2a5fcedd9d5d54c612292eb682a8834e56797094b586356797094b58677.51121227.jpg

Ksamil

[ OVERVIEW ]

South of Saranda, the unofficial capital of the Albanian Riviera, and within striking distance of the Greek border, Ksamil has an excellent location. 

The three small islands in its turquoise bay are an easy swim or boat ride away, and there are always fewer people here than on the busier town beach. 

This is a big tourism centre for locals, and it can get very crowded in summer, but even then the islands offer some respite. 

Corfu looms across the channel in the distance (this is Albania’s closest point to the Greek island), and the ancient city of Butrint, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is just beyond Saranda, which makes it very easy to combine beach time with some cultural pursuits.

Tropical beach scene with a wooden dock leading to the water, paddle boats, and a lush island in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Empty beach with colorful lounge chairs and umbrellas, paddle boats, and a few people near the water. Trees and a modern building are visible in the background.
Two boats docked by a wooden pier on a calm body of water with green hills and mountains in the background, and a small red and white boat floating further out.
Sunny beach with colorful paddle boats on the shore, rows of blue lounge chairs, and a few people relaxing near the water with hills and a cloudy sky in the background.
A scenic view of a wooded lakeshore with green trees, small thatched roof huts, and a pebble beach, under a cloudy sky.
Four people riding a yellow paddle boat on a lake with a town and green hills in the background, under a cloudy sky.
Beach scene with blue lounge chairs on sand, a few people relaxing by the water, and a dock with umbrellas in the background. Mountains and partly cloudy sky visible in the distance.
A large body of water with mountains in the background, and fish farming structures floating on the water's surface. There is green vegetation on the hillside in the foreground.