Albanian Riviera Road Trip: The 7-Day Route Locals Actually Recommend

The Albanian Riviera is one of the last great Mediterranean road trips. The SH8 coastal road climbs over the Llogara pass, drops onto a wall of turquoise coves, and threads through stone villages that look like Greek islands without the ferry queues. In 2026, it is busier than ever — but if you know where to break off the main road, entire beaches are still empty.

Here is the 7-day route locals actually recommend, tested repeatedly by us and our editorial team.

Route overview

• Day 1: Tirana → Vlorë (2.5 hours, 155 km)
• Day 2: Vlorë → Llogara → Dhërmi (1.5 hours + swimming)
• Day 3: Dhërmi day: Gjipe, Jale, Old Dhërmi
• Day 4: Dhërmi → Himarë → Porto Palermo → Qeparo (1 hour)
• Day 5: Qeparo → Borsh → Lukovë → Sarandë (1.5 hours)
• Day 6: Sarandë day: Ksamil, Butrint, Blue Eye
• Day 7: Sarandë → Gjirokastër → Berat (Tirana return day 8)

Total driving: roughly 10 hours over 7 days, split into short daily segments so you can swim.

What you actually need

• A rental car with air conditioning and, ideally, a small engine — the roads are twisty and steep. Read our car rental in Albania guide before booking.
• A paper map or offline Google Maps — some coastal turnoffs vanish from data coverage.
• Sturdy sandals — many beaches require a short walk over pebbles or a scramble down a path.
• €500–€800 in cash for the week (small tavernas, beach clubs, mountain villages). Cards work but not everywhere.
• A snorkel mask. Grama Bay and Kakome cove reward it.

Day 1 — Tirana to Vlorë

Leave Tirana by 9 am. Take the SH4 south, past Kavajë, and stop for coffee at Divjakë. Reach Vlorë for lunch at Uji i Ftohtë on the north edge of town — fresh grilled sea bream, no menu tricks.

Where to sleep: Skip Vlorë old town — it is convenient but noisy. Book in Radhima or Orikum, 10 km south, right where the road starts climbing. Family-run stone guesthouses run €50–€90 in shoulder season.

Evening walk: the Muradie Mosque and the old town square. Vlorë was where Albania declared independence in 1912 — the Independence Monument is a five-minute walk.

Day 2 — The Llogara Pass and first swim

Start at 8 am. Llogara is 20 km of switchbacks climbing to 1,027 m. Stop at Llogara Pass viewpoint for the classic photo — sea 1,000 m below, mountains behind you. Continue down to Palasë for your first proper Riviera swim.

Palasë is a long pebble beach with a couple of laid-back beach clubs — not glossy, not touristy. Water is cold and glass-clear at 9 am. Continue to Dhërmi by lunch.

Where to sleep in Dhërmi: two options — the beach strip (loud, close to the water, party-adjacent) or the Old Dhërmi village 5 km uphill (400 m elevation, cooler at night, extraordinary sunsets, restored stone guesthouses). We recommend the village.

Evening: dinner at Enea Taverna in Old Dhërmi — locally caught fish, house wine from Nivicë, sunset over Corfu on clear evenings.

Day 3 — Dhërmi day (Gjipe, Jale, Drimades)

• Morning: hike or drive down to Gjipe Beach. Access is either a 45-minute walk from the parking lot down the canyon, or a boat from Jale for €10 return. Gjipe is a canyon-mouth beach with cliffs on either side — worth every step.
• Lunch: at Jale beach. Cheap grilled squid, cold Korça beer.
• Afternoon: Drimades Beach for a proper swim on Dhërmi''s southern stretch, or hire a boat from Dhërmi to Grama Bay (secluded, snorkelling paradise, ancient Greek sailor inscriptions carved into the cliff walls).

Dinner in the village again. If you are here in August, the Kala Festival happens on this beach — check dates before you arrive; the whole strip fills up.

Day 4 — Himarë, Porto Palermo, Qeparo

Short driving day, big rewards.

• Himarë (30 minutes from Dhërmi) — a lively small town. Coffee on the promenade. Skip the main beach; drive 3 km south to Filikuri Beach — a small cove accessible via a track behind the Rapo''s Resort area.
• Porto Palermo (20 minutes on) — the star of this day. A stone castle on a peninsula surrounded by turquoise water, built by Ali Pasha in the early 1800s. Swim off the causeway on either side. Entry to the castle is 200 lek.
• Qeparo (10 minutes on) — split between the modern coastal strip and the astonishing Old Qeparo village clinging to the hillside 5 km inland. Sleep in Old Qeparo. Dinner at Restorant Ura Ballkonatë — cheese, honey, grilled lamb, and a view down the entire southern Riviera.

Day 5 — Borsh, Lukovë, Sarandë

• Borsh Beach (15 minutes from Qeparo) — the longest beach on the Riviera, 7 km of pebble and shingle. Never crowded. Best swim of the trip.
• Lukovë (25 minutes) — a viewpoint town. Stop briefly, take a photo of the cove, continue.
• Kakome Bay (15 minutes off the SH8) — signposted turnoff, then 3 km down a rough track. This is our favourite quiet cove on the whole Riviera. Bring lunch and stay four hours.
• Sarandë (30 minutes) — arrive by early evening. Skip the central strip and book in Ksamil (15 minutes further south) or in a guesthouse on the hills above Sarandë (Manastir area).

Dinner at Guvat Taverna on the water in Sarandë — grilled octopus, cold retsina-style local white.

Day 6 — Ksamil, Butrint, Blue Eye

• Ksamil beaches at 8 am — before the tour buses arrive. Skip the crowded main strip; take a boat to one of the Ksamil Islands for €5 return. Have breakfast on the smaller island.
• Butrint (10 minutes from Ksamil) — the UNESCO archaeological park. Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian layers on one wooded peninsula. Two to three hours minimum. Guided audio via the Butrint app.
• Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) (45 minutes north) — the natural spring worth the drive, especially in late afternoon light. Do not swim (it is deep, cold, and increasingly regulated). Do drink a coffee at the wooden platform above the water.

Return to Sarandë. Dinner overlooking the bay.

Day 7 — Gjirokastër and inland return

Head north via the SH8, then cut east at Kakavijë onto the SH99 toward Gjirokastër. Two hours through the Drino valley.

• Gjirokastër — UNESCO stone town, cobbled streets so steep some are more staircase than road. Visit the Castle (huge Ottoman fortress with military museum) and the Zekate House (traditional Ottoman merchant house, best-preserved in the country). Lunch of qifqi (rice balls with mint) at Kujtimi.
• Continue north on the SH4/A2 toward Berat — three hours. Or straight to Tirana, three hours.

If you have an eighth day, stay in Berat. It doubles the trip. Our Berat guide covers the details.

Where the trip actually goes wrong

• August driving on the SH8 — do the Riviera segments (Dhërmi → Sarandë) before 10 am. After that, cars queue behind trucks on switchbacks. Frustrating.
• Booking last-minute in Ksamil — impossible in July/August. Book two months ahead or stay in Sarandë.
• Skipping Old Dhërmi and Old Qeparo — the coastal strips are fine; the hillside villages are the real Riviera.
• Trying to add Vlorë as a base for the whole trip — too far north. You spend the trip driving.
• Booking a large car — the SH8 has narrow sections, tight parking in old villages, and 20% grades. A small or mid-size car is happier.

Costs to expect (per person, two travellers, mid-range)

• Rental car (7 days, mid-size, June): €280–€360
• Fuel: €90–€120
• Accommodation (village guesthouses): €400–€700
• Food and drink: €150–€250
• Boat trips, entries, parking: €80–€120
• Total: €500–€800 per person for the week

When to do this trip

Late May, first half of June, or the second half of September — the sweet spot months where everything is open, the sea is warm, and the roads are not choked. See the best time to visit Albania guide for the full month-by-month breakdown.

If you liked this route, our 10-day Albania itinerary extends it into the mountains and around Berat. And if this is your first trip, start with the visa requirements and how to get to Albania guides.