Why not take a sun holiday in Ksamil, Albania? Ksamil is a tourist resort near Saranda with beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters. What's more, holidays in Albania are extremely affordable.
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Sun holidays in Ksamil
Ksamil and the Ksamil Islands are located in southern Albania, in the county of Vlore, just south of Saranda and close to the Greek island of Corfu. Ksamil is a popular seaside resort in Albania and many tourists here come from Slovakia, Italy, Serbia and Greece.
Greece has left its mark on the country and this is reflected in the food, which is inspired by Greek and even Italian cuisine. Albania is also one of the cheapest countries in Europe.
The experience in Ksamil
The sand on the beaches is coarse, but white and stands out beautifully against the crystal clear green-blue sea. The houses in town are not exactly beautiful, looking more like square boxes, often unfinished with tall metal parts sticking straight up. Still, it becomes charming on the coast with beach bars, restaurants and green-clad hills.
Chill out in Ksamil
The long promenade is beautiful, where you can stop at a beach bar, buy a beer for a tenner and look out over the archipelago. The people live by fishing and farming and the shops are small and simple, usually with a limited range of goods. But soon enough, it will appear, because Albania is on the move.
Italian tourists
Apart from Albanians and Greeks, it is mainly Italians who come here. It is close to Italy (there are direct ferries) and the prices are of course much lower than in Italy. In addition, it is not uncommon for Albanians to speak Italian. According to the owner of "our" restaurant, some Germans and Poles also come here.
Beautiful coastline in Ksamil
We must say that we find the coastline here incredibly beautiful. There are several islands just outside and you can see the large Greek island of Corfu. You can of course go there by boat, but there are probably even more tourists there and also more expensive. So why not stay at this beautiful place?
Tramp boat around the Albanian coast
The water is so clear that you can see the bottom everywhere and Albania's islands stand out as intense green oases. It's a perfect day to glide around by boat off Ksamil and we look around for something to rent, but that's easier said than done. All the boats owned by the Albanians seem to have been rented out already and the few left bobbing on the shore are broken. But in the end we get lucky and find a pedal boat!
The beaches of Ksamil
It costs 200 lek (40 kr) per hour to hire a pedal boat now in 2015, and get around some of Albania's islands. The coastline here is more idyllic than many places in southern Europe, as there are still few large buildings spoiling the coastline. While there are hotels in Ksamil, most are only two storeys high and it's nature, mountains and greenery that dominate the view when looking inland.
Like other countries in Southern Europe
Being in Ksamil is like being on holiday anywhere in southern Europe, and the fact that Albania is 60 per cent Muslim is not something that is noticeable here. We see two women bathing in veils and full colourful costumes, but otherwise bikinis, shorts and mini skirts are the norm.
Bathing in Ksamil
What sets Albania apart from western European tourist destinations could be the subtle chaos. Jet skis run at high speed in the midst of snorkelling boys, people fish where others swim, the stairs have no handrails and everywhere there is rebar sticking up from planned constructions that never happened. As a safety-minded Swede, you can't help but think of all the accident risks that no one has bothered to eliminate.
More people should find their way here
Otherwise, it feels extremely safe to holiday in Albania. The people are relaxed, friendly and helpful. When we look around the beach for a moment, a guy rushes up: "I work at the restaurant. Can I help you?" There are no pushy salesmen like we had to get used to in Italy. Rural men and women sell fruit and ring-shaped pastries on trays, but you have to get their attention if you want to shop. No one trudges.
The tourists in Ksamil
More people should experience sun holidays in Ksamil, we think. At the same time, it is nice right now, before Albania has grown and become as big a tourist country as its neighbours to the south and west. Many cars are parked by the beach and we look curiously to see from which countries people have come here by car: Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Italy and a few from Germany.
Restaurant Guvat
We can recommend a visit to Restaurant Guvat in Ksamil. Here we ordered a luxurious and tasty seafood plate. In addition to being good, we had a fantastic view of the Ionian Sea.
Good price position
Another great advantage of a sun holiday in Ksamil is, of course, its affordability. Because it's so cheap, we can indulge in things we haven't done even once before on this trip: renting sunbeds on the beach and eating out. both lunch and dinner in a restaurant. Here are some sample prices, from one of the most touristy places in Albania. It is quite possible that prices are even better in the parts of the country where not many tourists have found their way yet.
- Camping incl. electricity and WiFi/day = 100 kr.
- Two sun loungers with parasol/day = 34 kr.
- Large strong (50 cl) = 14 kr
- Seafood risotto with bread = 44 kr.
- Mussels with sauce and bread = 27 kr.
- 50 figs = 14 kr
In Ksamil by campervan
We are in Ksamil with a camper van and are at Camping Sunset, a simple campsite outside the Sunset Bar & Restorant restaurant. Although the site is called "camping", it is clearly more like a caravan park. The best thing about the site is its excellent location right next to a nice little beach.
See more nearby from Ksamil
From Ksamil, it is relatively close to the pleasant tourist resort of Saranda, which offers beaches, food and shopping. Two other interesting destinations are the cold and shimmering blue springs. Blue Eye and the archaeological site Butrint.
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Facts about Ksamil
- Country: Albania
- Language? Albanian (many also speak Italian, English or other languages)
- Residents? 3000 in Ksamil (2011)
- Currency? Leakage (ALL)
- Time difference? None
- Emergency number? Police number 129, ambulance number 127 and emergency services number 128.
- El? Like Sweden
- Water? A bit unclear, but it may be safest to buy bottled drinking water. Pure spring water is available in some places!
Travelling to Ksamil
- Flight: Several airlines fly from Stockholm to Tirana, often with a stopover in Vienna, Munich or Istanbul, for example. From Tirana you can continue by car hire or bus.
- Car: The driving time from Stockholm to Ksamil is about 35 hours (330 miles), counting pure driving time.
Food and drink in Ksamil
- Restaurant Guvat opposite the three small islands of Ksamil, offers good food and great views.
- Restaurant Castle at Lagjia 3 is located on the beach and has received good ratings.
Accommodation in Ksamil
- Hotel there are many to choose from, such as Booking.com or Tripadvisor.
- Camping Sunset is located next to the Sunset Bar & Restorant restaurant and has a good beachfront location.
- You can also look for campsites in Albania on camping.info
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Anette says:
All right! ☀️????
16 August 2015 - 19:35
Lennart says:
Seems nice there!
A new destination on the list!
Live well!
16 August 2015 - 19:39
anita wag agrimanaki says:
it didn't look bad! It's amazing that Albania has become so popular! There used to be lots of Albanians working here, but when the situation got worse here, many moved back and now they seem to be better off there. I am very interested in hearing more reports from Albanians regarding food, how they live, standard of living etc.
16 August 2015 - 19:50
BP says:
Yep, it was confirmed - Albania is just as cheap as everyone says it is. Fantastic! With such prices in such a nice environment, it is almost more expensive to cook yourself. Congratulations!
16 August 2015 - 20:22
Across the board says:
Albania doesn't feel like it attracts that much... not yet anyway 😉.
16 August 2015 - 21:05
Anja says:
Back on the track! (For my part) .... Hmmm. It was probably Kosovo Albanians who worked elsewhere because of the war and as far as I know it's about the poorest country in Europe - or at least was until recently...
Strange how everything can feel so close and yet so far away - Italy, the holiday islands of (now) impoverished Greece and Albania.
Bye now! Good of course!!!
16 August 2015 - 21:42
Ditte says:
What fun to come to Albania. And the price level is attractive for us, but people in general may not have it so great in terms of wages, jobs, etc. But nice if tourism can create more jobs. Hope that tourism can also contribute positively to Albania's development.
Seems very interesting anyway and it will be fun to hear and see more.
Nice that you are here now before all the tourists find it. Will be a completely different feeling.
16 August 2015 - 21:45
admin says:
Anette, right? 😉
Lennart, so far we are very satisfied!
Anita, when you come to tourist resorts (like Ksamil and Sarande) it seems very popular, especially in August. We'll see what we can find out while travelling!
BP, yes it's really cheap. For the first time on the whole trip we go out to eat without worrying too much.
Across and across, you are attracted to different things! We report along the way - both positive and negative.
Anja, how nice that you're back! 🙂 Yes, it actually feels a bit strange. Albania is much more anonymous than Italy and Greece, but is in the same neighbourhood.
Ditte, presumably the wages are low and not everyone is well off. Here in Ksamil it feels quite rich and modern (apart from all the half-built and abandoned houses), but on the way we saw some "camps" with real poverty. Hopefully tourism brings money into the country.
16 August 2015 - 22:16
Mr Steve says:
Times are changing. Going over to Albania when I was in Corfu in the late 70s was not even on my mind. Now I think it looks like an exciting destination, so I'll be watching with great interest.
And that's just the price situation.
16 August 2015 - 22:57
admin says:
Steve, that's probably true. The world is constantly changing. Now it feels like Albania is keen to have tourists!
17 August 2015 - 6:44
solan says:
Was in North Corfu in the 70's . Remember all the patrol boats off the coast. Albania was closed, only "comrade Hodja?" ravaged. Feels a bit special to see motorhomes on site today. Understand that the price situation is different than expensive Italy. Now you have to eat up... 😉.
17 August 2015 - 8:12
admin says:
Solan, yes, it was probably very different in Albania at that time! I have now read that Enver Hoxha was his name, the communist dictator who ruled until 1985. Yes, now there are motorhomes! Maybe not in quantities, but as you can see we are not alone 🙂.
17 August 2015 - 8:29
stripped says:
Exciting to read about Albania, a country that we do not yet know much about as travellers. We eagerly follow your experiences. Those prices are definitely enticing 🙂 Continued good trip
17 August 2015 - 9:08
Ama de casa says:
Looks great - and cheap! Must definitely be worth a visit 🙂
17 August 2015 - 10:06
Lena in Wales says:
Albania, exciting! And what a price range!
17 August 2015 - 10:23
admin says:
Ontripdk, Albania is relatively new as a travel destination, but therefore also exciting and interesting! Funny that you follow!
Ama de casa, the price point is a definite plus!
Lena in Wales, it's exciting to travel around here and of course the prices make it easier!
17 August 2015 - 10:28
Maggan and Ingemar says:
Glad you found a "shall we call it a parking space" it looks like that anyway 🙂 Although we were not very long in Albania (Greece was the goal), we liked the country. Nice and friendly people and as you say cheap. The money was long enough 🙂 I would love to go there again but then preferably in August-September. Unfortunately, it will be more expensive later when they have built all the tourist accommodation. Here Leif also writes about Albania http://giazza.se/
Looking forward to reading about what you think of the country.
17 August 2015 - 16:16
admin says:
Maggan and Ingemar, how nice that you link to Leif's blog! 🙂 We met him and his wife in Greece 🙂 So yes, I have read on his blog about Albania and other interesting countries in the area that we may also visit.
17 August 2015 - 16:22
Steel city anna says:
Looks lovely / someone who just paid £14 for 4 figs 🙂 .
19 August 2015 - 14:57
Bengt. Eriksson says:
Where Albania now in summer.Is absolutely worth visiting, Bode in Saranda was to Kasmil one day,There were super nice beaches. The beaches in the shaky town of Saranda are the stone beaches, if you go a bit beyond the harbour there are better beaches you rent a sunbed and parasol for a cheap money.If you want to go around, a taxi costs about 2o eure a day.
20 August 2018 - 15:24
Maria's Memoirs says:
How beautiful it looks, I have been thinking about Albania lately actually 🙂 But unfortunately it seems that the country lacks the fantastic Muslim architecture that most other Muslim countries have? Becomes a small minus in the edge for me....
25 February 2019 - 19:17
Elisabeth says:
Planning in full swing. My sister and I are planning to go at the beginning of June 2020. We went to Tbilisi in Georgia last spring and the year before that it was Zadar Croatia. We are looking forward to seeing the beautiful landscape.
We are thinking of flying to Athens and taking a bus from there to wherever we are staying.
Anyone here who has done the same before?
26 December 2019 - 19:50