Divjakë-Karavasta National Park
Albania's largest lagoon, home to Dalmatian pelicans, with a cool pine forest and a long sandy beach on the Adriatic.
The Albanian coast, stop by stop
Sandy beaches, ancient cities, stone villages and boat trips along the coast from Fier to Ksamil — with honest local advice on getting there, parking and when to go.
Tap the water to make a wave.
The sea right now
Live wave heights and sea temperatures along the coast, updated every 15 minutes. Find the calmest water before you set off.
Sea and weather data: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), using DWD and other models. Forecasts, not a safety guarantee — always follow local flags.
Explore the coast
Tap the heart to save places to your trip. Switch to the map to see where everything is.
40 places, in driving order from north to south
Ardenica Monastery
A hilltop monastery founded in 1282, where Albania's national hero Skanderbeg was married — with one of the finest painted church interiors in the country.
Fier
A busy working city at the start of the coast road — and the easiest base for Apollonia, Ardenica and the long sandy beaches to the west.
Seman Beach
Fier's home beach — a long sweep of sand backed by pines, warm shallow water and fish restaurants at the end of a straight road across the plain.
Apollonia Archaeological Park
A 2,600-year-old city on a hill above the plain — columned civic buildings, a theatre for music and a medieval monastery, with the sea on the horizon.
Darëzezë Beach
A long, quiet stretch of soft sand on the Adriatic, shallow enough for small children and wide enough to find your own space.
Byllis Archaeological Park
A ruined Illyrian city high above the Vjosa valley — a theatre cut into the hillside, early Christian basilicas and views that stretch to the mountains, usually with hardly anyone else there.
Pishë Poro & the Vjosa Delta
Where one of Europe's last wild rivers meets the sea — pine forest, dunes, lagoons with flamingos, and a long, wild beach.
Zvërnec Island & Narta Lagoon
A 270-metre wooden footbridge to a pine-covered islet and its Byzantine monastery — with flamingos in the lagoon if your timing is right.
Vlorë Beach
The Riviera starts in a real city — beaches with every amenity, a palm-lined promenade, and history on every corner.
Radhimë Beach
A string of calm pebble coves and family resorts on the quiet side of Vlorë Bay — famous locally for its fish tavernas.
Orikum Beach
A long beach at the foot of the mountains, Albania's first marina, and an ancient Greek city hiding at the edge of town.
Karaburun Peninsula
A wild, roadless peninsula of sea caves, white hidden beaches and ancient inscriptions — the Riviera's greatest adventure.
Llogara Pass
The gateway moment — pine forests, paragliders, roast lamb, and the instant the whole Ionian appears beneath you.
The Big Bunker
A Cold-War relic turned the Riviera's favourite photo stop — a concrete dome hanging over the bluest view in Albania.
Palasë Beach
The first beach after the mountain descent — a long sweep of white pebbles, paraglider landings and the clearest water around.
Dhërmi & Drymades
Beach bars, summer festivals and a stone village on the hillside — with calmer Drymades waiting around the headland.
Old Dhërmi Village
White stone houses, tiny churches and alley shade above the Riviera's busiest beach — the older, quieter Dhërmi most visitors never climb to.
Gjipe Beach
The Riviera's worst-kept secret that still feels secret — a canyon-mouth beach you can only reach on foot or by sea.
Gjipe Canyon
A limestone gorge that runs from the hills straight down to the sea — sheer walls, cool shade, climbing routes, and a beach waiting at the mouth of it.
Jale Beach
A compact turquoise bay of beach clubs and summer energy — loudest by day, surprisingly swimmable at dawn.
Livadhi Beach
A wide, generous bay of tavernas, olive groves and easy days — the most settle-in-able beach on the Riviera.
The Tavernas of Livadhi
Grilled fish a few metres from your sunbed, mussels in white wine, raki you didn't order but received anyway — lunch as the Riviera intends it.
Himarë
A seafront promenade, a castle above, a harbour of waiting boats — the best base for exploring the whole coast.
Himarë Boat Trips
The Riviera's secret coves don't have roads — they have boats. Himarë's harbour is where the coast's best swimming days begin.
Himarë Castle
A lived-in hilltop old town inside ancient castle walls — alleys, ruined churches and the best sunset view over the whole Himarë coast.
Potami Beach
Himarë's quieter beach — smooth pebbles, remarkably clear water and the lights of town across the bay at sunset.
Porto Palermo Castle
Ali Pasha's triangular fortress on its own tiny peninsula — dark vaulted halls, rooftop sea views, and a swimmable cove right beside the walls.
Qeparo Beach
A relaxed pebble shore beneath one of the coast's most beautiful stone villages — with a fortress bay just down the road.
Upper Qeparo (Qeparo i Sipërm)
One of the best-preserved old villages on the coast — stone lanes, fig shade, near-total silence and a terrace view over the whole bay.
Borsh Beach
Seven kilometres of shoreline fed by mountain springs, backed by Albania's largest olive grove — room for absolutely everyone.
Borsh Springs & Olive Groves
Cold mountain water surfacing among the largest olive grove in Albania — with restaurants set over the running springs and a castle watching from above.
Lukovë, Bunec & Krorëz
The beaches the crowds haven't found — a hillside village, a perfect double cove, and a boat-only bay of glass-clear water.
Krorëz Bay (Kakome)
No road, no resorts, no noise — a bay of fine pale pebbles and glass-clear water that you can only reach by sea.
Lëkurësi Castle
The definitive sunset of the Albanian south — a hilltop castle terrace with Sarandë bay below, Ksamil to the south and Corfu floating on the horizon.
The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)
A natural spring rising from more than 50 metres below — a hypnotic, glowing blue pool in the forest that no photo quite captures.
Ksamil Beach
White sand, swim-to islands and Caribbean-blue shallows — Albania's postcard, with a UNESCO wonder ten minutes away.
The Ksamil Islands
Four small islands close enough to swim to, with water between them in the shades of blue that made Ksamil famous.
Mussels of Butrint Lagoon
The far south's signature dish — mussels farmed in the lagoon beside Butrint, steamed with white wine, garlic and lemon, eaten minutes from where they grew.
Butrint National Park
A 2,500-year-old city wrapped in forest and lagoon — Greek theatre, Roman ruins, Byzantine mosaics and Venetian towers, all on one shaded walking loop.
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Find your beach in four taps
Sand or pebbles, quiet or lively, children or not — tell us what you like and we'll match you to the right beach.
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Start in Fier
The coast road begins with ancient cities and long, shallow sandy beaches — all within an hour of Fier. Read the Fier guide
20 min from Fier
Apollonia Archaeological Park
A 2,600-year-old city on a hill above the plain — columned civic buildings, a theatre for music and a medieval monastery, with the sea on the horizon.
25 min from FierSeman Beach
Fier's home beach — a long sweep of sand backed by pines, warm shallow water and fish restaurants at the end of a straight road across the plain.
30 min from FierDarëzezë Beach
A long, quiet stretch of soft sand on the Adriatic, shallow enough for small children and wide enough to find your own space.
30 min from FierArdenica Monastery
A hilltop monastery founded in 1282, where Albania's national hero Skanderbeg was married — with one of the finest painted church interiors in the country.
45 min from FierDivjakë-Karavasta National Park
Albania's largest lagoon, home to Dalmatian pelicans, with a cool pine forest and a long sandy beach on the Adriatic.
1 hour from FierByllis Archaeological Park
A ruined Illyrian city high above the Vjosa valley — a theatre cut into the hillside, early Christian basilicas and views that stretch to the mountains, usually with hardly anyone else there.
Base yourself in Himarë
Himarë sits in the middle of the coast. Stay in town and six beaches are within half an hour. Read the Himarë guide
5 min from Himarë
Potami Beach
Himarë's quieter beach — smooth pebbles, remarkably clear water and the lights of town across the bay at sunset.
5 min from HimarëLivadhi Beach
A wide, generous bay of tavernas, olive groves and easy days — the most settle-in-able beach on the Riviera.
15 min from HimarëJale Beach
A compact turquoise bay of beach clubs and summer energy — loudest by day, surprisingly swimmable at dawn.
By boat from HimarëGjipe Beach
The Riviera's worst-kept secret that still feels secret — a canyon-mouth beach you can only reach on foot or by sea.
20 min from HimarëQeparo Beach
A relaxed pebble shore beneath one of the coast's most beautiful stone villages — with a fortress bay just down the road.
30 min from HimarëBorsh Beach
Seven kilometres of shoreline fed by mountain springs, backed by Albania's largest olive grove — room for absolutely everyone.
Featured places to stay and eat
Local businesses we recommend. Featured listings are paid for and always labelled — they never change what we write about a place.
Plan your trip
Tunnel or pass?
The Llogara tunnel saves 20–40 minutes, but the old road over the pass is still open, free, and the only way to see the view.
Tunnel toll and timesWhen to go
June and September: warm sea, everything open and far fewer people. July and August are hottest and busiest.
Why September is bestGetting here
Fly to Tirana: Fier is under two hours' drive and Himarë about four. Or take the ferry from Corfu to Sarandë and drive north up the coast.
Start from FierWhere to base yourself
Fier for Apollonia and the sandy north, Himarë for the heart of the Riviera, Ksamil for Butrint and the far south.
Ksamil or Himarë?Ready-made trips
Follow a route we've planned, or add every stop to My trip in one tap and open it in Google Maps.
7 days
Seven days down the Albanian coast
From the ancient city of Apollonia to the white sand of Ksamil, this is the whole coast in a week by car — two nights in Himarë in the middle, and the best of the north and south either side.
3 days
Three days in Himarë
Himarë is the best base on the Riviera, and three days lets you see the best of it without spending all day in the car.
2 days
A weekend in Fier and Vlorë
Two easy days from Tirana: ancient cities, a monastery, long sandy beaches and a lagoon full of flamingos.
Where to watch the sunset tonight
From Lëkurësi Castle above Sarandë to the Llogara Pass — live sunset times, golden hour and the cloud forecast for twelve west-facing spots.