This trip is one of my favourite ever. We went for just over two weeks in May 2026 (16 days as we came back on a bank holiday). May was a great time to go. The season was just beginning so everywhere we wanted to go was open with enough restaurants and bars to support but it wasn’t very busy. The start of the season energy was high and hopeful, inciting some really interesting conversations with the locals we met along the way. The weather was warm everywhere with cooler evenings needing an extra layer, and only got warmer as we travelled south. The scenery was lush and alive coming out of spring. 

We flew into Tivat from London Luton Airport and then took a short taxi from there to Kotor Old Town that I pre-booked via WhatsApp with Red Taxi. We returned from Corfu to London Luton. This page provides an overview of the route, travel and activities we did.

KOTOR
Explore Old Town:Think mooching in craft and trinket shops and people watching sat at a fold out table and chair on pretty cobbled streets with a cold drink. The Old Town isn’t very big, but exploring could take up a whole afternoon if this is your thing. We also stayed and ate here every evening. 
Hike Ladder of Kotor: This hike is so worth it if that’s the type of activity you’re into. It took us about 2 hours to get to the viewpoint, and I’m not sure how long back as we stopped off for some beers at the ‘cheese shop’. It’s a serious hike requiring decent fitness, but the path is really clear, well kept and the more than 70 switchbacks mean it isn’t too steep, just long! The views are stunning and worth the effort, and if you’re lucky you’ll also meet some mountain goats. We set off around 09:30 with a spinach burek and lots of water, steadily made our way to the top with plenty of stops to admire the view, and then on our way back relaxed at the ‘cheese shop’ which has a spectacular view of the Bay and a really charming atmosphere. The toilets are also really well kept here and have a great view.
Boat Ride around the Bay of Kotor: Having seen the Bay from above, this boat tour completed our stay in Kotor with a view from the water. We took the three hour option. The boat cruises past Perast before stopping at Our Lady of the Rocks Island where you disembark to take some photos and go into the chapel. It then pulls into a Cold War submarine tunnel at Mrkov Nos, then goes further out of the Bay to pass Mamula Island. The last stop is the Blue Cave where you can jump off the boat and swim in and around the cave which was really fun. All of the boat tours seem to do the same circuit, so we chose which to go with by walking around Slobode Park the day before, speaking to each vendor and deciding based on which boat we liked the look of and which could offer us a good deal.
Kraken Wine Bar: This was a major highlight of the trip for me. Located a ~15minute drive from Kotor Old Town, this floating wine bar and restaurant is set in a beautiful, serene location on the water. We took a taxi to get there, booking via WhatsApp, and also booked our table at the restaurant via WhatsApp. The food was delicious, the setting stunning, the wine tasty and just cool that it is aged underwater, and you can even go in for a swim. 
Breakfast from Senso Bakery, Slice at Pizzeria Pronto: We ate at some lovely restaurants in Old Town, but my main food mentions here have to be picking up a coffee and filling breakfast burek from Senso Bakery, and later for lunch or a lighter, cheaper dinner having a hefty slice of pizza for €3.50 from Pizzeria Pronto. Both are tasty and filling budget options for food in a convenient central location. 

BUDVA
Explore Old Town: Again, this Old Town is bursting with colourful craft shops, bars and restaurants to enjoy. It’s similar to Kotor’s Old Town but of course has its own charm worth enjoying. We spent the margins of our days exploring and eating here. 
The Seven Bay ‘Trail’: Having done it, the term ‘trail’ here is loose. There is pedestrian access the whole way, but it isn’t a clear walking ‘trail’ as I would define it. That being said, walking from Budva to Sveti Stefan passing the seven bays was a brilliant day. We picked up some bread, cold meats and cheese in a supermarket on the way to make our own lunch as we were told the restaurants could be quite expensive. My favourite stops were Haizea Kamenovo for an iced coffee with a view, and Przno beach and Queen’s beach for a swim. We got the bus back. The schedule wasn’t clear at the time of year we went as the season was just starting, but we waited on the stop and were lucky that a bus came within about 10 minutes. 
Kayak Tour: This 7km kayak tour was another highlight of the trip. We booked a tour rather than kayak rental in case the conditions were a bit rough and to give us the confidence to kayak further. We first paddled around the Old Town and past Mogren Beach. Continuing around we stopped into a blue cave, entering one by one, went through an arch, and then had the option to go through the ‘pigeon cave’. I’ll admit, my assumption before was that this was a cave either full of pigeons or that maybe looked like a pigeon. It was, in fact, a very very small cave passage that you have to lie down to go through. I found it pretty cool and felt really safe, but if you don’t like tight spaces it might not be for you! The last stop is Calypso beach where we pulled up and relaxed on the beach and had a swim. As as group we kayaked in good time, so on the way back kayaked around Sveti Nikola Island as well. 
Restoran Vista Vidikovac: I have to mention this restaurant because the view is just amazing. We went at 16:30 having WhatsApped them a few hours before to reserve a table outside with a view. As we visited at the start of the season, we booked with ease but if you go at a busier time you may want to book further ahead to not miss out. We initially thought we would just have a drink here but the menu prices were reasonable considering the view and we did not regret it as the food and drink were really good. 

TIRANA
Explore the City Centre: We only had the late afternoon in Tirana, so spent it walking around some key sites. We walked around Skanderberg Square, Tirana ‘Castle’ (more like castle walls with shops and restaurants inside but very nice), up the Pyramid of Tirana, outside the Mosque of Namazgah and lastly around the Blokku neighbourhood. 
Sky Bar: We ended our self-made walking tour here. I thought it was a really cool and unique bar. The circular bar floor slowly rotates as you sit, meaning you get a 360 view of the city! We managed to get a table next to the window for sunset and it was beautiful. 

BERAT
Explore: Berat was an ideal place to take our time walking around Mangalem, Gorica and Berat Castle viewpoint, and we also enjoyed walking around the more modern Lagja 30 Vjetori neighbourhood. The streets are beautiful with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to rest and watch the world go by. In the older neighbourhoods, the streets also have lots of signs explaining the history of the area. 
Osum Canyon: A day tour to Osum Canyon is a must-do from Berat if you like big views and swims. The first stop is Bogove Waterfall, involving a short walk to the falls and optional swim. The pools are very cold, so not many people swim. Next we stopped at a cafe where we were given a bottle of water and could use the bathroom and buy extra drinks if we wanted. Then we drove to the canyon walk. As we went in May, the water levels were higher so we started next to the river and then walked up the steep canyon cliff to the top edge and walked around. The path was very narrow and steep, but I felt in safe hands with our guide. The walk was a circular back down to the river where we could go in and swim. This was really fun and refreshing in the bright blue canyon waters. We were then served a traditional lunch and chose to buy an ice cream as well. On the way back we stopped at a few viewpoints. Overall the drive time passed nicely in the car as the guide told us interesting stories about Albania and his life and later played music when we were more tired. The roads are very windy, and I get pretty bad travel sickness so I mostly napped through the drives.
Pupa Winery: We booked a 3 hour local wine tasting tour from Berat. After a short drive, we were first given a tour of the vineyards which was very informative and interesting and in a gorgeous setting. We were then taken to the winery for another tour of the processing areas, and then sat in the beautiful restaurant for a tasting of three wines and one raki paired with snacks. 
Try the ‘Mixed Platter’: Pretty much every restaurant in the touristic areas served its own version of an Albanian mixed platter, typically including byrek, Fërgesë Berati, Berati Schnitzel, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed aubergine and Qofte. The platter at Arch Restaurant was my favourite of the ones we tried. It was delicious and full but a bit lighter, the restaurant was hidden away and quieter with a great view of Berat Castle, and the family who run the restaurant were lovely. 

KSAMIL
Mussel Farming Tour: This tour is a must-do from Ksamil if you like mussels. It starts in Butrint, which is a short and cheap bus journey from Ksamil (or Saranda a little further away). The boat first took us around Butrint Archeological Park and some mussel and fish farms before stopping next to a mussel farm where our captain pulled out a bed of mussels for us to see and touch. The captain explained the mussel farming process to us, then opened a mussel for us to try fresh and raw! Next we were taught how to prepare mussels for cooking, which we did whilst being taken to a remote restaurant on the shore of the lake. The restaurant was run by a lovely family, who served us three mussel dishes, a carafe of white wine, water, and a Greek salad. We chat with our captain and guide whilst eating, and then head back to Butrint on the boat. I wrote an in-depth article on the trip here. 
Kayak Rental: We rented a kayak from one of the beaches for 1 hour. This was really fun to see Ksamil from the water and break up a beach day. In the time we comfortably kayaked around Ishulli i Ksamilit, Ishulli i Mesët, and Ishulli i Madh, stopping when we wanted to admire the view. 
Beach Day: We spent a few hours each day on Rilinda Beach, a small public area looking over to Ishulli i Madh (the large island) which you can actually swim to from the beach. As we went in May, it wasn’t very busy and we could easily get a spot to lie at around 10am. The beach wasn’t cleared neatly like the rest, but was clean, free and in a great location! 

CORFU OLD TOWN
Explore Old Town: Another lovely Old Town to get lost in. This one was bigger than those in Montenegro and busier, and although the stalls are somewhat repetitive I still enjoyed walking through them with the occasional stop at an art gallery or something. We also found some really nice spots to eat and drink within the side streets, my favourite was Oinos Kai Geuseis. 
Walk and Swim: Being here for only a few days, we chose to stay and explore the local area rather than travel around Corfu. I struggled to find recommended places to swim, so we went out on a walk to the places marked on Google Maps. This led to both a great walk and finding some gorgeous, quiet swim and rest spots. We walked along the waterfront of Garitsa Bay, stopping at Anemomilos Windmill to swim off the pier of Garitsa Lighthouse. This was a beautiful spot with clear waters and a view over to Corfu Old Town. One side of the pier you can go down some steps and walk in the water, and the other there are stairs to go down straight to swimming in deeper water. We then continued walking to and in Mon Repos Park, and ended up at Kardaki Beach. Kardaki Beach has a small beach area and another concrete pier which we chose to base on. Again, the water is so clear and just glorious to swim in. We came back here on our last day as it was so peaceful and relaxing. 
Airplane Spotting: We continued the walk with the aim to get to Kanoni to do some airplane spotting, but soon realised that the pedestrian access wasn’t as good from Mon Repos Park and decided to get a bus instead, which was €2. I didn’t think I would enjoy airplane spotting much, but it was actually really fun looking on flight trackers and watching and hearing closely take off and landings. The view from any of the bars and cafes is brilliant and the drinks were only as expensive as in the Old Town. We only stayed and viewed from the top as we were tired and the direct paths down were closed despite showing on maps, so if you did want to go down to be under the landing planes you need to get off at ‘ΞΕΝΟΔΟΧΕΙΟ HELLINIS’ bus stop and walk down Paleopolis Street. 

Other areas I considered visiting but ruled out were Skadar Lake, Vlorë, Dhërmi, and staying in Saranda rather than Ksamil. 

• Skadar Lake looks really pretty and would have added something different to the trip, but at the time I wanted to prioritise being at the coast as we hadn’t done that when travelling for a little while so sadly it didn’t make the cut in the time we had. If we had gone, I’d have been interested in finding a peaceful accommodation, kayaking on the lake and wine tasting. 
• Routing through Vlorë and Dhërmi was another thing I considered, especially as Dhërmi was recommended to me as a pretty and quieter coastal town, but after some research I concluded that this wouldn’t fit as well as Berat and Ksamil, both of which I had wanted to go to for a long time. They were also confusing to plan travel for at that time of year as although I am sure buses were running, they were less frequent and clear on when. I did hear from a few people whilst travelling that Vlorë wasn’t as nice as the other coastal areas we went to so was happy with my decision. 
• I dithered for a while on whether to stay in Saranda or Ksamil as Saranda seemed to be the base for tours and was where the main bus and ferry terminal was, but am so glad I chose Ksamil as for me the beaches were nicer, the atmosphere more relaxed, and we ended up doing most things from there or taking the bus which we would have had to do anyway.