Albanian Riviera Road Trip: Tirana to Gjirokastër (5 Days)

The Albanian Riviera is the stretch of Ionian coast in the south of Albania: white-pebble coves, clear water and old stone villages under steep mountains, on a coast that is still far quieter than its Greek and Croatian neighbours. This trip starts in Tirana, drives down to Vlorë, climbs over the Llogara Pass (1,027 m) and follows the coast road through Dhërmi, Himarë and Porto Palermo to Sarandë. From there it takes in Ksamil and the ancient city of Butrint, then turns inland to the Blue Eye spring and the stone town of Gjirokastër.

Albania drives on the right. Speed limits are 40 km/h in towns, 80 km/h outside them, 90 km/h on expressways and 130 km/h on motorways, and the alcohol limit is zero. There is no vignette. Since 2024 the Llogara Tunnel (about 6 km) runs under the pass and cuts that stretch from about 30 minutes to about 7; this route keeps the old pass road for the views, but the tunnel is there if the weather is bad or you are in a hurry.

Day 1 — Tirana to Vlorë (156 km)

Pick up the car in Tirana and head south-west to the coast, then down past Fier to Vlorë, the port town where Albania declared its independence in 1912. Walk the long seafront promenade (Lungomare) at sunset, and sleep in Vlorë or a little further south at Radhimë or Orikum, where the Riviera begins.

Day 2 — Vlorë to Himarë via the Llogara Pass (71 km)

Drive south along the bay past Orikum, then climb the hairpins of the Llogara Pass through pine forest in Llogara National Park. From the top, at 1,027 m, the whole Riviera opens up below you. Wind down to Dhërmi, with its white village above the beach, and on past Jalë to Himarë. Stay in Himarë or its old upper town, Himarë Kalaja, with views over the sea.

Day 3 — Himarë to Sarandë via Porto Palermo (56 km)

Stop at Porto Palermo, where a small triangular fortress built for Ali Pasha of Tepelena stands on a rocky spit in a sheltered bay. Carry on past the long beach at Borsh and the olive groves of Lukovë, then drop to Sarandë, the Riviera’s biggest town, facing Corfu across the strait. Ferries run from Sarandë to Corfu if you want to cross for a day.

Day 4 — Ksamil and Butrint (37 km)

Drive south to Ksamil and its small islands, a short swim from the beach, then on to Butrint, an ancient Greek and Roman city on a lagoon near the Greek border. Its theatre, baptistery and walls sit in woods and marsh, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. Go early or late in summer to avoid the heat and the coach groups, and drive back to Sarandë for the night.

Day 5 — Sarandë to Gjirokastër via the Blue Eye (59 km)

Head inland over the hills to the Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër), a spring where deep, cold water wells up in a pool of startling blue in the woods. Swimming is not allowed. Then drive up the Drino valley to Gjirokastër, the “city of stone”, whose Ottoman-era houses with slate roofs climb the hill below a huge castle. Its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2005, with Berat added in 2008).

Costs

Use the cost calculator to price fuel and nights for your dates. Albania is one of the cheapest countries in Europe for a road trip: guesthouses and seafood are good value, though July and August prices on the Riviera rise steeply. Butrint, the Blue Eye, Porto Palermo and Gjirokastër castle each charge a small entry fee. If you rent the car in Albania and want to drive into Greece or Montenegro, ask the rental company first; an Albanian car needs a Green Card insurance certificate to leave the country.

When to go

May–June and September are the best months: warm sea, open guesthouses and far fewer people than in July and August, when the coast is full. The Riviera stays mild in winter, but many beach bars and some guesthouses close outside the season, and snow can occasionally close the Llogara Pass road for a few days between December and February; the tunnel avoids the summit.

This trip is also in the free Roadcut trip planner: change the number of days and where you sleep each night, pick your vehicle to see the fuel cost, check the weather on the road, and open each day in Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze.