Best Beach Towns in Albania – Enjoy the Albanian Coastline

Best Beach Towns in Albania

For many, the Albanian Coastline is an undiscovered gem. The tourists who already know about it love the cheap prices, the friendly locals, and the amazing beaches. If it’s your first time in Albania or want to discover some new places then this list is for you. Let’s explore the best beach towns in Albania!

The Albanian Riviera is still a hidden gem among southern European beach destinations. It’s very affordable the amazing beach towns in Albania offer plenty of fun. The country is a great destination to wind off and enjoy the sea.

Best Beach Towns in Albania

To be honest, you can’t go THAT wrong when traveling to the Albanian Riviera. It is full of amazing hotels and nice beaches. The list we’ve put together is just a guideline of some of the best beach towns in Albania.

1. Sarandë

Saramda Beach Town in Albania
Sarandë and the surrounding areas have great beaches

The town of Sarandë is one of the most famous resort towns in the country. It’s only natural to include it as one of the best beach towns in Albania.

This town is probably among the best when it comes to restaurants, hotels, and local amenities. You’ll get a lot of choices when traveling to Sarandë from cheap to expensive.

It’s located in the south of the country, pretty close to Corfu. You can easily find boat excursions that will take you towards Corfu and you can explore the Blue Caves as well.

Sarandë is a solid choice among the beach towns in Albania but it might be a little too big for some people. It’s a full-blown resort town. Almost everything exists for tourism here. This is both good and bad. It’s good because your experience will be great and pretty universal. On the other hand, it loses some local charm that smaller destinations can possess.

As the crown jewel of the Albanian Riviera, Sarandë has crystal clear waters that amaze you with the most beautiful shades of blue you’ve seen. The beaches are amazing and if you want to venture out of town there are even more great beaches to explore nearby.

Read More: 8 Top Things to do in Sarandë

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2. Ksamil

Ksamil Albania
Ksamil with the crystal clear waters

In case you are looking for something smaller than Sarandë, you might want to consider Ksamil. It’s just south of Sarandë, located directly in a national park. This backdrop alone makes Ksamil a unique destination among the beach towns in Albania.

The whole town is nestled in a small patch of land surrounded by water on both sides. You get an excellent choice of beaches, small islands, and paid excursions when choosing Ksamil. This town is a great choice for a relaxing vacation with some of the best beaches in Albania.

Even better, if you ever get bored on the beach you can start exploring the local national park which has monuments like Ali Pasha’s Castle or The Lion Gate.

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3. Dhërmi

Dhermi Albania
Dhërmi has some great beaches

The town of Dhërmi is an old village located on the mountainous coastline of Albania. As tourism started to pick up in the county, the village slowly expanded towards the sea creating the Dhërmi we know and love today.

The old village center is still pretty much in its original state while the beaches are amazing and the hotels offer a wide selection of options. From camping to luxury hotels you get everything in one place.

The beaches of Dhërmi are of superb quality and have amazing scenery. As you make your way into the water and turn around you’ll see the dramatic backdrop provided by the mountains nearby. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy the Albanian coastline.

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4. Vlorë

Vlore a Beach Town in Albania
Vlorë has some truly stunning scenes

Vlorë is a great city for those who want to experience both authentic Albania and the Albanian coastline at the same time.

The city is bustling full of culture and locals. Although the coastline does have a lot of hotels and tourist-centered businesses, Vlorë managed to maintain its authentic feel in the long run.

Most of the actual beach runs down towards the south of the city and it’s full of great restaurants and nice shops. There is also the main beach practically inside the city but we advise you to rather skip this one. There have been some water quality concerns raised over the past years due to poor sewage disposal.

Read More: 12 Awesome Things to do in Vlorë

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5. Borsh

Borsh Beach Albania
Borsh Beach in Albania

Not to be confused with the tasty soup of borsch, the town of Borsh is a great seaside village in Albania. Although a small village, it’s very popular amongst beachgoers.

The huge patch of beach at the shore makes it an especially nice place to visit. There are some nice villas and hotels along the shore to find that perfect room for your holiday.

If you want more than the beach, you can visit the actual old village and be amazed by the waterfalls that flow through the restaurants and small streets. There are many great photo opportunities presented by the waterfalls of Borsh.

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6. Durrës

Durres Albania
Durrës cityscape

If we said that you should go to Vlorë for authenticity then it is especially true for Durrës. One of the biggest towns in Albania and also a coastal town.

It’s absolutely full of locals and authentic Albanian life scenes. Even on the beach, you’ll meet many local people and not just international tourists. This is the place to go if you want to embrace the culture and mingle with Albanians in their home environment.

Once again, try to find a beach that’s a bit further from the city’s marina as the water will be clearer and of better quality.

Read More: Top Things to do in Durrës

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7. Himarë

Himare Resort
The beach resort part of Himarë

Himarë is another old town atop a nearby hill to the seashore. The old village is in stark contrast to Himarë’s beach which is lined with hotels, restaurants, and shops.

Tourism is in full swing when it comes to Himarë. The shore is well built up with a nice promenade where you can walk around in the sunset and enjoy many of the local seafood restaurants.

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8. Spille

Spille Albania

Spille is a quiet resort town in Albania. It has a nice beach full of sunbeds to rent. The beach is lined with hotels and restaurants where you can retreat during the hottest hours to eat and recharge.

That is if you don’t want to be in the crystal clear water during the hot parts of the day. When choosing Spille you are signing up for a relaxing beach town in Albania. It’s everything you need to wind down from the busy working days.

On the other hand, Spille is not very good for exploring Albania itself. If that is your main goal you should choose a more frequented location or rent a car.

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9. Golem

Golem Albania

Golem is located south of Durrës and it’s perfect for those who want to be close to Durrës but want to skip the bustling city. It shares the same stretch of beach that extends south from Durrës.

You can find many great hotels on the shores of Golem right next to major roads which makes it easy to access the other parts of Albania. It’s an excellent choice if you want a relaxing atmosphere but don’t want to be far from everything.

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10. Pogradec

Pogradec Albania

Our last pick is a little different from everything on this list as it’s not actually a seaside town. It’s still a beach town in its own right but Pogradec is on the shores of Ohrid Lake.

Rather than your classic beach towns in Albania, Pogradec is more similar to a lake town in the Alps. You get clear mountain lake water, dramatic mountain backdrops, and a well-built-up beach.

It’s a unique place to visit and it should definitely be on your radar when you are looking for the best beach towns in Albania.

Even better, Pogradec is probably the most authentic of all towns on this list. As it’s not a highly popular seaside destination the city is mostly built for locals and not for tourists.

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Enjoying the Albanian coastline

Choosing any of the beach towns in Albania from our list will land you in an exceptional place. As the locals love to cater to tourists you will feel like you are the most important person in the world.

Albania is also pretty affordable, especially for people coming from the US or Western Europe. It’s a great place to visit where you can rest and swim for a full week or even more.