Riviera guide · published 5 September 2026

Getting to the Albanian Riviera

Access is the quiet variable in every Riviera purchase: it sets how often you will actually come, how easily a guest arrives, and how long the season can run. This is the honest picture as of autumn 2026.

From Tirana, by road

Tirana International Airport is the main gateway for the whole country. From there the drive south to Vlorë is about two and a half hours on the main road. Vlorë is the natural base for the Bay of Vlorë, Orikum and the northern half of the Riviera, and it is where our current southern releases are. Vlorë and Orikum are both reachable the same afternoon you land.

The Llogara tunnel changed the map

Until 2024 the Riviera began with the Llogara pass, a spectacular mountain road that took about an hour from Vlorë to the first beach at Palasa. The 5.9 km Llogara tunnel opened in July 2024 and cut that to around twenty minutes. Vlorë to Sarandë lost roughly forty minutes. In practice it turned Palasa, and to a lesser degree Dhërmi and Himarë, from a separate destination into an extension of Vlorë, which is a large part of why Green Coast at Palasa is where it is.

Corfu, then the ferry to Sarandë

For the far south the fastest route from most of Europe is to fly to Corfu and take the ferry across the strait to Sarandë. Crossings run daily and are short. From Sarandë, Ksamil is fifteen minutes south and Himarë about an hour north. Many owners in the south never use Tirana at all in summer.

The inland route

Tirana to Sarandë along the coast is four hours or more. The inland road via Gjirokastër, a UNESCO-listed stone town worth a stop in its own right, is the alternative and is the route most drivers take to the far south from the capital.

Vlorë airport: built, not yet flying

A new international airport has been built for Vlorë and it has been announced as opening to scheduled flights more than once. At the time of writing it was not yet in scheduled commercial service. When it opens it will change the numbers for the whole Riviera, but until an airline is actually selling seats, keep it out of your rental model and treat it as upside. Albania Housing tracks the status in its rental yields guide.

Seeing it for yourself

The coast is one road with beaches in between, so viewing without a car is impractical. Albania Housing's two-day viewing trips include airport pickup, all driving and a route built around your shortlist, from €275 and credited back if you buy. Vlorë, Orikum and Palasa fit comfortably into two days from Tirana; Sarandë and Ksamil are best done from Corfu.

Questions buyers ask

What is the nearest airport to the Albanian Riviera?

For the far south, Corfu: fly in, take the daily ferry across the strait to Sarandë, and you are twenty minutes from Ksamil. For Vlorë, Orikum and the northern Riviera, Tirana International Airport and about two and a half hours by road. A new airport has been built at Vlorë but was not open to scheduled flights when this was written.

How long is the drive from Tirana to the Riviera?

Around two and a half hours to Vlorë, then about twenty minutes more to Palasa through the Llogara tunnel, roughly an hour to Himarë, and four hours or more to Sarandë and Ksamil along the coast. The inland route to Sarandë via Gjirokastër is the alternative.

Do I need a car?

For viewing, yes, or a driver: the towns are strung along one coast road with beaches in between. Albania Housing's viewing trips include airport pickup and all driving, which is the easiest way to see several places in two days.