Albania starts about an hour up the road.

The original — Altin Prenga's agriturism, the place that taught Albania to be proud of its own produce. Long lunches of cheese, cured meat and vegetables from the farm outside. Book well ahead and give it the whole afternoon.

A working ferry through a flooded gorge that people reasonably compare to the fjords. Go for the boat, not the destination.

The UNESCO 'city of a thousand windows' — Ottoman houses stacked up a hillside beneath a castle that people still live inside.

Skanderbeg's castle above an old bazaar of copper, kilims and antiques. The easiest half-day out of Tirana.

A turquoise reservoir in a limestone bowl, with a short sharp climb to a ridge above it. The best big view you can get and still be home for dinner.

Clear green water between vertical cliffs, reached by boat from Lake Koman. Swim, eat trout, come back sunburnt.

A bicycle city with a lake, a castle on a bluff with a bleak founding legend, and the best cafe culture outside Tirana.

The 'stone city' — slate roofs, an Ottoman bazaar, and a castle full of confiscated artillery. Pair it with the Blue Eye and Sarandë.

The nearest sea, plus a Roman amphitheatre that once held twenty thousand people sitting under an ordinary residential street.

Rafting between walls a hundred metres high. Best in spring when the water is up.

Dhërmi, Himarë, Gjipe. Turquoise water, olive terraces, and the Llogara pass to get there.