Gjipe

Gjipe Beach is not only considered one of the best beaches in Albania, it even tops many of these ‘favorite beaches’ lists. You’ll stop at beaches without official names, like Bird Cave or Aquarium Cove, and find little more than a haphazardly constructed wooden bar selling Tirana Beer and a few tiny tables placed just beyond the water’s edge. Inaccessibility is one of the best aspects of Albanian beaches; many are only reachable by boat.

You can’t miss Gjipe beach, backed by a massive canyon. This is the crown jewel for wild beach lovers and something of a backpacker legend in Albania. If you were to access Gjipe by car rather than boat, you’d be in for a 45-minute walk down a steep dirt path. Two shanty, open-air restaurants on either side of the beach serve straight-from-the-water seafood, salads, and fries. You can camp in the canyon with your own gear or in pre-pitched tents in the valley behind the beach. Here, the salty sea breeze mixes with the incredible scent of the shrubbed canyon floor. Hammocks are strung between trees, rock climbers make ready use of the surrounding cliffs, and nights are full of guitar music, cannabis smoke, and a sky bursting with stars.

Location: Vlorë County, Albania
TripAdvisor Review: 4.0/5 (332 reviews)