Why this ride
A 260 km round trip from Vlorë - roughly 7 h 11 in the saddle. The stops in between: Llogara Pass, Dhermi, Himare and Sarande. The highest point is about 1,050 m.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Albanian Riviera, SH8 · 260 km from Vlorë
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 260 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 11
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
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.
Road summary
A coastal mountain highway from Vlore, Albania to Sarande, Albania, via Llogara Pass. Key character: Ionian cliffs; beaches; mountain pass. Surface: paved.
Scenic road chapters
Albanian Riviera, SH8
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 8 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
- 8 km
- Named road
- Albanian Riviera, SH8
- Pass
- Llogara Pass
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Vlore
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
Vlore is where the day begins. Next is Llogara Pass.
2. Llogara Pass
At 1,027 metres, the Llogara Pass is the high point of the Albanian Riviera road, the SH8, and it is a place where the mountain suddenly lets go of the coast. From Vlorë the road climbs through the Ceraunian range, which the ancients called the thunder mountains, through forest of black pine and fir, and then at the saddle the whole Ionian Sea opens out below, with Corfu a smudge on the horizon on a clear day. The first time is hard to forget.
Read the complete Llogara Pass write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Llogara Pass comes up 26 km in. Next is Dhermi.
3. Dhërmi
Below the pass, the road drops to the sea at Dhërmi, a village that spreads down a green slope from a ridge of old stone houses to a long, pale beach. The village was historically mostly Greek-speaking and Orthodox, part of the Himara region where Greek communities have lived for centuries, and its churches, notably the one called Panagia and a monastery up the hill, have fine old frescoes. The old quarter, with its steep lanes and walled gardens, is worth a walk before the day gets hot.
Read the complete Dhermi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
51 km in you reach Dhermi. Next is Himare.
4. Himare
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
Himare, about halfway. Next is Sarande.
5. Sarande
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
Sarande sits at 102 km, about halfway. Next is back through Himare.
6. back through Himare
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Himare comes up 128 km in. Next is back through Dhermi.
7. back through Dhermi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Dhermi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
153 km in you reach back through Dhermi. Next is back through Llogara Pass.
8. back through Llogara Pass
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Llogara Pass write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Llogara Pass, late in the day. Next is Vlore.
9. Vlore
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
The route ends here after 260 km.
More motorcycle rides nearby
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