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Tours/Cycling/Cycling Albania & the Balkans — 9-day road tour
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Cycling · Albania · 9 days

Cycling Albania & the Balkans — 9-day road tour

From
€1,790 / per person

Why this tour

  • Lake Ohrid and Galičica National Park
  • Lake Prespa, three borders in one day
  • Nea Kotili, the highest point at 1,450 m
  • Vjosa valley and Bënjë hot springs
  • Gjirokastër, UNESCO stone town
  • The Ionian coast road Sarandë – Dhërmi
  • Llogara pass as an option

Day by day

Day 01 ·
Tirana Airport – Tirana
dinner

Transfer 25 km, 30 min. Meet the guide, bike fitting, welcome dinner. Dinner included.

Day 02 ·
Tirana – Peshkopi
Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Transfer 135 km, 2.5 h to Borovë. Trout lunch at the start, ride to Peshkopi, dinner in town. Lunch and dinner included.

Day 03 ·
Peshkopi – Ohrid
Breakfast, lunch

Border at Debar, Lake Debar, Black Drin valley, Struga. Ohrid old town, UNESCO. Lunch included.

Day 04 ·
Ohrid – Kastoria
Breakfast, lunch

Galičica pass 1,594 m, Lake Prespa, back into Albania, café at Goricë. Picnic lunch. Transfer 70 km, 1.5 h to Kastoria. Lunch included.

Day 05 ·
Kastoria – Konitsa
Breakfast, lunch, dinner

The long day. Nea Kotili 1,450 m, lunch there. Dinner in Konitsa. Lunch and dinner included.

Day 06 ·
Konitsa – Përmet
Breakfast, lunch

Aoos valley, border, Vjosa river. Bënjë hot springs, then ride on to Përmet. Lunch included.

Day 07 ·
Përmet – Gjirokastër – Sarandë
Breakfast, lunch

Guided visit of Gjirokastër castle and bazaar, free time. Transfer 60 km, 1 h to Sarandë. Lunch included.

Day 08 ·
Sarandë – Dhërmi – Vlorë
Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Coast road, lunch in Himarë, final climb to Dhërmi. Option: Llogara pass 1,027 m for early starters. Transfer 45 km, 50 min to Vlorë. Farewell dinner. Lunch and dinner included.

Day 09 ·
Vlorë – Tirana Airport
Breakfast

The transfer to Rinas Airport takes between 2 hours to 2.5 hours.

The route

Distance
555 km
Total ascent
↑ 7,400 m
Total descent
↓ 7,841 m
High point
1,593 m
Under 4%4 – 8%Over 8%

Dates for this tour

We haven't published fixed dates for this tour yet. It runs as a private departure for your group — tell us roughly when you'd like to travel and we'll come back with dates and a price within two working days.

Ask about your dates

What's included

  • ✓8 nights BB
  • ✓1 lunch
  • ✓Transport day 2
  • ✓Transport day 4
  • ✓Transport day 6
  • ✓Transport day 7
  • ✓Transport day 8
  • ✓Transport day 9
  • ✓8 nights in 3–4★ hotels, twin rooms, breakfast
  • ✓7 lunches (days 2–8) and 4 dinners (days 1, 2, 5, 8)
  • ✓Water on the ride
  • ✓English-speaking cycling guide, days 1–9
  • ✓Support van with bike rack, days 2–8
  • ✓All transfers incl. airport day 1 and day 9
  • ✓Gjirokastër guided visit and castle entry
  • ✓GPS tracks

Not included

  • −Dinners days 3 · 4 · 6 · 7
  • −Bike rental: Orbea Avant H30 road bike, €440 for the tour (own bike: free)
  • −Drinks, other meals
  • −Travel insurance (must cover cycling)
  • −Tips
  • −Single room

Accessibility & physical requirements

This is a cycling tour and requires a moderate level of fitness. Days include sustained climbs, long descents and some sections on gravel or broken road surfaces.

Please note

This tour is not suitable for wheelchair users. Riders need to be able to mount, balance and control a bicycle unassisted in traffic.

We recommend

  • Regular cycling before you travel — comfort with consecutive days in the saddle
  • Padded shorts and gloves; the road surfaces are not always smooth
  • Water and sun protection — long exposed stretches between villages
  • An e-bike upgrade, if the climbing days concern you (ask us at booking)

If you or anyone in your group has specific accessibility needs, tell us before you book. We will give you an honest answer about what this tour can accommodate — including saying so when the answer is that it can't.