Ultimate 4 day Road Trip Through Albania & Northern Greece

Before moving to Europe we had not heard much about Albania other than seeing it on social media from other travel bloggers. Once we moved to Italy, we began hearing about Albania more and more. People described it as a country that is ‘off the beaten path’ with pristine beaches, a stunning coastline, quiet roads, and gorgeous mountains. After hearing good things about this Balkan country, we knew we needed to go! Plus, the flights from Milan to Tirana are usually less than 50 euros one way (what a steal!) We knew we’d only have four days for a trip, but we figured why not! After a jam-packed 4 day road trip we definitely got a good taster of everything Albania has to offer, but we would love to go back again. 

When to visit:

The best time to visit Albania is from May-June and September-October because the weather is warm and there is less rainfall. Plus, the beaches become quite packed in the summer from other tourists. The beginning of Spring and Autumn are quieter times on the coast, making it the perfect time to visit!

What to do:

The main places to visit in Albania are either the coast or the Accursed Mountains in the north. Since we prefer to visit quieter places, we chose to mainly explore the southwestern part of the country, as there are still mountains and gorgeous places to discover. We also wanted to visit Meteora in Greece which is only a 5 hour drive from Tirana. We only spent 1 night in Greece and 3 nights in Albania.

Overview and map

This road trip itinerary takes you through 4 nights and 4 full days (excluding the arrival day). 

Day 0.5: Arrival day! Stay in a hotel near the Tirana airport – settle in and get ready for a big day

Day 1: Drive from Tirana to Osumi Canyon (don’t worry we will visit the city of Tirana on the way back). 

Day 2: Drive from Osumi Canyon to Meteora, Greece, making a stop at Benjë Hot Springs along the way

Day 3: Leave Greece and drive to Gjipe Beach, making a stop at the Blue Eye along the way

Day 4: Drive from Gjipe Beach back to Tirana

Day 1: Tirana – Osumi Canyon

Sleep: Wild camp at Osumi Canyon

Drive time: 3.5 hours

Our flight arrived in Tirana around 1 AM, so we stayed in a hotel nearby because we had to pick up our rental car around 8 AM. The hotel included a shuttle to and from the airport and to the car rental place for a small fee. 

After a few hours of sleep, it was time to pick up the rental car. This part was quick. Our first stop with the car was to Tony Store Tirana for camping gas. Wild camping is legal in Albania, so we planned to camp and cook our own food for the next 4 days! After we got the gas for our camping stove, we drove to our first official stop: Berat.

Where to stop:

Berat is a popular town because it has a stunning castle that is free to visit. We spent about an hour walking around the castle before we stopped for a plate of Berat meatballs that were sooooo good.

After eating and exploring the castle a bit, we carried on to Çorovoda. This is the last town before you enter the road along the canyon, so it is worth a stop. It has winding streets, cute shops and a quaint feeling. 

Once you pass Çorovoda, you begin noticing the canyon opening up on the right side of the road. There are multiple places to pull over to admire the beauty of the canyon, but one notable stop is the Osumi Canyon Bridge. The bridge is about a 20-minute drive from Çorovoda.

*A note about visiting the Berat castle, be sure to approach the castle from the north. The road from the south is quite steep, narrow & made of cobblestones so it isn’t the nicest to drive up. Parking can be a little tricky so just be patient!

Where to sleep:

We found a camp spot 10 minutes past the Osumi Canyon Bridge. We noticed a small parking lot to the right of the road that seemed promising. We decided to scope out this area and stumbled upon a wild camping spot right along the canyon! Wild camping in this part of Albania requires a bit of an adventurous spirit, as it can take a while to find a good spot to spend the night.

If you are seeking a less adventurous road trip, here are suggested lodging options in or around Çorovoda that overlook the canyon: 

• Guest House Bracaj
• Hotel Kanione
• Hotel Osumi

Day 3: Osumi Canyon – Meteora

Sleep: Camping Vrachos

Drive time: 5.5 hours

After waking up to the sound of the raging river, we quickly packed up our gear, hiked 10 minutes back to the car and began our drive. We had a longer day of driving today with a border crossing added, so we were not wasting any time. The road from Osumi Canyon to the next town took us about 2 hours in our rental Ford Focus, as it’s a bumpy and sometimes a bit sketchy mountain road. There were cliffs at times, no guardrails, steep inclines and declines and muddy sections. Thankfully we made it through just fine with some patience & experience driving on roads like this back home in Washington!

Where to stop:

At the end of the mountain road Përmet, our first stop of the day. Right when we were just about to arrive into town, a car started honking at us at a stop sign. The driver was pointing at the bottom of our car and saying something in Albanian. Confused and a bit concerned, we pulled the car over and immediately saw the mud plate had become loose and was scraping onto the road as we drove! 

This must’ve happened because of the rocks and potholes on the mountain road from Osumi Canyon to Përmet. Since our Ford Focus is so low to the ground it must have scraped the rocks and gravel more and become loose. After drinking some coffee and grabbing breakfast at Sweety Coffee & Crepes, we found a local mechanic on Google Maps that was only a few minutes away and luckily it was a €5 fix that took 15 minutes for him to repair with some zip ties!

After that was fixed, we took a short detour to Benjë Hot Springs. If you’re in Përmet, you HAVE to go here. It was a bit busy, but nevertheless so worth it. The water was the perfect temperature and it was the best way to relax after our car issue earlier.

Crossing the border from Albania to Greece

We then continued our drive to the Greek border hoping the rest of the day would be a bit smoother. We ended up reaching the Albanian/Greek border after 1 more hour of driving on a nice, smooth highway. We first had to leave Albania, so the Albanian guard asked for our car insurance. We showed the insurance of the car and he informed us that the car insurance provided with the car wasn’t sufficient and we needed Green Card insurance.

After many confusing conversations with the guard, we learned that what we really needed was car insurance for Greece, as our rental car only covered insurance for Albania. Our rental company did tell us that we could buy Greek car insurance at the border but this was not the case.

So, after almost an hour at the border, the guard made us turn around and said we would have to drive back to Përmet and purchase Greek insurance in town. 

We really didn’t want to drive another hour back to Përmet, so we decided to stop at a small cafe that was 15 minutes from the border and had good wifi. Through research, we learned that you can buy Green Card Insurance online, whew! We decided to purchase 2 day car insurance for Greece online through Worldwide Travel Insurance for €15.

Thinking we outsmarted the guard, we drove 15 minutes back to the border only to spend another hour convincing the Albanian guard that our recently purchased Greek car insurance was sufficient. Once he finally let us through, we realized we still needed to officially enter Greece. Thankfully, the Greek guards had no issue with our online Greek insurance and they let us through quickly!

Where to sleep

From the border, we drove another 2.5 hours and arrived at Camping Vrachos Kastraki where we stayed for 1 night. They have a cafe, decent restrooms and made for a decent campground for the night. Wild camping is not legal in Greece, so we had to pay to camp while visiting here.

Instead of paying to camp, you could also choose to stay in any of these other budget-friendly accommodation options in the town of Kalabaka, which is right next to Meteora:

• Meteora Central Hostel
• The Holy Rock Hostel
• Thalia Rooms Meteora Guest House

Also, in Kalabaka you must stop at Patisserie Robos for baklava!

Day 3: Meteora – Gjipe Beach

Sleep: Wild camp at Gjipe Beach

Drive time: 3 hours

Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is truly like nowhere else on Earth. Originally, Meteora consisted of more than 20 monasteries, but today only 6 remain. When you visit the monasteries, you get a glimpse into the lives of Greek Orthodox nuns and monks. Meteora does get very busy, though, so we recommend arriving before 9 AM to get in line for the monastery.

A quick guide to Meteora

We decided to visit the Holy Monastery first, as it is the largest monastery in Meteora. What we didn’t realize is that it gets quite busy early and there was already a long line to enter at 9.00. We waited in line for a bit but then decided to leave, as the crowd was already large.

After speaking with an employee, we decided to go to Varlaam Monastery instead. The employee said Varlaam was a bit nicer and she preferred it. The drive was only a few minutes from the Holy Monastery to Varlaam. When we got there, we paid €3 each and were given a scarf to wear to cover our knees (even though we both were wearing pants anyway.) Varlaam Monastery was also busy, but still very nice and had great views.

Around 10 AM or so, we left Meteora and began our journey to the border. It was a short 2.5 hour drive to the Albanian/Greek border and it was straightforward this time. There were no issues with insurance! 

Where to stop

Officially in Albania again, our first stop was at Blue Eye. This was another touristy place but I really wanted to see it in person after hearing about it. The roads to the Blue Eye were quiet and winding. Once there, we had to pay €2 to park at the Blue Eye before walking about 20-30 minutes. You can’t swim here because it’s a protected environment. I would advise that if you want to visit, please respect the local rules and don’t swim even though you will see that people still do.

After visiting the Blue Eye, we continued the journey to Gjipe Beach. To get to Gjipe Beach, stay on SH8 until you reach Iljas. When you reach Iljas, you will turn left onto a paved road that is a bit nerve wracking since it can only fit 1 car at a time, so expect to use the pull outs and to drive slowly! The road takes about 15 minutes in total until you read a gravel parking lot. There was an attendant at the parking lot and we paid him a few euros to let us park the car there overnight. Once you pay the attendant, the walk down to the beach is rocky but only like 20 minutes or so. The water at the beach is crystal clear and perfect for swimming. I have never been in water so clean before! The beach was also quiet, although there was a small cafe there.

Where to sleep

We pitched our tent in the middle of the Gjipe Beach and slept for free! The beach was quiet at night and felt safe enough. There are a few dogs around the beach, but they minded their own business.

There is an eco-campground on Gjipe Beach you can pay 5 euros to sleep at, and they provide you with a shower, wifi and all necessary camping gear. This is a good option if you want to camp but don’t want to carry the gear with you!

Day 4: Gjipe Beach – Tirana

Drive: 3.5 hours

I was excited for the drive from Gjipe Beach to Tirana, because I had heard that SH8 is one of the prettiest roads in all of Albania to drive on and half of this drive was on that road. On this road, the blue water is on the left and the mountains are on the right. Occasionally. You drive through small villages with white houses dotted along the mountainside. It was such a lovely drive!

Where to stop:

On SH8, we stopped at Llogara Pass, which is a viewpoint with dramatic views of the coastline. There is also a coastal town west of Tirana, Durres, that makes for a good place to stretch your legs and walk around a bit! We didn’t visit Durrës on this trip since we wanted to get to Tirana sooner, but I’d recommend it if you have the time.

In Tirana, you should visit Komiteti Bar for a coffee. It is a museum and cafe that offers traditional food and drink in a relaxing and authentic atmosphere. We enjoyed drinking tea here for an hour or so before wandering around Tirana Park. The park was a great place to relax for a bit, as it still felt ‘wild’ and was very green. If given more time, we would have loved to visit these places in Tirana, too:

• Skanderberg Square
• Bunk’Art 2
• Rruga Toptani street
• Blloku neighborhood

Sadly, our 4 day trip came to an end quickly and then it was time to head back home. In my opinion, I preferred Albania more than Greece, as it seemed more authentic and low-key. The roads in Albania were quiet and serene. The camping was simple to figure out and all of the locals were very helpful. The moment we entered Greece, there were billboards and it just seemed more ‘built-up’ than Albania. Albania was like a quiet escape from our busy life in Milan and can’t wait to go back!

Notes:

• Google Maps worked perfectly fine for us the entire time! We didn’t have any data in Albania, so we downloaded the maps for offline use. We never had an issue with any roads not appearing on the map or anything. 
• Albania is quite cash-reliant so make sure you carry cash just in case! Especially for filling up with petrol