Albania surprises not only with its historical, gastronomic, religious, linguistic uniqueness, but also with its landscape. The mountains are magnificent, the lakes are fabulously beautiful, and the beaches are so diverse that you shouldn’t try to cover everything in one trip. It’s better to make a reasonable choice based on your interests. And after your vacation, feel in great shape and enjoy wonderful memories.
We mainly recommend Durres to families with children and older people. I’ll explain why below. Of course, this resort is also quite suitable for the young and active. There are many amenities and entertainment, dance restaurants, discos.
Our tourists diversify their vacation with trips. You can rent a car with a driver and go to any city for a day. The country is small, everything is close. Just don’t plan a one-day trip to Saranda, the road is too tiring.
Attractions, playgrounds, swimming pools. By the way, for the Albanians themselves, Durres is not a resort, because most of them live in Tirana and Durres. And going to a resort for them is a trip to Southern Albania. Pebble beaches have their own specifics, you can’t go far barefoot. And it’s less interesting for children, you can’t build houses and cakes. The beaches are mostly poorly equipped. And it’s often not easy to get down to them. But the water is blue, the landscapes are very beautiful and varied. For a good holiday you need a car.
Huge clean sandy wide beaches are only on the Adriatic south of Durres. There are high-quality sandy beaches all over the Adriatic, but they are shorter.
A big bonus is the highway running away from the beach. The beach in Durres is an extension of your living room. Here you fall asleep to the sound of the waves, not to the roar of transport.
Recreation in this resort area meets European standards. The promenade along the seashore is convenient and looks great. So far, about 3 km have been built in Golem and a kilometer in Cerrete near the yacht port. And the third part, from Shkembi Kavajes to Plepa, 2.5 km, will be built in the fall. This year, they did not have time to cover all the small roads near the beaches with asphalt. This is due to the fact that not all the work on deepening communications has been completed. But this will not affect the beach holiday.
The beaches here are well-groomed. Cleaning is organized well, even in winter they clean up quickly and after a storm. And during the season, every day at 8 am, a municipal car passes and collects piles of garbage collected in the morning. And during the day, there is constant cleaning. Each restaurant and hotel is responsible for its own territory. The spaces between the houses are called the public beach and are cleaned by those who put the sun loungers there. They sometimes look less neat.
You can take multi-kilometer walks along the promenades and along the edge of the sea at any time of the year. And another option for walks is to cross the highway over the bridge and go to the village of Golem. See how people live (they live very well!), walk in the mountains, enjoy amazing views of the seascape. Swim in a mountain lake, visit a rural restaurant. Eat your fill of wild mulberries straight from the tree.
A very important convenience — showers on the beach are every 100 meters. Any shower is for common use.
By the way, everyone can go to any park or hotel, no one will complain. But if you want to use the pools and sun loungers, you need to buy a ticket. On the beach, 2 sun loungers with an umbrella cost 300-400 lek.
For the second year, several well-equipped first-aid posts have been operating near the beach. You can go there at any time. And absolutely free! This is really convenient. There is a first-aid post and a pharmacy next to us.
It is clear that sand affects the color of the water at the edge. Near the shore, waves sometimes raise sand. At depth, the water is blue. And, most importantly, it is clean. Since 2017, a modern sewage system of European standard has been fully operational. Similar ones are only available in Rimini, but the beach there is twice as short.
By the way, there is a microscopic admixture of clay in the water. It is not noticeable to the eye, but your skin will notice the result of the healing sea baths in a few days.
The restaurants in Durres are good. You are served by well-trained staff of the capital level.
Well… and the prices, of course, are Albanian, they do not increase in the summer, as is customary in many countries.
A water park is being built in Mali and Robit. The operating open-air water park near City Park is only half an hour away. There is a Luna Park.
A beach holiday can easily be combined with exploring the country. It is not at all necessary to buy excursions, but, of course, this is quite possible. But it is easier to get out on the highway at any time, stop a bus, determine the direction from the sign. And you are on your way. It is 80 km to Berat or Elbasan. It is a couple of hours’ drive to Pogradec, as well as to Vlora. And the prices are up to 500 lek. To Saranda it is more expensive, up to 1000. To Tirana — 150 lek.
The Internet is always with you. Information in your pocket, no need for guides. Upon arrival, we recommend taking a Vodafone card with a favorable Internet package. In Albania, you should not be afraid to travel independently. The people are very friendly, they will always prompt and help.