The 7 best beaches in Albania

The coastline around the small town of Ksamil is a squiggle of interlocking coves, miniature islands, forested headlands and lagoons that sparkle in the late afternoon sun. And that’s before we even get into the outstanding nearby Roman ruins of Butrint. All this means that Ksamil has all the makings of a perfect Mediterranean beach village, but note – it’s no longer much of a secret and, unfortunately, nowadays almost every beach is occupied by a private beach club with a strict pay for access policy. Still mighty beautiful, just no longer quiet. 

The pleasant beach town of Himarë serves as a base from which to explore an intriguing section of coastline. The area to the north has the richest sand and salt pickings. Some of the beaches here, such as Livadi Beach, are well and truly discovered and full of sunloungers, but there are a few tiny coves, such as Aquarium beach, which hark back to an older Albania.

Dhërmi is a long and searing white strip of sand and pebble that’s book ended by rocky headlands with little coves. There are several pay for access beach clubs, but for those who prefer a more natural beach day there’s plenty of opportunity to just chuck a towel down. Make time to explore the cliff-top village of the same name. With whitewash houses, narrow shady streets and fiery pink bougainvillea flowers draped over walls, there are definite shades of nearby Greece. 

A mere indent into the forested cliffs, the small, white pebble beach of Gjipe is everything you hoped that the Albanian coastline might be. The reason it’s stayed so untarnished?Probably because it’s a hot 45min hike from the nearest road. You’ll also find a cute seasonal beach café and, a short way up into the gorge, a basic camping area. 

The vast sandy spread of sand at Borsh is hardly unknown, but with the beach here being seven kilometres long it’s pretty simple – even in August – to find a quiet corner. And what corners these are. Small, cream white pebbles lead the way into shallow waters as blue as Scandinavian eyes and behind, spreading inland, hundreds of gnarled olive trees cast a little shade. For total seclusion head to the southern half of the beach, where people don’t tend to go. 

Dafina Bay on the southern part of the Karaburun peninsula, is a vision of what so much of the Albanian coast must have looked like just thirty years ago. Protected as a nature reserve, there are several very small coves on the peninsula of which Dafina Bay is arguably the best. To get to any of the beaches though you either need to go on a boat trip, be prepared for a long and rugged hike over hills covered in sweet smelling pine forests or – the best option – join an overnight kayak trip. 

With a dark Cold War history that saw it used as a base for submarines and a secret chemical weapon plant, the remote, and uninhabited Sazan Island might not seem like a likely beach bum paradise. But the island, which can only be visited on organised boat tours, offers Cold War historic sites, a couple of absolutely untouched beaches and some superb snorkelling.