The Albanian Riviera in June or September, not August

From the Llogara Pass, where the coast road crests the mountains south of Vlorë, the Albanian Riviera unrolls below: a long, mountainous shore of white limestone cliffs and pebble bays, with water of a blue so clear that the stones on the bottom can be seen from the road above. The mountains drop straight into the Ionian Sea, and the coast runs south for about a hundred kilometres past small villages and beaches towards Sarandë and the Greek border, with Corfu on the horizon.

For most of the twentieth century, this coast was almost unknown to foreigners. Under the communist regime, it was a closed military zone, guarded against invasion. When the regime fell in the early 1990s, it was one of the least developed coastlines in the Mediterranean. That has changed quickly. New hotels, apartments and beach bars have sprung up along much of it, and in high summer it can be very busy. But the setting is still magnificent, and away from the main towns, much of the old character remains.

Why not August

In August, the Riviera is at its busiest. It is the peak of the domestic holiday season, when Albanians from the cities and from the diaspora in Italy, Greece and beyond come home for the summer, and when visitors from Kosovo and North Macedonia head for the nearest sea. The beaches fill with umbrellas, the coast road jams with traffic, accommodation is scarce, and the heat can be fierce.

In June and September, the picture is quite different. The sea is warm, warmest of all in September, after a summer of sun. The days are hot but not oppressive, the evenings long and golden, and the beaches and villages are relaxed. Most hotels, guesthouses and restaurants are open, but without the crowds. I would choose September above any other month.

The villages and bays

Dhërmi and its neighbouring bays, just below the Llogara Pass, have some of the coast's most beautiful beaches, with an old village of stone houses and churches climbing the hill above. Himarë, further south, is a small town with a castle on the hill above it and a mixed Albanian and Greek-speaking population. Its coast is lined with coves.

Borsh has the longest beach on the Riviera, a sweep of pebbles backed by olive groves, with a ruined castle above. Qeparo has an old village of stone houses high on the hillside, largely abandoned, and a newer village by the sea. Porto Palermo is a sheltered bay with a small triangular fortress associated with Ali Pasha, the Ottoman governor of the region in the early nineteenth century, on a promontory. The bay also has a Cold War submarine base built into the cliffs. Further south, near Sarandë, Ksamil has small islands just offshore, reached by paddle or swim.

The coast's food is a large part of its pleasure. Fish and seafood come straight from the boats: grilled sea bream and sea bass, mussels from the lagoons near Sarandë and Butrint, octopus and squid. The olive groves that cover the hills produce good oil, and the local cheese, salads, honey and figs are excellent. The coast's restaurants are mostly informal, family-run places with terraces over the sea, and an evening meal outside as the light fades is one of the joys of the season.

Inland, a few minutes from the sea, the old hill villages, with their stone houses, churches and olive presses, are a world away from the beach bars below.

The tours that include the coast

Travelsphere's Albania Discovered: Tirana and Beyond, seven nights, includes the coastal villages of Lukova, Borsh and Qeparo, along with Sarandë, Butrint, Vlora, Gjirokastër, Berat, Tirana, Durrës and Krujë.

Just You's Albania Uncovered, seven nights for solo travellers, includes Porto Palermo, Sarandë and Vlorë, with Tirana, Krujë, Berat, Gjirokastër, Apollonia and Durrës. Explore Worldwide's Family Albania Adventure, seven nights, includes Porto Palermo and Himara on the coast, along with Tirana, Gjirokastër, the Vjosa River and the Këlcyrë gorge, Vlora, Apollonia and Mount Dajti. Its departures run in May and October as well as in July and August.

Whatever month you choose, bring water shoes for the pebble beaches and a sense of adventure for the coast road, which is narrow and winding in places.