Albania & the Balkans: How to Plan a Multi-Country Trip

Few regions pack as much variety into such short distances as the Balkans. Albania sits at the heart of it — within a day's drive you can be in Montenegro's fjord-like Bay of Kotor, Kosovo's Ottoman-era towns, North Macedonia's lake country, or on a ferry to Corfu. Here is how to combine them well.

The classic combination is Albania plus Montenegro. Cross the border at Shkodra into Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor — a drowned river canyon lined with medieval towns — is barely two hours away. Add Budva's beaches and the mountain roads of Durmitor and you have one of Europe's most scenic loops.

“The Balkans are not seven countries — they are one journey with seven accents.”

Eastwards, Kosovo surprises almost everyone: Prizren's stone bridges and mosques, the Rugova Gorge, and a young, café-filled capital in Prishtina. From there, North Macedonia is a short drive — Skopje's bazaar, then Ohrid, the ancient lakeside town often called the Balkans' Jerusalem.

South and over the water, Corfu pairs perfectly with the Albanian Riviera. The ferry from Saranda to Corfu Town takes around 70 minutes, making a two-country beach holiday effortless — Greek island mornings, Albanian coast evenings.

Borders in the Western Balkans are straightforward for most nationalities, and several countries are in or aligned with the Schengen system — a single Schengen visa can cover much of the route. Our advice: don't chase too many capitals. Pick two or three countries, travel slowly between them, and let the region's famous hospitality do the rest. That's how the best Balkan journeys are built.