Albania
The Riviera before the crowds arrive: Ksamil's beaches, Gjirokastër's stone streets, and prices from another decade.
- Flight from UK
- 3h to Tirana
- Best months
- Jun, Sep
- Currency
- Lek (cards widely taken now)
- Time
- UK +1h
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Albania is often compared with Croatia a decade or two ago: a Mediterranean coastline with clear water, fewer visitors, and prices that are generally lower than in neighbouring Greece. It rewards planning more than most destinations because the infrastructure is still catching up with the interest.
The Riviera
Ksamil is the postcard — white pebble coves, water the colour of a swimming pool, and Corfu on the horizon. It is small and fills up in July and August. June and September give you the same sea without the queue for a sunbed.
Sarandë is the town next door: ferries to Corfu, the best choice of restaurants, and the base for day trips to the Blue Eye spring and Butrint's Roman ruins.
Dhërmi and Himarë further north are quieter, with the mountains coming straight down to the sea.
Inland
Gjirokastër and Berat are both UNESCO-listed Ottoman towns, stacked up hillsides in stone and white. Either is a day trip from the coast or an overnight with character.
Tirana is a genuinely interesting capital — colourful, cheap, and with a bar scene in Blloku that runs late. It works as a two-night city break in its own right.
Getting there
Two routes. Fly to Tirana — from the UK, direct flights operate from several airports including London and Manchester, and Tirana is well connected from across Europe — then drive or take a bus south to Sarandë on a much-improved road. Or fly to Corfu and take the short ferry crossing to Sarandë, which puts you on the Riviera the same day.
Search flights to TiranaBooking it
Hotel coverage on the big sites is thinner than in Greece, and many of the best places are family-run guesthouses. Booking.com lists a good range; book early for Ksamil in summer.
Search stays in KsamilA hire car transforms the trip — the coast road is one of Europe's great drives. Book from Tirana airport.
Car hire from Tirana Blue Eye and Gjirokastër day trips