Durres

Durres is one of Albania’s cheapest coastal bases, and most of what makes it worth a stop costs nothing: the 10-kilometer beach strip, the seafront promenade, the old town, and the Byzantine Forum and Venetian Tower ruins are all free to wander. The Roman amphitheater, the largest in the Balkans, charges only a few euros to step inside and see its early Christian chapel frescoes half-buried under the modern city. Buses to the capital Tirana run frequently and cost only a few euros, so you can sleep cheaper on the coast and still day-trip inland, or pair Durres with Berat further south. Skip July and August when prices and crowds spike, and aim for late spring or September when the sea is still warm but rooms are cheaper.