Albania: Castles to Beaches

After a very positive start to my road trip in Berat, I made my way farther south to the town of Gjirokaster.

Gjirokaster is similar to Berat in that it is also an inland city that boasts a castle and an old city to explore. Spending one night here was perfect. Gjirokaster Castle is a UNESCO-protected site much larger than the Berat Castle. Unlike Berat, it is not free to visit. Still, I enjoyed the exploration of this pre-12th-century relic and the idyllic old town square afterward, before heading west to the coast.

From Gjiokaster Castle looking down on the valley and town of Gjirokaster.

A huge and impressive castle where picture-taking was not actually permitted. 🫢

There are two “Blue Eye” attractions in Albania. One is in Theth National Park, which I will describe in my next post, the second is between Gjirokaster and the coastal town of Serandë.

My plan was to explore the Blue Eye Serandë on my way to the coast but was immediately turned off by an incredibly busy parking lot, filled with hundreds of cars. It was also nearly 40° C (over 100°F). But reasoning that I did not know if I would ever be back, I slipped into a free parking spot along the road.

Setting off with a backpack filled with lunch and a lot of water, I made for the entrance pay station. After a sweaty ten-minute walk, I came upon the line that was three thick and probably forty deep. It was then that I finally threw in the towel.

Instead, I searched for a place along the creek where I could enjoy nature more privately while taking a much-needed dip to cool off. Admittedly, an over-crowded tourist attraction immediately loses its novelty for me and this ended up being a much better fit for my personality.

From there, I set off to the town of Ksamil where I checked into my family-run hotel, excited to experience Albanian beaches for the first time! But….it was not what I had anticipated. Perhaps I am spoiled with all the public beaches in Oregon. This was not that. To be honest, I was aghast. There was no nature to be had. Instead, I was witnessing mass tourism. The beaches were all full of perfectly aligned chairs with umbrellas. Everyone had to pay to access the beach. Music was blasting from everywhere. There were ATMs everywhere. Venders everywhere. People everywhere. My head was spinning.

Determined to make the best of it, I finally found a rocky section of the coast that I could sit atop to enjoy my first sunset over the Adriatic.

The next morning, I set off north, making my way along the coast. It was a beautiful drive with many opportunities to peer down at the incredibly blue water that makes this coastline so unique.

The final stretch took me up Llogara Pass, an iconic winding mountain climb leading to a wooded forest with much-needed cooler air. It was here that I would enjoy a wonderful night at a cabin-style guest house!

Llogara Pass leading to Llogara National Park.

Llogara National Park- my cabin for the night.

After three weeks of hot Balkan air, I immediately noticed how refreshing the cool mountain air felt against my skin. Sleeping with the window open for my first time in Albania with only bugs chirping outside was a very welcome and unexpected development. I soaked it in as best I could!

Lessons from: Castles to Beaches

The blue color of the water in Albania is thanks to the white sand and rock below.
The castle in Gjirokaster costs 200 Lek (cash) for a single entry. That is roughly $2. There are discounts for families.
I booked all my guest houses at least 24 hours prior to my arrival during my week on the road. Booking.com is the standard for scheduling accommodation in Albania (and most of Europe). I found it easy to use and great for finding the best guesthouses! Tip: if you contact the guest houses directly you can often avoid the booking.com fee, which I believe is a steep 20%!
Guest houses almost always serve breakfast as part of the price and I found them all to be delicious, traditional Albanian breakfasts. Many also will provide dinner upon request and for an extra fee. In my experience, that ranged from 10 euros/$11 to 15 euros/$17, and I was always served an unbelievable amount of food.
If you are traveling by car make sure the guesthouse has parking available.
Don’t rent a car in Albania if you are not incredibly confident driving a manual transmission. You will often find yourself on a very steep incline, with giant potholes everywhere, while being required to come to a full stop for pedestrians sharing the narrow road. It gets real!

Something interesting: Albanian Food

The food in Albania is fresh, healthy, and always homemade. Pre-made food is not a common thing. You either make your meals or have someone else prepare it for you.

The staples are low-moisture, very salty cheeses, lamb (kebab), chicken (less common), potatoes, peppers, cucumber, tomato, plain yogurt, olives, eggs, white bread, sausages, and other cured meats, fig jam, and lots of fruits: watermelon, nectarines, grapes, tons of figs. Albanian pie (savory layered, moist bread) and Albanian pancakes (kind of like healthy sopapillas!), soups, and stuffed peppers are also common. I was never served dessert with any meal, but I did enjoy a few treats at bakeries: tiramisu, panna cotta, and a special cake! Ice cream vendors are abundant. And Italian food is always close by, pizza, calzones, pasta, and gelato.

Common beverages include excellent fresh juices, wine (often homemade), and Rakia (brandy made from grapes). Plus a lot of water, which in most of the country is safe to drink from the tap, although many still rely on bottled water. Coffee may be the most important drink in Albania. They take a lot of pride in their espresso, and it is drunk during any part of the day.

One thing you can always be sure of is you will be served way more food than you could ever eat and all the courses will be served at the same time!

Here is a link to a photo journey of some of the more memorable foods I enjoyed.

A look behind the curtain.

My final evening spent on the coast was in the town of Vlorë. I am not much of a sun-bather because my freckled skin does not tolerate it, so instead I wandered to the beach shortly before sunset, took a dip in the warm Adriatic, and then stretched out on one of the available loungers. I was aware that they required purchasing, but reasoned that since it was after 6pm, the remaining empty ones surely had been abandoned for the day.

I was wrong. Not long after, I was busted by a very nice, older man with a big smile on his face. I jumped up and apologized. Though he spoke no English, I understood that he was not upset in the least. Still, it felt like it was time to move on.

I lingered a bit, took a few photos, and began to leave when a voice yelled at me from the water. It asked where I was from. The owner (who was the son of the man’s lounger I had snagged) smiled and invited me to swim with him and his son. At first, I declined but ultimately decided why not?! If I have learned anything during my past year+ of solo travel it is that if someone invites you to anything that your gut clears, do it!

His name was John, an Albanian, on vacation from America where he has lived since 2000. Not 10 minutes later he invited me to join his family for a lamb dinner.

As I was seated around the table passing the salad, the yogurt sauce, the potatoes, the bread, the red wine, and navigating the entire lamb in front of me, I reflected on this truth: when traveling, if you are open to it, anything can happen and at breakneck speed. Not 30 minutes after sitting in a random sun lounger, I was enjoying an Albanian feast with new friends. This was not just a marker of being open to new experiences and accepting invitations but also a testament to the hospitality that is rampant in Albania.