Albania private tour: 10 days, self-drive or private driver

The white Ottoman houses of Berat's Mangalem quarter against the castle hill, above the Osum river — Mangalem quarter, Berat

This Albania private tour takes you around the whole country in 10 days, in one loop from Tirana airport. You start in Krujë, the mountain town of national hero Skanderbeg, have lunch by the Roman amphitheatre of Durrës and sleep in the two Ottoman UNESCO towns, Berat and Gjirokastër. Then come the Blue Eye, Sarandë with Butrint and Ksamil, the beaches of the Albanian Riviera, the Llogara Pass and Apollonia, before you finish in the capital, Tirana.

It is entirely private: you travel as a couple, a family or with friends, with no group and no tour leader. You either drive a rental car yourself or travel with a private driver. Either way, the hotels, entrance fees and a road book with routes, car parks and my favourite restaurants are arranged before you leave. This is my recommended route, and you can change whatever you like. It suits travellers who want culture, nature and the sea in one trip, and like to explore old towns at their own pace. Albania is a short flight from Belgium, with no time difference.

At a glance

Recommended length: 10 days (9 nights); can be cut to 9 or extended to 18 days
Style: fully arranged private trip, from 1 traveller
Start date: any day you choose; I recommend May to October
Transport: your choice of self-drive (rental car with full zero-excess insurance) or a private driver with a comfortable vehicle
Indicative price, per person for 2 travellers, excluding the international flight:

Level	Self-drive	Private driver
Budget	€930	€2,100
Comfort	€1,000	€2,260
Premium	€1,340	€2,500

International flight: not included; allow approx. €150–350 pp, depending on the month
4 travellers together: €930 pp instead of €1,000 (Comfort, self-drive), because you share the car · solo traveller: €1,790 pp (Comfort, self-drive) (indicative)
Best months: May to October

Prices are estimates and may change once quotes from local partners are in.

Best time to visit Albania

The best time to visit Albania for this trip is May to October, and you pick your own start date within that window. May and June are quieter on the coast and at the best-known sights. July and August are hot and busy on the Riviera, in Ksamil and at the Blue Eye; still a good choice if you want plenty of swimming, but expect more people. September and October are quieter again. My own preference is May, June, September and October, outside the busy summer on the coast. In summer it's warm in the towns too, so the castles are best visited in the morning or towards evening.

My recommended route and why it runs this way

The route is a loop from Tirana airport: first the interior with the UNESCO towns, then north along the coast, and the capital to finish. You never drive the same road twice, and the sea sits in the middle of your trip.

Stone houses below the castle walls and clock tower of Krujë under a blue sky — Krujë Castle with its clock tower

Krujë (day 1). After a flight of about 2h30, your rental car is ready at the airport, or your private driver is waiting with a name sign. Krujë is about 30 minutes away: the covered old bazaar, the castle with the Skanderbeg Museum, and a night with a view over the castle and the plain.

Durrës and Berat (day 2). About an hour to the coast and lunch in Durrës, with its Roman amphitheatre right in the middle of town, one of the largest in the Balkans. Then on to Berat (about 1h45), the "town of a thousand windows". You walk through the Mangalem quarter and across the bridge to Gorica for the best view of the white Ottoman houses, and climb to the citadel at sunset, where people still live inside the old walls.

Gjirokastër (days 3 and 4). A drive of about 2h45, with lunch at my address on the old market square. The castle high above the town has long vaulted galleries and a view over the Drino valley; in the evening you eat traditional food in the old bazaar. With two nights here, the next day is for the Zekate and Skenduli tower houses, the birthplace of writer Ismail Kadare and the secret Cold War tunnel, and then wandering the steep lanes at your own pace.

The Blue Eye, Sarandë, Butrint and Ksamil (days 5 and 6). On the way to the coast you stop at the Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër), a spring of clear turquoise water in the forest, then drive on to Sarandë on the Ionian Sea (about 1h30 in total) for a swim and an evening stroll along the promenade, looking out over Corfu. Next morning you visit Butrint (about 30 minutes away), a Greek, Roman and Venetian city in a green nature park on a lagoon, followed by mussels by the water and the white beaches of Ksamil.

The Albanian Riviera (day 7). North along the coast (about 2 hours without stops), with time for the beach of Borsh, the Venetian castle of Porto Palermo on its peninsula and the cove of Gjipe. You sleep in Dhërmi, at the foot of the Llogara Pass, and choose between the beaches of Dhërmi and Drymades.

Llogara, Apollonia and Ardenica (day 8). Over the Llogara Pass, with a splendid view of the coast, to Vlorë, then Greek and Roman Apollonia and the Byzantine monastery of Ardenica (about 3 hours' driving in total). Feel like more? A detour of about 1 hour takes you to the Illyrian city of Byllis, high above the Vjosa valley. You sleep in Divjakë, close to the coast.

Divjakë-Karavasta and Tirana (days 9 and 10). A morning walk in Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, with pine forests, dunes and the lagoon where pelicans live, then about 1h30 to Tirana. You explore the capital on foot: Skanderbeg Square with the Et'hem Bey Mosque, the clock tower and the Orthodox cathedral, the Pyramid of Tirana, the old Tanners' Bridge and the New Bazaar. In Bunk'Art 2, a nuclear bunker near Skanderbeg Square, you discover how Albania lived under communism. After a relaxed last morning, the airport is about 30 minutes away.

The longest driving days are day 3 (about 2h45) and day 8 (about 3 hours, 1 hour more with Byllis). In between are short drives and two nights in the same place in both Gjirokastër and Sarandë.

See the full day-by-day itinerary

Self-drive or private driver?

Albania self-drive is a wonderful way to see the country: the main roads are good, the mountain roads spectacular, and you stop wherever you like. You collect your rental car at Tirana airport on day 1 and return it there on day 10; full insurance with zero excess is included. Fuel, tolls and parking are paid locally, and the rental company takes a credit-card deposit; any traffic fines are yours. Take care on the winding roads over the Llogara Pass and up to Gjirokastër's old town, and with the sometimes impulsive local driving style. Your road book lists a parking place at every hotel. The summit of Mount Tomorr near Berat can only be reached by 4x4 on a gravel road, not with the rental car.

Houses with grey stone roofs among the greenery of Gjirokastër, seen from above — The stone roofs of Gjirokastër's old town

Albania with a private driver means a driver takes you in a comfortable vehicle for the whole trip, from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 10. He knows the mountain roads, waits during your visits and drops you at the edge of the old town centres. You never have to drive or park. For 2 travellers it costs roughly €1,160 to €1,260 pp more than self-drive, depending on the level.

In doubt? Combine the two: self-drive, with a private driver for the longest drives.

What I arrange for you

Nine nights at the level you choose, in a double room with breakfast and tourist tax included. A rental car with zero-excess insurance, or a private driver who meets you at the airport and takes you back. All listed entrance fees: Krujë, Durrës, Berat, Gjirokastër, Butrint, the Blue Eye, Porto Palermo, Apollonia, Ardenica and Bunk'Art 2. A road book with routes, car parks and my favourite restaurants. No guide by default: your road book tells you what to see where. Prefer a guide at Berat (day 2), Gjirokastër (day 3 or 4) or Butrint (day 6)? I can arrange a licensed local guide for that activity and get you the price. Breakfast is included every day; for other meals you get my recommendations, but you choose freely where and when you eat, and I never steer you to expensive restaurants for a commission. And one point of contact: a personal intake meeting (at your home or by video call), a WhatsApp line with me before and during the trip, a personal 24/7 number and a follow-up call after you return.

Budget, Comfort or Premium

Budget means well-reviewed family hotels and guesthouses, often with a home-made breakfast, in or near the old centres (approx. €40–75 per room). Comfort means characterful hotels and small boutique hotels in the old centres, with a castle view in Krujë and Gjirokastër (approx. €60–120 per room). Premium means the best-reviewed boutique and four-star hotels on the route, with a spa, pool or view (approx. €85–150 per room). In Divjakë you stay in the Comfort hotel: there is no better address there.

Adapt the route

The trip runs from 9 to 18 days. Some ideas:

Footpath along the rocky coast to the white beach of Gjipe with turquoise water and a sailing boat — Gjipe cove on the Albanian Riviera

Add the north (4 extra nights): Shkodër with Rozafa Castle and a boat trip on Lake Shkodër, Theth in the Albanian Alps with the walk to the Blue Eye of Theth, and the ferry across Lake Koman.
Korçë and Lake Ohrid (2 extra nights): lunch in Pogradec on the lake, the old bazaar of Korçë and the drive past Mount Tomorr to Berat; or across the border to Ohrid and St Naum in North Macedonia.
Add Kosovo, after the north: the ferry across Lake Koman to Fierza, then on to Prizren.
More sea: extra beach days on the Riviera, a night in Orikum on the bay of Vlorë or an extra beach night in Ksamil.
Adventure: a 4x4 trip to the summit of Mount Tomorr or rafting in the Osum canyon.

Practical tips

ID (Belgians): no visa required. Your Belgian identity card (eID) or passport gets you in; a passport is handy if your eID was ever reported lost.
Health and insurance: no vaccinations required. Albania is not in the EU, so the European Health Insurance Card is not valid: take travel insurance with medical cover.
Money: Albanian lek (ALL); euros are often accepted. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants; bring cash for small restaurants, car parks and the ferry. Allow approx. €25–40 pp per day for meals other than breakfast and drinks.
Flights and time: approx. 2h30 to 2h50 direct to Tirana. TUI fly flies nonstop from Brussels; Ryanair and Wizz Air fly nonstop from Charleroi, often for less. I'm happy to book the flight, or you book it yourself. No time difference.
Language: Albanian; English and often Italian in the tourism sector.
Packing: good walking shoes for the cobbled castle lanes, and sun protection: summer is warm on the coast and in the towns.

Travel advice

The Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs (update 17 March 2026) considers Albania generally safe: normal precautions apply, and avoid demonstrations. The main points of attention on this trip are practical: the winding mountain roads and the local driving style if you drive yourself. Read the latest advice on diplomatie.belgium.be.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Albania tour cost?

This 10-day tailor-made Albania tour costs from €930 pp for 2 travellers when you drive yourself (Budget), and from €2,100 pp with a private driver. Comfort is €1,000 (self-drive) or €2,260 (private driver). The international flight is not included: allow approx. €150–350 pp. These are indicative prices.

When is the best time to visit Albania?

May to October. July and August are hot and busy on the Riviera, in Ksamil and at the Blue Eye; May, June, September and October are quieter.

Self-drive or private driver in Albania?

Self-drive works well: the main roads are good and your rental car has zero-excess insurance. Take care on the winding Llogara Pass and with the local driving style. If you'd rather not drive or park at all, choose a private driver, or combine both with a driver for the longest drives.

How many days do you need for Albania?

I recommend 10 days for this loop through Krujë, Berat, Gjirokastër, the coast and Tirana. It can be done in 9 days, or extended up to 18 days with the north, Korçë and Lake Ohrid, or Kosovo.

Do Belgians need a visa for Albania?

No. Your Belgian eID or passport is enough. Do take travel insurance with medical cover, as the European Health Insurance Card is not valid in Albania.

Plan your trip

Interested in 2027? Plan an intake call via the interest list or email [email protected]. Before we start selling trips, we take out the legally required insurance against financial insolvency. Prices remain indicative until then.

Sources

Last updated: 15 October 2026. Prices are estimates and may change.