Albanian Riviera: complete guide to Albania

Ah Albania – a little gem on the Adriatic coastline that has pretty much missed out on the tourist hype until now. This Mediterranean destination, snuggled in between Greece and Montenegro and just over the Adriatic Sea from Italy, is very definitely up and coming and well worth a visit.

Summer temperatures average 32 degrees Celsius and the entire Albania Riviera is peppered with crystal clear water bays and the most Instagram-able sunset spots.

We took a road trip up the Riviera in 2019, starting in Sarandë and finishing up in Dhërmi.

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Our itinerary

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Getting here

You can fly into Tirana Airport but it’s about a 4 hour drive to Dhermi. From the UK we found it easier to fly to Corfu and then hop on a 30 minute ferry to Sarandë which is the start of the Riviera. This cost about £50pp.

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Getting around

Hiring a car is a must as the infrastructure is ropey at best and I’m not sure how easy it would be to jump in a taxi between places. We found most people stay in Sarandë but if you want to find some real hidden gems and properly experience Albania, then you want to head straight up the coast because that coastal road is pretty damn incredible.

Fair warning, we found driving in Albania, shall we say…interesting. Sat nav rarely knew where we were and occasionally, you’ll find the tarmac just peters out - our little Peugeot certainly wasn’t always up to the challenge! A bigger car would definitely be useful and be prepared to manoeuvre yourself out of some tight spaces.

Also, make sure you take plenty of cash as when we went, most places didn’t take card.

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Places to go

BLUE EYE

Blue eye is a natural water spring, displaying the most incredible colours and surrounded by tropical vegetation. The blue colour has been described as ‘magical’ and the bubbling deep pool in the centre certainly adds to the allure.

Top tips:

1. Hit this spot early as the tour buses arrive from late morning onwards. We drove which worked well with timings but the car park is a little tricky to get to. You have to approach via a long winding dirt track so just be prepared to for a little off-roading! Having said that, although hairy at times, our little Peugeot 107 made it down.

2. As we looked at the pool directly in front of us we spotted a small path/break in the vegetation to the left where we could walk up through the trees and get an even better look.

BUTRINT

We found this place stunning – the ruins of an ancient settlement dating back 2000 years, surrounded by a blue lake. Butrint has been inhabited by Romans, Ottomans and Venetians and each have left their mark on the area. Given the proximity the Greece, the site has also been heavily influenced by Greek culture.

Butrint is home to the ruins of an amphitheatre, gymnasium, basilica and some pretty impressive city walls, with the sea fed lake as a dramatic backdrop.

Top tips:

1. This place gets HOT near midday. Because we’re British and sun-starved, we didn’t think this through, but I would suggest you go early or later in the day as it’s pretty exposed.

2. If you’re into the history maybe do some research beforehand as we found although there were some signs, this place wasn’t yet geared up to lots of tourists and so the information was sporadic.

3. There is a restaurant (part of Hotel Livia) near the entrance so you can grab a drink or some food.

4. Sneaky mosquitoes are everywhere here so repellent is a must!

BUNECI BEACH

We took a drive to this beach from where we were staying in Lukovë, complete with pasta dinner in a backpack, wine and a mini speaker. The beach is pebbly but the sunset here is beautiful and we were pretty much alone as we watched the sun go down.

KAKOME BAY

The big downside in Albania is that loads of the beaches have been privatised and Kakome Beach is one of them. However, this does keep the crowds at bay if you don’t mind parting with about €20 a go.

Kakome Beach is well worth the money though as the water is just incredible. We did very nearly career straight off the end of the public road though into a stone pit that marks the start of the path to the beach! We *very* nearly decided to chance it like many other people and drive down all the way instead of walking the half an hour trek in the burning sun, but if it’s still the same, you do not want to be taking a car across the rocky road unless it’s a 4x4.

GJIPE BEACH

Gjipe Beach is a beautiful white sandy beach with at the bottom of a lush green cliff. It’s still a must visit but be warned, it is a lot busier than some other beaches in Albania. You’ll need to park at a car park at the top of the cliff and walk down. In the height of summer you might need some water because the walk back up is super hot and pretty steep.

On the beach itself there’s a couple of places to eat and drink and a campsite if you want to stay overnight.

PORTO PALERMO CASTLE

Situated on the Bay of Porto Palermo this castle is worth a quick stop off on the coastal road. It was built by the Ottoman ruler Ali Pashi, likely in the late 1700s, but it was later used as a Soviet submarine base. In present day, it’s a unique place to visit and offers lovely views across the bay.

CAFÉ PANORAMA – DHERMI

On the road to Dhermi stop off for a sunset dinner on the cute side of the road terrace that is Café Panorama.

BAMBOO BAR - DHERMI

We finished up our trip in Dhermi where you’ll be spoilt for choice on cool beach bars and restaurants. Our favourite was Bamboo Bar where we sat on the beach with an open fire and a constant stream of Piña coladas.