albanian-riviera
type: Article
content: It is early in the tourist season anyway, and everything has been stunted by lockdown. A roadtrip along the Albanian Riviera revealed many quiet places - in some cases altogether deserted - along with grateful guesthouse and restaurant owners. The Riviera stretches between Sarandë and Vlorë and is characterised by glorious beaches and charming villages situated in the mountainsides overlooking the sea. The road is in good condition and winds along with amazing views and some breathtaking cliffedges and sharp turns. I didn't manage to check out every single beach, but I saw plenty. There are lots of castles too, and places of historical interest. I didn't get as far as Vlorë, but did stop in Orikum, the seaside town just to the south. There's a really long beach with (mostly closed) restaurants and bars all along. I can imagine it would be a bit of a party scene during normal times in the summer. It was pretty desolate though. Photos of Orikum are here. The Llogora Pass is a steep switchback road towards the north end of the Riviera, with Palasë beach at the bottom and Llogora national park at the top. The national park is a different world, with pine forests and cool mountain air. There are plenty of well marked hiking trails, as well as Cesar's Pass, where Julius Cesar's army marched. I stayed in a friendly guesthouse in the woods. The owners run a restaurant with delicious homemade pasta, and kept bringing free dessert. I hiked to the top of Maja Thanassit (GPS trace, photos) and to Cesar's Pass (GPS trace, photos). Visibility was not good. Palasë beach is renowned for being gorgeous but seemed to subject to a large construction project and not very accessible. The next one down is Drymades. Not a lot there, but nice sand. The next town over is Dhërmi, which is absolutely charming; white houses and cute windows set into the mountainside. Vuna a bit further down is also picturesque, a smaller version of Dhërmi. I'd spend more time there in future. Gjipe beach is ne…
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
name: Along the Albanian Riviera
published: 2020-05-22T20:58:13+01:00
tag: tourism
tag: castle
tag: hiking
tag: albania
tag: travel