Trip Of The Week: The Beaches Of The Albanian Riviera

With its rich architectural and archaeological heritage and rugged mountainous landscape, Albania certainly attracts tourists with a "cultural mindset". Its advantages as a Mediterranean coastline are underestimated, Chris Leadbeater told The Daily Telegraph as an alternative to Greece and Croatia's more popular neighbors.

But now Albania seems to be making its mark on the tourist map. Skyscanner reports that UK flight bookings are up 48% this year compared to 2019, and it's worth it. After two years of “tourist stagnation”, anyone who wants new horizons should think about the tour.

Many of Albania's 300 mile beaches were built in the 1990s and are quite comfortable but not of high quality. But there are also wonderful “family boutiques”. Just 25 miles west of the capital city of Tirana, the country's second largest city, Durrës has "broad soft" beaches, but it's best to head to a smaller southern beach resort like the city of Vlore, where the Liro Hotel is located. . Over the cliff. .offers), the picturesque town of Saranda, or the picturesque village of Casamil, overlooking the curfew, just five miles above the water.

Don't miss the Logara Coastal Pass, a zigzag road that winds its way through the Karaun Mountains south of Vlora, offering "epic" views of the Ionian Sea and the sandy beach of the Palace below.

All of these resorts are located in the culturally rich central and southern Albania, including the mountains of Gjirokastra-Berat, their 18th-century Ottoman mosques and palaces, and the ruins of the Roman city of Butrint. It is also worth staying in Tirana for a long time, especially for the National History Museum, its excellent restaurant-bar in the Block area.

Regent Holidays (regent-holidays.co.uk) is a professional tour operator for Steppes Travel (steppestravel.com).

Vlora, Albania A pirate ship adventure in an amazing European seaside town on the Albanian Riviera.