Borsh and Qeparo Old Village Escape

Borsh sits on the southern half of the Albanian Riviera, on the SH8 coastal road roughly midway between Vlora and Saranda. From Vlora it is about 65 kilometres and around one hour forty by car, because the road climbs over the Llogara Pass and winds through hairpins. From Saranda it is closer, about 45 kilometres and just over an hour, with a gentler drive along the coast. Qeparo Old Village lies fifteen minutes north of Borsh by road, then a short climb up from the modern lower village.

Borsh has the longest beach on the whole Albanian Riviera, roughly seven kilometres of continuous pale pebbles. Where Ksamil is a cluster of small coves crowded with sunbeds and Dhërmi has developed heavily into a party stretch, Borsh is still mostly open, with olive groves right behind the shore and only a handful of low-key restaurants. You can walk for an hour without hitting a beach club. The water is clean and gets deep quickly, but the length of the beach means you can always find a quiet patch even in peak August.

Qeparo i Sipërm is one of the best preserved lived-in Ottoman-era villages in southern Albania, and it deserves more than a passing photo. Plan around ninety minutes on foot to do it properly: walk the stone lanes, find the small tomb of Ali Pasha's mother, sit on the terrace of the old church for the view across the bay, and stop for coffee at one of the two small kafeneja. Some houses are ruined and some are freshly whitewashed, and that contrast, alongside the everyday village life still happening around you, is exactly what makes it feel real rather than staged.

Yes, and it is one of the small highlights of the trip. Borsh sits inside one of the largest and oldest olive groves in Albania, with trees that are several hundred years old still in production. A handful of family-run presses in the village open their doors to visitors and pour their own oil straight from the stainless tank, along with bread, local cheese, and olives. Harvest runs late October to December and is still done largely by hand. If you visit in that window you can watch the nets being spread under the trees. Let us know at booking and we arrange the tasting for your group.

The core beach season runs from late May to early October. July and August are the warmest with sea temperatures around 25 to 27 degrees Celsius, but they are also busiest, though Borsh stays quieter than the rest of the Riviera. June and September are our favourite months: the sea is warm, the crowds thin, and the light is softer. Early October is often still swimmable, with water around 22 to 23 degrees, especially in the first two weeks. From late October the days can still be sunny and beautiful, but swimming becomes a bracing choice rather than a relaxed one.

Borsh works well for families with older kids and teenagers, and it is possible for younger children with a bit of preparation. The pebbles are smoother than at Dhërmi but still hard on small bare feet, so water shoes are essential. The water gets deep fairly quickly a few metres out, so young swimmers should stay close to shore. Natural shade is limited on the open beach, so bring a small tent or umbrella, especially between 11am and 4pm. Food is easy: most tavernas serve simple grilled fish, pasta, chips and yoghurt-based sauces that children eat happily. The climb through Qeparo is steep for tired legs, so a shorter loop works better with under-sevens.

Standard pickup is from Vlora, from your hotel or a central meeting point on the promenade, in the morning. Drop-off is at the same place at the end of the trip. On request and with a small surcharge we can pick up from Tirana, Durrës, Saranda, or Gjirokastër, and we can also arrange a one-way finish in Saranda if you want to continue south towards the border. Share your accommodation address and preferred pickup time when you book and we confirm the exact spot the day before.

The Llogara Pass and the SH8 coastal road down to Borsh are fully paved and driven by our team year-round, but the route has genuine mountain character: sharp hairpins, sudden gradient changes, and long drop-offs on the sea side. In dry weather it is scenic and safe. In heavy rain, thick fog, or the rare summer thunderstorm, visibility drops fast and we may delay the departure by an hour or two, or take an alternative inland route via Gjirokastër. In winter, snow occasionally closes the pass for a day; we monitor conditions and reroute or reschedule when needed. Anyone prone to motion sickness should sit in front and take mild medication half an hour before we start the climb.