Albania is the home to many beautiful places, and to make things a bit easier for your travel planning, here are the 5 Best Beaches in Albania to visit and explore :
1- Dhermi Beach
Dhërmi beach is often cited as the finest beach in Albania – hard to argue with this when this is where Albanian prime ministers allegedly come to the holiday! It isn’t hard to see why. Set in a small bay, the village clings to the high sloping cliffs which rise up from the beach.
The beach here is everything you would expect from the Ionian coast. The water here is warm, crystal clear, and pure turquoise – perfect for taking a cooling dip or snorkeling. Whilst the beach itself is made up of fine pebbles rather than sand this just adds to the beauty with their near-white contrasting with the blue of the sea.
Given all this accolade it is not surprising the beach gets quite busy in the summer. Visitors are well catered for with a number of beachside fish restaurants and plenty of bars. However, it is usually easy to find a quiet spot further up this 1 km long beach even in the summer months. Out of season things rapidly quieten down and you’ll have your pick of where to throw your towel and just listen to the sound of the sea gently lapping the beach.
2- Grama Bay
Situated on Albania’s Ionian Sea coast Grama Bay is a small but beautiful cove almost surrounded by high, rocky cliffs. This semi-secret little beach is one of the real gems of the Albanian coast and as of yet completely untouched or spoiled by mass tourism. If you do make it here you won’t be disappointed; the crystal clear azure water rivals anything Greece has to offer and the color is amplified by the white of the beach and cliffs before they give way to the green of vegetation.
The bay is set within not one, but two national parks – the mountainous Llogara National Park and the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park. Not only does this ensure the future protection of the surrounding scenery but means the area is a haven for wildlife including one of the rarest species of seal on the planet – the Mediterranean monk seal.
Now for the bad news (or maybe good news). There are no roads to Gama Bay – in fact, the closest you can get by car is several kilometers away, across hilly and remote terrain – something for. The obvious way to get here is by boat and there is a good chance you will have this stunning cove to yourself.
3- Potami Beach
Looking for an Albanian beach with something for everyone? Potami Beach is one of the biggest beaches in the Himarë area, offering a unique blend of Greek and Albanian culture beneath clear blue skies overlooking sun-kissed sand.
Potami Beach is also centrally located near Llamani Beach and its majestic cliffside, which can be reached by land as well as kayaking or yacht for those who can’t get enough of the clear blue sea. While the beaches themselves are filled with activity, the cliffs sides and nearby coast are secluded, offering visitors a peaceful respite in which to relax and take in the whole area’s immense natural beauty.
The backdrop to Potami is fringed with greenery, adding to the sense of nature that exudes from this stretch of the Albanian Riviera.
The area is also home to all manner of restaurants and nightclubs. It’s here that Potami Beach’s multicultural legacy shines through with incredible Greek as well as Albanian nightclubs where you can enjoy local cuisine and a thrilling, welcoming vibe.
Potami Beach pairs natural beauty with cultural uniqueness to create a space that’s as cool as the river that runs through it.
4-Lalzi Bay
As beautiful as any beach along the Albanian coastline, Lalzi Bay has become one of the most popular summer spots on the Adriatic for locals and tourists.
30 kilometers north of Durrës, hiding behind beautiful tall trees and the songs of the cicadas, Lalzi Bay Beach is perhaps the most popular and populated beach on the long Adriatic Coast. The beach retains very high standards and has become a social hotspot for both locals and tourists alike. It extends from St. Peter (Shën Pjetër) towards Rrushkull, and offers spectacular views of the tree-lined cliffs behind, as well as the beautiful Adriatic Sea. Its many recreational facilities keep the people busy playing beach volleyball and all kinds of other sports. In the hot summer months, in particular, the bars and restaurants on this vibrant beach are packed, giving it an exciting summer atmosphere!
5-Throw Sand
Named in the Geg dialect of Albanian, in English, its name literally means “poured” or “thrown sand,” referring to the untouched sand dunes and formations along its coastline. Located only 3-4 kilometers from Shëngjin, this beach remains relatively unexplored, revealing a rare and perhaps forgotten Mediterranean landscape.
The slope of the Mountain of Rrenc descends onto the beach, where a few yards of sand beautifully melt into the sea. The dark color of the sand contrasts beautifully with the sea’s deep shade of blue, lending the entire beach a very particular appearance. It is quite difficult to imagine the cause of the type of sand formation found here. At times, it seems as if the sand has descended from the mountain while, in other moments, it seems that the sea has a more active role in shaping it. Either way, it is at once a simple and spectacular sight! The pine trees surrounding the area make it an ideal spot for camping or picnics but also for intermittently enjoying the rays of the generous Albanian sun.
