Albania is a diverse country and has many great places to visit. Hiking in the mountains, visiting a town or reading a book on the beach, this authentic country has a lot to offer. In this blog, I share 5 tips of things that are fun to visit in Albania.
Lisa – April 2023 – Reading time: 3 minutes.
1. Theth
Located in a national park in northern Albania, Theth is best known for its beautiful mountain area. It is a small town with narrow streets, so this place is not easy for every camper to reach. With a not too big campervan, you can come here and sleep by a river. From here you can take several walks. The people in Theth still live very authentically, there are a few B&Bs because the tourists have also discovered this beautiful place but otherwise this place feels like you are back in time.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/GQrkaMQbCrkVJ4n2A
2. Hotsprings Permet (Benja Thermal Baths)
In southern Albania, you will find natural hot springs. You can visit these thermal baths for free. There are several small baths and 1 larger bath. The baths are around 25 to 30 degrees. Not super hot but nice to float around in for a while. The baths do have a strong sulphur smell. The surroundings of this place are beautiful, the baths are hidden among the mountains and the old bridge in the middle is also very pretty. Do watch out when walking around this rocky spot as Jorg fell here and dislocated his shoulder. You can stay overnight here with the campervan, in December we were here for days all alone, with 3 street dogs living in this place. Only on weekends some locals came.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/beAewmbUyzm5Pgqu5
Want to read the story of how Jorg was picked up by ambulance?
3. Sarande – ksamil
We think this is the most beautiful coastal area in Albania. This area also has more tourism in summer. The sea is clear blue and you can find beautiful spots in the area. If you come here in winter, it is empty. We had a beautiful private beach for several days while we saw on google maps that this is a popular beach in summer. We didn’t quite expect to find such beautiful beaches in Albania.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ofWBm5E8jroFDuvr6
We made a reel at this fun spot. Check it out here.
4. Gjirokaster
This is the tourist town in Albania. When I typed in Albania on google, I got pictures of coloured dresses and old streets. But the only place in Albania where I found these rugs was in Gjirokaster. They have a small part of town here with old streets and lots of colours where they sell rugs and other souvenirs. Don’t expect too much from this place as it is only a small part of the city but it is nice to see. We bought a nice rug here for the bus as a souvenir of Albania.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/pbz7DGVKxUB7oY699
5. Blue eye lake (Syri i Kaltër)
A bright blue green lake in southern Albania. The car park is a 25-minute walk from the lake; this was well worth it. The surroundings look very beautiful. I also took a dip in this refreshing lake, it was a bit cold in December but the colour made it look inviting. In summer, this place is bound to attract more tourists. We were here in winter and were almost alone here.
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