One Week in Albania with Kids: Berat, Gjirokastra & the Riviera

You drive on days 2 to 6 in a new automatic car delivered to your Tirana hotel. Our driver takes you from the airport on day 1 and from the Gjirokastra hotel to the airport on day 7, about 3 hours.

Compact SUV, SUV or van by party size (Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe, Staria or similar), fully insured, no deposit, no excess, extra drivers free. Minimum driver age 25, your national licence is enough. Fuel, tolls and parking are yours on self-drive, included with a private driver. Child seats €7 per day.

All ages welcome. Children pay the per-person price and count for the rooms, infants up to 2 travel free, cots on request. Berat, Gjirokastra and the Dhermi village have cobbles and steps, the guides adapt the walks.

Breakfast daily from day 2, the farm lunch near Roshnik on day 2 and the countryside dinner near Gjirokastra on day 6. Other meals are yours, we send family-friendly restaurant tips for every stop.

Shared boat from Himara, maximum 10 people, about 5 hours with swimming stops. If the sea is rough we move it to another coastal day. Water shoes help on the pebble beaches.

Light. Day 2 is about 5 hours with the Berat stop and lunch, day 6 about 2.5 hours. Days 3 and 5 have no driving unless you choose to.

April to October. June and September are the sweet spot for families: warm sea, quieter beaches, pools open. July and August are hottest and busiest. The boat moves to another day if the sea is rough.

Carry a refillable water bottle, take litter away and follow signed paths and park rules. Ask before photographing people and treat the historic neighbourhoods as places where people live and work.

This 7-day private self-drive trip from Tirana does it in three stops: one night in Tirana with a local guide, a guided morning in UNESCO Berat with a countryside lunch, four nights in Dhermi on the Riviera with a shared boat trip from Himara, and a last night in UNESCO Gjirokastra after the Blue Eye. You drive, local guides meet you, and we handle the transfers and the car.

InAlb, a Tirana-based operator, plans it for you. This page is our ready-made week: hotels, car, guides, the Himara boat and the transfers booked before you land, on your own dates from April to October. Tell us the children’s ages and we adjust the pace, the rooms and the beach time. Prices start at €850 per person, two sharing, infants up to 2 free.

You drive between the stops in a new automatic car, with local guides meeting you in Tirana, Berat and Gjirokastra and InAlb transfers on day 1 and day 7. If you would rather not drive, add a private driver for the whole week for €800 per vehicle in the booking box. With four nights in one coastal hotel the driving is light, so most families self-drive.

A new automatic car sized to your family: a compact SUV, SUV or van such as a Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe or Staria, or similar. It is fully insured with no deposit and no excess, so nothing is blocked on your card. Extra drivers are free. On the self-drive option you pay fuel, tolls and parking. Child seats cost €7 per day.

No. Your national driving licence is enough in Albania and no international permit is needed. The main driver must be 25 or over and extra drivers are free. There is no deposit and no excess, so nothing is blocked on your card. Albania drives on the right and the main roads on this route are good.

Both transfers are included, so day 1 and day 7 need no driving. Our driver meets you at Tirana airport and takes you to your hotel, where the car is delivered the next morning. On day 7 you leave the car at the Gjirokastra hotel and our transfer takes you to Tirana airport, about 3 hours, timed to your flight.

Not on the self-drive option: fuel, tolls and parking are paid by you along the way. The cost depends on your car and driving, so we do not quote a figure, but the self-drive days are short and days 1 and 7 are our transfers. If you add the private driver, fuel, tolls, parking and the driver’s own hotels and meals are all included in the €800.

You have 24/7 road support on WhatsApp. If the car has a problem, text us: we arrange your onward transfer and bring you a replacement car as quickly as the location allows, so the holiday continues. The car is fully insured with no excess, so a breakdown or minor damage costs you nothing.

Breakfast every morning from day 2, 6 in all, plus two meals of local cooking: a countryside lunch at a farm near Roshnik on day 2, after Berat, and a countryside dinner near Gjirokastra on day 6. The other lunches and dinners are yours, so you can eat by the beach when the children want. Tell us about allergies and children’s meal needs and we pass them to the hotels and the restaurants.

A shared boat from Himara, maximum 10 people, for about 5 hours along the Riviera towards Grama Bay: cliffs, small coves and sea caves, with swimming stops. It is included on day 4 and Himara is about 30 minutes from Dhermi. If the sea is rough, we move it to another coastal day. Bring swimwear, towels, hats and water shoes for the pebbles.

Six nights in 4-star hotels: a boutique hotel in Tirana, four nights in a coastal hotel in Dhermi with a pool and private beach access, and a stone-house hotel in the old town of Gjirokastra, or similar. Rooms are double, twin, triple or single, chosen in the booking box, with a cot or extra bed for small children on request. No vouchers, you are expected under your name.

Yes, all ages are welcome. Children pay the same per-person price as adults and count as a person for the room layout, for example two adults and two children in two doubles or a triple and a single. Infants up to 2 travel free and a cot is arranged on request. Child seats cost €7 per day. Where a walk is steep, in Berat or Gjirokastra, the guide adapts the route.

It works if you accept two longer driving days: about 5 hours on day 2 with the Berat stop and lunch, and about 2.5 hours on day 6. The four Dhermi nights are the heart of the week, with the pool, the beach and the boat. A child seat is €7 per day, infants up to 2 travel free, and we send the restaurant and beach tips that suit small children.

From €850 per person, two sharing, standard season, with a 30% deposit to book and the balance due 30 days before the trip. A single room adds €400. The booking box shows the exact price for your family, rooms and dates. International flights, fuel, child seats and travel insurance are extra. Infants up to 2 travel free.

Yes. This is a private tour, so you travel on your own dates and never share a room with strangers. One adult with children books as a party of that size in the booking box and the rooms set the price. A single room adds €400. If a second driver matters to you, extra drivers are free, or add the private driver for €800.

A 30% deposit secures the booking and the balance is due 30 days before departure. The deposit is not refundable. After the balance is paid you get it back in full 30 days or more before departure, 70% of it 15 to 29 days before, 50% of it 1 to 14 days before, and nothing on the day or for a no-show. Free rescheduling is possible for a valid reason at least a month ahead.

This is a private tour with departures on your chosen dates from April to October, booked at least 7 days ahead. June and September are the sweet spot for families: warm sea, quieter beaches and hotel pools open. July and August are hottest and busiest in Dhermi. Outside the season the coast hotels and the boats are closed, so we do not run it.

Day 2 is the long one, about 5 hours including the Berat stop and lunch. Day 4 is 30 minutes each way to Himara, day 6 about 2.5 hours to the Blue Eye and Gjirokastra, and day 7 is our transfer, about 3 hours. Days 3 and 5 have no driving unless you choose to. No hikes, but Berat, Gjirokastra and the old village of Dhermi have cobbles, slopes and steps.

Yes, as optional extras on day 6: a cooking class, traditional costume photographs, or a wood or stone carving workshop with local craftsmen in the bazaar. Tell us the children’s ages when booking and we confirm which fit, the price and the timing. Choose one, since the Blue Eye and the guided walk already fill most of the day.

Day 3 starts with a walk through the old hillside village of Dhermi, then the pool and the beach are yours. Day 5 is fully free: stay by the sea, or drive 45 to 60 minutes to Porto Palermo with its bay and castle, the stone village of Vuno or the old town of Himara. These are optional, with no tickets or guides booked unless you ask.

Yes. This is a private tour, so we can customise it before you travel: add a night in Tirana or Gjirokastra, swap a beach day for Butrint and Ksamil, add a workshop, upgrade the hotels or add the private driver. Tell us the children’s ages, your travel dates and your preferences and we confirm the arrangements and the price.

Families who want a full-time guide or supervised children’s activities every day, families who do not want to drive at all unless they add the private driver, and anyone who needs step-free access everywhere, since Berat, Gjirokastra and the Dhermi village have cobbles and steps. For a trip with no driving and more sites, see our guided private tours.

Comfortable shoes for cobbles and village walks, swimwear, sun protection and hats for the coast, water shoes for the pebble beaches, a light layer for the evenings in Tirana and Gjirokastra, a refillable water bottle, driving licence and passport, and the children’s everyday essentials. Any agreed child seat or cot is waiting for you, so leave those at home.

On WhatsApp, 24/7, on three numbers: your dedicated agent, a second contact and an emergency line, all sent with your booking confirmation. The same team handles the hotels, the car, the guides and the boat, so one message sorts anything. Before you book, we reply to every enquiry within 24 hours, usually sooner, by email or WhatsApp.