Personally, for authenticity and history then Albania is going to score every time. But then I really like both the Ottoman history and architecture, and also find the communist era fascinating. You still have excellent Roman and Greek remains on top.
There will be many, many more tourists in Corfu - but don't think that Albania, especially the Riviera is going to be a paradise with miles of deserted beaches. The Albanian diaspora seems to return for summer in large numbers. Having said that, you can get many secluded moments even in places like Berat, Butrint etc.
If you don't have a car though, getting around is going to be your major issue.
Ohrid would be worth a stop only in case you visit South-East Albania otherwise it will be too costly to get there from Tirana and/or the western part of Albania. Ohrid is very expensive so in case of a visit make sure to have the overnight in Pogradec or Korca in Albania.
As per Corfu or Albania I would go Albania as the beaches are cleaner and cheaper not to mention Berat, Butrint, Gjirokaster and Llogora Pass.
Edited: 7 years agoBoth places will be busy in July. If you went to Corfu you could spend 1/2 nights in Corfu Town, and then the rest of the time along the coast. If you went to Albania you could go to Berat and Himare, OR Gjirokaster and Sarande. With public transport you couldn't fit much more in. Albania is definitely more interesting but such a short visit could be frustrating, so on balance I would probably choose Corfu, and then return to Albania when you had more time. Corfu does sometimes have difficulty with rubbish collection, but I wouldn't say the beaches were cleaner in Albania, as they also let rubbish stack up at times.
Hi Thomas, as someone who is working all the time with visitors providing them services of every kind first I agree with the most of everything written in the previous replies. My activity is based in Saranda and if you are visiting in July it would be difficult to avoid tourists. Yes if you use the public transport you would lose much of the time travelling . the interesting and authenticity part for Albania are very true and you shall witness it yourself . Regarding your destinations you may visit Gjirokaster and Berat in a day and stay overnight in Berat or in Vlore which is 80 minutes driving from Berat. The next day you come back in Sarande along the riviera where you may have numerous stops in Llogara, Himara, Dhermi ,Borsh, Lukove etc. We do this kind of trips often and it is totally not that tiring. You can rent a car or a car and a driver or a car a driver and a guide for this and the prices you will find in here, Sarande are totally affordable. If you want I can provide you with more info.
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