Vlorë Beach
The Riviera begins in a real city — sandy beaches along the palm-lined Lungomare, hotels, hospitals, supermarkets and every amenity you'll want before the villages, plus boat trips across the bay.
Stay, eat & do in Vlorë →From the city beaches of Vlorë to the white sand of Ksamil — over the Llogara Pass, past hidden caves and canyon coves — Bregdet.al maps every stop worth your towel, with local advice on where to stay, eat and what to do.
Start in the city with every amenity, follow the SH8 over the mountains and down the Riviera. Here's every stop, in the order you'll meet them — each with its own full guide.
The Riviera begins in a real city — sandy beaches along the palm-lined Lungomare, hotels, hospitals, supermarkets and every amenity you'll want before the villages, plus boat trips across the bay.
Stay, eat & do in Vlorë →The first taste of the Riviera proper — calm pebble coves sheltered by the Karaburun ridge, olive trees down to the shore, and fish tavernas built over the water that locals drive out from Vlorë for.
Stay, eat & do in Radhimë →A long, open beach where the bay ends and the mountains begin — home to Albania's first marina and the 2,700-year-old ruins of ancient Oricum. The last full town before the pass.
Stay, eat & do in Orikum →No roads, no towns — just cliffs, hidden white beaches and sea caves in Albania's only marine park. Boats run to the Haxhi Ali Cave, Grama Bay's ancient inscriptions and mysterious Sazan Island.
The Karaburun adventure →Not to be missed — the road crests the national park's pine forests and the entire Ionian coastline appears below you. Paragliding, hiking trails, mountain lodges and legendary roast lamb.
The full Llogara guide →A Cold-War concrete dome hanging over the bluest view in Albania — the Riviera's favourite photo stop, with the whole coast you're about to drive laid out behind it.
Visit the Big Bunker →A long sweep of white pebbles with some of the clearest water on the coast, paragliders drifting down from the pass, and the Ceraunian Mountains as the backdrop.
Stay, eat & do at Palasë →The Riviera's social heart — beach bars, summer festivals and a stone village climbing the hillside, with calmer Drymades waiting just around the headland.
Stay, eat & do in Dhërmi →The hidden gem you can't skip — a canyon opens onto a pale pebble beach with no road in. Hike down or arrive by sea, camp under the stars, and earn one of the wildest beaches in the Mediterranean.
The Gjipe guide →A compact turquoise bay of beach clubs, camping and kayaks — the youngest crowd on the coast by day, and glass-calm water at dawn.
Stay, eat & do at Jale →A wide, generous bay just before Himarë — family-friendly, lined with tavernas and olive groves, and the easiest beach on the coast to settle into for a full day.
Stay, eat & do at Livadhi →The Riviera's main town — a seafront promenade, a hilltop castle quarter, town beaches, and a harbour where boats leave each morning for Gjipe and the secret coves. The best base on the coast.
The Himarë guide →A relaxed pebble shore beneath one of the most beautiful old villages on the coast, with Porto Palermo's island fortress five minutes down the road.
Stay, eat & do in Qeparo →Seven kilometres of shoreline — the longest beach in the Ionian — fed by cold mountain springs and backed by the largest olive grove in Albania. Room for everyone, even in August.
Stay, eat & do at Borsh →The beaches the crowds haven't found — Bunec's perfect double cove, Lukovë's hillside village, and boat-only Krorëz bay where the water fades from glass-clear to deep blue.
The hidden south →Albania's most famous postcard — white sand, islets you can swim to, Caribbean-blue shallows, and UNESCO-listed Butrint ten minutes away. Arrive early in summer; it's popular for a reason.
Stay, eat & do in Ksamil →Every beach, village and adventure above has its own page — local recommendations on where to stay, where to eat and the things you shouldn't leave without doing.
Viewpoints, castles, boat trips, day hikes and food — handpicked highlights across the whole Riviera in one place.
Himarë Castle at sunset, Ali Pasha's fortress at Porto Palermo, UNESCO-listed Butrint, the glowing Blue Eye spring — each big sight has its own visiting guide.
Start in Vlorë with every amenity at hand, climb the Llogara Pass, and follow the Ionian all the way to Ksamil — one guide for every stop.
Start the journey at Vlorë