Skip to content
CurveScout

CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Albanian Riviera SH8 starting at Vlorë

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
115 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 46
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.

Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.

Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

Repeated coastal bends, headlands and frequent viewpoint stops. It also links naturally to Butrint and Albanian Riviera.

Access context

Verify surface, fuel and current construction before publication. Specific flag: summer traffic; road works.

Seasonal context

Apr-Jun; Sep-Oct

Scenic road chapters

Albanian Riviera, SH8

Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 46 km this is Albanian Riviera, SH8, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.

Rider note

Check the pass is open before you commit to it.

Chapter facts
Length
46 km
Named road
Albanian Riviera, SH8
Pass
Llogara Pass

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Vlorë

    Vlorë is where the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea are said to meet, and that is the first thing a local will tell you, with some pride, even if the geographers are a little vague about exactly where the line falls. The town sits at the head of a wide bay, closed off to the west by the long mountainous arm of the Karaburun peninsula and the island of Sazan, and behind it the Llogara range stands up to well over two thousand metres. It is a big, busy, slightly chaotic place of nearly ninety thousand people, with a long seafront promenade of palms and cafes.

    Read the complete Vlore write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Vlorë sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Himarë.

  2. 2. Himarë

    Himarë is the heart of the Albanian Riviera, a small town on the Ionian coast where the mountains stand so close to the sea that the road has to squeeze between them. The coast road, the SH8, runs for about a hundred and fifty kilometres from Vlorë to Sarandë, and it is one of the best rides in the Balkans, though it is still a road that demands attention. The town itself has a population of a few thousand, an old hilltop quarter with a Byzantine castle, and a long modern waterfront with cafes, hotels and a gravel beach.

    Read the complete Himarë write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Himarë comes up 40 km in. Next is Sarandë.

  3. 3. Sarandë

    Sarandë sits at the bottom of Albania's long coast, in a curving bay facing the Greek island of Corfu, which on a clear evening looks close enough to swim to. It is a town of about fifteen thousand, built in tiers up a steep hillside, with a promenade running the length of the waterfront and a view that makes the end of the SH8 feel like a reward. The road you have just finished, the coastal highway from Vlorë over the Llogara Pass, is among the most dramatic in the Balkans.

    Read the complete Sarandë write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    115 km in you reach Sarandë.

Recorded source links

Source

More motorcycle rides nearby