Road/track conditions in Albania: recommended routes?

Good evening! The roads in Albania are generally good, but if you take secondary roads, you’ll need a 4x4 (especially in the North and East of the country, though not everywhere). I can recommend any itinerary based on your arrival point (Kakavia, Tri Urat, Mavromat, or Sarandë), the number of days you have for your trip, and the type of tourism you’re interested in. Don’t hesitate to contact me 24/7.

Thanks Guidefree. We're still in the planning phase of our trip. We'll be entering Albania from Greece and want to spend about ten days there. We love nature, architecture, archaeological sites, crafts, meeting locals, and traveling off the beaten path (if possible). We always travel independently (as a couple) with a rental car (which is why I asked about whether a 4x4 is necessary). Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Pretty much ALL the interesting sites (Shkodra-Gjirokastra-Kruja-Berat, etc.) are accessible via good roads (info from July 2011), not to mention the central highway (Fier-Tirana). The coastal road from Greece is brand new (and thankfully so, given the impressive drops!). The road toward Ohrid and Macedonia via Pogradec is also good, but it winds a lot. The only exception to this "idyllic" picture: the interior of the Albanian Alps, toward Theth for example—there, it's HORRIBLE

Thanks so much. Your information will be really helpful.

We love nature

there are plastic bags everywhere, Albanians throw their trash in front of the bin...

there are plastic bags everywhere, Albanians throw their trash in front of the bin...

As opposed to...?

I just got back from a road trip in Albania (May 2012) on a touring motorcycle. Here’s the state of the roads I had the chance to take: - Durrës–Tirana "highway" lined with all kinds of shops and crossed by pedestrians and herds. Very passable but be cautious. The surface is average but no major issues. - Durrës–Fier–Vlorë–Sarandë (coastal road). Highway from Durrës to Vlorë, then a well-paved road from Vlorë to Sarandë. City crossings can hold surprises—rough patches, potholes. - Tirana–Elbasan–Pogradec: Small but decently paved road from Tirana to Elbasan, then wider from Elbasan to Lin. From Lin to Pogradec, construction starts, and depending on the progress, it can get tricky. - Pogradec–Korçë: No problems. - Korçë–Voskopoje: Contrary to what the only French guide says, the road is bad from Korçë to Voskop and only redone after Voskop. But it’s doable at low speed. - Korçë–Leskovik–Përmet: The guide is way off here—I took 7 hours to cover 130 km. But it’s passable, and the landscapes are absolutely worth it. - Përmet–Tepelenë: Fine. - Fier–Tepelenë: A lot of work has been completed; the road is generally good, but there were still ongoing projects (far from finished) on 15 km north of Tepelenë. Very tough but possible. - Tepelenë–Gjirokastër: Very good, newly paved. - Gjirokastër–Sarandë: Great when you’re on the road heading toward Greece. After the intersection, it degrades and gets narrower but remains very passable. - From Sarandë to Greece by the coast: Good from Sarandë to Butrint despite three unpaved sections of about a hundred meters each. Then you cross a basic ferry and take a road that gradually worsens, ending in a dirt track for 2 km before connecting to the second possible route. Second route—less scenic but much better paved. It starts from the Gjirokastër road.

The Montenegro–Tirana or Durrës route doesn’t seem to pose any problems.

As a general rule, you can encounter a pothole on any type of road. Never follow a truck or van too closely to spot the pavement issues ahead. In cities, stay extra alert—holes can be very deep, sometimes from missing manhole covers.

I didn’t go to the northeast toward the Kosovar border. It’s strongly advised to avoid that area. Everywhere I went, I felt completely safe and didn’t run into any issues. In the south, people are extremely friendly. Life is very affordable for everyday needs—fuel, hotels, restaurants, cafés...

Happy travels!

Well, unfortunately, no, we won’t be visiting Albania after all. Now that we have your precious, ultra-detailed info—thank you so much—we’ve learned for sure that it’s completely impossible to leave Greece with a rental vehicle! It’s a huge disappointment for us. We’re reworking our entire trip, all because Albania and North Macedonia aren’t (yet) EU members: 😕😕🙁🙁😠😠😠😠😠😠

Love the Greeks, though!!!!

Your tips will come in handy another time—we never give up. Thanks again.

hi, I just saw your message about road conditions in Albania. You went by motorcycle—my plan is to travel through Albania in September with a car and a caravan. Are all the roads you mentioned passable with a caravan and a vehicle (307 SW)? Thanks

Hello, I just saw your message about road conditions in Albania. You went by motorcycle—my plan is to travel through Albania in September with a car and a caravan. Are all the roads you mentioned passable with a caravan and a vehicle (307 SW)? Thanks

Hi, The only one that seems tricky with a caravan is the road following the Greek border from Korçë to Përmet. It’s narrow and badly damaged, especially leaving Leskovik toward Përmet. The coastal road is no problem, nor is the road from Tirana to Lake Ohrid. Also avoid the construction on the Fier-Tepelenë road, the last 15 km. Maybe it’ll be finished by then? Have a great trip—it’s an amazing country.

Hi there, we spent 3 great weeks this summer Ancona - Igoumenitsa - Albania - Montenegro - Split - Ancona Our route in Albania: Butrint - Sarandë - Vlorë - Fier - Berat - Gjirokastër - Përmet - Leskovik - Korçë - Ohrid - Tirana - Durrës - Krujë - Burrel - Peshkopi - Kukës - Fier - Koman Lake - Bajram Curri - Shkodër

We’re traveling in a camper van equipped with a motorhome setup. The road conditions are much better than you might expect. You can find campgrounds, gas stations even in remote areas, ATMs in all small towns, restaurants everywhere, and car wash stations too.

Happy to share more info if you need!

Hi there, 😉 Could you share any GPS points or other details for different campgrounds, along with their prices, please? Thanks!

Hi there,

You can find quite a bit of info online. Campsites are around 15–20 € for two people.

We did about 1/3 wild camping and the rest at campsites—you’ll find plenty of info on the site below. Everywhere we went, we saw the spots listed, so the info is reliable.

http://fr.camping.info/albanie/campings

Here are the places we stopped at, but we pretty much covered all of Albania except the Montenegro border:

In the south: - Blue Eye site (wild camping, but there are small bungalows) - Totoreto by the sea - Farma Sotira in the mountains: http://www.farmasotira.com/thecomplex.html - Pesku on Lake Ohrid

Central Albania: - Oasis Ala Chiesa (religious community) - Paemer - Near Tirana: Hotel Baron (we actually got a great air-conditioned room for 20 €). When coming from Elbasan after passing Petrelë Castle, take the old road to the right instead of the newly built four-lane highway.

North: - Camping Albania: http://www.camping-albania.eu/

Honestly, you won’t find any regions without villages, restaurants, or fuel stations.

It’s hard to give a full answer like this—feel free to ask for more details if you need them!

If you’d like, we can also connect by phone.

Best,

Hello, I just saw your message about road conditions in Albania. You went by motorcycle—my plan is to travel through Albania in September with a car and a caravan. Are all the roads you mentioned passable with a caravan and a vehicle (307 SW)? Thanks

Hello, The only one that seems tricky with a caravan is the road following the Greek border from Korçë to Permet. It’s narrow and badly damaged, especially on the stretch from Leskovik toward Permet. The coastal road is no problem at all, nor is the road from Tirana to Lake Ohrid. Also avoid the construction on the Fier-Tepelene road, specifically the last 15 km. Maybe it’ll be finished by then? Have a great trip—it’s an amazing country.

Thanks for the info! We went to Albania with the caravan and avoided the Korçë-Permet road, thankfully—some campervanners got stuck there. It really is a wonderful country!

hi there we traveled through Albania this summer in our long Espace 3

No major issues—it’s true that some villages have slightly rough roads through them, but overall it’s fine. The Berat–Këlcyrë road is 4x4 only, and the southern route isn’t in great shape, but if you take your time, you can get through normally.

We did the coast from Berat to the Greek border, then Ohrid, Tirana, Kërçovë, Burel, Peshkopi, Fierze, Shkodër, and finished up in Montenegro.

Cheers

Worth noting difficult sections around Kukës (northeast) in 2011, still under construction, and in 2009 the southeast region (Dvoran, Selenicë, Ersekë, Borovë, Barnash...) which seemed quite neglected. The roads were passable but the area had high emigration and wasn’t yet set up for tourism. Beautiful mountainous scenery, passes, hamlets, shepherds, but at the time, no facilities and few shops. You had to take precautions for supplies. It seems the situation has changed? It’s true that Albanians are making efforts and counting on tourism to boost their economy. And even if the road network doesn’t always allow for fast travel, the distances aren’t very long (the country’s size is comparable to Belgium or Brittany).

A huge thank you to Patrice12 for his detailed description of the road conditions in Albania. Even a year later, this information will be extremely useful to us. And we’ll update these details. Anyway, this is a really well-done and helpful comment—congratulations and thanks. Bertrand

Hi, we’re planning to travel from our hotel in Tepelenë to Osum Canyon, then pass through Berat before reaching another hotel in Golem. What’s the condition of the road between Tepelenë and Osum Canyon? Is it possible to take it with a rental car (Mercedes Vito), please? Thanks for your reply.

Sandra

Hi there,

we’re planning to go from our hotel in Tepelenë to Osum Canyon, then pass through Berat before heading to another hotel in Golem.

I’m afraid you’ll need to go to Golem first, then Berat, and finish at Osum Canyon, since the paved road ends at the end of the canyon.

What’s the condition of the road between Tepelenë and Osum Canyon? Is it possible to take it with a rental car (Mercedes Vito), please?

I was in Albania in September/October 2023. Coming from Berat, we followed the road along Osum Canyon to the end (Lapanj). We hiked in the canyon on foot, then drove back to the end of the paved road. After that, it’s a track (leading to Permet)—it seemed "doable" to me, but given the "4x4 only" sign, we turned back toward Berat. Since then, the pavement might have been extended...

PS: In the canyon (at Cerenisht), there’s a really nice guesthouse (great welcome and good food!) with a view of the canyon—Guesthouse Bracaj.