Three days is short, but enough for a real first taste: one capital, one stone city, one stretch of coast. Pick a base, drive once, and resist the urge to fit everything.
Day 1 - Tirana
Land in the morning, drop bags in Blloku, and walk the centre: Skanderbeg Square, BunkArt 2, House of Leaves, Pazari i Ri. Dinner in Blloku, then xhiro until the cafes close. Stay in the centre, not the outskirts.
Day 2 - Berat
Drive south on the A3 motorway (90 minutes). Arrive in time for lunch in Mangalem, walk Gorica, then climb to the castle for sunset. Sleep inside the old quarter at a stone guesthouse so the cobbles belong to you after the day-trippers leave.
Day 3 - Sarande or the airport
If you have the morning, keep driving south to the Riviera and end with a swim in Ksamil. If you fly out the same day, return to Tirana via the Apollonia ruins and a long lunch in Fier. Either choice is honest; the trip that tries to do both is the one that fails.
- Rent a car at the airport, not later — it changes everything.
- Skip Sarande entirely if you only have three days; it deserves four.
- Book Berat accommodation inside the castle quarter or in Mangalem.
