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Region guide
Albanian Riviera.
The Mediterranean you haven’t ruined yet.
About the region
Ninety kilometres of Ionian coastline, between Vlorë and Sarandë, where the Ceraunian mountains drop straight into turquoise water. This is the stretch of Albania that made the country’s last decade of tourism — Ksamil’s offshore islets, Dhërmi and Himarë in the middle, and the switchback drive over the Llogara Pass at the northern end. It still feels cheaper than anywhere in the Aegean. It won’t, for long.
What to know
- Best time: late May through early October. June and September are the sweet spots — warm water, lighter crowds.
- Ksamil’s tiny island-hopping coves are the most photographed stretch; Dhërmi and Gjipe Beach are quieter.
- Renting a car is the right call — the coast road between Vlorë and Sarandë is the point.
- The Llogara Pass, between Vlorë and the Riviera proper, is one of the great European coastal drives. Do it at sunset.
Cities in the Albanian Riviera
Sarandë
Port town on the southern Ionian, twenty minutes from Corfu by ferry. The seafront for seafood, Butrint's UNESCO ruins 18km south, and the Blue Eye spring inland. Still cheaper than Greece.
Vlorë
Where the Adriatic meets the Ionian, and where Albania declared independence in 1912. A long corniche for sunset walks, flamingos on Narta lagoon, and the start of the Riviera drive south.