Cycling in Albania

This was a wonderful trip with a great group and the leaders were fantastic. Demitri managed the tour in a way that all participants were able to navigae within their personal athletic abilities without being deterred by others. He provided great instructions, organization and historical background. Visi was wonderful in his supportive role. What a special country that is still unspoiled by over development and excess tourism. The people and the land were special and I feel so fortunate to have explored this country and to do it by bike.

An incredible trip with great people across beautiful scenery, in particular the mountain areas. Dhimitri our guide was fantastic (very good dry sense of humour) and Visi provided excellent vehicle/ logitics support. Literally, I cannot think of one thing to fault either of them, their organisational skills were 1st class.

Lots of fun with a great group of like minded individuals and plenty of good local knowledge thrown in the mix.

We have had a great time during this trip. Excellent group of peers, great leader, beautiful cycling, great food

^ day cycling trip through Southern Albania.

If you enjoy cycling on quiet (resurfaced) roads, through dramatic mountain ranges, across high plateaus, following gorgeous river gorges and absorbing cobalt blue views along the coastal riviera, then this might be for you. The mountain air was so still and clean with all the associated quiet of mountain ranges full of distinct bird song, scents and sights of wild flower meadows and herbs. This cycling adventure has it all. The food and accommodation along the way provided authetic organic cuisine in the mountains in a variety of traditional family hotels and cabins. I felt very privileged seeing the beauty Albania has to offer, one can see that as a country and people they are looking to a brighter future having moved on from a difficult recent past. Such a great adventure to be had and I would thoroughly recommend taking the opportunity to explore this beautiful country.

Wonderful trip with good leader & driver as well as excellent group participation

Excellent

A well guided and planned trip through an amazing country

I expected Albania to be quite pretty, I was not prepared for breathtakingly beautiful scenery around every turn. The scale of the relatively untouched wilderness is staggering. Ok getting to see all this wonder does take a bit of climbing which my husband loved, I loved the well maintained e-bike which made the whole trip much more enjoyable. The decent on the second day was possibly my favourite bit but the whole holiday was a joy. We received a warm welcome wherever we went, especially in the guest house and the freshly prepared food was a bonus. Well organised, mostly quiet roads, if you don’t like climbing - do it on an e-bike!

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Wonderful country, excellent staff and amazing downhills. The e-bikes were amazing - much more powerful than my own e-bike at home. Good food too and great choice of coffee stops, restaurants etc. The rest of the group were all lovely and I laughed A LOT.

I was curious to find out about Albania. The Exodus circular itinerary gives an excellent overview of the south of the country. The tour reflects the variety of landscapes and experiences Albania has to offer. The lake at Podgradec is a lovely starting point and excellent for swimming. There were a few dogs wandering around but they were friendly, one of them playfully stole a pink flip flop from the beach but gave it to me after I went after him! The cycle rides were varied and interesting. I opted for an e-bike so that took the anxiety away climbing the hills and if I stopped for a photo then I could easily catch up with the group. I loved the decents, my e-bike had a small screen showing speed and battery information. On one occasion I reached 55k downhill! I thoroughly enjoyed all of the food. The freshly prepared locally sourced food was impressive. Usually, we had a variety of dishes, nearly always a tasty salad, bread, sometimes chips, delicious savoury spinach pastries, lovely cream cheese. The barbecued lamb was superb as was the freshly caught barbecued trout. The organisation of the trip was outstanding and the fact that there were 16 of us in the group didn't phase our leader and his assistant. Everything ran smoothly and efficiently. The evening we stayed at the trout farm, Farma Sotira after an exceptional dinner (and a drink or 2) we enjoyed traditional Albanian dancing taught by Julian our guide and singing with the Albanians whilst a log burning fire flickered in the atmospheric dining room. It was a night to remember. The decent the following day was spectacular! The thermal springs near to our next hotel were pleasantly relaxing following the cycling. Gjirokasttra was very interesting and surprisingly touristy. There's a very good ice cream shop near to the hotel. The guided tour of the UNESCO site at Butrint was very good. From there we cycled to the coast where there were opportunities to swim in the fabulous Ionian Sea. From the coast we ascended via dramatic Llogara Pass to the National Park. That really was the icing on the cake and well worth the climb. Experiencing Mount Çika inspired Lord Byron to write a poem. The next day we left Vlorë and travelled by bus to Tirana Airport. 2 group members and I had booked an additional 2 nights in Tirana so we got the bus from the airport back to the city, very good value for 400 LEK or 4 EURO. The bus also take cards. Cards are accepted widely in Tirana but not in oher places. Prices are very reasonable in Albania. Albania is courting the EU and are hoping to join in 2 years. EURO notes are accepted everywhere and change given in LEK (the universal exchange rate by merchants was 100LEK = 1 EURO). The week went fast! The holiday is quite intensive and relaxation time is limited. However every day was different and every day was a joy! You can always add on a few days at the end of the holiday if you want some down time.

Yes thats right it seems Albania hotels don't have kettles/tea making facilities. But in reality you don't miss it in what is a great tester of your cycling ability. Its tough but do-able for everyone. You will come home feeling less afraid to cycle those hills after a week in the Albanian mountains. Great food and plentyful with fresh salads,veg and fish. Excellent guides who went that extra mie for everyone.

This was our third cycling trip with Exodus & it didn’t disappoint. Albania is a stunning country but also very mountainous so a good level of cycling fitness is necessary although there is always the option of an e bike. The scenery is incredible & the local people really friendly- they would often wave & cheer us on as we panted up the hills! We were blessed with great weather although it was very hot in the full sun & it was really Important to stay hydrated. The food was excellent & as a vegetarian I ate really well. The baked cheese was a particular favourite & there was plenty of fish or meat for those who ate it. The accommodation was mixed & varied but on the whole was really good.

Wonderful way to explore Albania aboard a bike saddle will be for us less fit people pretty challenging cycling, but the rewards for one’s efforts were great incredible views, fantastic mountain scenery, beautiful coastline and rural landscape. Once again, having a local guide made a massive difference introducing us to a wonderful range of Excellent local food much of it, organic locally grown and us very tasty and nutritious. The history and culture of Albania is fascinating. Although it’s difficult to burp watch while cycling, it was wonderful to hear the gold orioles singing, and the bee aters calling above your head as you rode for a beautiful rural countryside

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our cycling holiday in Albania with Exodus travel. Booking the trip was easy and communicating with Exodus very straight forward. We booked 4 months in advance in order to guarantee our places and to book flights when they were cheaper. We were met on arrival by Erlis our guide and the transfer to our first hotel and start of the trip was seamless. The trip itself was very well planned and executed. We didn't have to make many decisions and great accommodation and restaurants, coffee stops were all arranged for us in advance. Accommodation ranged in quality but on the whole was really good. The food was excellent always and plenty of it. We cycled in September so it was mostly very hot and we needed to rehydrate often. There were 2 days of really tough cycling, 1st and last but there were plenty of stops and options to go on the bus. I hired an electric bike which was a godsend on the difficult days especially due to the heat. It was an incredible trip; Albania is a fascinating country with a diverse history and beautiful landscape. We feel privileged to have travelled there at this time.

Absolutely loved this trip. I am more of a runner so I found the mountain climbs quite hard at times, but once at the top, I had the most fun cycling down towards the ocean. Had no idea that Albania was this beautiful!!

The best holiday, in the best country with the best group and the best guide. Arjan and Bato are the best team. So much kindness, patience and generosity. The cycling was quite challenging at times but the support was excellent. Albania is a beautiful country and cycling through the countryside and along the coast is a great way to see it at its best. Arjan is very knowledgeable and shared with us his passion for his country. The food was often delicious, with fabulous salads and fish but at its best when Arjan ordered sharing plates for the group. I would return in a heartbeat to enjoy the generous hospitality of warm and friendly Albanians.

my first cycling holiday and i loved it. so simple - get up, eat breakfast, hand over your room key and suitcase, cycle until you get handed a coffee and then lunch, then cycle until you are handed a room key and your luggage. eat dinner, drink wine, sleep and repeat. albania has some stunning scenery and the route was a good mix of challenging and easier.

Being honest, I knew very little about Albania, I only selected the trip to spend a week cycling after finishing work and entering a "between jobs" phase and this trip seemed very good value for money. However, this trip exceeded my expectations on every aspect. I have come away with information about the Albanian people and some of their countries difficult history, respect for the Albanian hills, magical memories of the stunning scenery, a happy stomach after a week of Albanian food and drink (including the local Raki spirit!) and stronger legs :-) This was my second Exodus trip and I'm not sure if I have simply been lucky but the group dynamics on both trips have been wonderful with everyone getting along just great. I definitely recommend this trip to others.

This trip did not disappoint! I had wanted to visit Albania for some time and seeing it on two wheels was the obvious way to enjoy the scenery and surroundings. The people were friendly, the scenery varied and stunning from the mountains to the coast and the added visits to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Butrint and the National Parks added to the enjoyment. The accommodation was lovely and better than we had had on previous Exodus trips and ranged from hotels on the sea front to rustic homestays. Our guide Arjan was helpful and informative and picked some great places where we could eat luch and dinner with confidence. We found the cycling quite challenging in parts, especially day 2 when we were just warming up and then day 7 which was a killer but to be honest there wasn't really an easy day. However, the ups mean that you also get the downs which were hugely enjoyable and worth the climb! We were all encouraged to both the big climbs on the last day. The first one was great once you managed to get out of the town, which was demanding, but then transformed into steep undulations and pretty villages with great views and an excellent long downhill. But the second climb between coffee and lunch up the switchback was quite frankly brutal, especially after the first climb of the day! It was very hot, offered no shade and little in the way of things to see on the way, although the view towards the coast was stunning. I confess to riding some of the way in the bus on that climb and I still got to enjoy the views!! The challenge was rewarding! However, whatever your cycling ability, it is very doable as a few opted for E-bikes which seemed very sensible on reflection, the better cyclists enjoyed the challenge of completing all the climbs and there is always back up from the bus if you feel tired.

Just returned from my first Exodus trip and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We were a small group of 7, plus Arjan as guide and Rimi our driver, who were both very helpful and good fun. All Arjan’s eatery recommendations were great and the food overall was excellent. You also get a lot for your money in Albania - I spent less than £200 in total the whole week. I enjoyed the variety of natural scenery on the tour.. mountains, lakes, rivers, coast.. as well as the beautiful city of Gijrokastra. I’m a reasonably fit 55 year old, cycle a couple of times per week and the level of cycling was just about right for me - a real challenge on some of the days, especially the last day, plus it was very hot!! - but the group was well supported with water and you can always take a break or even jump in the minibus if you’re flagging feeling below par. Albania is a beautiful country with incredibly friendly and humble people. I would definitely recommend this trip.

We travelled to Albania at the end of April 2022 and had a brilliant experience. Three days in the mountains followed by three days by the coast. Scenery was stunning so we ran out of superlatives to describe it. We were met by our local tour leader - Erlis- at the airport who competently organised everything. Food on the trip was very good. Mediterranean in style, lots of vegetables, fresh fish and many plates of chips. We were very well fed. Cycling was challenging particularly on the first and last days with some long ascents however the bikes supplied were pretty good and gearing coped well. All the effort was definitely worth it. We have travelled to a few remote places around the world but Albania was completely different and well worth going to. Erlis gave us a good briefing on some of the recent history of the country opening our eyes to this part of the world. Definitely a place to visit.

This was a really great cycling holiday. The moutain scenery was amazing and hardly anyone around except the odd cattle and motorist here and there. Food and accommodation were all excellent and guides were very professional, friendly and helpful. Great bikes with front suspension. Road a little bit bumpy in places but on the whole fine for cycling. Great tour leader, trainee tour leader and driver.

I did enjoy the cycling in those desolated monutain regions, with practically no traffic in company of our joung enthusiastic guides, as well as the way along the coast, with lot of ondulation. The hotels at the coast were nice, although concerning the meals there was room for improvement. It would have been nice to dine a couple of time in a restaurant instead of staying always at the hotel.

This tour of Albania was incredible from the contrast in scenery between mountains and coast and our expert organisation from our guides, Erlis and Oni.

This is our 10th Exodus cycling trip and because we were both very busy in the summer, we didn't have a lot of time preparing and read up about the trip. We knew next to nothing about Albania and just managed to read the trip notes once so that we know how many days to pack for and that was it. The trip turns out to be a great pleasant surprise. We thought Albania will have poor infrastructure with lots of pot holes (like Cuba or Romania) but the back roads that we rode on were great. Most of the cars are Mercedes (surprisingly) and the hotels were great European standard (most have good fast WiFI except in the mountains). The food and drinks are cheap (even with the £ being so low because of Brexit) and the old city of Gjirokaster and Butrint were amazing. The quality of cycling is also very good. There are quite a few climbs (especially the one on the last day) but we are never in a rush and with our keen leader encouragement, we managed most of them.

So many 'oh wow' moments as I was riding through Albania. Beautiful country to cycle through with the first half of the trip more rural, snow capped mountains, lakes, gorges, warm friendly locals giving you a wave as you them passed by, through to the second half of the trip being more coastal, spectacular views of the Albanian Riviera across to Corfu, pretty coastal towns and the stunning blues of the Mediterranean Sea. Albania is definitely not flat but each day was different and equally enjoyable. The quality of the food was a real delight - delicious!

I loved every minute of this adventure. Albania is somewhere I've not been to before, nor had any of my friends, and it did not disappoint. It is a beautiful country with welcoming people and cycling is the best way to see it. It's as yet unspoilt by too much modern development and is like stepping back in time but in a good way.

This trip more than satisfied my curiosity and interest in Albania. We cycled in lots of different regions facing different countries and seeing Albania in all its beauty. Each day offered a different type of ride, the scenery forever changing and the views always spectacular and breath-taking.

A fabulous trip that surprised us from day one. Great food, wonderful people and fantastic scenery. Albania was the winner and we will all recommend going there as soon as you can.

Every part of this trip was wonderful, from the people, to the rides, to the organization, to the food, etc. I loved it.

Albania is incredibly beautiful. It has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery that will forever be etched in my memory. Cycling is a fantastic way to see a country and visit lesser touristy places and this trip was certainly no exception. The people are very hospitable and the Cycle Albania team were simply amazing. The food was a fusion of Mediterranean and Turkish meze style and every meal was a feast in itself!

Beautiful country with a mixture of forest, coast and mountains. Our group bonded really well; we had lots of laughs and lots of encouragement for each other up the hills. Food was good; mezze style shared between the group which worked really well. Lots of snack stops to keep us fuelled.

A fantastic way to see this wonderful country. The first part of the trip is mainly inland in more rural mountainous areas and the second part along the Albanian riviera. Great hospitality and food, considerate drivers on the roads and friendly people as we passed through the smaller places. The cycling has some challenging climbs on the first and final days but is as described on the trip notes and classification. Nice to have some shorter cycling days to be able to do the tours in Gjirokaster and the Roman site at Butrint.

A week in which you will challenge your fitness, enjoy delicious and healthful food, meet welcoming communities and see the beauty of unspoilt countryside.

It says it's challenging and it is - but the effort is worth it. The scenery is fantastic - at times it felt like "cycling through a postcard"... hard climbs and fun descents. The food is great - really fresh and vibrant; lots of good fish, local vegetables, cheese and meat - delicious and plenty of it! An interesting and beautiful country - I'd definitely recommend it - if you are up for some long steady climbing!

Excellent week, great guide & support, great group of people, lovely country, well maintained bikes. Food was very good at all of the stops and the although some of the accommodation was a little basic it's all you need as you are only there for the night and there isn't much time spent around the hotels / guesthouses as we were always busy with activities. There seems to be a lot of money being spent on new roads and the 14km descent on a brand new road was fun :) , I do wonder if these roads will become busy in time, but at the moment we saw very few other vehicles on a large percentage of the rides.

A really good trip, ticked all the boxes - good cycling, stunning scenary, great weather, good food, great group to travel with and an excellent trip leader

A great Cycling trip that had it all. Breathtaking mountain landscapes and coastal scenery with fabulous food and wines to be had. My group of 13 fit club cyclists found this a sometimes stengous tour in the 36 degrees heat in Mid September. There’s really no easy days in the saddle and almost everyday involves long climbs with equally long descents. The roads are very rough in places and you need to keep your wits about you for the cows, mules, dogs & goats that you meet on the narrow roads. Albania is a beautiful mountainous country that will take you back to times of old with its simple ways and graceful charm.

a great trip with some tough climbs. good company and great weather, thanks Exodus

This trip is a great way to see Albania and experience the local way of life. The scenery is stunning.

A fantastic trip. Hotels and food were excellent. The two guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The scenery was amazing - open vistas, mountains, and beaches. The trip was perfectly organized and the cycling was amazing.

A fantastic trip. Hotels and food were excellent. The two guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The scenery was amazing - open vistas, mountains, and beaches. The trip was perfectly organized and the cycling was amazing.

I'm so thrilled that I took the chance and visited Albania. It is a country I previously had never concieved of visiting before. As a Black female traveller, I wasn't sure what to expect (I saw no one that looked like me during the trip), but people were always kind to me. The food was excellent (lots of fresh and roasted vegetables, cheese, yogurt, fish and seafood).

This was a tough trip and I think the 4 grading is rather generous when compared to other cycling trips with Exodus. However having said that it is as always a great way to see the country and to experience Albania. This trip around the southern part of Albania includes both mountains along the border with Greece and the Ionian coast. Although we found this a tough ride we both thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was a great holiday. The guides were very supportive and helpful.

Based on previous reviews I thought this would be challenging but manageable for my abilities. Some but minimal cycling recently but good fitness base. It was definitely more difficult than some of the reviews suggest in particular day 1 is straight into some tough climbs which I struggled with but for the rest of the days I was able to manage quite well. Slower cyclist in my group-most of them regular cyclists with good speed but they were all super supportive throughout. All in all a great trip with a great support crew and very rewarding to complete the last day :)

Interesting, challenging adventure trip mostly in rural Albania with some days on the Ionian coast.

Albania totally surpassed my expectations. The scenery and cycling was fantastic. Inland its a bit like the Alps and towards the coast it get more like mountainous meditterannean. But the beauty of it is that the roads are really quiet which is just great for cycling. The trip notes had said that some of the accommodation may be a little basic, but this too was a lot better than I was expecting. I think this trip had the best days cycling I've had anywhere.

A challenging ride through dramatic scenery. Beautiful countryside, friendly people but too many unfinished buildings. The trip was efficiently organised with good back-up and accommodation.

Why would you go to Albania?!? Is what everyone said to me before I did this trip. Well, after coming back I’m telling them they should go because of: - Amazing scenery. Beautiful mountains, alpine type meadows, some nice beaches along the coast - Good food. Really nice, simple food. Fresh fish and fresh vegetables. Options for vegetarians too. - Great cycling. Some reasonable hills (and a couple of really good descents) and generally good quiet roads (in April anyway.)

This is my seventh trip cycling with Exodus and probably one of the best. The cycling was quite challenging with a fair amount of hill climbing and I was glad that I had spent the time out on my bike in the weeks before I departed. This was rewarded with cycling through wonderful hills and mountains with snow capped mountains in the background. We could go at our own pace and stopped for great coffee and lunch. Every night we stayed in different types of accommodation - mountains, valley, beach resort, small beach town. The variety was really good. We had fantastic lunches and dinners with lots of home grown vegetables, salad, local cheese, local wine. Our local guides organised these great meals for the group.

Didn't know what to expect, but it didn't disappoint. Really excellent tour guide. Fantastic scenery. One of those trips that just went smoothly, almost certainly due to the guides organisation. The cycling is described as moderate to challenging. At the time I would have said it was more challenging. However, upon reflection, I was pushing myself, which almost certainly made it feel more challenging. However, the last day of cycling was definitely challenging. It was also very rewarding and as with all of the Exodus trips I've been on, there's always the option of the bus, which for various reasons, some of our party took. The food was really good. Plenty of choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. There are plenty of mountain springs for water top-ups which was brilliant - tasted great! A fantastic trip which I won't forget with a guide who really did look after everyone!

'Albania' why go there? was something we heard many times from friends and family when we told them of our plans. Well firstly its off the beaten track, it isn't full of mindless tourists and its got some sense of mystique still. But mostly it is such an interesting place with such lovely people. My third Exodus cycling trip and the most challenging, it is more challenging than moderate in my opinion. We went in September and it was still fairly hot so the long climbs were a bit of a 'push'. I was tail end Charlie for most days, partly due to my frequent stops to take photos and I was not going to be rushed, all at my own pace. The point is that this trip allows this to happen, no pressure whatever you capability. The rear-guard van is never far behind so you are not on your own. The scenery here is amazing, both mountains and the coast. Albanians we met were lovely and you always felt safe and welcome. Bikes were good and days were planned well. Hotels were varied but all were more than adequate. There was a bit of culture thrown in which was interesting but not overdone. We were a large group of 16 but in no time at all we had all gelled and were supportive of each other and had many laughs and shared experiences. We have all shared our photos so we have a great bunch of memories. Most of my memories are of quiet roads, no people anywhere and incredible views made more amazing by people still living in a bygone age. Apart from start and end there are no significant transfers so this is a positive. Food was excellent and plenty of it too.

My husband and I have recently returned from cycling in Albania. What a fantastic adventure it was. Prior to going on this trip our bikes came out of the shed about once a year and since we are not in the flush of youth we had to go out cycling every weekend for the previous 5 months to make sure we were fit enough and boy were we glad we did. It was a challenging trip but we loved every minute of it. The scenery is fantastic, we could not fault the food and the hotels were a lot better than we anticipated and even quite luxurious at times. Armand is an excellent guide with plenty of local knowledge. He offered to run a kitty for meals and drinks and ordered a variety of food at every meal which made meal times so easy and enjoyable. It is a fast paced trip and we had to be up early every day for breakfast and be ready to leave by 8.30 every morning but we were glad of this because at least it was cooler when we set off and we always had a nice stop for coffee to look forward to after a couple of hours. It is a great way to see Albania and it was great to start inland and then move to the coast offering different scenery and a chance to have a swim in the sea. We enjoyed the cultural stops and the chance to learn about the history of Albania. The minibus driver was always there with extra water, bananas and snacks when you needed them and greeted us with a smile at the top of every climb. I would strongly recommend this trip to anyone but to enjoy it make sure you do plenty of hill training. We hired the bikes offered by Exodus and these were of good quality although we took our own saddles. We used the pedals on the bikes ie. no clip ons and managed it okay so if you fancy it go for it - you won't regret it.

We signed up for this trip having done a few other cycle holidays and always finished feeling more cycling would have been good. Not so on this one! It's certainly a challenging route, with many long hills and often some long climbs before you get to the start of the days longest climb! But the bikes are good, the roads are mostly in good condition, with very little traffic and we were very well looked after along the way. As always, cycling is the best way to see a country and this tour certainly gives you an insight into way of life in the Albanian countryside, how things are developing and a lovely few days in Macedonia too.

The country was wonderful - everyone was very friendly, the views were stunning, and the new roads made it perfect for cycling around. Don't be put off by preconceptions about Albania - we were all delighted to find it much more pleasant to be in than many other European countries, and will no doubt be full of tourists in the next 5-10 years. Definitely go before everyone else realises how good it is. It's very cheap too, especially in the more rural parts. My only complaint would be the repeated promises of ice cream, which mysteriously never materialised!

Don't let the fact that you almost certainly know nothing about Albania (and if you do, it's probably wrong) put you off this trip. If you like cycling, embracing the unknown, don't mind a few steep hills, and are prepared to take things as they come, then this is the holiday for you! So many positives about this holiday: fantastic fresh, local food and drink (and outstanding coffee), exploring new cultures, mountains, beaches, and above all a great adventure.

This was our 5th cycling trip with Exodus and the most surprisingly fun. Despite an uncharacteristic heatwave in early July, which meant our first day took us up very challenging hills in 37 degree heat and forced some cyclists to abandon their bikes for the van, we all bonded as a group and had as much fun in the evenings as we did pedalling through the stunning scenery of Albania.

My first Exodus trip and already planning more. A well organised trip to a beautiful, unspoilt country. Yes, the cycling was tough at times with some long climbs but the roads were not busy, the Albanian drivers very considerate of cyclists and my travelling companions very supportive.