There has been a lot of hype recently about Albania’s coast, with some calling it the “Maldives of Europe”. Is it really worth it? Here’s my honest take on visiting Albania’s coast from my recent trip, including where to go and what to avoid.
Is Albania’s coast the ‘Maldives of Europe’?
No. I could probably end much of my post here, but alas.
My overall take is that, yes Albania has some great beaches and coastal scenery, it’s basically Greece considering how close it is to Corfu and surrounding islands. But no, whoever said it was like the Maldives has either never been to the Maldives or never been to Albania. The only comparable beaches are some sand beaches near Ksamil that are overcrowded unless you go off season. Meanwhile, even though it has beaches and clear water similar to some areas in Greece, most of the coastal cities are not as nice and infrastructure is limited.
Should you visit Albania’s coast?
Sure, depending on what you want.
There are some beautiful coastal areas in Albania with clear rocky water, green mountains around the beach, and sunset views. However, 1) the cities are mostly not that nice; 2) it’s more expensive than you think it will be; and 3) the infrastructure (think roads, hotels, internet, etc) isn’t as easy as, say, Crete (although perhaps comparable to some of Greece’s smaller islands).
This post isn’t saying “don’t visit Albania’s southern coast”. It’s about setting expectations, which I think have been dramatically heightened by groups of travel bloggers and influencers who are acting as if Albania’s coast is the world’s greatest undiscovered treasure.
Where should I go on Albania’s coast (and what should I avoid)?
I was coming to Albania by ferry from Corfu, which landed me in the coast’s biggest city – Saranda. Due to a number of factors (needing reliable internet to work remotely, cost of hotels, etc), we decided to base ourselves in Saranda and drive to surrounding areas for day trips. This was our first mistake.
Saranda – Ksamil – Butrint National Park
Some of you may be wondering whether Saranda should be the base of your trip. Well here is my take: Have you been to Magaluf? Great, then you’ve basically been to Saranda, but it’s worse. Saranda is very convenient, but it is really the hub of mass beach tourism (and party culture) on Albania’s coast. The city is not really nice at all and it feels packed wherever you are.
In Saranda itself there really isn’t much to do except go to the beach (or a beach club if you want house music blasting in your ear all day and night). We did take one day trip down to Ksamil and Butrint National Park.
On Butrint National Park – We drove there at about 4pm to beat the traffic, and when we arrived at approximately 5pm the parking lot was basically empty. I loved Butrint National Park and would highly recommend it! Bring good walking shoes and some water, and I’d recommend going around 3-4pm to both avoid crowds and avoid the heat.
On Ksamil – What a weird place. The city of Ksamil was equally unattractive to Saranda and similarly seemed to cater to mass beach/party tourism. I did not go the beach there and I am sure they are nice, but my guess is that they were absolutely packed, which probably doesn’t make for a pleasant time.
Borsh – Gjirokaster
On our other day trip, we went further north up the coast to some beaches near Borsh and to Gjirokaster. Overall, I think the further north you get on the coast, the better.
Borsh itself has a long beach with lots of cheap beach clubs with sunbeds. We stayed for the day at Sunny Beach Borsh, which had a nice sunbed set up, with chair-side food and drinks. The food in the restaurant itself was really not good, but generally that is what we experienced with restaurants on the entire coast. The sunbed for the day was about 10 euros.
Going up further, I think the beaches between Porto Palermo and Dhermi are going to be the best options for the coast. If I had to do the trip all over again, I would have based myself in Himare or Dhermi and not travelled any further south at all.
On our drive back to Tirana, we also stopped in the small mountain town of Gjirokaster. The town itself was nice enough, with cobblestone old town streets (much nicer than anything we had seen up to that point), with some nice shops. But there is not much to do there for more than a couple of hours, so perhaps a nice place to stop for lunch and a bit of a walk around while on the way elsewhere.
Some important travel tips for Albania’s coast
In summary, here are some of my top tips for making the best out of a trip to the Albanian coast:
- Tip #1: Unless the vibe you’re looking for is Ibiza but worse, don’t base yourself in Saranda.
- Tip #2: There is little to no reliable public transportation around the coast, so rent a car if you want to go multiple places. However, prepare yourself for some insane driving in city areas (i.e. Saranda, Ksamil, etc).
- Tip #3: Another reason to rent a car is so that you can go to some beaches that are not mass tourism beaches (i.e. some of the little enclaves, rather than traditional beaches). Another great way to do this would be to rent a boat for a day or join a boat trip.
- Tip #4: Don’t expect this to be a budget trip. Costs are not as low as you would expect them to be and if you rent a car, it’s extremely expensive, particularly if you want to pick up the car on the coast and drop it off in Tirana when you catch a flight out (they charge a fee for different drop off and pick up locations).
- Tip #5: Butrint National Park is really great and very worth an afternoon if you’re down on the southern coast! Go after 3pm and bring good shoes and water.
All in all, Albania’s coast has beaches that are pretty similar to Corfu, but don’t let yourself overhype it too much. Just go to Theth instead.
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