Albanian Riviera - Best Holiday Destination In Albania?

Albanian Riviera is still one of the least known holidays destination's in Europe. This is one of the most beautiful coasts in the whole Ionian Sea and probably on of the best in Europe. In any other state it would have been completely built up by high-rising hotels, but due to isolation and poverty under former communism ruler, the coast is still comparatively unspoilt.

This feature alone can make it a perfect holiday destination for those who like to experience a little bit of something unfamiliar in this part of Europe. Despite its "coarseness" the Albanian Riviera has a lot to offer for many types of visitors. For example those interested in archaeology will find the visit to ancient metropolis of Butrint really rewarding. The site richly deserves its status as the country's best archaeological location, nevertheless there are many other interesting ancient remains.

Outdoors lovers should be happy in just roughly anyplace along the coast. Apart from obvious water related activities, the mountains of Riviera also offer fantastic hiking or cycling opportunities for those with more time at their disposal.

In the area where Adriatic and Ionia sea meet, the biggest city in Albanian Riviera - Vlore is located. The city has a real Mediterranean feeling to it, with palm trees along the main road and the beach starting practically in the city centre. Vlore's geographical position almost exactly in the middle between capital Tirane and Sarande, and 3 hours by ferry from nearest port of Brindisi in Italy, makes it a advantageous gate point into Albania.

Sarande, on the other hand is likely the most attractive entry point into the country. Sarande is distinctly visible above its attractive horseshoe bay not long after the hydrofoil or ferry leaves Greek island of Corfu.

The climate in Albanian Riviera is excellent, with typically hot and dry summers and mild and regularly showery winters. Many parts of Albanian Riviera have at least 290 sunny days a year, with many days having pleasingly warm temperatures, which only during hot summer months are in excess of 30 degrees C.

Vlore and Sarande are connected by freshly upgraded and well surfaced main road. The route in places is however very steep and narrow (particularly throughout the Llogara Pass) and this makes the whole travel at least 4 or 5 hours long. The road goes through marvellous scenery, with dramatic mountains rising up from the coast and the deep blue sea shimmering in the sunlight.

The coastline here is vastly rugged, with stony coves along the tight coastal strip and steep mountains rising almost straight up along much of its length.

The sea along the coast has clear blue water and it is splendid for swimmers as it is warm sufficiently to swim comfortably from May to October. Non-swimmers should be careful when accesing the water as the land descends very suddenly into the sea, which is unlike subtle Adriatic coast further north.

The many beaches on the coast are frequently made of small pebbles, but there are also some sandy ones, particularly in the south. Beaches in Dhermi, Himara and Ksamili are the best known in the Riviera, but there are also lots of others, however unknown to most tourists as they are likely less accessible.