Albanian Riviera stretches roughly between Vlore and Sarande in the south-west Albania. This is one of the most beautiful coasts in the whole Ionian Sea and probably on of the best in Europe. The coast is still not very built up, which is mainly thanks to country’s previous communism rule which resulted in poverty and isolation.
This feature alone can make it a perfect vacation destination for those who like to experience a little bit of something unfamiliar in this part of Europe. Despite of being really laid back the Albanian Riviera has still a lot to provide for different type of holidaymaker. For example those interested in archaeology will find the visit to ancient city of Butrint really rewarding. The site richly deserves its status as the country’s best known archaeological site, but there are many other interesting ancient remains.
Those who love spending their time outdoors should be pleased in any part of the Riviera. Apart from obvious water related activities, the mountains of Riviera also offer fantastic hiking or cycling opportunities for those with more time at their disposal.
Vlore is the biggest city in the Albanian Riviera and it lies in strategical location where the Adriatic and Ionian seas separate. As you’d anticipate the city has Mediterranean look to it, as the streets are filled with palm trees and the access to beach is virtually from the main street. Vlore’s geographical position – almost exactly in the middle between capital Tirane and Sarande, and 3 hours by ferry from nearest port of Brindisi in Italy, makes it a advantageous gate point into Albania.
Sarande, on the other hand is probably the most attractive entry point into the country. Sarande is unmistakably visible over its pretty horseshoe bay not long after the hydrofoil or ferry leaves Greek island of Corfu.
The climate in Albanian Riviera is excellent, with typically hot and dry summers and modest and often rainy winters. Some places in parts are averaging around 290 sunny days a year with pleasantly warm temperatures, which rarely and usually only during summer months are exceeding 30 degrees C.
Vlore and Sarande are connected by newly upgraded and well surfaced main road. The route in places is however really steep and narrow (in particular throughout the Llagoraja Pass) and this makes the whole travel at least 4 or 5 hours long. The road goes through marvellous scenery, with dramatic mountains rising up from the coast and the deep blue sea shimmering in the sunlight.
The coastline here is very rugged, with stony coves along the tight coastal strip and steep mountains rising almost straight up along most of its length.
The sea along the coast has clear blue water and it is excellent for swimmers as it is warm enough to swim comfortably from May to October. Non-swimmers should note that land slopes very sharply into the sea, unlike gentle Adriatic coast further north.
The many beaches on the coast are normally made of small pebbles, but there are also some sandy ones, mainly in the south. Beaches in Dhermi, Himara and Ksamili are the best known in the Riviera, but there are also lots of others, however unknown to most tourists as they are likely less accessible.