South Albania Self Drive Tour

Sleepy little Përmet was off the radar till recently. But the creation of the River Vjosa National Park in 2023 has raised its profile, and now it's one of Albania's "hot" destinations. We love the place - it has a unique 1970s charm and is the perfect location for exploring this beautiful region. It also famous for producing the best raki in the country…

You can stay in the "city" itself (a small town by normal standards) or in a village guesthouse close by. We recommend the latter, but room availability can be tricky these days.

No tour of south Albania is complete without a night (or better two) in this fascinating UNESCO World Heritage City, famed for its huge old stone houses, many of which date back to the 18th century and the time of Ali Pasha. If you're looking for a "day off" on your tour, this is our recommendation - you won't get bored here.

It even makes a great base for day trips - Butrint and Përmet are within easy reach, the Albanian part of the famous Zagoria valley is a few kilometres away, or you might like to make a guided hike along the Greek border to the south.

You'll stay up in the cobbled Old Town, close to just about everything, and you can explore easily on foot. Be sure to wear sensible shoes, though the local young ladies seem able to negotiate the steep cobbled alleyways in stilettos.

The Riviera (the Ionain coastline from the Greek border to Bay of Vlorë) is beautiful, even spectacular in places, but tricky to negotiate. As a one or two night stop on a tour of Albania we think it works brilliantly. If you want a beach-focused holiday, perhaps less so.

Don't believe the "influencers" - Ksamil is not the place to go and is very far from being the "Maldives of Europe". Saranda is OK in the off-season but impossible in summertime, and ugly all year round. Generally we'd only recommend going there if you're catching the ferry to Corfu. The city of Vlorë is also just concrete apartments, though there are some nice spots on Bay of Vlorë to the south.

Better to head to a family owned place in one of the smaller villages, which is where we'll generally try to put you if you're making a tour with us. However, room availability in the reliable hotels is extremely limited in high season. If you're looking to travel in July and August and you contact us after January, we're unlikely to find anywhere we'd want to stay ourselves. If this is the case, we'll respectfully ask you to book your Riviera accommodation independently as we regard it as a guaranteed complaint and do not want to deal with 90 per cent of Riviera hoteliers, who are a law unto themselves.

Finally, the Albanian Riviera is not a cheap destination. You're about five years too late, sadly. In fact, Greece provides better value - and much better standards and service and food - in high season. If you want a few days on the beach at the end of your tour and are exiting via Corfu, you might like to book your beach time there.

The village of Nivica is part of the new wave of Albanian destinations that were passed by until recently due to very bad roads. In fact Nivica had no asphalt connections at all until 2020. Now, for better or worse, it has three.

Luckily it doesn't have the international profile of more famous mountain destinations like Theth and Valbona, so it still feels relatively "undiscovered". For the next year or two, at least.

Nivica's big attraction is its incredible canyon, which is far more impressive than Osumi. You can hike down from the village, though expect very steep and loose paths. The good news is that even in summer you should fine enough water in the river to take a dip.

Our standard tours include one night at a charming little guesthouse right on the canyon's edge. This is a very simple place, with basic facililities, so might not be suitable for you if you prefer hotel stays. Alternatively, you can stay at the amazing Camp Nivica, opposite. Here you'll sleep in luxurious safari-style tents, each with a private en suite bathroom with hot running water. It's pricey, though, and has a two-night minimum stay policy, so you'll have to lose a night elsewhere (or add a night to the tour). In 2024 there should be a third option opening; we'll keep you posted.

Albania's second UNESCO World Heritage City has a charming Ottoman atmosphere and lots of history. If you're travelling on a self drive tour, we'd even suggest booking a local guide to help bring it to life.

Berat is very small and can be explored in just a few hours, so we generally recommend it as a one-night stop, though if you are rafting the Osumi Canyon or hiking Mt Tomorr, then two is necessary.

You happen to be in the heart of Albania's southern wine region, so you might like to arrange a tasting. You could even sleep at one of the local wineries, which are a short drive from the city itself. Berat is generally dead as a door nail after 10.00pm so don't feel that you'd be missing out on any action!

Korça is a wonderful little city. In fact, it competes with Gjirokastra as our favourite in the whole of Albania.

Poor road connections kept it off the international tourist radar till a few years ago, although it has always been a popular winter destination among Albanians and is completely full each Christmas and New Year.

Wandering its cobbled streets is a delight for architecture lovers - there are countless quirky little villas from the first half of the 20th century, and a few older Ottoman-era buildings too.

In the evening be sure to head to the lively little bazaar for a beer or mulled wine. And if you're a night owl you should be able to fine a bar or two open till the early hours…

This historic spot (it's barely a city) perched on the mountainside makes for a perfect last night in Albania. THere's a genuinely diverting ethnographic musuem, and a surreal late-Communist fake castle dedicated to Albania's national hero, Skanderbeg. He launched his 25-year rebellion against the Ottoman empire from Kruja, though you'll leave the museum none the wiser about his incredible story.

You're within easy reach of the airport for your departure flight, and Kruja's fun little bazzar is the best gift-shopping opportunity of any Albanian tour (more serious shoppers can pick up handmade kilim rugs and detritus from the Communist and Ottoman eras). The views are epic, too.

We're not going to lie to you - Kruja is touristy. However, we think that's acceptable for a last night ("exit via the gift shop…").

Lake Ohrid is divided neatly between Albania and North Macedonia. The most famous place to stay is, naturally, Ohrid on the North Macedonian side. We don't recommend it in summertime as it is far too busy and the border crossing can be a mess. But in spring or autumn it's a great option, though you'll have to pay extra to take the car across the border (approx €40) and accommodation is pricier (and don't ask about parking…).

On the Albanian side is the much less attractive and less interesting town of Pogradec. We'd advise you to give it a miss, and stay instead at one of the cute little villages on the lake shore. In fact, this is where you'll stay on this tour unless you specify that you're happy to pay a little extra and cross over to Ohrid.