Albania: Europe's Cheapest Adventure Right Now

Albania doesn't get the marketing budget Croatia or Greece do, and that's exactly why it's cheap. You get the same Adriatic coastline, the same Ottoman old towns, the same dramatic mountain hiking as its more famous neighbours, but tour prices haven't caught up yet. In this catalogue, a 3-day guided mountain trek through Theth, Valbona and Koman Lake starts at £395 through Choose Balkans—the self-guided version of the same route is £293. That's a genuinely low entry point for proper Alpine scenery.

At the other end, if you want Albania as part of a bigger Balkans story, Choose Balkans runs multi-country routes from Vienna down to Athens or Corfu—21 days, from £4,835. That's still comparatively good value for three weeks of guided travel across several countries, but it's a different kind of trip and a different kind of budget.

If budget is the whole point, start here. Choose Balkans runs the same route—Theth National Park, Valbona Valley and Koman Lake—two ways. The guided version is £395 for 3 days, 5 stars from 59 reviews, and worth it if you want a well-organised trek with reliable guides and comfortable guesthouses. The self-guided version is £293 same rating, same route, and it hands you the logistics (routes, transfers, accommodation) while you walk it yourself. Think twice on the self-guided option if you want hand-holding on the actual trails—there's no guide walking beside you, just expert planning behind the scenes.

Either way, this is the cheapest genuinely good adventure in the whole catalogue, and it's also the highest-rated trip on the list.

At the £1,315–£1,580 mark you're in Choose Balkans' semi-private territory: a dedicated tour leader and a car, small groups, 8 days. Pearls of Albania (from £1,315 4.9★, 63 reviews) and Belgrade to Tirana (from £1,580 4.9★, 20 reviews) both sit here. Reviewers consistently rate the guides—names like Ana, Alfie, Bilbil and Irina come up repeatedly as genuinely exceptional: confident on difficult roads, patient, fluent English, and the reason the trip works.

The honest catch is hotels. Most nights are three-star, one-night stays, and quality swings depending on your group size—smaller groups of three report noticeably better experiences than larger ones. Prioritise location and service over room comfort going in, and you won't be disappointed.

If Albania is your gateway into a wider Balkans trip, Choose Balkans has four multi-country semi-private routes, all 14–21 days, all with a dedicated tour leader and car: Athens to Dubrovnik/Split (14d, from £2,765 4.9★), Athens to Sarajevo/Belgrade (14d, from £2,765 5★), and the big one, Vienna to Athens/Corfu (21d, from £4,835 5★). Small groups of 7–8 people are the norm, and reviewers say that's exactly what makes these work—access to places bigger coach tours can't reach, and real attention from the guide.

The trade-off across all of these is the same: hotel standards are inconsistent, you're relocating frequently, and 'upgrades don't always deliver' according to reviewers on the Athens–Dubrovnik route. If a settled routine matters more to you than covering ground, these long multi-country trips will grate a little. If you want depth across several Balkan countries in one go, they deliver it.

Explore!'s Highlights of Albania (11 days, from £1,410 4.6★, 100 reviews) is the classic full-country option and gets solid marks for knowledgeable local insight and classic southern sites—Gjirokastra, Berat, Butrint, Apollonia. But multiple reviewers said 11 days across southern Albania feels compressed, and several wished for more time in specific towns rather than a rushed pass through all of them.

Albania Inbound's 10-day Full Albanian Experience gets the same feedback: reviewers wanted 12 days and more free time to explore independently rather than being moved along at pace. If you like a slower, more independent rhythm, budget extra days beyond what the itinerary promises, or lean toward the shorter, more focused hiking trips instead.