With a mountainous landscape overlooking crystalline waters and relatively sleepy pebble beaches, the Albanian Riviera is one of Europe’s best kept secrets.
Spending a week whizzing between the coves and corners of the Riviera ‒ the catch-all name for Albania’s southernmost stretch of coast ‒ was an unexpected delight. Separated from the rest of the country by the rolling Ceraunian mountains, the region stretches 120 kilometres from Vlorë to Sarandë, taking in beaches, canyons, castles and characterful little seaside towns. Among other ways it’s opened up to tourists, the 2009 rejuvenation of the country’s SH8 coastal road made it easier to explore, be it by bike, car or bus ‒ or in my case, a combination of all three.
To try to describe the beauty of these beaches collectively would do them an injustice, but the headlines are: they are blissfully peaceful, with clear, shimmering waters. They are far less frequented by tourists than neighbouring Greece, meaning you’ll bag accommodation nearby at much more affordable prices. And unlike in the more jaded parts of booked-out Europe, you’ll likely have a host who’s genuinely delighted to have you to stay. Albania was cut off from the world for over 40 years, with communist dictator Enver Hoxha breaking ties with Russia as he believed the USSR was too soft. The people here experienced North Korea levels of isolation for a lengthy chunk of the 20th century ‒ locals alone knew how stunning their landscape was. Now they seem enthused to share the secret.
The hillside village of Vuno
(Lucie Grace)
Assuming you’re flying into Tirana International Airport, any onward travel ‒ be it to the Albanian Alps in the north, Ottoman-era towns in the east or world class beaches in the south ‒ requires either car hire or deciphering the local buses. As a non-car-driver, getting to grips with the buses was my first task.
The people here experienced North Korea levels of isolation for a lengthy chunk of the 20th century ‒ locals alone knew how stunning their landscape was
Staff at my Tirana hotel helpfully tipped me off about local bus schedule website gjirafa Travel, telling me that all journeys are paid for on board, so forget pre-booking. I learned that, if you want to get off at a certain village along the bus route, you can let the driver know before you set off and they’ll pull over, even if it’s not a formal stop. Once I figured out the etiquette, I boarded a coach at Tirana’s North &…
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