Albania, with the volume turned up

The signature hike of the Albanian Alps — over the pass between two storybook valleys. Doable self-guided in summer.

Best season: June–October

The beach is easy and good for families. Getting out to the three islets is the part that is not: in calm summer conditions people wade the channel to the nearest one, in other conditions they do not, and which kind of day it is must be judged at the water rather than from a page. Craft can be hired on the beach — use a licensed operator and follow their read of the conditions, which is what official travel advice says about rented watercraft on this coast. Whether a crossing suits children or a weak swimmer depends on the sea, the kit and the people, and is the operator's call rather than ours. The snorkelling, once you are there, is the clearest water on the Ionian.

Best season: June–September

Hilltop fortress with a Cold-War aircraft on the ramparts and the eerie Bunk'Art-style tunnel below.

Best season: All year

Hoxha's giant nuclear bunker turned museum on the edge of Tirana. Sobering, brilliant, essential.

Best season: All year

Mirror Beach (Plazhi i Pasqyrave) is usually calmer and flatter than the main strip, which is where the name comes from and why photographers like it. Usually, not always — wind turns it over like anywhere else on this coast, so judge the water when you arrive rather than from a page.

Best season: June–September

About 15 minutes from Ksamil — clear water, white pebbles and dramatic coastal rocks. The road is slightly bumpy but the reward is a beautiful, less crowded beach.

Best season: June–September

Catch the 30-minute ferry from Sarandë port to Corfu — explore the UNESCO old town, try Greek food, and return the same evening. One of the best day trips in the region.

Best season: April–October

Albania's most dramatic hidden beach sits at the end of Gjipe Canyon — tall cliffs on both sides, crystal-clear water, no beach clubs. Drive to the parking area and walk 30–40 minutes. Wear shoes and bring water.

Best season: May–October

A short steep walk above the old Dhërmi village brings you to this peaceful monastery. The views over the Ionian Sea are the best in the area — combine with exploring the stone streets of old Dhërmi.

Best season: All year

A small rocky cove with impossibly clear water — ideal for snorkelling and swimming in total quiet. The road is rough but the peaceful crystal-clear setting makes the drive worthwhile.

Best season: June–September

Not a ruin and not a museum — people still live inside the walls, hang washing between Byzantine churches and sell figs from their doorways. That is the thing worth coming for. The cobbles are steep and uneven, so wear something with grip, or drive up and walk down. The Onufri icon museum inside charges separately.

Best season: Year-round

The ramparts sit above the point where the Buna, Drin and Kir rivers meet, which is the view everyone climbs for. The legend attached to it — a woman walled into the foundations so the castle would stand, permitted to leave one breast exposed to feed her son — is still told locally and is grimmer than the guidebooks suggest. Winter hours are shorter and it closes Mondays out of season.

Best season: Year-round

Three generations of the Marubi studio photographed northern Albania from 1856 onward, and the archive runs to half a million negatives — highland clans, Ottoman officials, weddings, executions. It is the best hour indoors in Shkodër and the only place that makes the region's last century legible. Check the hours before going; published times disagree with each other.

Best season: Year-round