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Travel guide
The Albanian Riviera
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September
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Welcome
The Albanian Riviera, in a few days
About 120 km of Ionian coast between the Llogara Pass, at 1,027 metres, and the islets of Ksamil opposite Corfu. White pebble beaches below the Ceraunian Mountains, a castle of Ali Pasha on a peninsula and the ancient city of Butrint, a World Heritage Site since 1992.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Llogara Pass free · about 30 minThe road climbs from the Vlorë plain through black pine forest to 1,027 metres, then drops a thousand metres in tight bends to Palasë.
- Afternoon · Dhërmi beach free · half a dayTwo kilometres of white pebbles below steep slopes, while the old village on the hillside has around thirty Byzantine chapels, several from the 14th century.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Rapo's Resort Hotel€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Gjipe beach free · half a dayA 300-metre pebble beach at the mouth of a limestone canyon, reached by boat or by a 25 to 40-minute walk down.
- Afternoon · Himara and its old town free · about 1 h 30A beach town below and, on a hilltop, ancient and Byzantine castle walls around mostly abandoned stone houses and the Church of All Saints.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Bougainville Bay Hotel€120 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Porto Palermo Castle · about 45 minA triangular fortress on a peninsula joined to the shore by a thin strip of land, attributed to Ali Pasha of Tepelena.
- Afternoon · Ksamil beach and islets free · half a daySmall sandy coves facing three islets close to shore that you can swim or pedal out to, in shallow, clear water around 26°C in August.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Titania€75 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Butrint archaeological site · about 2 hGreek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian layers on a peninsula between a lake and a channel, including a 3rd-century BC theatre for 1,500 spectators.
- Afternoon · The Blue Eye spring · about 1 hA karst spring rising from a vertical shaft explored below 50 metres without reaching the bottom, dark blue at the centre and ringed with turquoise.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Demi Hotel€85 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Byrek: flaky pastry filled with cheese, spinach or meat, eaten at any hour of the day.
- Tavë kosi: lamb baked under a set layer of yoghurt and egg, originally from Elbasan.
- Fërgesë: peppers, tomatoes and soft cheese cooked down together, a Tirana classic.
- Grilled meat, and fish on the Riviera, often sold by weight.
- Turkish coffee, and raki, the grape spirit poured as a welcome.
⚠️ Best avoided
- ATMs charge high fees: carry lek in cash and withdraw larger sums less often.
- Potholes and livestock share the roads: drive slowly, and not at night.
- The southern beaches are packed in August. June and September are calmer.
- Haggle over rooms and boat trips, but politely.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Albanian
| English | Albanian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Përshëndetje |
| Thank you | Faleminderit |
| Please | Të lutem |
| Yes | Po |
| No | Jo |
| Excuse me | Më falni |
| Goodbye | Mirupafshim |
| Do you speak English? | Flisni anglisht? |
| I don't understand | Nuk kuptoj |
| How much is it? | Sa kushton? |
| Where are the toilets? | Ku është tualeti? |
| The bill, please | Faturën, ju lutem |
| Help! | Ndihmë! |
| Cheers! | Gëzuar! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyAlbanian lek (ALL)
BudgetAbout €70 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingAppreciated, around 10%
Emergency112 / 129
EntryNo visa needed. EU citizens can enter with an ID card or a passport; UK, Canadian and Australian passports get 90 days in any 180, and US passports up to a year.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/albanian-riviera
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.