Albanian Riviera Itinerary: A Day-by-Day Coastal Plan
Build an Albanian Riviera itinerary day by day, from Llogara Pass and Dhermi to Himare, Borsh, Saranda, Ksamil and Butrint, with driving times.
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Plan the Albanian Riviera as one north-to-south line rather than a list of beaches: start at Vlore, cross the Llogara Pass, work down through Dhermi, Gjipe, Jale and Himare, then continue past Porto Palermo and Borsh to Saranda, Ksamil and Butrint. Four days covers the coast at a sensible pace, three days if you cut one beach stop, and a week lets you add Berat or Gjirokaster at either end. This itinerary sets out that order day by day, with the driving times the sources give and the trade-offs at each stop. For the wider region, see The Albanian Riviera.
The whole route follows the coastal road between Vlore and Saranda, with the Llogara Pass as its high point and its most photographed viewpoint. Distances look short on a map but the road winds, so treat each day as two or three stops rather than five. A car makes the smaller beaches and castles reachable; tours and boats cover the sea sections.
What the Albanian Riviera covers and where it starts and ends
The Albanian Riviera is a 120 km stretch of coastline in southern Albania, running from Vlore southwards to Saranda. Vlore, built around a horseshoe bay with the Lungomare promenade along the water, is the practical starting point, and Saranda is the finish, with the Greek border and Butrint just beyond.
Between those two towns the coast is a sequence of bays, pebble beaches and hill villages rather than a continuous resort strip. Dhermi and Drymades sit below the Llogara Pass, Gjipe and Jale occupy separate coves, Himare spreads between an old hillside village and a newer seafront, and Qeparo, Porto Palermo and Borsh follow before Saranda.
How many days the Riviera needs, and what to cut if you have fewer
Four days on the coast is enough to drive the full length with a beach stop, a boat or kayak outing and a morning at Butrint. With three days, keep the northern half (Llogara, Dhermi, Gjipe, Jale, Himare) and skip the southern run to Saranda, or do the reverse and treat Saranda, Ksamil, Butrint and the Blue Eye as your base.
With two days, choose one half of the coast and stop moving. A realistic short version is Llogara Pass, Dhermi and Drymades on day one, then Gjipe, Jale and Himare on day two, which keeps driving under an hour between stops for most of the day.
Route order: north to south from Vlore to Saranda, and why it works
Driving north to south puts the Llogara Pass early, when you still have patience for the hairpins, and leaves the flat run into Saranda for the end of the trip. It also keeps the sea on your left, so pull-offs and viewpoints come without crossing traffic. Sample itineraries run in this direction, starting in Vlore and heading south through the Llogara Pass towards Dhermi. Keep the Albanian Riviera Map to hand for orientation as you go.
The reverse works if you fly into Corfu or arrive from Greece, but you then hit the pass on the last day, often tired and in afternoon light. Either way, keep the map open as a rough guide rather than a schedule: the coastal road has one lane each way and slows behind coaches and lorries in summer.
Day 1: Llogara Pass, Dhermi and Drymades
Leave Vlore in the morning and climb to the Llogara Pass, the highest point on the coastal road, where the view opens over the Ionian Sea and the beaches below. There is a coffee house at the pass for a short stop, and the surrounding Llogara National Park is a place for a walk rather than a long detour. From the pass, drop down to Dhermi.
Dhermi has two parts: the beach on the coast and a hill village above it with old houses and small churches, worth an hour on foot. From the beach you can walk along the shore to Drymades, the neighbouring bay. Travellers based in Dhermi have driven 15 to 20 minutes to the next beach along and paid for sun loungers by the pair, so budgeting for beach furniture is sensible.
Day 2: Gjipe, Jale and the old village at Himare
Gjipe is reached on foot: after a short drive from Dhermi, you walk about ten minutes down to a beach enclosed by cliffs. That walk is the trade-off for the setting, so carry water and wear shoes that cope with a rough path. Jale is close by, a small bay with clear water and limited facilities, reachable by road, on foot or by kayak.
Finish the day at Himare, where the old village sits on the hill above the seafront. A short walking tour of the old quarter takes in the traditional houses on the hillside and the view back over the Ionian Sea. Boat trips run from Himare to secluded beaches, a sea cave and wartime bunkers, with swimmers choosing where to stop.
Day 3: Ali Pasha Castle, Borsh and the run into Saranda
South of Himare, the castle on the small peninsula at Porto Palermo is the stop worth building the morning around. It sits in the sea at the head of the bay, and the road passes close enough for a short visit before you continue. Allow more time here than you think, because the peninsula and the water below it slow you down.
Borsh follows, a long beach backed by a village, and the last proper pause before Saranda. From Borsh the road runs on into Saranda, where the seafront makes a natural end to the driving day. If you are continuing to Ksamil, it is a short further hop south and makes a better base for the southern sights.
Day 4: Butrint, Ksamil and the Blue Eye
Give Butrint a full morning. The archaeological site sits close to the Greek border and holds Greek, Roman and later remains within one walled circuit, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A guided walk or a family activity there makes the ruins legible; without one, take the site leaflet and work slowly through the main monuments.
Ksamil, just south of Saranda, is where most people swim afterwards, with boat trips out to the small islands offshore. The Blue Eye spring is inland from Saranda and a different kind of stop, so pair it with the drive back towards Gjirokaster rather than squeezing it between beaches. Check the Albanian Riviera Map before setting out if you plan to combine the two.
Berat and Gjirokaster: adding the UNESCO towns at either end
Berat and Gjirokaster are inland towns, not coast stops, so add them before or after the Riviera rather than in the middle. Berat is about two hours by road from Tirana, and its old town climbs a hillside below a castle that holds churches and mosques within the walls; the cobbled lanes are steep and slow going.
Gjirokaster sits at the southern end, within reach of the Blue Eye and the road to Saranda, with narrow cobbled alleys and Ottoman houses below a castle on the ridge. Treat either town as a half-day to full day of walking, and keep luggage light because the streets are uneven.
Driving times on the coastal road and where the road slows
The drive from Tirana airport to Dhermi takes about three to four hours, with few sights worth stopping for on the way, so treat it as a transfer day. Once on the coast, the Llogara descent and the stretch around Himare are the slowest sections; the run from Saranda to Butrint is short.
Build slack into any day with a fixed booking, because the coastal road carries local traffic, coaches and slow lorries in equal measure. Fuel up in the larger towns, park where you can see the car, and avoid arriving at a beach stop after midday in high summer if you want shade.
Getting around without a car: tours, boats and furgons
Without a car, the smaller beaches and Porto Palermo are awkward to reach, which is why guided itineraries bundle transport, a driver and a guide across several days. Group tours also handle the boat and kayak legs, which is useful if you want Gjipe or the Himare coves without arranging each transfer yourself.
Public transport exists but is thin on this stretch, so planning around it eats into beach time. A practical compromise is to base in one town, use boats for the coast and take a tour for the inland day to Butrint and the Blue Eye.
When the Riviera is busiest and how that changes the plan
Late September still draws a crowd to the main beaches, with Jale described as fairly busy at that time, so expect the popular car parks and loungers to fill first. In high summer, start earlier, swim before the midday heat and keep the driving for late afternoon.
Shoulder-season travel means cooler walking on the Llogara Pass and in Berat or Gjirokaster, but shorter days for the drive south. Either way, the coast rewards the same pattern: one headline stop per morning, one flexible stop after lunch.
What to book ahead and what to leave to the day
Book the things with a fixed start: boat trips from Himare, any guided Butrint visit and tour packages that include a driver. Leave beaches, viewpoints and the castle stops loose, since they depend on weather and on how long you actually want to linger.
Prices for sun loungers, boat seats and site entry vary by operator and season, so ask at the beach or the ticket desk on the day rather than working from old figures. Tour operators publish what their packages include, which is the more reliable way to compare costs.
Which four days to book first
Lock in the north-to-south order first: Llogara, Dhermi and Drymades, then Gjipe, Jale and Himare, then Porto Palermo, Borsh and Saranda, then Butrint, Ksamil and the Blue Eye. If you only have two or three days, keep one half of that line intact rather than trying to touch both ends.
Sort the fixed bookings early, meaning the Himare boat and any guided Butrint morning, and leave the rest of each day open. Carry cash for beach furniture and small stops, and confirm opening times for Butrint and the castles before you set out.
Explore more Himare guides
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Notes for your Albania trip
Optional updates to our Albania town guides.
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