Collect your car at Vlora port and take the coast road south over the Llogara Pass to Dhërmi, Himara, Ksamil and Butrint. Buses barely reach the Riviera beaches, so a car is the practical way to see this stretch of coast.
Collect your car at Vlora port and take the coast road south over the Llogara Pass to Dhërmi, Himara, Ksamil and Butrint. Buses barely reach the Riviera beaches, so a car is the practical way to see this stretch of coast.
Straight off the ferry
The port counter is built around the Brindisi and Bari crossings, so your car is waiting when you dock.
Zero deposit, zero excess
With Premium Insurance the local partner waives the security hold completely – nothing is blocked on your card for the whole holiday.
Unlimited mileage as standard
The Riviera is a driving destination. Vlora to Butrint and back is 300 km of coast road, and none of it is charged by the kilometre.
Honest advice on the coast road
Local partners will tell you which beaches have real parking and which descents are best avoided in a low car.
Local rates, no port markups
Direct prices from trusted Albanian partners, so car rental in Vlora costs what you booked and nothing more at the counter.
Two seas meet here, and the best of the coast starts within half an hour of the port.
Vlora's long seafront promenade – the evening xhiro, the independence monument, and the flat calm of the Adriatic side.
A wooden footbridge across the Narta lagoon to a pine-covered island and a 13th-century Byzantine monastery.
Albania's only marine national park: sea caves, wrecks and empty coves, reachable only by boat from Vlora harbour.
The road climbs to 1,027 m through pine forest and drops onto the Ionian in one of Europe's great coastal descents.
One road runs south along the coast, and every bay on it deserves a stop.
1h 15m one way
Over Llogara and down to the first Ionian beaches. Dhërmi for the water, Himara for the old village above the bay.
2h 30m one way
The southern end of the Riviera, with the Ksamil islets close enough to wade to and Corfu on the horizon.
2h 45m one way
A UNESCO site layered from Greek to Venetian, set in a wooded lagoon. Go early or late; the light is the point.
1h 30m one way
Inland instead of coastal: a Greek city in open countryside, then the UNESCO Ottoman streets of Berat.
Take Llogara in daylight
The pass is the highlight of the coast road, but it is a long run of hairpins with big drops and no lighting. Drive it in the morning, never after dark.
Beach access is often steep
Many Riviera beaches sit at the bottom of a narrow, unpaved descent. Park where the asphalt ends and walk the last stretch down — the car stays on the tarmac.
Park before the Lungomare
The seafront fills up from early evening. Leave the car a few streets back and join the promenade on foot.
Fuel up before the coast run
Stations thin out considerably between Llogara and Saranda. Fill the tank in Vlora before you head south.
July and August are busy
The single coast road carries all the traffic in high season. Start early and you will have the hairpins mostly to yourself.
Send us your ferry details
Tell us which crossing you are on so the port counter expects you – sailings from Italy shift with the weather.
Choose Premium Insurance (Zero Excess) and you rent a car in Vlora with no credit card and no deposit: the local partner waives the security hold, so you pay at the port counter by debit card or cash. Cover comes direct from the partner, with no 'pay and claim' afterwards.
Yes – the port is the pick-up point, which makes it simple if you arrive on the ferry from Brindisi or Bari. Send us your crossing details and the counter will be expecting you, even when the sailing runs late.
Yes – the Riviera starts just south of the city. Dhërmi is about an hour and a quarter over the Llogara Pass, Himara a little further, and Saranda and Ksamil make a long day trip or an easy overnight. Cross the pass in daylight: it is unlit and narrow.
Yes, on every car and every insurance tier. Vlora to Butrint and back is roughly 300 km of coast road, and none of those kilometres are charged as an extra.
A compact car handles the main coast road comfortably. Just keep to asphalt — the car can go anywhere that is paved, and that covers every route on this page. Where a quieter cove sits at the bottom of an unpaved descent, park at the top and walk down.
One-way rentals to Tirana, Saranda or the airport are usually possible. Select your drop-off point when you book and any one-way fee is shown before you pay.
Often, but only with paperwork issued before you travel – a Green Card and the partner's cross-border authorisation. Tell us your intended countries at booking and we confirm what is permitted and any fee. For a Corfu day, leaving the car in Saranda and crossing as a foot passenger is the simplest option.
The usual minimum is 21 with at least one year of driving experience; a few categories set a higher minimum, shown on the car before you book. EU, UK and US licences are accepted – bring an International Driving Permit alongside if yours is not in the Latin alphabet.
Book in minutes, choose your insurance, and collect the car at the port the moment you dock.
