Interested in a long weekend (or more) outside of Tirana? This is my ultimate guide to a long weekend in the Albanian Alps (Theth)!
During my most recent stay in Tirana (see here for my best tips and recommendations for Tirana!), we ended up on a spontaneous long weekend in the Albanian Alps.
Here is my guide on how to get to the mountains, where to stay, where to eat, and what to do!
Overall Travel Tips for the Albanian Alps
What is the best season for the Albanian Alps?
My disclaimer for this post is that I went to Theth in end of March/beginning of April, which is definitely not peak season. I was very nervous going into it that it would be too early in the season, there would be too much snow, the driving would be too difficult, etc etc. However, it ended up being amazing! As you can tell from the picture above, it definitely was not the picturesque green mountains that you see in some pictures if you go off-season, it still is really beautiful and there is still hiking and exploring that can be done.
All to say, peak season is generally June-September, with shoulder season being May and October. If you travel before May or after October, there is a risk of weather being bad and in the deep winter months it may be difficult or impossible to pass the mountain to drive into Theth (more on that below). If you are planning a trip to Albania just to go to the mountains, I’d recommend going from mid-May to mid-October. If you are more flexible and willing to have a last minute change in plans, it’s possible to have a great weekend in the mountains in March/April or later into October/November.
Should I rent a car? Or get a driver?
One of my biggest concerns going into this trip, especially as I was traveling off-season, was the drive from Tirana to Theth, particularly the last hour once you enter the mountain range itself. There is plenty of scary information on the web right now about how it’s “impossible” or “dangerous” to drive in the mountain road leading up the Theth.
I did not find this to be true. I’ll talk a bit more about how to get there below, but overall it wasn’t an easy road (at least for an American driver), but it was mostly fine. If you feel generally comfortable driving on more narrow mountain roads, you should be fine renting a car and driving on your own. Just make sure to get snow tires if you’re there before April (or even May)!
There are also options to get a driver or take shared transportation (buses, etc) from Shkoder (apparently about 15 euros and 2 hours), but I haven’t taken those so I can’t comment on how reliable and easy they are.
How to get there
We drove from Tirana to Theth, which is about a 3-3.5 hour drive. The road from Tirana to a bit after Shkoder (the first two hours or so) was easy. It is a well-built and easy highway road that is largely flat. Once you leave Shkoder and start driving on SH21, it starts getting a bit more difficult. The road gets a bit narrower, and you start climbing into the mountains.
As I said in the section above, the road to Theth isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t deter you from going to these beautiful mountains. The road itself is in good condition (it was redone and paved in the past several years), and it’s not ridiculously narrow. However, it is quite windy (lots of hairpin turns) and it gets narrower during the winter and early spring when snow is still on the roads. However, much of the road looks like the below (at least in late March).
You can see that higher up in the mountains there were large walls of snow on the sides of the road (higher than what you can see in the pictures), which were a bit scary considering they could collapse at any moment. But overall, the driving is only really difficult when someone comes from the opposite direction and you need to figure out how to pass each other on a narrow road.
But all in all, it’s not a bad drive. However, do budget for a good amount of time in the last 30km before Theth. When there are “traffic jams”, it can take a significant amount of time to drive a short distance.
Where to stay and what to do
When we were in the mountains, we stayed at Molla Guest House (pictured below), which we found to be wonderful. It’s an old house with an amazing view of the mountains, with about 10 refurbished rooms across three floors. The rooms have clearly been redone recently and are quite modern and well done.
In the guesthouse, most rooms are on the second or third floor (not a great place if you have mobility restrictions), and the living room/restaurant is on the ground floor. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, and they can make you lunch to go if you are going to be out all day hiking. The food itself is quite basic (mostly grilled meats, but with some vegetarian options), but it was good enough and great after a day out hiking. In warmer weather, there is also a beautiful outside space to eat and spend time when you’re not out and about.
Since we were there not during peak season, some hotels and accommodation were not available. Some other options we looked at included:
What I will say is that there is an outcropping of mini “chalets” in a triangle frame across the Theth area. They are quite small, but very modern and have huge glass windows for the view. They look great, and maybe some of them are great, but just a head’s up that they are often grouped together right next to each other, so you don’t get the isolated or peaceful vibe that you might want.
Best Hikes to do in the Albanian Alps
There are a ton of options of what types of hikes to do in the Theth area. However, here are some favorites (some we were able to do, and some not).
Valbona to Theth Pass – I have to mention this one, even though we weren’t able to do it, because it’s one of the most iconic hikes in the area. It’s about 17km and will take 6-8 hours. It is not accessible from the late fall until around May due to snowy conditions.
Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) – This is a famous hike in the area because it ends in a small body of water that is such a vibrant and bright blue, even in the early spring under wintery conditions.
The Blue Eye hike is not long (perhaps 45-60 minutes) and it is not extremely difficult, but there are stretches that require quite steep climbing. I have moderate-to-low fitness and I was able to do it, but I was definitely out of breath in several parts.
The hike is a straight there and back, and there is a large parking area right before the start of the trail. It was empty when we were there, but I can imagine it would fill up quickly in peak season, so I recommend getting there early.
Grunas Waterfall – Between the town of Theth and Blue Eye, there is another easier hike that takes you into a small canyon and to Grunas waterfall. The hike is also there and back, with it taking perhaps 45 minutes total. It is pretty flat and anyone with any level of fitness, as long as you don’t have mobility restrictions, should be able to do it.
If you are keen to spend a full day outside hiking, but maybe aren’t ready for a more difficult hike, a good option would be combining Grunas waterfall and Blue Eye. There is a path where you can do the Grunas waterfall hike and then continue and walk to the trailhead of Blue Eye, and then return the same way. We did not do this (it was a bit chilly), but I would imagine it would take at least four hours (there and back). The good news is that there are a lot of restaurants and cafes near both trails, considering their popularity, so there are a lot of places to stop and rest at the trailheads, or to stop for lunch afterwards.
Is Shköder worth visiting?
In short, yes because of it’s position between Theth and Tirana. But don’t plan on spending that much time there.
The town of Shkoder is great way to break up your trip back to Tirana (if you’re driving) for a walk and a lunch before continuing on. It’s about 1.5 hours from Theth (depending on how backed up the mountain road is) and it’s a nice town for a quick stop. We only stopped for lunch and did a bit of walk around so I can’t say we saw everything, but my impression is that it’s nice for a day trip or a stop, but not to spend significant time there.
Overall, we had an amazing long weekend in the Albanian Alps (even off season)! For my tips and recommendations on Tirana, see my post on Best Spots in Tirana here!
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