Albanian Riviera. The most beautiful beaches of Albania: Ksamil, Saranda, Gjipe and others

Albania is a country of mountains and coasts. That's why the Albanian Riviera is so seductive! This country creates real magic. The most famous beaches are Ksamil and Saranda, but also others are worth visiting. I fell in love with these postcards, which at the same time show exquisite peaks and azure interspersed with garnet of the seas. If you also like them, I highly recommend the Albanian Riviera. Sunny, warm, well managed and not everywhere crowded! Here are the most beautiful places to see on the Albanian Riviera!

Ksamil - the most beautiful beach, the pearl of the Albanian Riviera and the Maldives of Albania

Ksamil near Sarande is called the pearl of Albania for a reason. This is where the Albanian Riviera is truly spectacular! Mountains and hills rise almost on the shore. It is the most beautiful beach in Albania, but also the most popular, crowded and developed. If you prefer quiet and wild places, you may feel overwhelmed, but if you like the bustle, glitz and seaside atmosphere, you will feel fantastic here.

The beaches in Ksamil are sandy and wonderfully prepared for tourists, even covered with sun loungers. After all, there is a lot of charming climate here. There are cane umbrellas, beach bars and restaurants overlooking the beautiful sea. There are instagram points, e.g. the famous hand. There was a large queue leading to it, so we just took a picture from the side. At the other end of the beach, we recommend a large, straw head. We were already alone there, and the place is much more charming, perfect for the sunset we got here! While walking between the two, you will meet many other elements and decorations directly asking for photos and posing!

Ksamil creates such an exquisite landscape that it can successfully compete with the greatest resorts of Greece or Spain. Beautifully scattered islands and boats floating on a transparent sheet of water. The term “Maldives of Albania”, which Ksamil prides himself on, is fully justified. That's why you can't fit a pin between tourists in the high season, and a sun lounger costs up to 20 euros. There are still a lot of people here in September, but you can find more intimate places, and in October, when the sun is still shining and warm, it's already empty!

Interestingly, the nearby islands can be reached by pedal boats, kayaks or other means of water transport, during organized trips. In addition, Ksamil offers pubs and restaurants at every turn. They all have very good reviews. So when you get here, you'll definitely eat well. We tasted squid and a traditional Albanian tave Kosi dish with lamb, egg and yogurt. The latter did not knock us down. And a word about the parking lot. It is worth choosing a paid one, because standing anywhere on the streets may end up with a ticket.

Gjipe Beach and Gjipe Canyon - pristine natural wonders

We know from experience that the most beautiful and wildest beaches are not accessible by car. This is also the case with Gjipe Beach, which miraculously formed at the mouth of the Gjipe Gorge. It seems that located at the end of the world, it was supposed to be intimate, but commercial and tourists have already arrived here. But she still retained an unusual charm, especially when her beauty shows a drone. The cliffs surrounding the beach are more than 100 meters high. The water here sparkles with different shades of turquoise and blue. Somewhere in the rocks there are caves that can be reached by boats.

There are 2 ways to get to Gjipe Beach, from two different car parks. The first car park (free of charge) is by the canyon. We wanted to go through the ravine like that, but he defeated us a little, because we were hungry and we were not all properly prepared. It is a trail about 3 km long and not very straight. You must have at least trekking sandals. The second way is to drive to a further car park (paid). Access is difficult because with a large number of cars on the road, you have to do swaps, sweeps, etc. From the car park, it is still about a 10-minute walk along the terrain path. Despite such a wild place, umbrellas from the thatched beach have already spread out on the beach. This place especially shows how Albania is developing rapidly in terms of tourism. After all, I highly recommend it!

Borsh Beach - an intimate discovery of the Albanian Riviera

Borsh Beach is located north of Saranda. This is a fantastic, accidental discovery in Albania, because we did not have it in our plans, and it was recommended to us by Poles also resting in Albania. The beach is available free of charge, as are other beaches of Albania with free parking. It stretches as long as 7 km and is really intimate. You won't find crowds here, and the beach is very well developed. It is true that you will not find sand here, but a bright, small litter that resembles sand. There are also thatched umbrellas. In September, it was almost empty, and the weather was even conducive to swimming in the sea. And here the Ionian Sea meets the Adriatic Sea.

Porto Palermo - secrets of the Albanian Riviera

Porto Palermo is also famous for its beautiful beaches, we also visited the unique triangular castle of the controversial ruler Ali Pasha, who, according to legend, had his Greek wife bathing in the sea observed from the walls. Kyra Vassiliki had the status of a special favorite and their love echoed loudly. She could keep her faith and even founded a monastery. The castle in Porto Palermo is tiny and does not offer unique interiors, but its walls offer nice views of the sea.

We also saw a mysterious military facility in Porto Palermo. It is a submarine bunker, a former base of Soviet submarines. From above, you can see the entrance to the Cold War-era military tunnel in the rock. It is 650 meters long and 12 meters high. It was created by order of Enver Hoxha. After breaking off the alliance with Moscow and Beijing, the ships found themselves in a sea "black hole" and began to grow legend as "steel ghosts of Porto Palermo", seen by fishermen in the calm waters of the bay. To this day, it is a military area, and the tunnel is inaccessible. There were plans to create a museum of the Cold War here, but so far they have not been implemented.

Saranda - a popular resort of the Albanian Riviera

Saranda is one of the most popular cities on the Albanian Riviera. In September, still crowded, we also did not reach the beach, we only visited the local Lekursi Castle, which turned into a beautifully located restaurant. It allows you to admire beautiful views of the whole city and the coast.

Llogar Pass

And if you want to see the Albanian Riviera from above, go to the Llogara Pass. It is an impressive mountain pass at an altitude of 1027 m above sea level, in the Llogara National Park, in the Çika Mountains. It is a very scenic place, to which one of the most picturesque mountain roads in Europe, SH8, leads. It is winding and quite narrow, but well-maintained and accessible for cars, buses and motorhomes. Parking at the lookout point is free of charge.

Accommodation on the Albanian Riviera

On the Riviera, we slept in Sarande and right next to Porto Palermo. We were looking for options for 6 people. Accommodation was at a fairly high level and much cheaper than in Poland.

Overnight in Porto Palermo is Villa The Old Bakery in nearby Qeparo. It is a very nice place, with a renovated and modern room, which also offered a small living room with a kitchenette and a private bathroom. There was also a small balcony.
Accommodation in Saranda is an apartment in the Beva Hotel. On the main road, it had 2 bedrooms (one was tiny), a shared bathroom and a small living room. The rooms may not have been stunning, but the biggest advantage of the accommodation was the large terrace overlooking the sea.

Here you will find a wide selection of accommodations. By booking your stay on Booking.com through our link, you support the development of our blog — and we thank you in advance! It helps us reach many interesting places that we later love to show you and share our experiences and information with you.

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