Tirana to Corfu: Ancient Towns & the Albanian Riviera — Self-Launched

Fly into Tirana (TIA) and take the Rinas Express airport bus to Skanderbeg Square (~300 lek / £2.50, roughly 30-40 mins). Check into a central hostel or budget guesthouse in the Blloku or Qendër area. In the late afternoon do your own orientation loop: Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque with its clock tower, the Pyramid and the colourful painted facades along Rruga Murat Toptani. Grab a cheap byrek and a coffee, then dinner at a traditional tavërna in Blloku (tavë kosi or fërgesë, ~£5-8). No fixed plan needed — just get your bearings.

🚌Airport shuttle bus TIA–Skanderbeg Square ~£2.50; everything else on foot

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, central Tirana (£12-18)

• →Skanderbeg Square & Et'hem Bey Mosque (free)
• →Self-guided orientation walk: Pyramid, Blloku, Toptani
• →Cheap local dinner in Blloku

Book a small-group Albanian cooking class through GetYourGuide or a local operator (searchable as 'Tirana cooking class', typically £25-35 for 3-4 hours including lunch — look for ones that visit the New Bazaar for ingredients). You'll make dishes like byrek, tavë kosi and qofte, and eat the results for lunch. In the afternoon visit Bunk'Art 1 or Bunk'Art 2 (entry ~£5 each, the underground nuclear bunkers turned museums) or the National History Museum. Evening free — try the craft beer bars around Blloku.

🚌Walking / city bus (£0.35 per ride)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Tirana (£12-18)

• →Albanian cooking class incl. lunch (~£30)
• →Bunk'Art 1 or 2 museum (~£5)
• →New Bazaar wander (free)

Take an early furgon (shared minibus) or bus from Tirana's North/South bus terminal to Krujë, about 1 hour (~200-300 lek / £2-3). Spend 2-3 hours walking the old bazaar — one of Albania's oldest — and climbing up to Krujë Castle and the Skanderbeg Museum (£3). Then continue by bus/furgon back through Tirana or direct connections down to Berat (total ~3-4 hours, ~£5-7). Check into a guesthouse in the Mangalem or Gorica quarter. In the late afternoon walk up to Berat Castle, still inhabited, for sunset over the 'town of a thousand windows' (free, or £1-2 if a museum inside is open). Dinner at a family guesthouse — try the local wines.

🚌Furgon Tirana–Krujë ~£2.50; Krujë–Berat via Tirana ~£5-7 (3-4 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse in Mangalem/Gorica, Berat (£15-20)

• →Krujë old bazaar & castle climb (free)
• →Skanderbeg Museum (~£3)
• →Berat Castle & Mangalem quarter walk (free)

Take a morning bus from Berat to Vlorë (~2.5 hours, ~£5). The Vjosë-Nartë Delta Protected Area is just north of Vlorë — reachable by local bus towards Nartë plus a walk, or a cheap taxi (~£8). Look for the 13th-century Byzantine monastery of Shën Mëri and the lagoon birdlife. In the afternoon head to the village of Tragjas, where local families run shepherd-outpost hikes (ask your Himarë or Vlorë guesthouse, or arrange direct with a Tragjas agrotourism family — expect ~£20-25 including a homemade lunch of cheese, lamb, bread and raki). Alternatively, contact a small local operator via GetYourGuide for a 'Tragjas shepherd hike'. Afterwards continue by bus or furgon to Himarë (~45 mins, ~£2), check into a beachside guesthouse and walk the old town and castle hill in the evening.

🚌Berat–Vlorë bus ~£5; local bus/taxi to Nartë ~£2-8; Vlorë–Himarë bus ~£2

🛏Beachside guesthouse or hostel, Himarë (£15-20)

• →Vjosë-Nartë Delta wetlands & Shën Mëri monastery (free)
• →Shepherd outpost hike from Tragjas with lunch (~£22)
• →Himarë old town & castle walk (free)

A full free day. Laze on Himarë's main town beach or walk/bus 15 minutes to Livadh or Filikuri for clearer water. Sunbeds are typically £3-5 for the day if you want one, otherwise bring a towel. Optional extras: a boat trip to the sea caves and Grama Bay (~£15-20 booked locally at the harbour), or hike the coastal path towards Pilur for views over the Ionian. Dinner of fresh seafood and Greek-influenced Albanian food along the promenade (~£8-12).

🚌Walk / local minibus to Livadh (~£1)

🛏Beachside guesthouse or hostel, Himarë (£15-20)

• →Beach & swimming (free)
• →Optional boat trip to Grama Bay caves (~£18)
• →Coastal hike to Pilur (free)

Take the morning bus down the coast from Himarë to Sarandë (~1.5 hours, ~£3). If time allows, wander Sarandë's promenade and the ruins of Butrint (bus from Sarandë ~30 mins, entry ~£8) — worth it if you catch an afternoon ferry instead. Book your ferry in advance with Ionian Seaways or Finikas Lines (Sarandë–Corfu, ~30-90 mins, around £20-25 one way; bring your passport for the Greek border check). On arrival in Corfu Town, take local bus No. 2 or a short walk to your hostel in the old town. Evening: an optional farewell dinner in the old town and drinks in the bars around Liston and the Campiello — Corfu Town has a lively, cheap-ish nightlife.

🚌Bus Himarë–Sarandë ~£3; ferry Sarandë–Corfu ~£22; Corfu local bus ~£1.50

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Corfu Town (£20-28)

• →Sarandë promenade (free)
• →Optional Butrint archaeological park (~£8)
• →Ferry crossing to Corfu (~£22)
• →Corfu old town bars & farewell dinner

Morning free in Corfu Town: the Old Fortress (entry ~£5), the Liston arcade, the Church of Saint Spyridon and the narrow Campiello lanes, plus a proper Greek coffee and bougatsa. If you have a later flight, a local bus to Glyfada or Kontokali beach takes about 20-30 minutes (~£2). Corfu Airport (CFU) is a 10-minute bus or ~£10 taxi from the old town. Depart at any time — or extend a couple of nights here if the Ionian is calling.

🚌Corfu local bus to airport ~£1.50, or taxi ~£10

🛏Departure day (or add a night in Corfu Town hostel £20-28)

• →Old Fortress (~£5)
• →Corfu old town self-guided walk (free)
• →Optional beach trip to Glyfada (~£2 transport)