Shkoder, or Shkodra, is a beautiful city in Northern Albania close to the border with Montenegro, and in my opinion, not nearly talked about enough. On Instagram especially, Albania is getting plenty of attention however this is mostly in the south, with the beaches. I would highly recommend a trip up north, to see the mountains and lakes. It also had the best sunset we saw on the entire Balkan trip from the top of Rozafa Castle over the lake.
Two days in Shkoder was perfect for us, however there were some people at our accomodation who were going hiking in the mountains – definitely an option if you have the time. You could spend a lot longer up north if you wanted to, hiking and visiting small towns and cities and fully immersing yourself in nature.
Shkoder was such a good place to have on the itinerary for several reasons – it really allowed us to see Albanian culture outside of the capital, it had stunning views, amazing food and was close enough to Lake Skadar to go on a walk and go swimming.
Walking and Lake Swimming
Upon arriving in Shkoder, taking a public bus from Tirana, we checked into our Guest House (LINK), with the friendliest host who offered us advice on planning our time in Shkoder. We then spent the entire first afternoon walking to Lake Skadar, on the beaches of the lake and swimming in the Lake. Lake Skadar is the lake on the border between Albania and Montenegro. On the way back, we stopped off at a restaurant for fresh lake fish, recommended by the owner of the Guest House for amazing food and cheap prices. The food was amazing, as was the sunset over the lake before we finished the walk back in Shkoder. If you do want to go, to get to the best beaches it is about a couple of hours walk from the centre of Shkoder, but not too far at all.
Exploring Shkoder
Shkoder is a lovey city to explore as especially within the centre it has more of a town feel with small streets and local shops. There are also mosques you can visit. If you’re into the history of places, Shkoder has a really interesting museum with you being able to visit and enter the communist prisons used in the past. Rozafa Castle is also great if you have the time – and if you don’t want to pay entry to the actual castle you can see the outskirts and still wander up. Here is the best place in Shkoder to watch sunset.
Recommendations?
Accomodation: Gather Inn Guest House, Shkodër – amazing host who helped us plan our itinerary, great facilities, garden and not too far from the centre – perfect for a two night stay in Shkoder and very cheap!
Best Restaurant: The restaurants out of Shkoder down the coast: we ate the local bread and freshly caught lake-fish here – would highly recommend for local cuisine, food quality and price.
Going to Albania? Have a look at Tirana, Albania
