Why you should swap packed Greece for the beautiful, quieter beaches of Albania

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy With a mountainous landscape overlooking crystalline waters and relatively sleepy pebble beaches, the Albanian riviera is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. open image in gallery The hillside village of Vuno Assuming you’re flying into Tirana International Airport, any onward travel ‒ be it to the Albanian Alps in the north, Ottoman-era towns in the east or world class beaches in the south ‒ requires either car hire or deciphering the local buses. I tucked into traditional plates of qofte meatballs and grilled fish with vegetables and lashings of tzatziki ‒ all for the princely sum of about £4 I hired a pedalo to visit Himare’s hidden neighbour, Filikuri Beach, a pebble-strewn, isolated strand with some of the finest turquoise waters along the riviera. open image in gallery One of the secret, unmarked beaches near Porto Palermo Chatting to locals, they told me the opposite end of Dhermi beach was famous for its electronic music festivals, such as UK-founded Kala Festival and local Turtle Fest, with the area’s bijou beach clubs ramping up to a party setting in certain months.