7 Places We'd Send a First-Time Visitor to the Albanian Riviera
So you're thinking about visiting the Albanian Riviera. Good. Honestly, more people should be.
Here's the thing nobody tells you before you come: the Riviera isn't one place. It's a stretch of coastline about 60 miles long with completely different personalities at every stop. The trip you take depends almost entirely on what kind of energy you're looking for. Are you here to lay on a beach with a drink in your hand? Or do you want to hike to a hidden cove you read about on some travel blog? Both work. They just look really different.
We've been in Vlorë since May 1st, which means we've spent the last couple weeks driving up and down this coast meeting it for ourselves. Some places lived up to the hype. A couple didn't. One absolutely floored us.
Here's what we'd actually tell a friend if they were flying into Tirana next week with no plan.
1. Ksamil
Start here if it's your first time. We know, we know — Ksamil shows up in every Albania reel on Instagram and people roll their eyes about how "discovered" it is. Forget that. The water really is that turquoise. The little islands you can swim out to really are that cool. You see it in person and you understand why everyone keeps posting about it.
It's busy in July and August. If you can come in May, June, or September, you basically get the photos without the crowds. We'd recommend a single day here. Beach chairs in the morning, lunch on the water, swim out to one of the islands in the afternoon. Then move on.
2. Sarandë
This is your home base. Don't sleep here if you don't want to — but you'll probably end up passing through. Sarandë has the best restaurant variety on the Riviera, an actual walkable promenade, and a working ferry to Corfu if you want to add a Greek island day to your trip.
Honestly? We thought we'd love Sarandë and it was just fine. Big, busy, a little touristy. The kind of place that's useful more than magical. Use it for logistics and dinners. Save your wonder for what's further north.
3. Gjipe Beach
Okay. This is the one. If you only do one thing on the Riviera, do this.
Gjipe is a hidden beach at the end of a dramatic canyon, and getting there is half the experience. You can hike in — about 20 to 30 minutes down a rocky trail with the cliffs rising on both sides of you. Or you can take a boat. Either way, you arrive somewhere that genuinely feels like nobody else found it yet. The water is impossibly clear. The cliffs come straight down into the sea. There's almost nothing built up.
Bring water. Bring shoes. Bring snacks. And go early — by mid-afternoon you're sharing it with the day-trippers, and the magic dims a little.
4. Himarë
This is where you breathe out. Himarë is a smaller, quieter coastal town with an old castle perched above it, olive groves all around, and a couple of those tucked-away beaches that feel like a secret even though they're not.
If Sarandë is the busy hub and Ksamil is the photo op, Himarë is the place where you actually start to feel like you're on vacation. We'd plan two nights here. Three if you can swing it.
5. Borsh Beach
Most people drive right past Borsh on their way somewhere flashier. Big mistake.
Borsh is the longest beach in Albania — about four miles of pebble coast with shockingly clear water and almost nobody on it. It's not glamorous. There aren't fancy beach clubs. There's space and quiet and the sound of the water, which is what most travelers say they want and then don't actually go find.
Stop here for a long lunch, swim until your skin prunes, then keep driving.
6. Dhërmi
If you're under 35 or you like beach club energy, Dhërmi is your spot. Long pebble beach, dramatic mountains behind you, beach bars that turn into actual parties at night. The sunsets here are something else.
If you're over 40 and you want a quiet swim and a glass of wine, you can still do that at Dhërmi during the day. Just leave before the music starts.
7. The Llogara Pass
This isn't a beach. It's a drive. And it might be the single most beautiful drive we've done in Europe so far.
The Llogara Pass is the mountain road that connects the southern Riviera to the rest of Albania. You climb high above the coast, look down at cliffs dropping straight into the Ionian Sea, and pull over at one of the viewpoints to eat lunch at a restaurant that looks like it was built into the side of a cliff. Do this on a clear day. Take an hour longer than you need to. This is the kind of drive you remember.
A few things that aren't on the list but matter
Rent a car. Buses exist but they're slow, infrequent, and they'll wreck your itinerary. A car gives you the flexibility to stop at the random viewpoint you didn't know existed, which is where the best memories live.
Bring water shoes. Most of these beaches are pebble, not sand. They're beautiful, they're clean, and they will absolutely tenderize the bottoms of your feet if you walk in barefoot.
Don't try to do the whole list in three days. Two of these places done well beats seven done poorly. Pick three or four. Drive slow. Eat long lunches. Swim more than you think you should.
Plan around the shoulder seasons. May, June, and September are the best months. July and August are stunning but crowded and pricey. We'd actually skip August entirely if you have any flexibility.
If you want the deep version of all of this — driving times between towns, where to actually stay in each one, the best photo spots, a full 7-day itinerary, the practical stuff like cash vs. card and what to pack — we put together a complete Albanian Riviera Travel Guide that has everything we've learned. It lives in our shop. You can grab it here.
But the truth is, even without the guide, you'll figure most of this out as you go. The Riviera rewards the people who slow down and let it surprise them. That's the whole point of this place.
If you're planning a trip, we'd love to hear what you're thinking. Drop a comment, send us a message, ask the questions you can't find answers to anywhere else. We'll do our best.
— April | Passports & Plans Vlorë, Albania