Best beaches in Albania
From the turquoise coves of the Albanian Riviera to the calm sands of Velipojë — every coastline worth visiting, mapped.
Visit Durrës Beach for golden sands, shallow waters, and vibrant seaside dining. Explore Roman ruins and enjoy Adriatic sunsets. Plan your perfect escape today.
A quiet family beach where the mountains of Karaburun meet the Ionian, close to a nature reserve.
Fine dark sand at the mouth of the Buna river with a protected lagoon and thermal-mud tradition.
Long open dune-backed sand at the mouth of the Shkumbin — one of central Albania's wildest beaches.
Golem Beach is Albania's biggest resort beach and the closest long sandy beach to Tirana, about 45 minutes by car. This guide covers where to stay along the strip, what sunbeds, parking and food cost in 2026, which stretch to pick, beach facilities and water safety for families, and how to reach Golem by car, furgon or taxi from Tirana and Durrës.
A remote crescent of pale pebbles wedged between two towering canyon walls where the Gjipe river meets the Ionian — reached by a 25-minute walk down a dirt track or by boat from Jale.
Undeveloped dark-sand Adriatic beach at the Seman river mouth.
A once-secret military island at the mouth of the Bay of Vlorë, now open for guided day trips.
Four tiny islets in impossibly clear water off Ksamil — swim, paddle or take a €5 boat.
A long shingle bay just south of Himarë ringed by olive groves and family-run guesthouses — the calmest, most local-feeling Riviera beach.
The longest beach on the Albanian Riviera, backed by the largest olive grove in the country — sleepy, cheap and gloriously undeveloped.
A pine-shaded white pebble beach north of Dhërmi popular with backpackers for its bars and beach camping.
Turquoise water and a small pebble cove between two headlands — the launchpad for boats to Gjipe.
A pocket-sized cove of clear water and smooth pebbles near Sarandë — 'the mirror' for its glassy calm.
A private-feeling arc of clear water between two headlands south of Porto Palermo, reached by a rough track.
One of southern Albania's most remote white-pebble beaches, only reachable by 4x4 or boat.
A quiet gravel beach split by a small river estuary — a favourite family stop between Borsh and Lukova.
'Seagull Beach' — a short, cliff-backed white-pebble cove north of Sarandë with crystal water.
A small cliff-hemmed pebble beach near Sarandë, known for its beach club and sunset views.
Vlorë's new sandy promenade beach, family-friendly with palm-lined walks and beach bars.
A calm pebbly bay on the road south from Vlorë, popular with families and small resorts.
A long sandy Adriatic beach north of Lezhë with warm shallow water — one of Albania's family-holiday classics.
An empty sandy peninsula wrapped by pine forest, culminating at Skanderbeg's castle ruins on the sea.
A wide dune beach inside Divjakë-Karavasta National Park, backed by pine forest and a flamingo lagoon.
A pine-shaded islet in the Narta lagoon linked by a wooden footbridge to a 14th-century Byzantine monastery.
A calmer sandy strip south of Golem popular with domestic weekenders.