Can you visit the Albanian Mountain Village of Theth in one day?? Well, we did and in this Theth travel guide, I’ll tell you how we did a self-drive day trip to Theth!
Whilst, you could and should spend 1 or 2 nights in Theth in Northern Albania if you have the time, if you are doing a quick Northern Albania road trip as I recently did (driving from Montenegro into Albania, and then onto Kosovo!), you can experience the delights of this mountain village in just one day too!
Driving from Shkodar to Theth
To do a day trip to Theth and spend one day in Theth, Albania, the best base for your trip is around Lake Shkodar. You can either stay in the city or just outside along the lake as I did…
I stayed in this beautiful boutique hotel with an incredible view of the lake, and the hotel had a swimming pool for £60.00 a night called RUSTICO Hotel. Check out rates and availability here.
The journey driving from Shkodar to Theth is 2 hours. 30 minutes of this is along a main road and 1.5 hours is along the windy mountain road through Theth National Park leading up to Theth once you’ve left the E762 at Koplik.
Do you still need to hire a car??
I always use Rental Cars to book my car hire as they search all the top car hire companies for the best price and quality, search rental cars for Albania here!
Road to Theth
I read many posts online to say that the road to Theth isn’t good, that it is better than before as it has been laid with a new road so is no longer bumpy (previously you needed a 4×4 to go up there) but is quite dangerous without any barriers.
Maybe these posts are from a year before, because in May 2024 when we drove the road to Theth, the road was nice and new and smooth as they said, but we did see plenty of barriers and although windy and steep in places, it didn’t feel dangerous and in most places, there is enough room for 2 cars.. just!
If you get travel sick from turns and bends, you should prepare for this journey, I like to use these motion sickness patches that you put behind your ears and think they really help with car sickness.
One thing that may make your journey time longer than 1 hour 30 minutes from the turn off of the main road to Theth village is the traffic. We did this drive in May as the tourist season was opening up after summer and although we saw a decent amount of cars and minibuses going up and down, it wasn’t that much.
In summer, Theth becomes very busy due to it being much cooler up here in the mountains and you will need to account for driving slower behind other cars and needing to wait for cars to pass on the thinner pieces of the road which will make your journey longer so leave as early as you can in the morning.
Note that once you turn off the main road along Lake Shkodar E762 at Koplik, there are only a few very small stores on the way (which may not be open) and one hotel which has a bar and restaurant you can visit, so ensure you have enough fuel, water and snacks.
I do not recommend doing this drive in the dark, but thankfully, when this road is open and the Spring / Summer tourism is in play, you will get light late nights in Albania.
Arriving in Theth
We put ‘Theth’ into our GPS as our final destination however as we got close (past the zip line and along the bridge across the river) we noticed our GPS still said we had a few minutes of driving but the road seemed to end and lots of cars were parked up.
I believe that to go further up this road you will need a 4×4 as it looked very bumpy so it’s best to park where everyone else does around Bar Restaurant Jezerca and figure out what to do in Theth from there!
Things to do in Theth in one day
If you account for 2-3 hours for your journey to Theth either way, that only leaves you with a few hours in Theth when spending one day there (although keep in mind the late summer evenings, giving you more daylight hours) but there are several things to do with one day in Theth.
Get Lunch in the mountains
We enjoyed a really nice lunch at Bar Restaurant Jezerca which is right where we and many others parked our cars. This seems to be a prime spot and although the food was pricier than in other parts of Albania, it makes sense as it’s a ‘tourist spot’ and getting supplies up here takes some work!
Theth Waterfall
We hiked from the village to Theth Waterfall which took is about 50 minutes each way and was a great short hike in Theth to do. The waterfall is also known as Grunas waterfall.
I was 24 weeks pregnant at the time so I couldn’t do any of the longer hikes but this was perfect. The route takes you along the river which is quite flat but does incline and decline as you go away from the river before hitting the waterfall.
Although this is one of the short Theth hikes, you should have good footwear as the terrain is quite stoney and have water with you, although we did see a few small cafes where you can stop and get drinks and enjoy the view!
Zip Lining
Just as you approach Theth you’ll see a zip line company on one of the bends, it starts from up here ending in the village of Theth giving you the chance to Zip line through the Albanian Alps.
It’s likely you can just turn up and have a go, or you can contact them on Instagram here.
Blue Eye Hike
One of the popular hikes to do in Theth that isn’t too long but is also a bit of a challenge is visiting the Blue Eye.
The Blue Eye in Theth is a beautiful waterfall where you can swim in the lagoon at the bottom. You can hike from Theth and if you do this you’re looking at about 3-3.5 hours each way, however, if you don’t want to hike all that way or feel it’s too much for your day trip to Theth, you can drive part of the way.
Read this post for more info on how to do the hike!
Theth Church
For an easy wander and a place to visit, head to Theth Church in the middle of the village. It was built in 1892 and is in a beautiful setting so it should be on your list of things to do in Theth with one day!
Theth to Valbona Peak Half Hike
For people staying overnight in the Albanian Alps, doing the Theth to Valbona hike is very popular however this involves either 2 long days of walking to go there and back, or hiking from one to another and continuing your trip from Valbona.
With just one day in Theth, a good option is to do half the hike which is Theth to Valbona Peak only as you turn around at Valbona Peak.
For a full guide to this hike, check out this post!
Ethnographic Museum of Dukagjini
One of the unique things to do in Theth is to visit the Ethnographic Museum of Dukagjini. Albania had many Ethnographic Museums (museums focused on the study of people and cultures) but now, only a few are left.
The one in Dukagjini is a stone house sat upon a rock and visitors can go inside and see what a building like this would have been like in the past.
Wander by the River and Enjoy
Without a doubt, one of the reasons to visit Theth is because of the stunning hikes and activities but you don’t have to be a hiker to enjoy this area.
You can easily rock up, take a walk through the village, along the river, stop at lots of local cafes and restaurants and enjoy a relaxing day in the mountains.
Overall thoughts about one day in Theth
It is very possible to do a day trip to Theth, we managed it without getting up too early and we arrived back in Shkodar city ready for dinner, however being 24 weeks pregnant I wasn’t up for much walking and had I not been pregnant we probably would have spent more time up there and done more hikes.
The drive is windy and intense to do there and back in one day but it’s also stunning and part of the experience! In summer, just be sure to give yourself a bit more time than Google Maps advises to do the drive because it may be busy with traffic slowing your journey down.
There are many guesthouses and small hotels in Theth so if you can, staying a night and breaking up the journey over 2 days would be a great idea!