Road Tripping the Albanian Riviera

Planning a road trip around Albania? Wondering what VanLife in Albania is like? Want to find out why you should travel Albania by campervan? Well, look no further. In this series of blogs – we share planning tips as well as share some trip inspiration to help you plan your next Balkan adventure!

The Albanian Riviera is a beautiful stretch of coast from Vlorë in the north, all the way down to Ksamil in the south. It’s home to some of the most gorgeous and best-hidden beaches in Europe. 

We would recommend anything from four days to a few weeks here. There are plenty of beaches to see, to park-up at and to chill with mountain views not far behind. 

We spent the best part of five days exploring this coast, and could easily have stayed for longer! Here’s some of the best things we did (and if you don’t fancy reading, you can watch our video here)

Llogora mountain pass

The beginning of this drive is spectacular. Starting from Vlore, you begin to drive up into the mountains towards Mt Djati. We visited in March, and, while the weather was beautiful blue skies and warm sun, there was still snow by the side of the road.

Once you get to the top of the pass- the views from up here are exceptional. We’d suggest stopping for a coffee, or food, at one of the restaurants at the top and take in the view from up high. 

Once you’re sufficiently fueled – get ready for an exceptional bit of driving. Likened to roads along the Amalfi coast, this winding, twisting road, featuring many switchbacks, has an infamous reputation as one of the most beautiful, but also *dangerous, roads in Europe.

The views are incredible!

(*To be honest – we didn’t see what was so dangerous about the road. Perhaps it’s improved since it was given that moniker. While it gets to a steep decline in some parts, it’s all perfectly manageable with a bit of gear breaking!)

Gjipe Beach

To get here involves a short drive from Himarae, up towards a monastery. The car park is big, and you can also spend the night here if you wish. In the high season there is a parking fee, but in the low season, there wasn’t anyone around collecting money!

From the car park is a short, but very scenic walk, down to this hidden bay and canyon, with views across the sea towards Corfu in the distance.

We’d recommend packing a picnic, water and something to sit on, as the beach is so pretty. We’ve also heard that you can hike further up the canyon, too.

What was so nice about this place, was that unlike some of the other stretches of beach on the Riviera, Gjipe is largely untouched by development of beach bars and hotels, with the white sand and crystal blue waters, fringed by snow on the mountains really making a beautiful impression on us.

Livadi Beach

This is an archetypal Albanian beach – a long stretch of white sand, backed up by restaurants, campsites, hotels and more. But these aren’t the typical high-rise apartment blocks you’d see in Spain, but small scale, typically locally owned affairs. We used this place as our base for exploring the Riviera for two days, and stayed at Camping Muskato.

Aquarium Beach (Gjiri i Akuariumit)

Located between Livadh Beach and Jale Beach, this little cove is along a really nice coastal walk with views across the sea and up towards the nearby mountains.

It involves a steep incline at the start from Livadi beach, but it isn’t too strenuous a walk. It was deserted when we visited in March, but we imagine it also doesn’t get as busy as Jale and Livadi during peak times as you have to walk there.

The sea here is incredible, but we would recommend swimming shoes to deal with the many rocks and pebbles!

Butrint National Park

We didn’t think we’d love this place as much as we did.

But there was something about the day we visited the archaeological site of Butrint that made it extra special.

Firstly, the history in this place is pretty awesome – featuring Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and finally, Venetian history and ruins.

Secondly, on the day we visited, the place was alive with the signs of Spring, blossom in the trees and wildflowers growing up and around the ancient stones.

Thirdly, it’s on a wetland, so you can proper nerd out with a bird watch too.

And finally, they let Frank, our dog, in. Which was surprising, but welcomed!

We’d definitely recommend this place, even if nerding out on history isn’t your thing, it’s a really beautiful setting, full of nature! We also stayed in the car park of the site, and witnessed a pretty impressive sunset, and bird watch, from the van.

Vanlife, wild camping and campsites on the Albanian Riviera:

There are a number of wild camping spots that you can find on Park4Night, with a number of paid for spots in the gardens or car parks of beach bars or restaurants. 

When we visited, these places were deserted, so we could have stayed for free. But to be honest – we wanted a bit of company and a feel for Albania, so opted for Camping Muskato.

This backed up onto Livadi Beach, and was owned by a really nice gentleman who told us all about the local area, and gave us a tip-off about Aquarium beach!

You can watch the whole video here: 

Extend the trip – after Butrint we headed inland to explore some ancient towns, The Blue Eye, Benje Hot Springs and Butrint. Which you can read more about here.

Want to know more about what you need to know before you plan your trip to Albania? Read our Albanian VanLife 101 tips here