I’ve been to Ksamil three times now, and here’s the truth: yes, it gets insanely busy during the summer — think sunbeds packed like sardines, music pumping from beach bars, and tourists everywhere.
But you know what? It’s still 100% worth visiting. Especially if you can go during the shoulder seasons.
But with so many beaches packed into one tiny town, it can be hard to know where to lay down your towel first. That’s why I’ve put together this quick guide to help you find your perfect Ksamil beach match.
Whether you’re coming to relax, explore the nearby islands, or just see what all the fuss is about, this guide will help you navigate Ksamil’s beach scene and find your perfect spot in the sun.
Don’t forget to also check out my complete guide to Ksamil, which includes how to get there, where to stay, best restaurants, etc.
Article overview
Ksamil beaches overview
So the first thing to know about the beaches in Ksamil is that the names are confusing. The names on Google Maps differ from the names on signs in real life, which sometimes differ from the names people use. So I wanted to put everything on a map to help you better understand the different areas and where to go.
The summary below describes the beaches in central Ksamil in June, July, August and September. Out of season (mid-October to March/April), most of the bars and beaches close down.
❤️ The most popular area, including Poda Bay, Ksamil Beach 7 and Bora Bora Beach.
🧡 The orange areas are a mix of sand and pebbles on smaller beaches that are often calmer than the main bays. The northernmost area overlooks the main road, so it is not ideal, but it is much less busy than the center of town. This is also where you’ll find one small, public beach.
💛 The yellow area is beach bars set on rocks, where you have some sand or a deck under the sunbeds and you have to swim from a ladder. This is the calmest part of Ksamil.
💚 My personal favorite area with white-sand beaches and beautiful, calm, turquoise water. It does get busy here as well, but it doesn’t feel as crazy and it takes longer for the sunbeds to fill up. Half of Paradise Beach has been made public.
💙 Area of great bars on coarse sand and pebble beaches, another one of the calmest places in town. You’ll find some of my favorite beach bars here, including Summer Gate and Reni & Risi.
💜 The beach that made Ksamil famous across social media, with the rounded deck above the water and the Ksamil islets in the background.
Since I won’t be including these in my list of the best beaches in Ksamil, I wanted to show you what the rocky beach bars look like. This is where you should go if you prefer to get away from the crowds.
This is the beach closest to the entrance of town. I love swimming here when staying nearby, since it’s the only sandy beach on this side. Although the sand is coarse. It is covered with sunbeds in summer, but I wanted to show what the actual beach looks like.
Right next to it is the public area, a small pebble beach and a built-up deck covered in sand. There are some old sunbeds, mattresses and umbrellas scattered around that you can use.
As mentioned above, continue along the promenade and you’ll find a mix of sand and pebble beaches, before it turns into rock.
Looking for the best places to stay in Ksamil? My favorites are:
⭐ Best value accommodation: Sea’s Villa & Koko Hotel
⭐ Best location: Melina’s Seaside Retreat
⭐ Top-rated hotel: Muze Hotel
Best Ksamil beaches
Here we go, a quick look at my favorite beaches as well as some thoughts on the most popular ones.
Ksamil is unique in that it is made up of smaller coves, very different from the rest of the Riviera, which boasts mile-long stretches of sand, such as Drymades Beach and Borsh/Qeparo.
Main Ksmail Beach (Plazhi Ksamil 7)
Let’s start with the obvious: Ksamil 7 Beach, the main beach right in the heart of the village, is the most beautiful and busiest of them all.
It’s the kind of place that looks like it belongs on a postcard — powdery white sand, ridiculously clear water that shifts between shades of blue and green, and views of the nearby islands. A wooden jetty runs into the water where taxi boats wait for customers.
During the summer months, it gets absolutely packed, with rows of sunbeds filling up by mid-morning and beach bars pumping out summer tunes.
I don’t have any photos of the main part of the beach from summer because it was so full, I didn’t even see the sand. And when we got there after 11:00 am and asked for availability, the staff just laughed. So come early if you want a good spot.
However, during the off-season, it is the only beach you need to visit. It has everything!
Ksamil Islands Beaches
Just off the coast of Ksamil, you’ll see four small islets, with the two outermost islands uniquely connected by a narrow strip of sand. This natural sandbar, visible during low tide, forms a secluded beach area, the perfect place to get away from the crowds.
Accessible only by water, you can reach these islands by renting a kayak, pedal boat, or taking a taxi boat from the main beach. There are even sunbeds for rent out here during the main summer season.
Exploring the islands was one of the highlights of Ksamil for me. It’s the perfect place to go snorkeling and you could even swim to the closest one.
Abiori Beach
Abiori Beach in Ksamil is renowned for its iconic, rounded (now grey) deck that extends over the turquoise ocean. This picturesque view, with the islands in the background, is what made Ksamil Instafamous a few years ago.
The beach itself boasts soft white sands and clear, inviting waters, making it an ideal location for a day of relaxation and swimming. Although it gets very crowded and feels touristy, I do really enjoy it here. We paid €60 for one of the cabanas with a net you can chill in right above the water.
Abiori Restaurant Pizzeria, which runs the beach, is one of the best in town. Mostly because the service is really friendly, something that is not easy to come by in Ksamil during the summer months.
Puerto Rico & Lori Beach
These two beaches, with soft light sand, light blue water, and fewer crowds (in the mornings), are two of my favorites. It does get crowded here as well in July and August, but later in the day.
The beaches are well-kept, with sun loungers available for rent and bars serving drinks and snacks. On both sides, there are also raised wooden decks if you prefer not to be on the sand.
We paid 2500 LEK for two sunbeds and an umbrella in the first row on Lori Beach in August. And I paid 1500 LEK for two sunbeds in the first row in September on Puerto Rico Beach.
I haven’t liked Puerto Rico Beach until now, because one of the beach bars used to play music way too loudly. However, this season it didn’t, so I ended up here quite often because it is bigger than Lori. And there are two different beach bars to choose from: Blue Diamond and Puerto Rico Beach Bar.
You can walk from Lori to Puerto Rico across the water, so you don’t have to walk all around on the road.
I also included Paradise Beach in the same area on the map; it is bigger than Lori Beach and has a public part.
The downside to this area is the stagnant water in the sheltered bay. It starts to look cloudy later in the day. I usually get here around 9:00 and then leave when it’s time for lunch. There are lots of parking spaces at Lori, Paradise and Puerto Rico.
Ksamil (Castle) Beach
Although this beach isn’t the most beautiful, I really like the area. There’s also a nice wooden deck if you prefer.
I don’t know the right name; it shows up as Ksamil Beach on Google Maps, like most others do. But I call it Castle Beach because of the Castle Hotel and Restaurant. Bella Vista Beach Lounge is the other establishment renting out sunbeds.
If you’re early enough, before 8:30 in the summer months, you can put down a towel on the very edge of the beach. This is one of the few places I’ve seen people not paying for a sunbed without getting told to leave. But there are very limited spots.
🛏️ This is also the area where you find one of my favorite places to stay in Ksamil. It is called Melina’s Seaside Retreat and I love the location and value you get there. It is so close to the water, yet the price won’t break the bank.
Poda Beach
While Poda Beach is not my favorite during the summer season, I have to mention it because it is the biggest and one of the most popular beaches. When you get off the bus at “3rd Bus Stop Ksamil” (center of town), Poda is the first beach you get to.
Unfortunately, the beach bar itself has a reputation for bad and slow service, like so many other places in Ksamil.
Can you believe how crowded it is in August? I mean, you can barely see the sand. This was at 8:00 am, the only time it was calm enough to walk around. But when I got there in March/early April, the story was very different.
Compared to many other beaches here, it is open year-round. In 21°C weather, I had the beach all to myself.
Bora Bora Beach
Out of season, Bora Bora Beach lives up to its tropical name, but at the height of summer, not so much. Which is why I debated whether to include it or not. Although it might feel small, it is one of the bigger coves in Ksamil, so I felt like I had to say a few words about it.
When I was there in March/April, it was lovely, no people around. In August, however, the service was terrible. It felt very aggressive. Like, I don’t need to be nice to you, because there are more than enough other people willing to pay.
There are also a lot of boats and jet skis coming and going at all times, so expect it to be noisy.
As I’m writing this, I’m wondering why. Haha. Because if you’re here out of season, there is no reason to visit any other beach than Ksamil 7. And during the main season, I would steer clear of this place.
The Last Bay (Blue area)
The blue area on the map starts with beach clubs on white coarse sand and goes over to large pebbles in the last bay (also called Augustus Beach on Google Maps). This is the second calmest beach area in Ksamil.
Every time I walk up here, I feel like I’m back in Bali in the old days. Partly dirt roads, palm trees, trash along the road, and people wanting you to choose their bar.
If you get here early enough (roughly before 10:00), you can park under the trees for free.
I love Last Bay Beach even though it has large pebbles because the water is super clear. It also feels calm, no loud music and the sunbeds cost only 1000 lek (11€). This seems to be the standard price up here. People used the far end of the beach as public space and were not told to leave.
The Last Bay is also the perfect place to rent a stand-up paddleboard or canoe and just enjoy the peace.
Alternative beaches close to Ksamil
On the road between Saranda and Ksamil, there’s a string of beautiful beaches: Manastirit, Edon-Bina, Pasqyrave, Pëllumbave, Pulëbardha and Gjiri i Hartës.
The easiest way to get there is to rent a car or scooter. You can also take a taxi or the bus. I asked the ticket man on the bus to drop me off closest to Mirror Beach, although this was out of season.
Mirror Beach (Plazhi i Pasqyrave), known for its reflective waters, is the most popular one. Although it is also covered in sunbeds these days, it has a more wild natural feel than the beaches in the center of Ksamil.
I also recommend checking out some of the other spectacular beaches in southern Albania, such as Himarë (my favorite beach town), Gjipe Beach and Krorëza Beach.
Good to know before hitting the beaches in Ksamil
🗓 Avoid August: The best time to visit Ksamil is May/June and September/early October. It gets insanely busy in August, I don’t think I’ve been anywhere as crazy.
👻 Ghost town in winter: From November to March, Kasamil feels a lot like a ghost town. Most places shut down completely and a lot of the beaches are closed off. What I find insane is that businesses are allowed to restrict access to the beaches. Luckily, the main ones are open year-round.
🏖 Few public beaches: There are only two public beaches in Ksamil; most are still lined with private sunbeds run by beach bars or restaurants. In high season (July–August), you’ll need to pay anywhere from €10–€35 for two beds and an umbrella, depending on location and time of day. And €70+ for the fancier cabanas.
🕗 Come early — seriously: I know I’m repeating myself here, but by 10:00 am in summer, many beaches are already full. Locals and tourists alike reserve spots early, especially on the popular ones like Ksamil Beach and Bora Bora. If you want a prime spot near the water, arrive before 9:30 am or risk ending up in the back row (or with no space at all).
🌬 Wind from noon: I find that it often starts to get windy around noon. This isn’t really a bad thing during the sweltering summer season; however, the water doesn’t look as nice when it gets choppy. Which is another reason why I like to head to the beach early.
💵 Bring cash: Not all restaurants, beach bars or umbrella vendors accept cards, so bring some cash (Albanian lek or euros). It’s handy for snacks, drinks, or tipping if you get service at your sunbed. I have even had to pay cash at some hotels.
👀 Read next >> I spent 5 weeks in Saranda Albania: Here’s the good and the bad
Thank you so much for compiling this! This will be extremely useful when we go to Ksamil next week. Amazing info! <3
Thank you 🤗 Happy to hear you found it helpful!
So helpful and excited for my trip to ksamil at the end of this month 😁 x