Four day trips from Durrës
Kruja, Tirana, the Divjaka lagoon and the Cape of Rodon. Each is close enough to leave after breakfast and be back for a swim.
Days out · August 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Durrës is more central than it looks on a map. The country is small, the main road runs north to south past the town, and most of what people come to Albania to see is within an hour or two. You can do any of these and still be back on the beach in the evening.
The times below are rough. Traffic in and out of Tirana in summer can add half an hour, so take them as a guide.
Kruja, about an hour
A hill town built around a castle, with an old stone bazaar on the way up. The castle holds the Skanderbeg museum, and the view over the plain from its walls is the best part.
It is the busiest place on this list and still worth the trip. Go in the morning, before the coaches arrive. The road up is steep and narrow.
Tirana, about forty minutes
The capital. The centre is easy to walk, many of the old communist-era buildings have been painted in bright colours, and the Bunk'Art museums are inside real bunkers.
A cable car runs up Mount Dajti from the edge of the city if you want to look back down at it.
Divjaka-Karavasta, about an hour south
A lagoon behind a pine forest, and one of the last places in the Mediterranean where Dalmatian pelicans breed. A boardwalk runs out over the water.
This is the quiet one. If the beach has been busy and you want a day of the opposite, go here.
Cape of Rodon, about an hour and a half
A headland with a ruined castle at the end of it and not much else. The last stretch of road is rough. Take water, because there is nothing out there.
If you are hiring a car, you will not need it for most of the stay. The beach is under the balcony and the town is walkable, so hire it for two or three days rather than the week.
