Albania in 4 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Four days is Tirana, Berat, and Gjirokaster, then the drive back, still short of the coast but long enough to do Albania’s two UNESCO hill towns properly instead of rushing one. Pay in LEK, not euros, for the same roughly 5% saving that applies to every purchase here. Fly into TIA and budget EUR 30-55 a day backpacker to modest style, more once the scheduled bus fares between towns are added in.
Shorter trip? See the 3-day version . Ready for the coast? The 5-day itinerary adds Saranda and Butrint.
Book these before you go:
- A guesthouse in Tirana : for arrival and departure nights
- A room in Berat : near the castle for the Mangalem view
- A room in Gjirokaster : the old stone houses inside the bazaar are worth the extra few hundred lek over a modern hotel
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Daily cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tirana: Skanderbeg Square, Bunk’Art 2, Blloku | none, arrival day | ~1,600-2,600 LEK plus lodging |
| 2 | Berat: castle grounds, Onufri Museum, Mangalem | ~2-2.5h from Tirana | ~450 LEK transit, ~450 LEK museum |
| 3 | Gjirokaster: castle, Cold War bunker, stone old town | ~2.5-3h from Berat | ~1,200 LEK bus, ~800 LEK castle/bunker/museum |
| 4 | Drive or bus back to Tirana, depart | ~3-4h | fuel share, or ~1,200 LEK direct bus |
Day 1: Tirana on foot
Land at TIA, take the Rinas Express shuttle into Skanderbeg Square for a flat fare around EUR 4, and drop your bags. The square is free; Bunk’Art 2 underneath it runs roughly 900-1,000 LEK with an audio guide (listings disagree on the exact number, confirm at the door). Evening in Blloku costs roughly EUR 8-12 for a sit-down meal with a drink, less at a byrek counter.
Day 2: Berat, City of a Thousand Windows
The furgon or scheduled bus runs roughly 400-500 LEK one way, 2 to 2.5 hours. The general castle entry fee is waived across most 2026 listings, though confirm this on arrival since it’s genuinely in flux; the Onufri Museum inside still costs roughly 400-500 LEK. Walk Mangalem’s stacked windows, cross to Gorica, and eat tave kosi at a family-run spot for roughly 600-900 LEK.
Day 3: Gjirokaster, the stone city
The scheduled bus from Berat runs roughly EUR 12 (about 1,200 LEK) for a fixed roughly 3-hour departure, twice daily; a direct drive covers the same ~175km in about 2.5 hours. Gjirokaster’s castle costs roughly 400 LEK, the Cold War-era bunker inside another 200 LEK, and the weapons museum a further 200 LEK, roughly 800 LEK for all three. It’s part of the same UNESCO listing as Berat, inscribed in 2005 with Berat added as an extension in 2008. Wander the bazaar for the evening; a full meal runs roughly EUR 8-12.
Is four days enough to reach Gjirokaster and back? Enough to see it properly, not enough to also touch the coast. Four days covers Tirana, Berat, and Gjirokaster with one night each, then a full travel day back to Tirana. Trying to squeeze in Saranda or Butrint on top turns day four into a genuine slog; that’s what the 5-day version is for.
Furgon or scheduled bus, which is cheaper Berat to Gjirokaster? The scheduled bus, oddly enough, at roughly EUR 12 for a fixed roughly 3-hour departure twice a day. A furgon on this specific leg isn’t meaningfully cheaper and comes with no timetable, so unless you’re chasing the very lowest fare, book the scheduled bus and plan the rest of the day around a known arrival time.
Day 4: Back to Tirana
Driving direct back to Tirana takes roughly 3-4 hours; the scheduled bus runs a similar fare to the Berat leg, around 1,200 LEK. Drivers can add a short stop at the Apollonia ruins near Fier on the way; bus travelers should go straight through to make an evening flight.
Book the direct Gjirokaster-Tirana bus a day ahead in peak summer; it can fill up, and the alternative is a slower multi-leg furgon day you didn’t budget for.