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.
Towns & villages
Where to base yourself, and the stone villages worth the drive up the mountain. Fier is the base for Apollonia and the sandy north; Himarë is the best base for the Riviera.
12 to choose from
12 places, in driving order from north to south
Vlorë Beach
The Riviera starts in a real city — beaches with every amenity, a palm-lined promenade, and history on every corner.
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.
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.
Himarë
A seafront promenade, a castle above, a harbour of waiting boats — the best base for exploring the whole coast.
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.
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.
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.
Ksamil Beach
White sand, swim-to islands and Caribbean-blue shallows — Albania's postcard, with a UNESCO wonder ten minutes away.
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