7-Day Albania Itinerary — Tirana, Berat, Riviera, Gjirokastër

One week is the sweet spot for a first trip to Albania: enough to string together the capital, two UNESCO towns and the best of the Riviera without rushing every morning. This route runs north-to-south and loops back, works best with a rental car, and keeps drive times humane. Fly into Tirana, and consider flying out of Tirana again — the loop is tighter than it looks on the map.

The day-by-day

Day 1 — Tirana. Ease in with the capital: Skanderbeg Square, the pyramid, a Bunk'Art bunker museum, and dinner in the Blloku district. Loud, young and improving fast.

Day 2 — Tirana to Berat. A short drive south to the "town of a thousand windows," its Ottoman quarters climbing both banks of the Osum. Walk up to the inhabited castle in the late-afternoon light and stay the night.

Day 3 — Berat to the Riviera. Cross the Llogara Pass — one of Albania's great drives, from beech forest to a sudden Ionian sea-view — and drop into Dhërmi or Himarë for your first swim.

Day 4 — Riviera. A full beach day: hop between coves, take a boat to Gjipe or the Karaburun caves, and eat grilled fish where the road meets the water.

Day 5 — South coast to Gjirokastër. Drive on to Sarandë and Ksamil for the turquoise shallows, then turn inland to the "stone city" of Gjirokastër for the evening.

Day 6 — Gjirokastër and Butrint. Explore the castle and slate-roofed bazaar in the morning; detour to the ancient ruins of Butrint — layered Greek, Roman and Venetian — near the Greek border.

Day 7 — Back to Tirana. The drive north via the highway is straightforward; break it with lunch in Berat or a stop at the Osum canyon if you have time.

Making it work

Reckon on three to four hours of driving on the longest days and less on the rest. Book Riviera nights ahead in July and August — the coast fills up. Roads are much improved but mountain sections reward patience, so avoid night driving. If you'd rather not drive, the same skeleton works by furgon and organised day trips, just slower and with more time in each base.

Add a day and you can fold in the Albanian Alps at Theth; add two and the country starts to feel like more than a highlight reel.