Durrës Beach tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 00:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Europe/Tirane local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Durrës stands at the western edge of Albania's central plain, where the Erzen River delta has built a flat coastal margin and the Adriatic shelf extends offshore in a wide, shallow approach. The city is Albania's principal port and second-largest urban centre; it was founded as the Greek colony of Epidamnos around 627 BCE, became Dyrrachium under Rome, and served as the western terminus of the Via Egnatia — the Roman military road connecting the Adriatic to Byzantium. The layering of that history is visible in the city centre: a partially excavated Roman amphitheatre from the 2nd century CE sits within the fabric of the old town, and the city's Archaeological Museum holds artefacts from the Epidamnos-Dyrrachium periods including mosaics, coins, and votive objects. The beach north of the city — known variously as Plazhi i Durrësit or the Durrës beach strip — is the longest continuous sandy beach in Albania. From the northern jetty of the commercial harbour, the beach extends 12 km northward in a gradually widening arc to the Ishëm River mouth. The Rruga Taulantia beach road parallels the shoreline for most of this length; hotels, restaurants, and seasonal beach clubs are concentrated in the first 6 km from the harbour. The beach itself is wide and sandy with the characteristic Adriatic gently shelving gradient: the 0.5 m spring tidal range and shallow approach produce a broad intertidal zone at spring lows, expanding the walkable beach by 20 to 30 m beyond the high-water line. The sand is generally fine to medium grade, light brown in colour; the northern sections have a wider beach with less development immediately behind. The Adriatic at Durrës is warm and relatively calm. Summer sea temperature reaches 24–26°C from late June through August; the dominant summer wind is the afternoon northwesterly (Maestral), which generates a short, low chop that is comfortable for most water users. The swell regime is limited by the Adriatic's enclosed geometry: the fetch north to south is roughly 800 km, and swell heights above 1.5 m are uncommon except during sustained Bora events (a cold northeast wind that can build 2 to 3 m seas in 12 to 24 hours). Shore fishing from the northern harbour jetty targets sea bass (lupo di mare) and sea bream; the jetty is a fixed structure with reliable access across the tidal range, and the current around the breakwater tip concentrates fish on the incoming tide. The archaeological museum on Rruga Kalasë in the old town is within walking distance of the harbour; the amphitheatre entrance is a 10-minute walk from the sea front. Tide predictions at Durrës come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model; accuracy is typically ±45 min on timing and ±0.2–0.3 m on height. IMET (Instituti i Meteorologjisë, Hidrologjisë dhe Gjeofizikës, Albania) is the national meteorological authority. The beach north of the Durrës harbour has been the primary summer destination for Albanian urban families since the communist period, when it was one of the few coastal destinations accessible to Tirana residents. That tradition continues — July and August see significant beach congestion on the first 4 to 5 km of the strip, particularly on weekends when traffic from Tirana arrives by late morning. The beach clubs and restaurants in this section are seasonal operations: full service from June through mid-September, minimal from October to May. North of the 6 km mark, the density drops and the beach transitions to a simpler character. The water quality in the northern sections is generally better than in the harbour-adjacent stretch, where the commercial port creates some localised turbidity. Shore anglers prefer the northern jetty of the harbour and the first 2 km of beach north of it for consistent access and predictable fish behaviour on the tidal current.