The Albanian Riviera used to mean one road — the Llogara Pass, a serpentine climb to 1,027 m where Caesar's army crossed in 48 BC and modern drivers slow to a crawl behind tour buses. In late 2024 the new 5.6 km Llogara Tunnel opened beneath it, and for anyone with a rental in Saranda, the question changed overnight. Pass or tunnel?
The tunnel in numbers
The Llogara Tunnel runs from Dukat on the Vlorë side to Palasë on the Riviera side, cutting through the mountain in under five minutes. It's the southern stretch of SH8, and it connects Vlorë directly to the Riviera proper without the climb.
- Length: 5.6 km, two lanes, LED lighting throughout
- Toll: 250 lek (≈ €2.50) one-way for cars, 500 lek round trip. Cash and card both work at the booth.
- Time saved: about 50–60 minutes versus the old pass
- Open: 24/7, all weather. No snow closures
This is the default route for every Saranda-bound rental in winter. Vlorë to Saranda comes in around 1.5 hours — roughly half of what the old loop took.
The pass in numbers
The old SH8 over Llogara is still open most of the year, and it's free. The road climbs from sea level to 1,027 m in about 12 km of switchbacks, drops back to the coast at Palasë, and continues south through Himarë and Borsh to Saranda.
- Open: April to early November in a normal year
- Closed: mid-November to late March for snow, every winter
- Drive time: roughly an hour longer than the tunnel
- Why bother: the eagle's-eye view from the Llogara summit over the entire Riviera, and the small cafés up there
The pass isn't a commute — it's a drive. Locals call it the most beautiful 30 km in Albania, and they aren't wrong.
When to take which
A couple from Edinburgh last May drove south on the pass in glorious sun, stopped for a coffee at 1,000 m, and came back north through the tunnel at midnight after a long beach day. €2.50 once, they called it the best they spent in Albania. Both routes in a single trip.
Rules of thumb:
- Spring–autumn, daytime, no hurry: take the pass at least one way. Stop at the summit.
- Late afternoon or after dark: take the tunnel. The pass has no lighting and the curves are tight.
- November to March: tunnel only. The pass closes for snow.
- Rain or low cloud: tunnel. Visibility at altitude drops fast.
What hasn't changed
The SH8 north of Vlorë and south of Palasë is the same coastal road: free, mostly two-lane, occasionally pot-holed. Both routes merge again past the Llogara summit area and continue together through Himarë, Borsh, and into Saranda. The tunnel replaces only the climbing section in the middle.
Bottom line
Good weather and time on your hands — at least one way over the pass. Everything else, the tunnel. Two and a half euros, well spent.
