Mirë se erdhëtAlbanian Riviera road trip
Six days down the coast from Zvërnec and the Llogara pass through Dhërmi, Himarë, Porto Palermo, Qeparo and Borsh to Sarandë.
Day 1 · Tirana to Zvërnec
Drive south past Vlorë to the Zvërnec lagoon and the wooden walkway to the island monastery.
🚗 Tirana → Zvërnec: 162 km, ~2 h 24 min
📍 Guides, food and stays: Zvërnec & Narta Lagoon
Day 2 · Llogara pass to Dhërmi
Climb through the Llogara pine forest and drop down the switchbacks to Dhërmi and Drymades.
🚗 Zvërnec → Llogara: 46 km, ~1 h 6 min · Llogara → Dhërmi: 19 km, ~29 min
📍 Guides, food and stays: Llogara Pass · Drymades & Dhërmi
Day 3 · Gjipe and Himarë
Walk down to the Gjipe canyon beach in the morning, then continue to Himarë for the evening.
🚗 Dhërmi → Himarë: 17 km, ~33 min
📍 Guides, food and stays: Gjipe Beach · Himarë
Day 4 · Porto Palermo and Qeparo
Visit the castle on the Porto Palermo peninsula, then wander old Qeparo above the coast.
🚗 Himarë → Porto Palermo: 9 km, ~17 min · Porto Palermo → Qeparo: 5 km, ~8 min
📍 Guides, food and stays: Porto Palermo · Qeparo
Day 5 · Borsh to Sarandë
A swim on the long Borsh beach, then on to Sarandë.
🚗 Qeparo → Borsh: 4 km, ~11 min · Borsh → Sarandë: 36 km, ~46 min
📍 Guides, food and stays: Borsh · Sarandë & Butrint
Day 6 · Ksamil, Butrint and the drive home
Ksamil and Butrint in the morning. The drive back to Tirana is long, so many people add a night in Sarandë instead.
🚗 Sarandë → Ksamil: 14 km, ~26 min · Sarandë → Tirana: 252 km, ~4 h 6 min
📍 Guides, food and stays: Ksamil · Sarandë & Butrint
🚌 Getting around by bus
Book buses online with Gjirafa Travel: compare routes and schedules and buy tickets for intercity and cross-border buses across Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro.
Search buses on Gjirafa Travel → @gjirafatravel
We recommend it because it lists many operators in one place; timetables change, so check your ticket details.
Drive times come from OSRM road routing and exclude stops, traffic and border queues. Opening times and ferry schedules change, so confirm with the operators before you go. Getting there: flights →