Day tour of Riviera from Tirana – Ksamil, Saranda & Blue Eye

We will start our journey from Tirana early in the morning so we can make the most of our day. Our first stop then will be in Vlore where we can enjoy a nice view of the city while drinking a coffee or a refresher as we get ready to drive through Llogara Pass. The drive through Llogara is simply put – amazing. First, you can enjoy nature full of green trees and very calming but later on you can look at the amazing seashore from above, which is something out of the movies.

After going past Llogara, a small village by the name of Dhermi is our next stop. During the last decade, the coastal area has seen a boom in the construction of accommodation facilities, such as wooden villa complexes or bars and cafes where people can relax. Dhermi is considered to be a popular tourist destination, especially due to its well-known beaches and at times riotous nightclub-based nightlife centred on the modern resorts of the coastline. In 2018 Dhermi was considered a center in the Albanian Riviera.

As we say goodbye to Dhermi, we make our way to Himara, a municipality that lies between the Ceraunian Mountains and the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast. There we will be able to look at the beach along with its promenade and tavernas but also go into the old town of Himara built up the hill. 

There the old town is built around a Castle in the center, with its ancient walls dating back to the 5th-4th centuries BC. Also, many churches were built inside or close to the Castle and all this makes it a top attraction because of the rich history this old town has.

Porto Palermo is a bay a few kilometers south of Himarë along the Albanian Riviera. It is the most well-preserved garrison erected by Ali Pasha in the region and there you can also find the Porto Palermo Castle, also known as the Ali Pasha Castle, built around the 19th century. 

Along the beautiful beach in the bay, you can also find the Porto Palermo Tunnel, a submarine base that is no longer in use by the military, built in 1969 by Enver Hoxha as a home base for Fast Attack Crafts.

After visiting the small bay of Porto Palermo, we take on a drive to Sarande where we will also be having lunch. Possibly the most well-known city in the South, Saranda is a top tourist attraction city because of its beautiful beach, Albanian-Greek mixed cuisine and modern resorts and bars you can find there. Full of Olive trees and a very calming nature it is the best place to have a nice lunch and conversation after a tiring, but yet finished, trip.

After a refuel in Sarande, Ksamil awaits us. According to many people, Ksamil is the most beautiful beach in the country and it has been named by a lot of magazines as “The Maldives of Europe” and rightly so. It is the perfect place to take some photos and liven up your Instagram profile as its vibrant blue colors and fresh seawater will leave an impression very few places can.

Last but not least, our final stop will be in one of the most amazing natural phenomena in Albania. Located in a village near Finiq, the Blue Eye or Syri i Kaltër is a water spring that perfectly describes Albania’s natural beauty – breathtaking. Full of water so clear you can see all the way to the bottom and the sunlight makes it a magical place, especially to take some neat photos or have a quick swim. The spring is an easy hike from the parking area and you can refresh on a cafe nerby.

As the trip comes to an end, we leave the South of Albania and start to make our way back to Tirana in a comfortable drive.