The Riviera & south

Three Days in Saranda and Ksamil

A honest three days in Saranda and Ksamil: a day by day plan for beaches, Butrint at dawn, quiet coves, and the five mistakes that swallow a short trip in Albania.

Where to Stay in Saranda and Ksamil: An Honest Guide

Where to stay on the Albanian Riviera: Saranda for restaurants and transport, Ksamil for the water, the quieter villages between them, and what a sea view actually costs.

A Romantic Albania: Where to Go When It Is Just the Two of You

Sea view terraces in the south, a stone town lit at night, an empty cove reached by boat and dinner that costs less than a taxi at home.

A Southern Albania Itinerary: One Week, One Car, One Road

A loop from Tirana down the coast over a mountain pass, along the Riviera to the Greek border, inland to a stone city and back through the hills.

Saranda or Ksamil: Where to Base on the Albanian Riviera

Saranda vs Ksamil compared as a base on the Albanian Riviera: beaches, hotels, restaurants, transport, day trips to Butrint and the Blue Eye, costs and crowds, with a clear verdict per traveller type.

Vlore: Where Albania Declared Independence and the Riviera Begins

A working port city with a long promenade, the square where the country was founded in 1912, and the road south that turns into the best drive in the Balkans.

The Albanian Riviera: The Best Places on the Coast

The best spots on the Albanian Riviera, from the islands of Ksamil to the beach village of Dhërmi, hidden Gjipe, laid-back Himarë and lively Saranda, plus how to string them together.

Staying in Ksamil: Islets You Can Wade To, and a Village That Grew Too Fast

Four small islands offshore, water the colour of the brochure, and a village that went from nothing to the busiest beach in Albania in about fifteen years.

The Best Beaches in Albania: Where the Water Actually Is That Colour

A coast that runs from flat Adriatic sand in the north to Ionian coves under a mountain road in the south, and the beaches worth the drive.