Are you thinking about an Albanian Riviera Road Trip? We predict that Albania will be THE hotspot destination for 2025, and the beaches of Albania can compete with those anywhere else in the Mediterranean.
The Albanian Riviera stretches 130km along the Ionian Sea coast from Vlorë to Ksamil. Along the way you’ll find quaint seaside villages, hidden coves, bustling beach clubs, long sandy beaches, and secluded spots you can only reach by hiking.
We are travelling full-time in our campervan throughout Europe. We love slow-travel and taking the scenic route. We visited the Albanian Riviera in early spring. While the summer beach season hadn’t started, it was great to check out this under-rated slice of Europe before the crowds arrive.
In this post we will cover the our favourite beaches of the Albanian Riviera along with some local gems. We’ll also give you some practical tips for driving through this beautiful part of Albania.
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Visiting the beach in Albania
It’s important to note that many of the Albanian Beaches are “privately owned” and during the summer season you’ll find sunbeds and umbrellas lining the beaches in front of hotels and “beach clubs”.
You’ll be charged a daily rate to use these facilities, but you’ll often get snack and drink services to your sunbed. Rates vary depending on the location, but expect to pay €10-20 per day. Some hotels have the sunbed use included in your room rate – worth checking when you book!
NOTE: The Albanian Prime Minister has announced that for summer 2025 only accommodation providers will be allowed to offer sunbeds for rent. If this is implemented it will mean a big change for the Albanian Riviera, as many of the “private” beaches are attached to bars and beach clubs. What will happen to these beach clubs?
Many of the beaches do have a “public” area where you can put your towel down and sit for free. Sadly, these beaches are not cleaned as regularly as the private beaches, so you may have to deal with rubbish littering the beach.
How to get to the Albanian Riviera
By Air
Currently there are two options – you can fly to Tirana Albania and make your way to the Riviera from there. Most people choose to fly to Corfu, Greece and take the fast ferry over to Sarandë.
In summer 2025 the new airport is due to open in Vlorë. We have been unable to find an exact opening date, and we also can’t find any scheduled flights arriving to Vlore yet. Keep an eye on the official website for more news.
By Campervan/Motorhome
If you’re like us and doing the “Vanlife Europe” thing, the Albanian Riviera is a great van life destination. Simply head south from Tirana (or north from Greece) and hug the coast on the SH8 road.
By Rental Car
If you’re arriving in Tirana, you can hire a car from the airport and drive to the Riviera. If you have the time, there are several places worth visiting on your way south. Why not check out Berat – the “city of 1000 windows” with it’s unique Ottoman era houses and hilltop castle.
You can also rent a car in Sarandë if you’re flying into Corfu and catching the ferry over to Albania.
By Bus
Buses make the journey from Tirana to Vlore or Saranda. The bus departs from the South and North Bus Terminal just outside of Tirana.
The bus system seems a bit chaotic, you just arrive and board the bus. A conductor will come and collect your fare (cash only). The bus may leave early if its full, or wait a while for more passengers.
Buses also tend to stop at unscheduled places. You’ll need to be flexible and patient when catching a bus in Albania. It may not be the fastest way to travel, but it is definitely cheap!
Private driver/taxi
There are many private taxi drivers who will take you to the Riviera or around. You can find recommendations on the Visit Albania Facebook group.
We haven’t used any of these services but see them advertised often. Be sure to agree on a price beforehand, and read reviews!
Driving along the Albanian Riviera
Although the distances are short, you’ll need to allow plenty of time as the roads are narrow and winding. You may also need to stop for flocks of sheep or goats in the road, but these always make for a great photo opportunity!
You may have heard some scary stories about the roads in Albania and how crazy the drivers are. We definitely agree that some drivers can be impatient and aggressive – overtaking on winding mountain roads, even on blind corners is a thing here.
The roads are generally in much better condition than we had been led to believe. The main road along the Riviera was improved in 2008, and is a decent double lane road all the way (except for one small section through a tiny village – but this section has a traffic light.
Our advice is to take your time and if someone is driving erratically behind you, just let them pass.
Best time for an Albanian Riviera Road Trip
The best time to visit the Albanian Riviera is the shoulder season. So late spring and early autumn. May-June and September-October will give you weather warm enough for the beach and swimming, but way fewer crowds.
We visited in the off season (February and March) and we had some beautiful mild sunny days. However most of the smaller towns and villages completely close down for the winter. That meant less choice when it came to restaurants – but it also meant no beach clubs so the beaches were completely free!
How long do you need for an Albanian Riviera Road Trip?
We would recommend allowing between 5-15 days along the Riviera. You could spend days (weeks!) just relaxing on the beaches here. A week will be a good amount of time to explore a few beaches and see some of the other great sites too.
Albanian Riviera Road Trip – The route north to south
Vlorë
Vlorë (also spelt Vlora or Vlore) is Albania’s fourth largest city and is the gateway to the Albanian Riviera. The old town is up on a hilltop, but most visitors come to the Lungomare area, a long stretch of sandy beach, just south of the main town.
This strip is lined with restaurants and cafes, most of which stay open year round, great for if you’re visiting in the off-season. We can highly recommend Happy Pizza – we’ve had some of the best pizzas ever here. They line the crust with sesame seeds, which is unique and very tasty.
We also liked drinks at the Sunset Bar, which is on a jetty stretching out over the water.
Most of the beaches along this strip will be privately owned and have sunbeds out for hire. Orikum Beach is another popular beach spot if you’re looking for somewhere a bit quieter.
Around Vlorë
There are several other places worth seeing around Vlore. The St Mary’s Monastery is on an island in the Narta Lagoon, connected with a wooden walkway. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the Flamboyance of Flamingos who call this lagoon home. (Yes, flamboyance is the collective noun for flamingos!)
There is a network of communist era tunnels along the coast by the Zvarnec Lighthouse. The road out there is rocky and bumpy, but these tunnels are well worth exploring. Take a torch and watch your footing! Nigel almost stepped into a large uncovered hole.
We were surprised to see “No Camping” signs around this area – the first (and only) such signs we’ve seen in Albania. We found a good wild-camping spot a little further away from the monastery and tunnels. You can find this spot on our interactive Albania Map.
Llogara National Park
Driving south from Vlore you’ll come to the Llogara National Park. In 2024 a 7km tunnel was opened, passing through the mountains. This tunnel reduces the travel time by around 45 minutes. The tunnel closed again in November for essential works to be completed, and it’s due to re-open in May 2025.
However, if you have the time, we highly recommend driving over the Llogara Pass. Yes, it’s steep, narrow and has plenty of switchbacks, but it is one of the most spectacular drives in Europe.
You’ll drive up through the pine forests of the National Park. There are several hotels and restaurants at the top if you want to stop for lunch here. Driving down the other side of the pass is even more spectacular as the trees give way to open views, right out across the Ionian Sea as far as Corfu.
There’s a lookout on the way down, which has some excellent views and a lot of graffiti! There is room for maybe 10 vehicles to pull over here.
We’ve been over the Llogara Pass twice now, both times driving north – south. It looks a little steeper if you were to come the other way.
Dhermi Beach
We’d heard Dhermi Beach is one of the most laid-back and beautiful beaches along the Riviera. However, there’s a huge construction project (a giant resort maybe?) going on. You can see this from the Llogara Pass lookout.
We drove down to the beach and parked up opposite one of the restaurants directly on the beach for a while, but we didn’t stay. It was raining.
Gjipë Beach
Gjipë (pronounced Jipp-uh) is one of our favourite places in Albania. It’s an adventure just to get there! Gjipë Beach is located at the end of a deep canyon and is accessible only by walking, boat, or a VERY capable 4×4.
From the main SH8 road, you’ll drive around 3km down a single lane road to a parking area. We paid 500 Lek to park here for the day. There’s a couple of cafés here too.
You’ll then walk for 15 minutes downhill to the beach. The walk is not difficult, but it’s rocky and uneven, so you’ll need to wear decent shoes to walk down. The views along the coast are spectacular and look out for a couple of communist-era bunkers along the way.
This track is also open to vehicles, but it is VERY rough. There were men working on the track when we visited, but we would only recommend it for a high-clearance 4×4 and a very capable driver. It’s also narrow – I hate to think of meeting someone coming the other way!
Once you arrive at Gjipë Beach, you’ll see what all the fuss is about. We hiked down there in the morning, and there were less than 10 other people at the beach. The beach is quite rocky, so we’d recommend bringing water shoes.
There are a couple of beach bars here so you’ll be able to grab a coffee, beer or lunch if you visit during the summer season. There’s also a small campsite here where you can stay in a tent.
It’s possible to hike up the canyon, we walked a short way in, and its absolutely beautiful.
Himarë
Himarë is the perfect place to base yourself if you want to stop for a few days. From here it’s easy to visit some of the other towns and beaches too.
We spent a couple of nights at Livadhi Beach, which is just below the main town of Himarë.
Porto Palermo Castle
Leaving Himarë, the road winds up the hillside and back down to the beach. You’ll notice a small “almost-island” with a triangular castle on top. The island was connected with a man-made causeway, making access to the fortress easier.
As you approach the island, keep an eye out and you’ll spot a large tunnel going into the side of the hill. This whole area was closed off to the public during the communist area, and the tunnel which goes back 700m into the hill was used for Soviet submarines.
The Porto Palermo Castle was built by Ali Pasha in 1800 on the site of a 4th century fortress. The castle has been used as a fortress, military garrison, prison, and now a museum.
You can visit the castle to explore the tunnels and walk up on the ramparts. There’s not much information here, but the gentleman who took our 300 Lek entry fee told us a bit of the history of Ali Pasha, the castle, and the Soviet submarine tunnel.
He’s also an excellent singer, and the castle has beautiful acoustics. Check out our Albanian Riviera video to hear him sing.
We ate lunch just opposite the castle at the Porto Palermo Restaurant. The food here was excellent and the service very friendly.
Qeparo and Borsh
These small villages have long beaches (Borsh has the longest beach in Albania at 7km). You’ll also find plenty of mini-markets, restaurants and bakeries in these small towns.
We spent a night parked up right on the beach at Borsh (opposite the police station!) which was fine in the off-season. There’s a great bakery in Borsh that has delicious cheese byrek, and chip sandwiches!!
Sarandë
Saranda is the unofficial capital of the Albanian Riviera. It’s a bustling port town and gets very busy during the summer season. We’ve heard reports of traffic being at a standstill and taking hours to drive a couple of kilometres.
The town is located on a steep hill surrounding a horse-shoe shaped bay. Along the waterfront is a broad promenade, lined with restaurants, ice-cream shops, even an Irish Pub.
From Saranda you can catch a fast ferry to Corfu, Greece. In fact, many visitors to the Albanian Riviera fly to Corfu and take the ferry to Saranda, rather than flying into Tirana.
To be honest, we found Saranda to be a concrete jungle. We stopped in one day to walk the promenade, and we had lunch at the FishBar, which is a bit of a walk up the hill, but has excellent fresh fish and seafood. The prices here are better than on the promenade too!
There’s a sizeable ex-pat community in Saranda (mostly Americans, as they can stay in Albania for a year without a visa). They often meet up for social events at the Buzz Bar, which is owned by an Australian woman.
Ksamil
The southern-most town of our road-trip, Ksamil earns its reputation as jewel of the Riviera. With white sand beaches, small islands and a great vibe, Ksamil is a fitting end to your Albanian Riviera Road Trip.
There’s a lot of hype surrounding Ksamil, and this is where the party-seekers head during the summer months. If you’re visiting in July and August, expect crowds, noisy beach bars pumping out the tunes, and higher prices.
When we visited in February-March, Ksamil was a sleepy village with only a few bars and restaurants open. We ate a delicious lunch at the Traditional House, and had cocktails at the Simple Lounge cocktail bar. This bar has happy hour from 5pm – 11pm, HELLO!!
In Ksamil you can take a boat ride over to the islands. There are several offices in town where you can book. We just walked onto the beach and the boats came to us, like seagulls to a hot chip. We paid €15 per person for a trip around the islands, including a stop on Twin Islands.
We were supposed to stop there for 10 minutes and then take a leisurely cruise back to town, but there was a massive rain cloud coming, so we hightailed it back.
Butrint National Park
Just south of Ksamil you’ll find Butrint National Park. This park has an archeological site with ruins from the Greek and Roman times. It’s beautiful and shady here, so if you’re visiting in summer this would be a great day out when you need a respite from the hot beaches.
There is a large parking lot at Butrint, plenty of space for your campervan, motorhome or rental car. Alternatively, you can take the public bus from Saranda or Ksamil to Butrint. Price is 200 lek from Saranda. You’ll need to pay cash to the conductor who will come around to collect your fare.
Where to stay on the Albanian Riviera
If you’re doing an Albanian Riviera Road Trip in your motorhome or campervan, there are plenty of great places to park up along the way. We use the Park4Night app to find places.
We generally paid around €15 a night for a site with power, although prices will be higher in the summer season. In the off-season, free camping is possible at many of the beaches, just be respectful and remember to leave no trace. You can find all the places we stayed on our Albania Road Trip Map.
If you’re not in a van, you’ll find a variety of accommodation from small family-run hotels and guesthouses to larger resorts. We recommend booking.com for checking on availability and pricing.
Eating out on the Albanian Riviera
Even in the off-season, we found places to enjoy beautiful traditional Albanian food. Some of our favourite dishes were baked Kakavall (cheese), grilled vegetables, stuffed aubergine (eggplant) and of course, the fish. Nigel also loved the Tave Kosi, a dish with lamb or veal baked in yoghurt.
We were very pleasantly surprised by the Albanian wines. Red wine is Verë e Kuqe (we called it Very Kooky) and white wine is Verë e Bardhe (Very Bad – not true!).
And then there’s the Raki… but we will leave you to discover this for yourself!
Watch our Albanian Riviera Road Trip Travel Films
We produced two vlog style videos while we were travelling down the Albanian Riviera. The first covers Vlorë including St Mary’s Monastery and the hidden communist era tunnels, the Llogara Pass and down to Himarë. The second shows our favourite beaches – Gjipë Beach and Ksamil.
We have created a playlist so you can binge watch all our Albania Travel Films.
Final thoughts
The Albanian Riviera is the perfect area for a road trip. The distances between towns and beaches are short, and there’s plenty to do other than just lying on the beach with a cocktail.
Whether you’re in a campervan or motorhome, or driving a rental car, this road trip will be an unforgettable adventure!