Southwest 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.

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!

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…").