Palase
Best for. Active travellers who want organised water sports, a Blue Flag beach and a real scene, with paragliders dropping off the Llogara pass as a bonus.
Best spot. The morning swim off the bright pebble before the wind fills in, then the water sports and the clubs as the breeze and the crowd build through the day.
Know this. The wild Palasa of a few years back is largely built over. Come for the activity and the energy, not for solitude, and point north for quiet.
Palase is the first sea you see when you drop down off the Llogara pass, and that arrival is genuinely dramatic, a long bright beach unrolling at the foot of the mountains. It sits just north of Dhermi and has become the activity and development heart of this end of the coast, home to Albania's first Blue Flag beach and a fast growing resort front. This is a beach that has chosen a side. It is organised, social and built for doing things, and it does that side very well.
The adventure read is the best reason to come. Palase is the water sports beach of the Riviera, with kit to rent and a Blue Flag stretch that takes its water quality seriously, and on the right day you will watch paragliders launch off the Llogara ridge high above and spiral down toward the sand. Mornings are the calm window for a swim and a paddle, and the afternoon onshore wind that fills the bay is exactly what the kit and the kites want. If you like an active beach day with a current of energy running through it, this is your spot.
Be honest about what has been lost, though. The raw, half empty Palasa that backpackers raved about a few years ago is mostly gone under concrete and cranes, and in peak the crowd and the construction are real. If you want quiet wild sand, point north to Drymades or walk into the canyon cove at Gjipe. Palase is the developed, social, water sports beach now, and judged on those terms it delivers.
Clubs on this beach
Palase carries the most organised beach scene on this end of the coast, from a music led beach club to the Green Coast resort front with its Blue Flag sand and water sports. Minimum spends are set by each venue and to be confirmed.
Photo: Folie Marine Hotel & Beach Club via GoogleFolie Marine
A beach club and hotel known for its music and its evening energy, with loungers on the sand and a scene that builds into the night. One of the liveliest spots on this stretch. Minimum spend to be confirmed.
Photo: Green Coast via GoogleGreen Coast Beach
The resort front and Albania's first Blue Flag beach, the organised heart of Palase with water sports, rentals and family friendly sand. The activity base of this beach. Minimum spend to be confirmed.
Below the Llogara pass
Palase sits at the foot of the Llogara pass on the SH8 coast road, the first beach you reach dropping south from the mountain toward Dhermi. The descent is one of the great coastal drives in Albania, and the beach is signed for the Green Coast development with parking near the front.
Time the day around the wind. Swim in the calm of the morning, then let the afternoon breeze power the water sports while the clubs wake up. Bring cash for the smaller kiosks, and if quiet is what you are after, treat Palase as the activity stop and sleep somewhere calmer up the coast.
Photo: Svitlana Khoroshylova via GoogleBook a beach club
Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a daybed or table at a club on the Palase sand. We reply by email.
We are an independent editorial resource. Booking requests are passed to clubs and operators, and some may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices, availability and opening status are set by the venue and are to be confirmed at the time of booking.
Common questions about Palase
Is Palase beach worth visiting?
Yes, if you want an active, organised beach day with water sports, a Blue Flag stretch and a real scene. Palase is the development heart of this coast. If you want quiet wild sand, point north to Drymades or hike to the canyon cove at Gjipe instead.
Can you do water sports and paragliding at Palase?
Yes. Palase is the water sports beach of the Riviera, with kit to rent and a Blue Flag stretch, and on clear days paragliders launch off the Llogara pass above and land near the sand. The afternoon onshore wind is what the kit and the kites want.
What are the beach clubs at Palase like?
They range from a music led beach club to the Green Coast resort front. Folie Marine leads on scene and nightlife, while Green Coast is the organised activity base with the Blue Flag sand. Minimum spends are set by each venue and to be confirmed.
Is Palase too developed now?
Honestly, it is far busier and more built up than a few years ago, with a fast growing resort front and real construction in peak. The upside is the water sports, the Blue Flag water quality and the energy. For solitude you will need to look up the coast.
When is the best time to visit Palase?
June and September give warm water and the activity without the deepest August crowds and building work. July and August are the warmest and the busiest. Swim early in the calm of the morning whenever you go.
