If you are travelling to Albania, or just thinking about it, check out our other posts about Albania:
- 7 Days in Albania, our guide to an essential trip in Albania.
- Insider guide of Tirana, with walking tours & the best local recommendations by Anida.
- 10 Albanian dishes you really have to taste
- 2 days in Korçë, the best Christmas destination in Albania
The Albanian riviera is the wonderful Ionian Sea coast in Albania, South of the picturesque Llogara mountain pass and down to the border with Greece. It has been the most popular summer holiday destination for Albanians for decades, and it is becoming trendier and trendier in Europe.
Anida has been many times to the Albanian riviera, when there were barely were any foreign tourists, when there was no trace of the new hotels and resorts that are now mushrooming. Anyway, the good news is that these new buildings are low-rise – there are no skyscrapers by the sea!
The Albanian riviera is so charming because of the combination of mostly shingle beaches with clear turquoise waters trapped between mountain and sea. Any beach in the Albanian riviera provides a stunning panorama.
Actually, the road to reach the Albanian riviera is made to enjoy the sea from the mountain, and to travel without haste – you will need about 2 hours to drive the 90 km road from Dhërmi, at the foot of the Llogara Pass, to Ksamil.
But the riviera is not only beach and mountain – you simply cannot miss the ruins of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just 5 km from Ksamil, or Lëkurësi Ottoman fortress, just outside Saranda. You can even visit picturesque villages like Qeparo and some other fortresses. Certainly you will encounter some of Hoxha’s bunkers.
If you are travelling to the Albanian riviera, you should know that most beaches in Albania work with the lido system. This means that most of the beaches here are taken by bars or beach clubs that rent umbrellas and sunbeds for a full day.
In the main beaches in the Riviera there usually are small public beach areas, although this is more normal in city beaches (in Himarë or Saranda), which are not the places where you would stay if you travel to the Albanian Riviera.
Reaching the Albanian Riviera
In order to arrive in the Albanian riviera, you will first fly to Tirana internacional airport (TIA). Another option (that we have never tried) is flying to the Greek island of Corfu and reaching Saranda, just across the sea.
The trip from Tirana to the nearest point in the Riviera is about 210 km – a 3h30 drive (crossing the Llogara Pass takes nearly 1 hora, and it is really worth stopping there). The airport is slightly closer to the Riviera than the city.
The easiest way to arrive in the Albanian Riviera and move around is renting a car. However, if you don’t want to do this, you can reach the Riviera by bus.
There are direct buses from Tirana to Vlora (3h), Himara (4h) and Saranda (6h). From Vlora, there are regional buses to Himara (1h40) or Saranda. The buses to Saranda drive through all the Riviera. The buses from Tirana stop at Durrës (both in the city and Golem beach) and there are additional bus services from Durrës.
Bus tickets are purchased at the station. We recommend you to ask where to take the bus beforehand, because Albanian cities are changing a lot lately and many new infrastructures are being built.
Currently, a tunnel is being built through the Llogara Pass to link the Albanian Riviera to Durrës and Tirana by motorway. This tunnel will allow faster travel, but we anyway recommend you to cross the Llogara Pass – the landscape is so wonderful you won’t regret it (you can take the tunnel back, once it opens).
Moving around the Albanian Riviera
There are intercity buses that run along the Riviera, but it is not so easy to know the schedules or where the stops are, so it is better to ask before leaving. Anyway, buses generally won’t take you down to the beach, but you can take a taxi for that.
The SH8 road runs along the Riviera from North to South, between the mountains and the sea, winding along a beautiful landscape. In order to reach the vast majority of the good beaches you will need to take a side road, which is not always, that will take you down to the coast. Signalling is generally good, but there are some exceptions.
The word for beach in Albanian is “plazh” (pronounced just like French plage). We don’t intend to explain Albanian grammar here, but, for instance Llamani beach is “Plazhi i Llamanit“.
When is the best time to travel to the Albanian riviera?
If you want to go to the beach, you should go to the Riviera between June and mid September. We recommend you not to go in August, to avoid crowded beaches and overpriced accommodation and activities.
The nature and places of cultural interest of the Riviera like Butrint can be enjoyed all year long. Anyway, tourism in the Riviera is very seasonal, especially local tourism.
In summer, the Albanian Riviera is the most bustling area in the country, but if you go off-season, expect a very calm place, with many clubs and bars, and even some restaurants, closed.
Travel insurance for the Albanian Riviera
Albania is still not part of the EU, so even if you are an EU resident, healthcare won’t be covered by the European Health Insurance Card. Therefore, even if it’s not compulsory, and probably you won’t use it, if you need medical assistance, you will be glad you paid for it.
We recommend IATI as the travel insurance with the best coverage and service. They have different packages, depending on your needs and kind of trip you are doing. Usually it is enough with IATI Basic, which also includes compensation for flight delays or baggage damages and delays.
If you use our links to buy your IATI travel insurance, you will benefit from an exclusive 5% discount and support us to continue writing about our trips!
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Budget for a trip to the Albanian Riviera
We have seen lately some instagramers who discoreved Albania just a couple of years ago saying that you can enjoy wonderful beaches spending very little money – it is not true that accommodation in summer costs for €25 per night or that you can eat for €5.
Those prices were not even real 10 years ago, when only locals went to the Albanian riviera, and those instagramers didn’t even think about visiting Albania.
The riviera, even more in summer, has always been the most expensive part of Albania, and prices have increased quite much lately, because of inflation, the tourism boom in Albania and also because of a strong lek – in 2023, 1 euro = 105 lek, while in previous years the exchange was hovering around 120 lek for 1 euro.
Nowadays in the Albanian Riviera, even in mid season (end of June o beginning of September), decent accommodation costs around €50-70 per night. There are plenty of hotels and apartments for rent, but family guesthouses can be a great option, with a much warmer service.
If you don’t want to eat only byrek y sufllaqe (like Greek souvlaki or pita gyros) – which you should definitely try, but also eat other great good – it is impossible to eat for €5 per person, or even for €10.
In a restaurant in a village of the Albanian Riviera food is €15 to €20 per person, and even more expensive in a beach club – anyway we recommend not to eat at beach clubs, not only because prices are higher and quality not always good, but because there you won’t taste Albanian food, which is great.
Prices of drinks or coffee in beach clubs in the Albanian Riviera have increased and now they are like in Spain, or higher – €4 for a small beer and €1.50 or even €2 for a coffee. These prices are too high for Albania, and this is driving Albanian holidaymakers away from their own beaches.
Anyway, if most beach clubs they allow you to bring your own food and drinks bought elsewhere, and you can go for lunch to a restaurant and go back to the beach (just tell the people at the club and leave something of little value on your sunbed).
The price of an umbrella plus two sunbeds for a full day (that can be shared by 4 people), including car park in the Albanian Riviera beach clubs is between 1.000 and 1.500 lek in mid season (€10-14) and they can increase to 2.000 lek or even more.
Car rental prices have also increased, and they may cost you €60 or more per day in an international company – expect around €40 in a local company.
The best beaches in the Albanian Riviera
The way we have ordered these beaches is strictly geographical, North to South, to make it easier for you to explore. Actually, we leave the best for the end.
There are several festivals and activities in summer in the Albanian Riviera. Because leisure activities in Albania are constantly changing, we recommend you to download the app TEA (Tourism Events of Albania) so you don’t miss any event you are interested in.
Palasë & Dhërmi / Drymades
At the foot of the Llogara Pass lies Palasë, then Dhërmi… and their beaches can be reached taking the off-roads.
There are actually three marvellous shingle beaches, which are very close to each other – Palasë, Drymades and Dhërmi (Drymades is actually Dhërmi in Greek, but these names are used for the two neighbouring beaches). All three beaches measure over 4 km combined.
Palasë has recently become the first blue flag beach in Albania. Green Coast, an exclusive hotel & resort, which also features residential hotels and villas is there, but you can also go to normal beach clubs if you just want to enjoy the beach.
The beaches at Palasë, Drymades and Dhërmi have clean and clear water, displaying an array at least three colours from turquoise to deep blue. But what we think puts these beaches among the best in the Albanian Riviera is the stunning view of the mountains and the Llogara pass while you are taking a bath.
Several new construction projects are underway to meet the demands of the incredible surge in foreign tourism in Albania, and particularly in the Riviera. These are now spoiling the view, but it will get better when they are finished, and at least they are all low-rise buildings.
The road to reach Dhërmi beach from the main road and the village is not in good condition, but we expect it to be renewed once the new motorway reaches the Riviera.
Palasë, Drymades and Dhërmi are relatively expensive beaches in the Riviera. As they are more open than the usual coves of the Riviera, there are many beach clubs here. The price of an umbrella and two sunbeds was 1.500 lek on late June 2023, so it will likely be 2.000 in August.
Nightlife here is among the best in the Riviera and it is not rare to see Albanian celebrities in these beaches – including international celebrities like Dua Lipa.
There are many summer festivals and activities in Dhërmi starting with Kala Festival in the beginning of June.
Gjipe
The next beach after Dhërmi is Gjipe. Gjipe beach lies at the end of a canyon, so the beach has a beautiful view and is great for hiking and trekking activities.
A good way to arrive in Gjipe is with a boat trip from Dhërmi or Himara. If you do so, you will see the Pirate’s Cave (Shpella e Pirateve) between Dhërmi and Gjipe.
Jalë
The next beach accessible by road is Jalë. This is a small cove with deep blue sea. Next to Jalë proper is Folie Marine, more exclusive and popular for Albanian VIPs (so quite expensive).
Livadhi
You will soon arrive in Himara. From the upper part of Himara there is a road to Livadhi beach, a classic in the Riviera. This is quite a long beach (around 1.5 km) with great views of the mountains and Himara castle.
There are some camp sites and bungalows in lovely locations just by the beach. The price of the umbrella & sunbeds is the standard 1.000 to 1.500 lek depending on the season.
Continue driving down the SH8 main road and you will soon arrive in the lower part of Himara and its port. There is a pleasant seafront and a public beach, but it’s not a beach where you would stay if you travel to the Riviera. If you are looking for a boat trip or other seaside activities, this is a good place to find one.
Himara is bustling on summer nights and there are some good restaurants here. Our favourite is To Stéki, where they serve fantastic Greek and Albanian traditional cuisine. Anything you order is great, although their tyrokafteri used to be even better. They have recently moved to a larger place at the seafront.
Potami
A few kilometres South of Himara is Potami, a less known smallish beach that makes a quite pleasant spot. The atmosphere here is more relaxed than in the most popular beaches in the Riviera, and they play more reggae and less techno.
The sea in Potami is very clear, but its turquoise is not as intense as in other Riviera beaches. It is anyway a great beach to go to if you are looking for something calmer. Potami also has a public beach area.
Llamani
Llamani is one of the iconic beaches in the Albanian Riviera. It is one of the favourites of Anida because of its clear and turquoise waters and its picturesque location between a rock and a cliff.
It is a few kilometres South of Potami. Be careful, because even if it is a well known beach, the road to Llamani is quite easy to miss. There are two beach clubs with very comfortable sunbeds, albeit too close to each other, for a standard price (1.000 lek in the end of June).
Porto Palermo
South of Llamani you will arrive to the Fortress of Porto Palermo, built in the beginning of the 19th c. by Ali Pasha Tepelena, who ruled the South of Albania and parts of current Northern Greece in name of the Ottoman Empire, but de facto nearly independently.
Next is Porto Palermo beach. Porto Palermo Festival is held here all Friday and Saturday evenings in July and August.
Borsh
The next bay hosts Borsh beach, an open and long beach (around 4 km) with a calm sea, very popular for families with children. You can also visit the village of Qeparo – its upper part is very picturesque, in a revival process after years of neglect.
Saranda
After Borsh, we enter the Saranda county.
Before arriving to the town of Saranda, there are some beautiful beaches, mainly picturesque coves like Krorëza (Plazhi i Krorëzes), Kakoma o Plazhi i Pasqyrave.
Saranda is the largest city in the riviera (after Vlora) and an important holidaymaking hub. It is a great base to visit the amazing Ksamil beach as well as the Butrint archaeological site.
Another interesting place just outside Saranda is the Lëkurësi Fortress (Kalaja e Lëkurësit), built in 1537 by Suleiman the Magnificent, which looks over Saranda and the Ksamil islands.
Ksamil
Ksamil is probably the most stunning beach in the Albanian Riviera – that’s why it is marketed as “Maldives of Europe”. Unlike most other beaches in the riviera, Ksamil is a white sand beach, with a sea in several turquoise and blue tones. Three islands lie in front of the beach, at a short distance. It is especially beautiful at ebb tide.
In order to enjoy this beautiful beach, we recommend you to avoid August, when it is always crowded – this happened even before international tourism arrived. June and beginning of July is the best time to come to Ksamil, and sometimes you can even swim in May.
Ksamil lies just 5 km of Butrint National Park. This natural reserve includes the lake where, according to the local legend, Achilles was bathed. But the main thing are the Butrint ruins, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Even if you just came to the riviera for the beaches, Butrint is a place you really cannot miss. It is a city with a long ancient history, inhabited first by the Illyrians, then by the Greeks and Romans, who left us several constructions, like the threatre – built by the Greeks and rebuilt by the Romans – and an Early Christian basilica.
Don’t miss the Blue Eye (Syri i kaltër). This is an underwater source with a hole over 50 metres deep (no one knows how deep it actually is). The bubbles that blow out of the eye draw unexpected shapes on the surface. It lies just a few kilometres North of Saranda.
Not to be missed around the riviera: Gjirokastër
50 km away from Saranda, in the interior of Albania, on the other side of the mountains, lies Gjirokastër. Its old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its architecture is mainly from the Ottoman period – its cobbled streets and bazaar still preserve the atmosphere of bygone days.
In Gjirokastër you can visit two 18th-century houses that belonged to wealthy merchants that are still maintained by the same families that owned them. Another highlight is the castle from which there is a beautiful mountain view.
And in Gjirokastër you will discover Albanian culture and cuisine much better than in the Riviera.
Visit our blog post 7 Days in Albania for more information about what to see and do in Gjirokastër.
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