2026-07-15 · 5 min read
The stretch of coast between Vlorë and Ksamil is the reason a lot of people rent a car in Albania in the first place. Buses run it, but they stop where the timetable says, and the best parts of this road are the places without a bus stop.
The full drive is only around 120 km. Done properly, it takes two or three days.
Vlorë is where the Adriatic meets the Ionian and where the Riviera properly begins. South of the city the SH8 starts climbing towards the Llogara pass, topping out around 1,000 metres with the coast laid out below you.
The descent on the far side is a sequence of hairpins. It is well surfaced but steep — use a low gear rather than riding the brakes all the way down. There are pull-offs near the top that are worth stopping at.
This is the part a car changes completely. Below the pass the road runs along the hillside above a string of beaches — Palasë, Dhërmi, Jalë, Livadhi — most of which need a short side road down to reach. Some of those turn-offs are steep and narrow, and in high summer the parking at the bottom fills early.
Himarë makes a good overnight stop roughly halfway down, with enough restaurants and beaches to justify a full day if you have one.
South of Himarë the road passes Borsh — the longest beach on the Riviera — before dropping towards Sarandë. Sarandë is the largest town on this coast and the practical base for the far south.
From there Ksamil is about 20 minutes further, with the ruins of Butrint just beyond it and the Blue Eye spring inland. All three are easy day trips with a car and awkward without one.
Allow far more time than the distance suggests: 120 km on this road is a half-day, not two hours. Fuel stations are common in the towns and scarce between them, so fill up in Vlorë and again in Sarandë. Parking in Ksamil and Dhërmi is limited in July and August — arriving before mid-morning makes a real difference.
Driving the pass at night is best avoided if it is your first time on it.
Message us your dates and route on WhatsApp and we will confirm a car for it. See the fleet, or read our guide to driving in Albania before you set off.