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- Tirana to Berat. Distance covered today: 100 kilometres (62 miles) Time in the car today: Approx. 2.5 hours. Recommended route: Backroad through Picall > SH A3 via Kucove.
- Full day in Berat. There is enough to see and do in Berat to comfortably fill a full day. A huge perk of staying inside the castle is being able to step out into the most beautiful part of Berat before the mid-morning crowds arrive.
- Berat to the Albanian Riviera. Distance covered today: 203 kilometres (126 miles) Time in the car today: Approx. 4.5 hours. Recommended route: SH72 > SH4 > coastal road (SH8)
- Full day in Dhermi. Dhermi is split into two parts: the lower and newer Dhermi is a beach resort like any other, with bars and hotel developments cramped along a pebble shore.
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- Speed Limits
- Google Maps vs GPS
- Albanian Driving Can Be Crazy
- Get A 4×4
- You Must Be A Confident Driver
- Not All Destinations Have Paved Roads
- Fuel Stations in Albania
- Albanian Wildlife to Use as Roundabouts
- Avoid White Roads on Your GPS at All Costs
Overall, speed limits in Albania are more of a guideline than an actual rule. The supposed speed limits are as follows: 1. 40 km/h in towns (built-up areas) 2. 80-90 km/h on rural/main roads 3. 110 km/h on motorways 99% of the time, locals will entirely ignore these speed limits and generally go at whatever speed they feel like. You might end up wi...
After reading a lot of reviews that said getting a GPS was entirely pointless and THEN reading blog posts that said Google Maps was practically useless outside of cities… I wasn’t feeling entirely confident on how well we would be able to navigate in Albania. However, Google Maps served us well 99% of the time. The only time it caused us issues was...
When I say ‘can be’ crazy, I mostly mean ‘is definitely’ crazy. Think of overtaking pretty much anywhere, including blind bends. It seems almost required that Albanian drivers need to be talking on the phone while driving, even though it’s actually illegal. Indicators also seem to be a rarely used part of an Albanian car, so keep about four eyes ou...
I have a section below with more information about renting a car in Albania but, even if you’re bringing your own car or renting a car in another country and bringing it into Albania, I would highly recommend getting a 4×4. We had a Mitsubishi Pajero, which was big enough that other drivers tended to defer to us in terms of priority (the time where...
I legitimately can’t repeat this enough. If you don’t feel comfortable driving on winding mountain roads, don’t drive in Albania. If you don’t feel confident driving on potholed roads, don’t drive in Albania. If you don’t feel confident navigating an Albanian roundabout with three lanes of traffic in two lanes, don’t drive in Albania. I’m not tryin...
I would assume this is pretty much a given from the rest of what I’ve written, but not all Albanian destinations are created equal. While Tirana is all paved roads and the road to Dürres is all highway, a lot of the south of the country is less pleasant road-wise. Certain destinations do require driving on roads that aren’t paved (dirt track style)...
I feel like everyone needs to experience an Albanian gas station. I’m not entirely sure why, but they do. There are a few important things to note about fuel stations, particularly that they aren’t self-service. This is the same as a lot of the Balkans, actually, but it can be a bit confusing to people since we aren’t exactly used to someone else f...
City roundabouts are definitely an experience in Albania. However, just because you’re outside of the city, don’t imagine that you get to drive along a road and not avoid things and use things as roundabouts. Ohhhhhh no. Once out of the city (actually, often IN the cities too), you’ll find that you’ll have a variety of animals that become somewhat ...
Yellow roads are great. We like yellow roads (mostly). However, white roads are bad. Very bad. Do not recommend. While yellow roads may be potholed and winding and mountainous, white roads are usually little more than dirt tracks(and sometimes calling them a dirt track is an insult to dirt tracks). You have been warned!
- Tirana. Most flights to Albania go to Tirana, the capital and most populated city in the country. So you will probably be starting your Albania roadtrip here.
- Vlorë. An easy 2.5 hour drive south-west of Tirana is Vlorë, on the Adriatic Sea. The road from Tirana to the coast is in excellent condition and you shouldn’t have any trouble navigating this first stretch.
- The Llogara Pass. South of Vlorë, the journey starts to get really beautiful. In fact, the coastal drive between Vlorë and Sarandë is easily one of my favourite roads in the world.
- The Albanian Riviera. Albania has some of the best beaches in Europe (fact), and most of them are on the Albanian Riviera. This mountainous stretch of the Ionian Sea coast runs between Sarandë and Vlorë, and the drive is epic.
Apr 17, 2024 · Beware of pedestrian crossings. Who’s right of way on roundabouts? Who needs indicators? The roads might explain the swerving. Driving in Tirana. Google Maps. Don’t expect to to pay for fuel by card. Enjoy the scenery. Bonus tip for driving in Albania. Renting a car in Albania. Do I need to hire a 4×4? Is it safe to drive in Albania?
Feb 13, 2024 · Day 1: Tirana to Berat. On day 1, fly into the colorful capital city of Albania: Tirana. We recommend finding a morning or early afternoon flight, so you have time to collect your hire car and drive directly to Berat (2 hours). Don’t worry about missing out on the beautiful sights of Tirana, as you’ll come back to the city on your final day.
