Trip of the week: the beaches of the Albanian Riviera
Albania is a ‘great value’ alternative to its better-known neighbours, Greece and Croatia

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
With its rich architectural and archaeological heritage and rugged mountain landscapes, Albania has clear appeal to “culture-minded” travellers. Less widely appreciated has been its virtues as a Mediterranean beach destination, says Chris Leadbeater in The Daily Telegraph, and as a “great value” alternative to its better-known neighbours, Greece and Croatia.
But it seems Albania is now making its mark on the tourist map: Skyscanner reports a 48% rise in bookings for flights from the UK this year compared with 2019 – and deservedly so. After two years of “travel stasis”, anyone craving fresh horizons should consider visiting.
A lot of the beachside developments on Albania’s 300 miles of coast were thrown up in the 1990s and though comfy enough, they are not high end. But there are some good “boutique retreats and luxury properties”. Just 25 miles west of the capital Tirana, the country’s second city, Durrës, has a “broad, soft” beach – but it’s better to head to the smaller seaside resorts further south, such as the city of Vlorë (where the clifftop Hotel Liro can be recommended), the picturesque town of Saranda, or the lovely village of Ksamil, from which you can see Corfu, just five miles across the water.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And the coastal Llogara Pass is not to be missed – a zigzagging road that carries you across the Ceraunian Mountains south of Vlorë, offering “epic” views of the Ionian Sea and the sands of Palase Beach, far beneath.
All these resorts sit within easy reach of the cultural treasures of central and southern Albania, including the hilltowns of Gjirokastra and Berat, with their 18th century Ottoman mosques and mansions, and the ruined Roman city of Butrint. It’s also worth lingering in Tirana itself, not least for its vast National History Museum, and the restaurants and bars of the buzzing Blloku district.
Specialist tour operators include Regent Holidays (regent-holidays.co.uk) and Steppes Travel (steppestravel.com).
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
How climate change is going to change the insurance industry
The Explainer Some regions will soon be 'uninsurable'
By Devika Rao Published
-
TV to watch in October, from 'Loki' to 'The Fall of the House of Usher'
The Explainer Celebrate spooky season with some eerie streaming shows
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
The best student laptops
The Week Recommends Stylish and versatile laptops to use for academic work or gaming
By The Week Staff Published
-
The best student laptops
The Week Recommends Stylish and versatile laptops to use for academic work or gaming
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 bucolic homes in New Hampshire
Feature Featuring an island house in Meredith and a private pond in Lee
By The Week Staff Published
-
Etaf Rum recommends 6 empowering reads centered around women
Feature The author suggests works by Zora Neale Hurston, Sylvia Plath and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Recipe: beef and broccoli noodles by Pippa Middlehurst
The Week Recommends A simple adaptation of a classic Chinese dish
By The Week Staff Published
-
Volcanoes, lakes and jungle ruins in Guatemala
The Week Recommends Discover the 'vibrant indigenous culture' and biodiverse landscape of this Central American paradise
By The Week Staff Published
-
Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance review
The Week Recommends Fitzwilliam Museum exhibition features lives affected by the Atlantic slave trade
By The Week Staff Published
-
Properties of the week: riverside retreats
The Week Recommends Featuring an enchanting mill house in Hampshire and a converted boathouse in Cornwall
By The Week Staff Published
-
Private Lives review: a 'witty' revival of Noël Coward's classic comedy
The Week Recommends Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers play the warring exes in this 'delicious retro treat'
By The Week Staff Published