Theth is one of the most beautiful places we’ve been in Albania and the world. If you love mountains, this is your spot. It is so stunning, peaceful, and picture perfect. I highly recommend making your way to Theth if you’ve made it to Albania, or even if you’re in the surrounding area.
Things to Know Before Traveling to Theth:
Theth is Amazing
I have to start by saying that we absolutely LOVED Theth. Between Theth and Himare I can’t decide which was my favorite stop. But they are so different since Theth is mountains and Himare is beach so I don’t feel I have to choose.
Anyway, Theth is just stunning from any angle. I do not feel that you can go wrong here with anything you do! You could come here for a hiking adventure, or just to relax, eat, and stroll around enjoying the incredible nature and be at peace.
The people in Theth are incredible and kind. We met some of the most welcoming kind people all over Albania and Theth was a truly highlight. Everyone is helpful, everyone is accommodating, we even had to hitchhike in a storm at one point and got a ride home from a super kind stranger. This place is just magic.
Currency
The LEK is the name of the currency in Albania. You must have cash to travel throughout Albania and you definitely need to have cash to travel in Theth. I recommend you bring USD or Euros with you to Albania and exchange them at many of the exchange shops they have almost everywhere. There are no ATM machines in Theth. Make sure to stop before heading into the mountains. The best place to exchange money or hit up an ATM before coming to Theth would be in Shkoder.
Weather
If you’re familiar with traveling in mountain regions then you likely know that the weather can be unpredictable. You should always be prepared for anything. The best time to visit Theth for hiking is between June and September. You may still have snow or poor conditions even in early June or late September so July and August would be the BEST time. Even on the most beautiful of days or at the most beautiful times of year there can also be storms. Storms in the mountains can be a lot like tropical storms where they come in hard and pass quickly. But just be aware that you should expect anything when traveling to a mountain region such a Theth.
How to get to Theth By Car
In my personal opinion if you’re not a timid driver, the best way to get to Theth is by car. I feel this way for a number of reasons.
1. You can take the trip in and out literally whenever it suits you.
2. The views on the drive are stunning and you can stop to take photos and take in the scenes.
3. Parking is easy when you arrive in Theth and you can literally park anywhere.
4. It doesn’t take that long. From Tirana it takes about 3 hours. From Shkoder it takes about 2.
5. It’s comfortable, you have your own space and can bring anything you want, turn up the AC as high as you want, listen to your own jams, etc.
It is important to note that the road to Theth is long and winding. IT IS FULLY PAVED. You may read out of date blog posts that state that the road to Theth is a dirt road, and it used to be. But it was fully paved about two years ago and now you can drive into Theth with pretty much any vehicle. I don’t drive manual transmission but I do believe it would be a bit of work and if you’re not VERY familiar I would recommend going automatic. You must be aware that the road is narrow and is surprisingly a two way road. You may encounter farmers, donkeys, cows, goats, and other surprises along the route.
**** It is very important to note that once you begin on the mountain road to Theth there are NO gas stations. I HIGHLY advise you to get gas in Shkoder or right before heading into the mountains. The winding roads BURN fuel and you will not make it in and out of Theth if you’re low on gas to start.
If you drive there are a few things that we passed along the way that we’d have stopped at if we had another chance. They looked so cute and fun!
One was Buni I Bajraktarit which looked like an amazing stop for a coffee or snack with an epic view.
The other was Bar Kafe Paja which was on the way into the mountains and just looked absolutely adorable for a snack or drink.
Car/Van Hire
If you’re not a confident driver your next best bet is to hop in a car or van from Shkoder. There are plenty of services that will drive you into Theth. These will be shared rides, although I am sure you could book with a private driver as well for a cost. There are a few companies we used to help us with custom tours during our time in Albania and I am sure they could point you in the right direction. One was 1001 Albanian Adventures and the other was Berat City Tours.
Do the loop
What I mean when I say “do the loop” is that there is a popular backpacking route into Theth and out of a town called Valbone. You get a ride into Theth from Shkoder, spend the night, hike to Valbone for a full day, then take a boat and bus from Valbone back to Shkoder. This has some advantages too. You can leave your belongings in Shkoder and just take what you need for your hiking days. There are many ways to arrange this and a lot of guesthouses in Theth, Shkoder, or Valbone will help you.
Where to Stay in Theth
We stayed at Villa Gjecaj Guesthouse. 10/10!!!! I couldn’t have been happier with this place. Came for the cheese board I saw on trip advisor and stayed because it was the best place EVER! The family who runs the place is amazing and so kind and helpful. The place itself is beautiful, clean, and has INCREDIBLE views. The food was amazing and we ate some of the best meals of our trip here! The house cured meat was some of the best we’ve EVER had. I would highly recommend having multiple meals here so you can try things! We were VERY happy with our stay here and hope to return someday! The host family here was incredibly kind and welcoming and we just loved spending time hanging out on the property and enjoying the amazing views.
If and only if this place doesn’t have availability there were 3 other spots we thought looked pretty cool.
Bujtina Miqësia: This was my second choice after looking at pretty much every guest house in Theth. The bath and window situations looked so beautiful and had such incredible views. Food looks great and the place has 8.8 on booking.com! I also read and noticed their last like 20+ reviews are 10/10. Definitely a good sign and so many mention the kindness of the hosts. This seems to be a common theme in Albania.
Guest House Rrashkadoli: Didn’t even realize booking.com had this feature until right now. But you can search “best reviews at best price”. This is the spot that came up when I did that! A 9.6 on booking is legit. I honestly don’t think you can go wrong in Theth. This place looks stunning and again has tons of mentions about the kindness of the hosts.
Gurra Family Guesthouse: I was debating this one for our stay as well. Has great reviews and it looks like it has great food as well.
If you book through my link below I can earn a small commission at NO COST to you. This helps me to keep this blog add free and give you all of this great info!
Things to Do/See
Theth Waterfall Hike: The Theth Waterfall is an easy hike that is doable for anyone of any age. We saw lots of families doing this walk with small children and people were not in full hiking gear to do this hike. If you’re into a more calm and easy hiking experience this is for you! You can do this hike in sneakers with no gear. It’s beautiful and not too hard to navigate. We recommend downloading and using maps.me before your trip! They have all of the trails here on their program and it makes navigation a breeze. You can easily combine this hike with the hike to the blue eye or do it in the morning or afternoon as it is pretty easy and short!
Blue Eye Hike: If you’re up for a further challenge the Blue Eye is for you! We LOVED this hike, it was one of our favorite things we did throughout our entire trip in Albania. Hiking to the Blue Eye from Theth took about 3 hours and again we used maps.me to navigate this hike. The hike is along the stunning blue river most of the way which is really amazing. It’s also not too much elevation gain, just more of a long walk. So if you’re reasonably fit you should really do it! Again you can do this hike in sneakers with no gear.
If you’re not as adventurous of a hiker you could also drive to a restaurant/guesthouse that is closer to the blue eye. Then you only have to hike about 45 minutes to get there. The Blue Eye also has a small restaurant on site where you can get refreshments if needed.
If you do want to take the shortcut and drive part of the way Restorant Lulash Zelna is where you should park to make the rest of the trek! We wanted to grab lunch here on our way back but we got caught in a terrible storm. It looked like an amazing place to stop and grab a drink or lunch after the hike!
Valbona Pass Hike: Another stunning hike is the Valbona Pass hike. We had planned to hike up to the pass and then return to Theth to drive out the following day. Unfortunately due to weather we were unable to do this hike. BUT if you have good weather it’s supposed to be one of the best hikes there is! You could hike it up and back, or you could hike all the way to the town of Valbone and then get transportation back out from there.
This one definitely sounds like a more challenging hike and a bigger undertaking. It would take far longer than the other hikes mentioned and you may want to have true hiking boots for this one and make sure the time of year is right. Your guesthouse in Theth will give you any info you need about this hike.
Theth Church: The iconic church in Theth is likely what will come up if you search instagram for info or even blogs. It’s so charming with the mountains as the background. It makes for an easy walk from most places in the village and is just a nice little spot to check out.
Mini Market Jezerca: The only shop that I know of in Theth. We didn’t need much as we were prepared for our time in Theth but we grabbed some snacks here. They had drinks and some grocery items and other last minute things you may need.
If you’re interested in more about other places we visited in Albania, I have a lot of posts about our Itinerary, other place etc. You can check them out here —-> Albania Posts
Theth | Albania | Albania Travel | Visit Albania | Albania Tourism