river. All the food was basically the same anyway, We could enjoy the view and nosh on Reuben’s favorite Albanian dish: yogurt dip. Think of it as tzatziki, but, well, Albanian.

Then it was back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep before starting on the second part of our Albanian trip to the Alps. While Albania’s beaches had been truly beautiful, undiscovered they were not. Albanian families, couples and young adults crowded the scene–I was pleased to not see a bunch of Americans or Western Europeans, but I yearned for a bit more intimacy and hoped the Alps would be able to deliver.