Albania · Europe · northern hemisphere
The Albanian Riviera is at its best for swimming in July to September. Good but not prime in June and October.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 42 | 72 | 92 | 92 | 88 | 62 | 17 | 13 |
| Lakes & Coastline | 10 | 16 | 42 | 62 | 90 | 92 | 72 | 72 | 92 | 88 | 19 | 13 |
| City & Culture | 4 | 10 | 42 | 70 | 90 | 92 | 23 | 25 | 92 | 88 | 64 | 8 |
No reliable monthly crowd data for this destination — the proxy used elsewhere did not pass its checks here, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.
The Ionian coast Greece and Croatia already monetised, twenty years behind and changing fast — water the same colour as Corfu across the strait, at not much more than half the price, with infrastructure that is still catching up
August in Ksamil. It is the most photographed and most crowded stretch of the coast. — Borsh is the longest beach on the coast, and Himarë and Dhërmi are quieter than Ksamil.
August, mostly Albanian and Kosovar rather than international
Roads are the constraint — the coastal road over the Llogara Pass is spectacular and slow, and beaches are often down rough tracks. Water is calm, clear and shallow.
Ksamil is the Instagram end and now prices like it. Himarë and Dhërmi have longer beaches for less, and Gjirokastër or Berat inland — both UNESCO Ottoman towns — cost very little and are an hour or two away.