2024 Greece and Albania Cycling Tour

October 25 - November 3, 2024

Love Greece and Love Albania in partnership with Love Spain are pleased to present our 2024 Greece and Albania Cycling Tour itinerary from October 25 - November 3, 2024 below.   The full route in Albania and on Corfu over six cycling days totals approximately 550 kilometers, which averages out to just over 90 kilometers per cycling day. The trip will require a moderate overall level of fitness to be able to complete the trip. All daily routes are carefully chosen for their exceptional and unique beauty and overall interest. Three cycling days are in Greece and three in Albania. One rest day is interspersed after the third cycling day so everyone has a chance to rest.  In Greece we will circle the island of Thassos, and then ride on the mainland into Thessaloniki, passing the Roman ruins at Philippi, a refugee camp, and various other sights along the way including a delicious stop at a hot springs spa. In Albania, we will be doing three gorgeous loop rides, using Korce, Albania as a base. Two of the rides will cross into Macedonia. We will traverse several national parks. Road bicycles are strongly recommended.  We are staying at nice hotels along the way. Non-cycling accompanying friends and partners also welcome! Come join us for the adventure of a lifetime!

Itinerary

Friday, October 25

All participants should arrive into Thessaloniki, Greece which will be followed by a 2.5 hour drive to Keramoti from which point you will take a short ferry across to the island of Thassos. Bicycles will be assembled in Thessaloniki and bike boxes and bags stored in Thessaloniki prior to the drive. We will be staying for the night on Thassos at the Hotel Macedon from which point we will begin cycling the following day.

Saturday, october 26

After breakfast, cyclists will depart for a 94-kilometer ride clockwise around the periphery of the resort island of Thassos. We will once again spend the night at the Hotel Macedon. The Strava route for the day is here.

sunday, october 27

After breakfast, we will depart Thassos on the short ferry ride to the mainland at Keramoti and then be driven to the stage starting point at Nea Karvali where after a 116-kilometer route that passes by the Roman ruins at Philippi we will finish at the coastal town of Stavros and stay for the night at the Arhontiko Liamas Hotel. The Strava route for the day is here.

monday, october 28

We depart Stavros on this 91-kilometer relatively flat stage and make intermediate stops at a refugee camp at Vaiochori and at the thermal baths at Langadas before finishing at the luxurious Monasty Thessaloniki Autograph Hotel near the waterfront downtown Thessaloniki. This is a great staging point to explore the wonders of Greece’s second largest city. The Strava route for the day is here.

tuesday, October 29

The morning will be free in Thessaloniki to explore further, shop, and visit various sights and local initiatives. In the afternoon, we will make the three-hour drive from Thessaloniki, Greece to Korce, Albania where we will base at the centrally-located Park Plazza Hotel for the rest of the trip. En route from Greece to Albania we will gain an hour back (the two countries are in different time zones) allowing additional time to enjoy the rest day in Thessaloniki.

wednesday, october 30

After breakfast in Korce, we will drive from Korce to Pogradec and do the stunningly beautiful 90-kilometer ride clockwise around Lake Ohrid. The route takes us into Macedonia for stops in the towns of Struga and Ohrid before looping back around into Albania to finish where we started in Pogradec after which we will again drive back to Korce. We have done this ride in the past and it has proven to be among the most popular rides we have ever done. The Strava route for the day is here.

thursday, october 31

On our most significant climbing day of the tour (1,575 meters of climbing over 88 kilometers) we will again be driven from Korce to a point on Lake Ohrid just east of Pogradec where we will cross into Macedonia again and climb up into Galicica National Park and descend to the shores of Lake Prespa traversing Prespa National Park before returning to Albania and finishing again at our home base in Korce, the Park Plazza Hotel. The Strava route for the day is here.

friday, november 1

Our last cycling day on the trip will be a delightful 76-kilometer loop ride beginning and ending in Korce, riding through the rural Albanian countryside including several small villages. You will gain a peek into rural Albanian life. The route has a small sting in the tail as there is a good climb up to above 1,400 meters prior to a fast descent and flat portion into Korce. The Strava route for the day is here.

saturday, november 2 And Sunday, November 3

Saturday will be a day in Korce to celebrate the trip’s conclusion, enjoy all the new friends and visit the Korce Adventure Center who will be co-responsible for organizing this trip. We expect at least several Albanian riders from Korce (and other Balkan/regional riders) to join us on the trip, at least for the days in Albania so we will all have a chance to meet their families, pack our bags, enjoy the local food, and prepare to leave early Sunday. We may even plan a broader community activity this day in coordination with the Korce Adventure Center. Participants are free to choose whether they prefer to fly home on Sunday from either the Tirana, Albania airport or the Thessaloniki, Greece airport. They are about equidistant from Korce - a three-hour drive in either direction. Corfu might actually be an option as well for people flying within Europe.. We hope you have a fantastic time on this adventure of a lifetime, and make many new friends on the trip. There is so much more to tell. Feel free to make contact with us if you have any questions. We have lots of fun activities planned on the trip!

Registration and Payment

In order to become an official participant in the 2024 Greece and Albania Cycling Tour, everyone must register and pay below.  Scroll down on the registration filling in all items as you go.  Once you have completed the registration, proceed to make your payment. Final registration and payment deadline is October 1, 2024.  

The total cost of the 2024 Greece and Albania Cycling Tour beginning on October 25, 2024 and ending on November 3, 2024 is 795 euros.   This payment does not include a credit card processing fee (additional 6%), which is also required if paying by credit card.  Payment covers all internal travel during the trip (with the small exceptions noted below), vehicle backup, lodging, and breakfasts during the entirety of the trip starting from lodging on the night of October 25, 2024 and ending with breakfast on November 3, 2024.  Lodging will normally be very high quality hotels (double occupancy and occasionally triple occupancy unless noted otherwise). 

Payment does not cover international travel, lunches, dinners, tips, snacks, drinks, entrance fees, and incidentals.  Payment will cover one ferry round trip within Greece. It will not cover your transport to your departure airport at the end of the trip. In all cases, we will work with you to help ensure you choose ideal flights for both arrival and departure at the beginning and end of your trip to ensure your transitions are as smooth and easy, and upon request, advise you so that your international travel is as cheap and comfortable as possible.

Please note that you may also pay by wire transfer, which could save you some money as the fees, especially on Wise.com are less than the credit card transaction fee. Please read instructions below in the payment section to see which option (wire transfer or credit card payment) you feel most comfortable with.

Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Greece and Albania Cycling Tour.  If you have any questions or we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the Contact Us page.  Please note that you will not be considered fully registered for the 2024 Greece and Albania Cycling Tour until you have fully completed and submitted your registration below, emailed your passport, and made your trip payment.  In the past, places have filled up quickly so the earlier you register and pay the better.