After having explored the lively capital of Albania and the picturesque scene of the Albanian Alps, we are now moving over to the coastline of Albania – also here the country is revealing itself as a pure treasure box.
Albania has a great variety of beach landscapes – from wild and remote beaches in the north, over Italian Adria-like beaches in the middle to gorgeous bays a la Greece in the south with white sand and crystal clear waters.
Also the drive along the coastline is at some points spectacular – like the drive over the Llogara mountain pass. This road counts to one of the most scenic drives of Albania and is often compared to a drive along Italy´s popular Amalfi coast. The big advantage in Albania – you can enjoy the scenery without a crowd of people. Of course Albania is no longer a real secret destination and also on the hot spots along the coast you won´t be alone – but it is still possible to escape into pure tranquillity and unspoilt beauty.
As this is the third Blog of my Albania series and I have so far only talked about the beauty of this country – let´s also shed a quick light over the not so pleasant things – that still need improvement. As I have written “unspoilt” above – yes in Albania you still have huge areas of unique and pure nature – however wherever civilization is close, very often you can also find lots of rubbish around. This is the subject in many travel portals of Albania – and I can for sure not deny this fact. Albania still has some way to go in terms of environment protection and sustainability, but with the growing tourism the awareness for these sensitive subjects are raising as well and hopefully turn to the better in the future.
But let´s get back to our tour of the Albanian beaches and let´s see what this small country has to offer on that side. Albania is getting more and more popular among beach lovers and for sure has some of the most stunning and picturesque beaches in Europe. Further plus is that the price level is still on the lower side, especially outside the peak season, compared to its already well-established neighbours as Greece or Croatia.
From the Middle to the South
Durres
We skipped the remote beaches of the north and have started our tour in Durres – one of the main beach hubs in Albania – however for me also the less attractive as you already have a kind of mass tourism there. In Durres and the surroundings you find one hotel and apartment building after another and the flat sandy beaches look similar to Adriatic beaches around Rimini. As the beaches are flat and sandy you can mainly find families over here plus a younger crowd that is enjoying the buzzling nightlife of Durres.
However Durres is still worth a quick stop to explore the ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre...
....and its lively center with many shops and restaurants and the newly built harbour front. Over the next couple of years a luxury Yacht harbour with top-notch facilities, hotels and apartments is being built in that area.
St. Mary´s Monastery
On our way to the next costal town of Vlora we had a small detour to the St. Mary´s Monastery, which is located on an island inside the Narta Lagoon. To visit this Byzantine church you have to walk over a wooden footbridge that connects the monastery island with the main land. The lagoon is home to a great variety of birds that can be observed on a walk around.
Vlora
Is a popular port city and is known as the entry gate to the Albanian Riviera. The Mediterranean climate attracts many tourists and newly build hotels are on the rise. However the beaches directly in the city centre are not very attractive – you have to drive a few kilometres around to reach some better places or hop on one of the many boat cruises that are offered from here. Beside its beaches the city has also a rich cultural heritage and plays an important role in Albania’s troubled past.
We only stayed for one night at the newly built Belvedere Hotel www.hotelbelvedere.al that is directly located at the main coastal road and opposite the city beach. It´s nice for a night or two, but I wouldn´t want to stay for a full vacation there.
Really nice was actually the breakfast location at the Rooftop Bar.
I can also recommend a lunch at the spectacular terrace of the Liro Hotel www.hotel-liro.com – enjoy great food on top of a cliff with the roaring sea beneath you.
Llogara Mountain Pass
The next day we did the scenic and highly recommended drive over the Llogara Pass. In the coming years a new highway is planned, which will connect Vlora with the Albanian Riviera through tunnels. This will cut the driving time in half of what it is now.
However if you are not in a hurry, I would always suggest the drive over the Llogara Pass as the view from the peak is really spectacular.
On the way up to the peak of the pass you will find a nice mountain resort, Te`Dreri Tourist Village, along the way. Guests stay here in rustic wooden bungalows, enjoy the fresh mountain air and go for nice hikes or other outdoor activities in the area. You can also just stop for lunch and visit the resident deer farm www.llogora.com
After the vista point of Llogora the curvy road winds down to the picturesque Albanian Riviera.
The Albanian Riviera is a long stretch of paradise beaches, old stone towns and some modern tourist hubs in between. On the way we stopped at some nice viewing points and old villages….
…plus picturesque beaches that invited for a swim.
We had an ultra-relaxing lunch in a roadside restaurant in Borsh that is built into the rocks with floating water cascades around. Enjoy some real fresh fish and further local dishes over here, Ujvara Restaurant - www.facebook.com/ujvaraeborshit/?locale=sq_AL
Saranda
Afterwards we reached our main destination at the Albanian Riviera – the buzzling port city of Saranda. What was once a small fishing town is now a days a popular beach holiday destination in the south of Albania.
The city itself is like all other similar places in Albania – a sea of old and new houses with many hotels and restaurants in between – especially along the Corniche road things get really busy and crowded in summer. The main attraction of Saranda is its beautiful location around a wide bay – from here you can also easily reach the Greek Island of Corfu by ferry.
The castle on top of Saranda is a good place to enjoy some great views over the bay until the island of Corfu. You also have a good restaurant within the Lekursi castle that occasionally does folklore shows as well www.lekursi-castle.al
We stayed at the modern Demi Hotel www.demi.al and had a lovely sea view room with balcony. The hotel has a private batch of beach – however that is rather a plateau terrace filled-up with sand. From there you can directly plunge into the sea. Breakfast and other meals can be taken on the very nice seaside terrace as well – we really enjoyed our stay, but during peak summer time I think it can get noisy as many popular beach and night clubs are in that area as well.
If you like to enjoy a day on a real beach you have to drive a bit outside of Saranda for example to Ksamil, where you have a huge choice of beaches and beach clubs. In places like the Bora Bora beach club for example you can rent your beach beds with umbrella and enjoy a great selection of food and drinks during the day www.instagram.com/boraborabeachksamil/?hl=en
All beaches in that area are with white sand and the sea looks in many parts like in the Caribbean – all this together with the developed infrastructure this can get really crowded and is not a hidden gem anymore – but still nice to visit, preferably off season.
Blue Eye
If on one day you feel that you need to get a bit more active then make a visit to the Blue Eye that belongs to the Natural Monuments of Albania. This natural phenomenon is a water spring. The clear water can be seen from a depth of around 50 metres – however the real depth of that mysterious karst hole is still unknown.
As the Blue Eye became a major tourist site – the approach is easy by a 10 minute foot walk on a wide tar road (it is also accessible for people with handicap). At the Blue Eye itself it can get crowded depending on the time of the day and unfortunately a lot of people don´t respect the efforts to protect this sensible nature ecosystem. They still take jumps into the gorge and climb over the fence that should stop them from doing so.
If you catch the Blue Eye with the right angles of sunlight you can get some real spectacular pictures. We came unfortunately in the later afternoon where most of the parts were already in the shadow. After your visit to the Blue Eye you can have some refreshments in the restaurant that is close by and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere on the river shore.
Benja Thermal Bath
Last but not least another aquatic experience of Albania – however one that is away from the beach are the thermal bathes and hot springs. You can find them in various places across the country, where you can meet with nature, history and architecture.
Below you can see pictures of our visit to the Benja Thermal Bath pools that are idyllically located in a beautiful mountain landscape. You can jump into various sulphur springs – with the most accessible ones close to the iconic Kadiut Bridge. Others are located deeper in the Canyon behind www.visitsaranda.net/see/benja-thermal-baths/
The drive to reach Benja Thermal Bath brought us into a scenic river valley.
Plus we had a nice stop at a roadside farmers market.
So let´s leave all the splash slpash and let us explore in my next Blog what the historical cities of Albania have to offer to its visitors……
Here are some last impressions of the beaches and wild waters of Albania.
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