Itinerary Overview
- Tirana
- Himara
- Ksamil
- Saranda
- Argirocastro
- Days: 5 – Nights: 4
- Type of Itinerary: Relax
- Ideal time of travel: between June and September.
Hello cappuccini readers!
We’re back with another itinerary, this time we’ll dive into the crystal clear waters of Albania! In this itineray you will find a variety of famous local beaches with a couple of goodies from the hinterland, such as Argirocastro and the Blue Eye.
Day 1: Tirana
I arrived in Albania by plane and landed at the airport of Tirana. Once you get there make sure to have with you this survival to-do list:
- get a SIM
- rent a car
- download from Google Maps the locations where you will visit or drive (just in case internet will stop working for any reason)
- have a list of emergency numbers
- have a good itinerary with you!
Recommended hotels:
If you arrive in the late evening, like I did, definitely consider a hotel close to the airport. For the first night in particular I stayed at Hotel Britania located 10 minutes by car from the airport. The rooms where very elegant and quiet. Make sure the hotel where you book has free parking and lunch included, it will definitely make easier the start of your day!
Day 2: Himare
After having a good breakfast, we headed for the first beach of our journey: Gjipe Beach. Gjipe Beach is around 3 hours and a half from Tirana. It’s quite a drive but totally worth it! During the trip you’ll be able to have a pick over Durazzo and Valona, other renowed beach locations in the north of the country.
To get to this hidden beach you’ll need to park at Gjipe Beach Parking. From there you walk 20-30 to reach the place on a tracked path. When you get there the view will be spectacular. The beach is public and a bit wild, with few “non official” sunbeds and ombrellas. Few people, quiet, magical.
If this beach is too wild for you, you may want to consider alternatives in the middle of your drive such as Palasa Beach or Dhërmi beach.
After spending the day sunbathing and diving into beatiful waters we left at around 6 PM and headed for Himare city, located 30 minuted from Gjipe.
We wanted to save some money and try a BB this time and slept at Velco BB Himara. Breakfast was included, it had a private bathroom and free parking outside. We ate at a lovely location near the BB and headed to Varka Beach and seafront animated with pubs and people.
Day 3: Ksamil
Day 3 is another day full of surprises. After a great stay at Himare we departed for the Blue Eye in the morning and headed to the beach in Ksamil for the afternoon, place of some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.
Top beaches in Ksamil:
- Bora Bora beach
- Plazhi i Pasqyrave (spiaggia degli specchi)
- Pulebardha Beach
- Lori
- ksamil beach
Recommended hotels:
Vila Shehu Ksamil
Day 4: Ksamil and Saranda
Another day at the beach, or better the little island of Tre Ishujt Beach. The best of the last!
To finish our last day we went to Saranda and had a walk at the vibrant seafront, had an amazing icecream and had dinner at a restaurant near the sea.
Day 5: Argirocastro and back home!
After checking out from the hotel in Ksamil, he headed to airport of Tirana, with a pitstop on the way back to Argirocastro, which is about 1 hour far from Ksamil. We left at around 14 PM and arrived at Tirana 3 hours later.
We gave the car back and took our flight home! The only bad experience we had was with the car rental. When we gave back the car there was a little bit of dirt on the front, so the owners wanted us to pay the “damage”. So be careful who you find, take videos of the car as soon as you get it from the owner, make sure to clean it, and have with you the insurance number and the rental company contact to call if you need so!
Conclusions
A part from the rental we had an amazing experience and would definitely recommend my cappuccini readers to dive into this experience!
I hope you like this itinerary. See you for the next adventure!