hardLlogara National Park · hikeMount Çika Peak
Maja e Çikës
20 km↑ 1000 m6–8 h
Albania's most dramatic coastal mountain, combining forest and alpine ridge with views of the Riviera and the sea far below.
Best: April to October
Vlorë · 3 days · private
€52947,597 L for the car · up to 4 people
−10% cash · €476 for the car
Why go
Down the coast at your own pace: Apollonia's ruins, two nights on the Riviera, the Llogara pass and the turquoise bay of Porto Palermo.
Apollonia was founded around 600 BC and grew into one of the richest cities on this coast; Octavian was studying here when Caesar was killed. The Odeon, the monument of the agonothetes and the stoa still stand above the Myzeqe plain.
Vlorë is where independence was declared in 1912. South of the city the coast turns to white pebble and clear water at Radhimë and Orikum.
The SH8 climbs over the Llogara pass at 1,027 metres and drops onto the Riviera. Further south, Ali Pasha's castle sits on its own spit in the bay of Porto Palermo, with a Cold War submarine tunnel cut into the cliff opposite.
On the ground
In pictures
The monument of the agonothetes at Apollonia
The stoa and the hillside at Apollonia
The beach at Vlorë
The road down from the Llogara pass to the coast
The water and the rocks at Dhërmi
The bay at Jala on the Riviera
Ali Pasha's castle on the bay of Porto Palermo
Inside the walls of Porto Palermo castle
The town of Himarë on the Ionian coast
The mountains above old Qeparo
The long sweep of Borsh beach
Swipe for more. Photographs of the places on this route, under Creative Commons licences. Full credits.
Itinerary
Day 1morning
Two hours down the SH4, then the ruins on the hill above the plain while the light is still low.
Day 1lunch
Into the city for fresh seafood near the centre.
Day 1afternoon
Plazhi i Ri for the promenade, or fifteen minutes further to Radhimë and Orikum for clear water and pebble coves.
Day 1evening
The seafront at sunset, dinner by the water, the night in Vlorë or Radhimë.
Day 2morning
An hour and a half of paved climbing through Llogara National Park, with a long stop at the viewpoint on top.
Day 2midday
Coffee or an early lunch in Dhërmi or Jala on the way south.
Day 2afternoon
The bay, the castle and the calm water, with the submarine tunnel in the cliff across from it. The night in Himarë or Qeparo.
Day 3morning
Borsh if you slept at Qeparo, Llaman if you slept at Himarë. Both are quiet in the morning.
Day 3afternoon
Up the coast, over Llogara and onto the SH4, home by early evening.
The price
Your price
1 person · 1 car
€52947,597 L
The whole trip. That is the card price.
−10% cash · €476if you pay the driver in cash on the day
How many of you?
Where do we start?
Door to door from your hotel or address in Tirana, included
How it adds up
Or pay the whole thing by card now. Free to cancel up to 24 hours before.
Included
Not included
Best months: May to October; June and September for the sea without the crowds
On foot
Your driver waits while you walk. Distance, climb and season for each, from public sources.
hardLlogara National Park · hikeMaja e Çikës
20 km↑ 1000 m6–8 h
Albania's most dramatic coastal mountain, combining forest and alpine ridge with views of the Riviera and the sea far below.
Best: April to October
moderateLlogara National Park · hikeKalimi i Llogarasë
12 km↑ 430 m3.3–5 h
A manageable full loop through Llogara's dramatic landscape, where mountains drop straight to the sea, with the option to go higher if you want.
Best: April to October
easyApollonia · heritage walkParku Arkeologjik i Apollonisë
3 km2–4 h
Albania's leading archaeological site, with extensive Greek and Roman ruins set among olive groves on the ancient Ionian coast.
Best: year-round
easyVlorë · hikeKalaja e Kaninës
3.5 km one way↑ 380 m0.8–1.5 h
A short walk to a 2,000-year-old fortress above Vlorë, with sweeping views of the Ionian coast.
Best: April to October
easyHimarë · viewpointKalaja e Porto Palermit
0.2 km0.5–0.8 h
One of the Riviera's most photogenic landmarks, a fortress on a peninsula with coastal views and Ottoman-era history, seen in a quick stop.
Best: year-round
easyVlorë · heritage walkManastiri i Zvërnecit
2.5 km1–1.5 h
An atmospheric island monastery, reached by Albania's best-known footbridge, combining history with wetland nature.
Best: year-round
Still deciding?
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Questions
Up to eight. One car takes four at 50,000 lek for the three days; from five people a second car and driver go out, at 100,000 lek.
Two nights on the coast: the first around Vlorë, the second in Himarë or Qeparo. Rooms are not in the price. We book what you want and you settle it at the guesthouse.
No. It is paved the whole way, including the Llogara pass. The pass is steep and bendy, which is why it is worth being driven rather than driving it.
Yes. The three days are a shape, not a timetable: swap a beach, add Gjirokastër on the way back, or sit still for a whole afternoon.
Nearby in spirit
