Pebble beaches, turquoise bays and green mountains rising straight out of the sea: the Albanian Riviera is the most beautiful stretch of coast in Albania. But where should you base yourself? In a busy beach town like Ksamil, in the small town of Himarë, or in a quiet bay with little more than a beach and a handful of hotels?
When we spent a month travelling around Albania in our campervan with our toddler, we drove the coast road down from the Llogara Pass all the way to Sarandë. Every bend revealed another bay, each one bluer than the last.
Below you’ll find who each area suits best and which hotels we would book, from family rooms with a pool to places with the beach right outside the door.
Where to stay on the Albanian Riviera at a glance
Short on time? Here’s the best area for each type of trip, with the hotel we like most there.
- Best base with young kids: Himarë (our pick: Rapo’s Resort Hotel)
- Best for small beach coves and Butrint: Ksamil (our pick: Sunlight Hotel)
- Best for a lively seaside town: Sarandë (our pick: Hotel Sole)
- Best for beach and pool in one bay: Dhërmi and Jale (our pick: La Brisa Boutique Hotel)
- Best for peace and a long beach: Borsh and Qeparo (our pick: Hotel Angjelo)
- Best for mountains and sea combined: Palasë (our pick: Hotel Palasa)
Where is the Albanian Riviera?
The Albanian Riviera is the southern stretch of Albania’s coastline, running from the Llogara Pass down to the Greek border near Butrint. For more than a hundred kilometres the coast road winds along the Ionian Sea, with mountains on one side and one bay after another on the other.
Roughly speaking, you choose between the south and the middle. Around Sarandë and Ksamil things are livelier, with more restaurants, the ferry to Corfu and the archaeological park of Butrint close by. In the middle, between Himarë and Dhërmi, the villages are further apart and it’s all about the bays and the mountains.
→ Discover our complete Albania road trip itinerary
→ Discover the 20 best things to do in Albania
How many nights do you need on the Albanian Riviera?
With a week you have time for two bases: a few nights in the south for Ksamil and Butrint, and a few nights around Himarë or Dhërmi for the bays in the middle. That way you’re not stuck in the car every day and you still get to see the whole coast.
Only have a few days? Pick one base in the middle, like Himarë. From there you can drive to Gjipe and Dhërmi as well as Porto Palermo, and Sarandë works as a day trip.
Do you need a car on the Albanian Riviera?
If you want to see more than one bay, a car is close to essential. Buses do run along the coast, but with kids and beach gear your own wheels make life much easier, especially for the beaches at the bottom of a steep road. The coast road is fine to drive, though it’s winding and you won’t get anywhere fast in summer.
With Discover Cars you can compare rental cars from different companies and add full cover in one go, which is reassuring on the twisty mountain roads.
→ Compare car rental in Albania with Discover Cars
When is the best time to visit the Albanian Riviera?
The shoulder seasons. In June and September the sea is warm enough for swimming and the beaches are far quieter than during the summer holidays. In July and August everything is packed, especially in Ksamil and Sarandë, and hotels and sunbeds are at their priciest.
Out of season, many beach hotels and beach clubs close. Travelling in winter? Then stay in Sarandë or Himarë, where life simply carries on. Our own winter experience is that the rest of the coast is almost deserted. That has its charm too, but we missed the buzz, and it was too chilly for a swim.
The 6 best places to stay on the Albanian Riviera
#1 Himarë: the easiest base with kids
Himarë sits roughly halfway along the coast and is a real town, not a beach resort that empties out after summer. Down by the sea is the new town with a promenade, Spille Beach and enough restaurants to try somewhere different every night. On the hill above stands Himarë Castle, an old fortified village with stone houses and little churches inside its walls.
For families that’s a great mix: beach, breakfast and dinner all within walking distance, yet close to the best bays. Porto Palermo, with Ali Pasha’s fortress on its peninsula, is about fifteen minutes’ drive south. Want a hotel with a pool? Look in Potam, the bay right next to the centre.
#1 Noemie Hotel is right in the middle of town, a two-minute walk from Spille Beach. Ideal if you want to do everything on foot: the beach by day, then a stroll along the promenade to dinner in the evening.
#2 Rapo’s Resort Hotel sits on the pebble beach at Potam, about one and a half kilometres from the centre. There’s an outdoor pool and a family room for four with separate beds, so switching between sea and pool takes just a few steps.
#2 Ksamil: small coves and islands facing Corfu
Ksamil is Albania’s best-known beach resort, and you can tell. Just offshore lie the Ksamil Islands, which you can reach by swimming, pedalo or small boat, and the water is clear and calm. Between the hotels you’ll find countless little beaches, usually lined with sunbeds from the beach club behind them.
Its big advantage is the location. Butrint is a few minutes down the road, Sarandë a fifteen-minute drive, and Corfu is right there across the water. Coming in the summer holidays? Book early and expect busy beaches.
#1 Hotel Meta Ksamil is just a few steps from Beach 9, on the southern side of the bays. There are rooms for four with a bunk bed, and being so close makes it easy to pop back for an afternoon nap.
#2 Sunlight Hotel is a three-minute walk from Paradise Beach, on the quieter southern edge of the village. The sea-view suites sleep up to five, and after the beach you can cool off in the hotel pool.
→ Discover the 4 best areas and 14 hotels in Ksamil
#3 Sarandë: lively seaside town with a promenade
Sarandë is the largest town on the Riviera and feels more like a city than a beach resort. A long promenade lined with restaurants and ice cream parlours follows the bay, and from the harbour the ferry takes about half an hour to Corfu.
It makes a handy base for day trips to the Blue Eye, Butrint and Gjirokastër, and out of season it’s one of the few places on the coast where life carries on as normal.
#1 Hotel Sole is eighty metres from Mango Beach, on the southern side of town. Travelling with two kids? Go for the apartment for four, which gives you more space than the standard rooms.
#2 Jako Premium Hotel has a rooftop pool and rooms for four with two separate beds. The beach is a fifteen-minute walk, so this is mainly a comfortable town base with a refreshing dip at the end of the day.
→ Discover the best hotels in Sarandë
→ Discover the best things to do in Sarandë
#4 Dhërmi and Jale: beach and pool in one bay
Dhërmi is the best-known beach between the Llogara Pass and Himarë. The old village clings to the mountainside with its white houses and churches, while below lies a long pebble beach with clear water. A few kilometres further south is Jale, a smaller bay with a handful of hotels and beach clubs.
Between the two lies Gjipe Beach, which many consider the most beautiful beach in Albania. You reach it on foot down a path, so bring a baby carrier if you have little ones. In this corner it pays to pick a hotel on the beach, so you’re not trudging up and down the hill all day.
#1 La Brisa Boutique Hotel sits right on Dhërmi beach, with a pool that’s open in season. You walk straight from your room onto the pebbles.
#2 Elysium Hotel sits a little higher above the beach and has a large outdoor pool. The sea is half a kilometre away, but the hotel runs a beach shuttle, which helps when you’re juggling bags, buckets and kids.
#3 Folie Marine Hotel & Beach Club is a large hotel on the bay at Jale, with its own section of beach, a pool and several restaurants. You can easily spend the whole day here without getting in the car. Cots aren’t listed, so ask about them when you book.
#5 Borsh and Qeparo: peace and a long beach
Borsh has the longest beach on the Albanian Riviera: kilometres of pebbles backed by olive groves and citrus trees. A few small hotels and restaurants are scattered along it, but it never feels crowded. Above the village are the remains of Borsh Castle.
Qeparo lies just to the north, with an old village high on the mountainside and a newer part down by the sea. Both suit families looking for peace and quiet, who like to cook for themselves or simply want a few days of doing nothing. For more restaurants and shops, drive to Himarë.
#1 Hotel Angjelo is on Borsh’s long beachfront, with rooms and units that have their own small kitchen. Handy for an early breakfast for the kids or lunch between swims, and it’s one of the most affordable places in this guide.
#2 Qeparo Napolon Complex is on the slope above Qeparo beach, with a pool, sea views and family rooms for four. You reach the sea down a stone staircase, so it’s less practical with a pushchair.
#6 Palasë: between the mountains and the sea
Palasë is the first beach at the foot of the Llogara Pass. The descent is one of the finest drives in Albania: from more than a thousand metres up, you wind down through hairpin bends with the whole coast spread out below you.
New resorts are going up along the wide beach, but the village on the slope is still small-scale. You’re close to Dhërmi here and to the forests of Llogara National Park, which are much cooler when the coast gets too hot. You’ll definitely need a car here.
#1 Hotel Palasa is a small hotel on the hillside with sea views, a seasonal pool and family rooms for four with separate beds. The beach is almost four kilometres away by road, so choose this one if you’ll be out and about by car anyway.
More tips for your trip to Albania
Our tipStill looking? Browse all hotels in Albania on Booking
Albania is best explored on your own wheels. Rent a car at Tirana airport with Discover Cars and compare the big rental companies in one go.
Fancy doing it by camper, like we did? Rent a campervan in Tirana or on the coast with Campervan Planet.
Prefer everything arranged? Browse Albania tours on TourRadar.
No flight yet? Compare flights to Tirana. Heading mostly south? Check Corfu too and hop on the ferry to Sarandë.
The ferry across Lake Koman was a highlight of our month in Albania. Check out the Lake Koman boat trips on GetYourGuide.
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