Durrës

Industrial port and seaside city, Durres, second most important town in Albania (110,000 inhabitants), is only 24 miles away from Tirana. This is where the 'via Ignatia' linking Rome to Byzantium ended. The Durres Beach, the southern part of the city, which starts after the market, has six big hotels close to the sea, the most ancient and chic of these is the Adriatic. Past the hotel, the beach is undeveloped and endless.