Walking Albania's Coastal Trails — Self-Launched

Land at Tirana International Airport and take the Rinas Express airport bus into the city centre (~400 lek / £3.50, 30-40 min) rather than a private transfer. Check into a guesthouse or budget hotel near Skanderbeg Square. Spend the afternoon walking the capital on foot: the colourful facades of Pazari i Ri market (great for byrek and fresh figs), the House of Leaves surveillance museum (~£4 entry), and the Blloku district for dinner. Plan your hiking days over a beer and download offline GPX tracks for the Karaburun and Qeparo sections.

🚌Rinas Express airport bus ~£3.50

🛏Family-run guesthouse or budget hotel in central Tirana (£20-30 double / £12-18 dorm)

• →Rinas Express airport bus
• →Pazari i Ri market walk
• →House of Leaves museum
• →Blloku dinner

Take a morning furgon or bus from Tirana's South & North Bus Terminal to Vlora (~4-4.5 hrs, 800-1,000 lek / £7-9). Drop bags at a guesthouse near the old town, then take a local bus or taxi (~£6) out to Sherishte village and walk the ridge path down to Kanina Castle, with views over Vlora Bay and the Karaburun headland. Finish with an early evening stroll on the Lungomare promenade and a cheap seafood dinner. Take a typical Albanian lunch (tavë kosi, grilled vegetables) at a village restaurant en route — no need for a set group lunch.

🚌Tirana-Vlora bus ~£8; local bus/taxi to Sherishte ~£6

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Vlora old town (£15-25 double / £10-15 dorm)

• →Furgon Tirana to Vlora
• →Self-guided walk Sherishte to Kanina Castle (2-3 hrs)
• →Lungomare sunset stroll
• →Typical Albanian lunch

The Karaburun Sazan Marine Park hike is the trip's big wild day. Rather than a guided group, either (a) take a shared boat taxi from Vlora harbour toward the Karaburun coast (~£25-35 return, split between several travellers) and walk a coastal section of the peninsula, or (b) bus up to Llogara National Park (~£4) and do the marked Llogara-to-Gramma or Llogara viewpoint trails, which several tour reviews named the trip's best walk. Afterwards, catch an afternoon furgon down the coast to Himara (~1.5 hrs, ~£4) and settle into a guesthouse near the beach.

🚌Shared boat taxi ~£30 or bus to Llogara ~£4; Llogara-Himara bus ~£4

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Himara (~£15-25 double / £10-15 dorm)

• →Karaburun Peninsula coastal walk or Llogara National Park trails
• →Llogara pass viewpoint
• →Furgon to Himara

Take a short local boat from Himara or Jale to the otherwise road-inaccessible Gjipe Bay (~£10-15 return, boats run in season; arrange the return time with the skipper). From the canyon mouth, walk the coastal path via Livadi Bay up to the half-abandoned village of Old Himara and its castle ruins — a 4-5 hr walk with swimming stops. Return down to the coast and back to Himara by bus or a pre-booked taxi (~£8). In shoulder season, rent a kayak or paddleboard at Gjipe instead.

🚌Local boat to Gjipe ~£12; return taxi/bus ~£8

🛏Same Himara guesthouse

• →Boat to Gjipe Bay
• →Self-guided hike Gjipe to Old Himara via Livadi Bay
• →Himara Castle ruins
• →Swim stop / kayak hire

Take a morning furgon toward Lukove (~30-40 min, ~£2-3) and walk the old stone-shepherd trail south along the ridge to Buneci Beach, then on to Borsh with its long shingle strand and castle above town — 5-6 hrs, bring water, sunscreen and a packed lunch, as there's little on the way. Catch a late-afternoon bus or shared taxi back to Himara (~£2-3). If you want company or reassurance on route-finding, a local guide can be hired through Himara guesthouses for roughly £30-40 for the day.

🚌Local bus to Lukove ~£3; return bus Borsh-Himara ~£3

🛏Same Himara guesthouse

• →Furgon to Lukove
• →Lukove-Buneci-Borsh ridge hike (5-6 hrs)
• →Borsh beach & castle
• →Optional local guide ~£35

Take the morning bus or shared furgon to Kudhes village (~£2-3) and descend the old mule path through olive groves to the ruined hillside village of Old Qeparo, then down to Qeparo beach for a swim and a long lunch of grilled fish. Return to Himara by bus in the late afternoon (~£2). A gentler 4-5 hr day — good for resting legs before the transfer back to the capital.

🚌Bus to Kudhes ~£3; return bus from Qeparo ~£2

🛏Same Himara guesthouse

• →Kudhes to Old Qeparo mule path hike
• →Qeparo beach swim
• →Seaside lunch

Take an early furgon or bus from Himara toward Tirana and break the journey at Tepelena to visit the Ali Pasha Fortress above the Vjosa gorge (~£3 entry, 1-1.5 hrs). Note that some long-distance services don't stop on request, so either take a Himara-Gjirokaster bus and connect, or a direct Himara-Tirana service and skip Tepelena for a longer lunch stop in Berat alternatives. Arrive Tirana late afternoon (~6-7 hrs total, ~£10-12), check back into a guesthouse and do a self-guided wander of the city centre at dusk.

🚌Himara-Tirana buses/furgons ~£11

🛏Family-run guesthouse or budget hotel in central Tirana (£20-30 double / £12-18 dorm)

• →Ali Pasha Fortress, Tepelena
• →Self-guided Tirana orientation walk
• →Optional group-style dinner with fellow travellers from the hostel

Breakfast, then the Rinas Express airport bus back to the airport (~£3.50). If your flight is later, use the morning for the Bunk'Art 1 Cold War bunker or the National History Museum (~£4-5 each).

🚌Rinas Express airport bus ~£3.50

🛏—

• →Airport bus
• →Optional Bunk'Art 1 or National History Museum