April-May 2024
So, here we go. In the first article of this series, we covered everything about a three-week road trip in Albania from a practical point of view. In the second article, we discussed a short city-break in Tirana. Now it’s time to hit the road and discover the country. I confess that deciding on the articles’ division wasn’t an easy task. I wanted to keep the chronological order, but since we were stuck in a messed-up transport situation, to make things easier, we will jump directly to the part where we rented a car and started the trip from square one, which means from Tirana Airport. Just a quick reminder that all these troubles were described in detail in the general article, as well as our day-by-day itinerary (or jump straight to this map). In this article, we will explore the Northern part of Albania, including Cape Rodonit, Shkodër and its fantastic Lake Shkodër, the Albanian Alps, and many other beautiful sites. Don’t forget to take a raincoat and a swimsuit.
Cape Rodonit
Due to our car-scooter misadventures, our day started on a bad note with a super early bus from Vlorë to Tirana, car rental paperwork, and a general state of frustration. We were in desperate need of some chill time. That’s why the first thing we did after getting a properly functioning vehicle was to find the nearest beach possible. This turned out to be near Durrës (a town we ignored completely) in an area filled with hotel complexes. It was quite empty on this final day of April, except for some elderly German tourists on the chaise longues. Later, we would discover some truly beautiful beaches further south, but the small pause we made at San Pietro beach was a very welcomed one.
Beach wildlife
It pains to say, but behind all these beautiful pictures (said I humbly) hides trash. All the time and everywhere. It’s just a part of Albanian scenery and I do hope this problem will be solved soon, especially with the tourism rapidly gaining speed.
Before heading towards Cape Rodonit, we stopped for some food. “Peshk deti i fresket nori” was the best thing we could have wished for on this occasion—a small family restaurant with fresh fish, good prices, and beautiful surroundings. We wholeheartedly recommend it.
Full and happy, we parked near Rodonit Beach, and the rest of the day was pure bliss. This was our first proper beach time, although the beach looked as if a heavy hurricane had hit it—furniture, chaise longues, and sinks were scattered around, slowly rusting. The beach itself is not the best part of Cape Rodonit. We followed a hiking trail, and what we saw next was indeed the highlight. Beautiful nature (with some XXL bunkers smelling of piss) with Montenegro on the horizon and the ruins of Rodoni Castle—all this was ours alone to explore. However, I suspect that during the tourist season, this place is not as empty as we were lucky to find it.
Hover with your mouse to see a bad surprise
Rodoni Castle
Naively, we thought we’d have enough time to visit Krujë on our way back from Cape Rodonit and before heading to Shkodër, but it was absolutely unrealistic. It’s a shame because the town looked very cute, though during our exploration of Albania, we did get our share of castles and charming towns. Next time, perhaps? Meanwhile, we enjoyed the beautiful countryside roads bathed in the warm sunset light all the way to Shkodër.
Evening stroll
Shkodër
Shkodër, Shkodra, or Scutari (!)—conquered us at once. Bicycles were everywhere, and as obsessed cyclists (have you seen our site’s logo?), we couldn’t stay indifferent to Shkodër’s identity as a cycling city. Besides the bikes, Shkodër also turned out to be a young and vibrant city with a beautiful, albeit small, city center filled with dozens of hip cafés and cute restaurants. We immediately found our “official” breakfast spot (Dream Food) and our go-to patisserie café, staying loyal to them throughout our time in the town. Believe it or not, we got a bit tired of byreks for breakfast after a week in Albania. Although Shkodër has some good museums and galleries, we didn’t visit any of them—our planning let us down again. I regret not going to the National Museum of Photography. If you have visited it, please tell us in the comments how you found it!
Bicycles everywhere = happy Independent People
Shkodër outside the Old Town
There was one thing we couldn’t miss for the world—Rozafa Castle. Perched high on a hill overlooking the city of Shkodër, it is a must-visit spot for anyone traveling to the area. The fortress dates back to ancient times and offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding landscapes, including Lake Skadar and the Albanian Alps. According to local legend, the castle walls stood firm thanks to the self-sacrifice of a woman named Rozafa, who was buried alive within the structure. Exploring Rozafa Castle, you’ll find crumbling walls, old stone pathways, and lots of greenery. We spent quite a while in the castle and its yard, painting and watching kids play football. This might not be the most impressive castle in Albania (see our article about Berat and Gjirokastra (coming soon)), but it’s the one I definitely liked the most.
Sketching Albania
Another Shkodër-related regret is not pushing a bit further to see the beautiful Mesi Bridge. We did get a chance to see an Ottoman bridge later, but I still feel like this one is a missed opportunity.
Time for some serious heavy lifting. Lake Skadar (also known as Lake Shkodër) completely blew our minds. Straddling the border between Albania and Montenegro, it’s the largest lake in Southern Europe and a true gem for nature lovers. Surrounded by mountains and wetlands, the landscape is incredibly picturesque—it’s so beautiful I could cry (and I think I actually did!). It’s a very chill place, and if birdwatching is one of your interests, Lake Skadar is the best spot to spend your time. We absolutely loved it, and the fish dinner we had from the lake was one of the highlights of our entire gastronomic experience in Albania. I just wish it had been a bit warmer so we could have gone for a swim, but even without that, our time by the lake was perfect.
Shiroka
Real Te Hilmia – a restaurant on the Shkodër lake serving fish meals to die for. Truly.
Theth
The next day, we had a tight schedule as we were heading deep into the Albanian Alps to Theth. Apparently, Theth had only recently become easily accessible by road—according to blogs and guidebooks, without a 4×4, it was nearly impossible to get there. But as I mentioned, the growing interest in Albania has brought some changes, so here we were, tackling some serious serpentine roads to reach the heart of the Albanian North. If you have a sensitive stomach, definitely think about bringing motion sickness pills!
Alas, this day trip started with a drastic change in the weather. While rain in the mountains in April isn’t surprising, we were NOT prepared for the pouring deluge we encountered upon arriving in Theth.
Waiting for the rain to stop
Guest House Gjelaj – another perfect food experience with some montain meals from locally sourced produce and good wine.
The Church of Theth
Reconciliation Tower
We didn’t expect to spend half our time in Theth hiding from the rain, but hey—better to have rain here than down at the beach, right? Once we accepted that no one was leaving Theth dry, we set out for a small hike to see the Theth Waterfall. It was a great walk, even if it was dark and wet. 🙂 By the way, if we had come to Albania later—say, in June—the hiking options would have been much broader since the ice on the mountains would have melted by then. But walking to this beautiful waterfall was more than enough for us.
Theth Waterfall
Hover the photo with your mouse!
Like the rest of the country, Theth is obviously changing—new hotels and restaurants are opening sporadically to welcome the ever-growing number of tourists. I sincerely hope this won’t affect Theth’s mysterious peace.
The road to Lake Koman – the most horrible road we experienced in Albania
Lake Koman
One of the experiences we were both looking forward to was taking a ferry across Lake Koman. It’s a much more scenic way to reach the eastern part of the North and drive to Valbonë instead of taking the route through Pukë. Although the ferry departure point isn’t far from Shkodër, the road is absolutely terrible—like, really AWFUL. So be sure to set off well in advance to navigate all the holes and bumps along the way (bitter laughter). Also, make sure to book your spot on the ferry; it was easy for us since we traveled off-season, but in the summer, it might be trickier.
Once you’re on the ferry, you’ll have about 2.5 hours to enjoy the stunning green views of Lake Koman. They say it’s one of the most beautiful ferry rides in Europe, and I can easily see it making that list. If it weren’t for the trash—floating plastic bottles and cigarette butts can really spoil the beauty of nature, but I repeat myself.
Green and flufy
Valbonë
Once we arrived in Fierzë, it was time to drive to the next famous Alpine spot—Valbonë. I must confess that by then we were somewhat saturated by the beauty of Komani and Theth, or maybe the weather played against us again, but Valbonë didn’t impress us as much. We did have another amazing meal at Hotel Rilindja, but other than that, we weren’t in the mood for much else. I imagine that in the summer, Valbonë is a paradise for hiking and outdoor activities. If you’re really into hiking, you could even walk from Theth to Valbonë or vice versa (or even do a return trip like Along Dusty Roads!). However, in the first week of May, it would be dangerous and just as wet as what we experienced in Theth.
Hotel Rilindja
After a couple of hours of lazy strolling in Valbonë Valley, which included some beautiful turquoise lakes in the forest and other relaxing moments in nature, we were ready to leave. If I had to choose between Theth and Valbonë, I’d probably vote for Theth, but why not enjoy both after all?
Kukës
The final stop in the article about the North of Albania is Kükes. You’ll hardly find it in any guidebook recommendations, and frankly, it left a rather morbid impression. However, I felt a lot of warmth towards this place because of its sad history. Kükes was rebuilt from scratch after Hoxha had the bright idea to flood the old town to create an artificial lake. No further comments needed.
On our way to Kukës
We didn’t stay long in Kukës—just a night in a random hotel and hardly an hour in the morning. It was raining again, and we had a long drive ahead to Lake Ohrid, where the next part of our journey begins. In total, we spent four full days in the northern part of Albania, but we could have easily spent more time—Lake Shkodër and the outdoor activities in the mountains deserve extra attention. Stay tuned, and see you in the next article—join us as we head to the East of Albania!
Also, we are always happy to see your feedback! Don’t hesitate to leave us a comment with your own experience or any questions you might have about our trip! 🙂
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