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Mediterranean Europe is the go-to summer season vacation spot for tens of millions of Individuals. Well-known for its crystal-clear waters, picturesque coastal villages, and extremely historical nations, the area is bracing for a report enhance in tourism this season.
As unusual because it sounds, one of many Mediterranean’s most stunning swimming spots, which has lately earned the nickname of ‘the Maldives of Europe‘, continues to be flying below the radar of most vacationers.
![Ksamil In Albania, On The Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, South Eastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Ksamil-In-Albania-On-The-Ionian-Sea-Mediterranean-Sea-South-Eastern-Europe-Balkan-Peninsula.jpg.webp)
We’re not speaking Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, the more and more fashionable Montenegro, nor any of those off-path Greek islands: it’s Ksamil, within the hugely underrated Albania, that ought to be in your bucket listing.
The Maldives Of Europe Is An Underrated Balkan Nation
‘The Maldives of Europe’ is a small seashore city in Southern Albania, in a coastal strip generally referred to as Albanian Riviera, straddling the turquoise-colored Ionian Sea and a stone’s throw away from the Greek island of Corfu.
Within the post-pandemic scene, Albania has risen to prominence as one of many trendiest sunny spots in Europe because of beautiful nature and cultural wealth, although there’s a catch:
Vacationers arriving on the airport in Tirana, the nation’s largest, are sometimes disillusioned after they don’t instantly get the ‘Maldives’ vibes that they had manifested:
![Aerial View Of A Beach In Durres, Central Albania, A Port On The Mediterranean Sea, South Eastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Aerial-View-Of-A-Beach-In-Durres-Central-Albania-A-Port-On-The-Mediterranean-Sea-South-Eastern-Europe-Balkan-Peninsula.jpg.webp)
Most of the time, they are going to take a brief journey to Durres, the closest port to Tirana, and pay the under-developed municipal seashore a go to, the place the seas are an uninviting grey and the seashores excessively pebbly, normally calling it a day.
With a purpose to expertise Albania’s coastal allure, you should head South.
The Lengthy Drive South To Paradise
The Albanian capital, and its accompanying port, are ridden with communist-era landmarks, and although they make for an thrilling city break, Tirana or Durres exist in a unique realm altogether than that of the Southern Albanian Coast.
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![Aerial View Of Tirana, Albania, Balkan Peninsula In Southeastern Europe](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Aerial-View-Of-Tirana-Albania-Balkan-Peninsula-In-Southeastern-Europe.jpg.webp)
The best approach to journey Albania is renting a automobile, as inter-municipal buses repeatedly don’t run on time, and practice service between cities is non-existent, which makes the mission of reaching the European Maldives barely extra sophisticated.
Driving down the rugged Albanian shoreline on a highway path that traverses subtropical reserves, deep valleys, and beachfront villages, you can be met with breathtaking panoramas of the azure Adriatic and Ionian seas, arguably the prettiest minor seas that kind a part of the broader Mediterranean.
The shortest distance between Tirana, the place the principle worldwide airport, is Saranda, the biggest metropolis in Southern Albania, is just 4h55. Right here the seas are already crystal-clear, and there’s a booming resort scene, in addition to every day ferries go away for Corfu, in Greece.
![Beach Lounges And Paraols On A Sandy Beach Lapped By The Turquoise Colored Ionian Sea In Ksamil, Albanian Riviera, Albania, Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Beach-Lounges-And-Paraols-On-A-Sandy-Beach-Lapped-By-The-Turquoise-Colored-Ionian-Sea-In-Ksamil-Albanian-Riviera-Albania-Mediterranean-Sea-Eastern-Europe-Balkan-Peninsula.jpg.webp)
A brief 14 km from Saranda, alongside the SH81 route, there’s a far more quaint city that’s set to turn into the Mediterranean’s subsequent massive factor.
The Quaint Ksamil
Ksamil is a coastal employees’ village constructed through the communist years, when Albania was below a dictatorship, simply exterior the municipal boundaries of Saranda, and on the highway to Butrint, with the only aim of boosting olive oil and tangerine manufacturing.
With a inhabitants of just below 10,000 folks, it’s come a great distance since then, turning its focus to tourism, which has saved rising at a speedy price since democracy was reinstated in Albania, and it’s now a extremely inexpensive, idyllic sunny getaway most Individuals are fully unaware of.
![Quiet Beach Club In Ksamil Beach, Albanian Riviera, On The Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Europe, Albania, Western Balkans](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Quiet-Beach-Club-In-Ksamil-Beach-Albanian-Riviera-On-The-Ionian-Sea-Mediterranean-Europe-Albania-Western-Balkans.jpg)
With its white seashores, laid-back ambiance, and crystalline seas, it’s simple to see why a Maldives comparability would have arisen.
Ksamil is basically a rest retreat, with solely a handful of vacationer lodging, AirBnBs, and boutique stays to produce demand. You’ll not discover ultra-luxurious resorts, all-inclusive accommodations, or these dreaded gated expat communities, recognized to drive costs up.
The truth is, there are not any five-star properties listed on Reserving.com, making this considered one of Europe’s final surviving seashore places not but swallowed up by luxurious manufacturers.
Extremely Inexpensive
![Ksamil Beach in Albania](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ksamil-Beach.jpg.webp)
A number of the costliest accommodations within the space, similar to Lodge Livia or Lodge Piramida, welcome visitors on nightly charges of simply US$84 and US$135, respectively, a shockingly-affordable value for the Mediterranean excessive season, whereas there are quite a few non-public, secluded villas, and beachfront flats within the heart of city for as low cost as US$66 per night time.
To attract a comparability, nightly charges for comparable properties in Oia, one of many largest settlements within the Greek island of Santorini, begin at a whopping US$221 for August dates on the identical reserving platform, although they’ll go as excessive as an eye-watering US$7,903 (for a private villa with a pool).
Spain’s busy Balearic island of Mallorca is no totally different, the place a double room in a ‘good’ resort with breakfast included can set you again by as a lot as US$215 per night time. Staying in Ksamil, you get to get pleasure from comparable facilities for a less expensive value.
![A Couple Of Girl Friends Wearing White Robes And Drinking Tea As They Smile At Each Other From Inside Their Hotel Room](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/A-Couple-Of-Girl-Friends-Wearing-White-Robes-And-Drinking-Tea-As-They-Smile-At-Each-Other-From-Inside-Their-Hotel-Room.jpg.webp)
In relation to every day bills, it is best to know your vacationer {dollars} will stretch a lot further right here, as pints of locally-brewed beer might be discovered for a negligible one greenback, whereas healthful meals at cheap eateries will value you a grand whole of US$7.37 (on common).
Need to deal with your self and have a pleasant dinner at a mid-range beachfront restaurant within the neighboring, vibrant metropolis of Saranda? It is best to price range in a mere US$36.86 for a three-course meal… For 2 folks.
For those who’re a tradition fanatic, you’re additionally in luck, as a majority of historic sights within the neighborhood are both free to go to or have a symbolic ‘entry price’.
![Greek Amphitheatre In Butrint, Albania](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Greek-Amphitheatre-In-Butrint-Albania.jpg.webp)
Visiting the traditional Greco-Roman ruins of Butrint, the place you’ll see a well-preserved Roman theater and quite a few edifices from the Hellenic interval which are nonetheless standing, you’ll be charged solely US$10.55.
On the identical time, the landmark Kalaja e Lëkurësit, a medieval citadel perched on a hilltop that includes a spacious restaurant overlooking Saranda, Ksamil, and the broader Riviera, is free for guests.
You gained’t discover a higher trip deal than the Albanian Riviera anyplace within the Mediterranean.
However why is Ksamil so low cost and under-visited if it’s so beautiful, you could be questioning?
A Hidden Subtropical Gem
![Aerial View Of Saranda, A City On The Albanian Riviera Facing The Turquoise Colored Adriatic Mediterranean Sea, Albania, Balkan Peninsula, South Eastern Europe](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Aerial-View-Of-Saranda-A-City-On-The-Albanian-Riviera-Facing-The-Turquoise-Colored-Adriatic-Mediterranean-Sea-Albania-Balkan-Peninsula-South-Eastern-Europe.jpg.webp)
Not like Greece or Spain, or certainly any main Mediterranean energy, Albania is neither within the European Union nor the Eurozone, which makes it considerably less-developed than its counterparts.
Tourism in Albania had additionally not taken off nicely into the early 2000s, following a deep financial recession within the late nineties and the legacy of the communist years, which resulted in a lot of the nation dealing with a extreme lack of vital infrastructure, not to mention vacationer infrastructure, up till lately.
As an illustration, Southern Albania doesn’t even have a global airport, and the nation’s solely main hub in use is in Tirana, the inland capital, a 4 to five-hour drive North.
![Aerial View Of A Beach In Sarande, Albanian Riviera, On The Adriatic Coast Of The Mediterranean Sea, Albania, South Eastern Europe](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Aerial-View-Of-A-Beach-In-Sarande-Albanian-Riviera-On-The-Adriatic-Coast-Of-The-Mediterranean-Sea-Albania-South-Eastern-Europe.jpg.webp)
Whereas plans for the development of a secondary airport on the coast are underway, it is going to be a very good variety of years till it’s all up and working. This implies stunning, unspoiled coastal gems like Ksamil will keep shielded from over-tourism for an extended whereas, although it’s undoubtedly getting trendier.
This yr, it ranked because the second most sought-after vacation spot on AirBnB worldwide, so the key appears to be out; however, it’s more durable to get to, and a majority of vacationers, particularly Individuals flying from throughout the pond, are inclined to favor extra ‘conventional’ locations they’ll fly to immediately, or that wouldn’t contain lengthy, sophisticated layovers or land transfers.
Ksamil could also be poised to turn into the Mediterranean’s subsequent hotspot, however Albania’s deprived financial system and less-than-impressive efforts to develop tourism regionally could maintain mass tourism again for extra years.
![Ksamil Albania beach with blue water and umbrellas](https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Ksamil-Albania-beach-with-blue-water-and-umbrellas.jpg.webp)
Is Beneath-development To Blame?
On high of that, regardless of being an official candidate for European Union (EU) membership, Albania continues to be a great distance off from turning into a member or adopting the Euro because the official forex.
This implies the depreciated Albanian lek will stay in use for the subsequent years, holding Albania ‘low cost’ for foreigners, not like Croatia, which ditched the kuna lately to turn into a Euroized state, edging ever nearer to Western European costs.
Different seashore areas in Southern Albania, Pema and Thatë are going viral on TikTok as nicely, because of their peaceable seashore huts outfitted with hammocks swinging over the ocean, accessible for every day hire beginning at solely US$9.90.
Subsequent time, don’t suppose too laborious: add the budget-friendly, beautiful Albanian Riviera to your summer season wishlist.
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