Sarandë.
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Overview

Sarandë, the gateway to southern Coastal Albania, is a small town of about 33,000 inhabitants, situated on a beautiful horseshoe bay between the mountains and the Ionian Sea. The name Saranda is derived from an early Christian monastery dedicated to Agioi Saranta (Forty Saints). In antiquity, Saranda was known as Onchesmus.

Opposite the Greek island of Corfu, Saranda is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and warm sea waters. Saranda typically has over 300 sunny days a year. Due to its location and warm weather, Saranda is one of the most attractive tourist towns on the Albanian Riviera, where honeymooners traditionally spend their holidays. Fronting the sea and along the main promenade, there are some hotels and restaurants.

Nearby Butrint is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Understand

Saranda Tourist Info Center. There are two Tourist Info Centers (one yellow-domed building on the boardwalk, another more traditional office near the bus center). Both are excellent resources for bus timetables. An added bonus is that the employees speak good English.

Get in

To the nearby Greek island of Corfu (New Port). The daily ferryboats are at 10:30; 13:00 and 16:30 (fewer out of season - check with the ticket office at the port). The 10:30 passage is a hydrofoil which takes about 25-45 minutes. The 16:30 is a car ferry. Corfu is one hour ahead of Albania.

By bus For buses from Tirana there are two itineraries: Tirana-Durres-Fieri-Vlora-Dhermi-Saranda or Tirana-Durresi-Fieri-Mallakastra-Tepelena-Gjirokastra-Saranda. If you travel through the Riviera (the first) you should pay more attention as the way is narrow.

There are lines from Vlore that go through the Riviera or "Bregu" (a line of picturesque, gorgeous Mediterranean beaches and villages; Bregu is the summer residence of the Prime Minister and President). The line from Gjirokaster to Tepelene, Fier and Tirana also passes Sarandë. From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 minutes by bus or taxi. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë.

For connections between Sarandë and Butrint/Ksamil check the timetable in the picture.

Otherwise, there is always Gjirafa.com to find connections in Albania.

By car From Kosovo and North Macedonia follow this itinerary to reach Saranda: Struga-Qafe Thana-Librazhd-Elbasani-Rrogozhina-Fier and so on.

It is connected with Greece by land: (i) By the border of Qafe Bota with Igoumenitsa; (ii) By the border of Kakavi with Ioannina.

The tourists, who come here from Greece, reach the border of Kakavi in two ways: from Ioannina and Igoumenitsa. From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 min. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. Though Qafe-Bota, the itinerary is Igoumenitsa-Qafe Bote-Sarandë, but the roadway is narrower.

By air The idea of an airport in the village of Viron is of great interest, because it is only 5 km from Saranda. A facility is the urban service offered nowadays.

Get around

It at the roundabout behind the harbour and public beach (there's even a timetable hanging on a street light) but also stops few times on its way.

It runs once per hour in both ways between 06:30 and 19:30.

The SH81 road connecting Sarandë, Ksamil and Butrint is heavily congested in high season, especially around sunset when beach day trippers return from Ksamil to Sarandë. This affects not only the cars but also the busses and taxis. This means that a bus ride does not take significantly longer than taking a taxi or own car.

See

Museum of Archaeology. Small collection with remains of a Roman mosaic floor, kept in situ, plus findings from the area (mainly Illyrian, Greek and Roman).

Old Castle of Lekures at "Qafa e Gjashtes" (The Pass of Six). There is a nice outdoor restaurant within the castle from which you have panoramic views of Saranda Bay below, the inland mountains, the Butrint Lagoon and the island of Corfu on the Ionian Sea.

Butrint National Park and Archaeological Site. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Butrint was an ancient city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods. The city was finally abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequent malaria epidemic. - Despite being one of the greatest classical cities of the Mediterranean, Butrint remains largely unknown. The current archaeological site includes an impressive Roman amphitheater, a Byzantine Basilica (the largest in the world after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), a Roman temple with mosaic floor, a beautifully carved lion's gate as well numerous constructions built throughout the periods. Furthermore, what you see is just 15 per cent of what lies beneath. Most of the sights are under tree shadows so you can go even in midday heat. Butrint visitors should allocate approximately 2 hours to enjoy the site; archaeology fans will probably want closer to 3 hours.

Dhërmi beach. — one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping.

Ksamil beach. This village has a beautiful beach with several small islands you could swim to. Ksamili is now heavily developed, with a large number of partially-completed properties. An extraordinary sight is that some of these new buildings are toppling over; this is believed to be where buildings have gone up without permission, and the police have sabotaged the building by pulling out a couple of upright pillars, leaving the owner to clear up the damage.

Lukove beach. - part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches. As of July 2018 the road access to Kakome beach was blocked by closed gates with guards, apparently due to a construction project.

Syri i Kalter. Water spring - a natural phenomenon. The clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a stunning, more than 50 m-deep pool. A great place to visit and relax.

Do

Sunset at Lekures. In the afternoon, when the sun is setting, you should go to Lekures, and watch the sun set, or you could go to the beach and relax with your friends or family while enjoying the beautiful sunset. Something else that you can do, when it’s not a really hot day is to go camping. If it’s not a hot day, camping would be a really good experience and also allow you to have a good time looking at the stars at night, and it would be a change from going to the beach. Another idea is to visit a new beach each day, such as one day “pllakat” the next day “manastiri” and so on.

After visiting Ali Pasha Tepelena Castle, you could go to the Pulbardha Beach and enjoy some great food and relax on the sandy beach.

Buy

Skenderbeu Cognac Miniature bunker from alabaster Albanische Mythologie book Souvenirs made from sea shells in Ksamil LLogara honey is a local speciality - it is sold by various merchants on the road.

Eat

Sarandë is bustling with restaurants, cafes and bars. Look out for yoghurt flavoured ice cream on the boardwalk, near the tourist info office.

Fresh fish is abundant in Saranda and available at most restaurants. Establishments next to the sea and fishing ports provide the freshest fish but generally speaking good seafood can be had all around.

There are a few places you can eat in Ksamil. At least 4 restaurants in Ksamil are open year-round, but in the summer there are a lot more options and many are just seconds from the beach. Most serve either sea food or a mix of pizza, Greek dishes and heavy meat based fast food.

Principotes & Tulum Resto Lounge. This is a very stylish and beautiful place, sea views, lots of lounges outside, relaxed, and airy. Lunch, dinner, late night, drinks, table service, takeout.

Sleep

Hostel "Hasta La Vista". Hostel Hasta La Vista offers Reception 24/7 with 36 air-conditioned accommodations with blackout drapes/curtains. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary reliable high-speed wireless Internet access. Guests can make use of the shared/communal kitchen. Guests have access to shared bathrooms. Bathrooms include showers. Housekeeping is offered daily and hair dryers can be requested.

Backpackers SR. Centrally located in the heart of town, close to everything Saranda has to offer. Bus route 6 min walk, Corfu ferry 1 min, Bus st. to Ksamil/Butrint 1 min, Bus st. to Greece 2 min, beach in front of the hostel, the famous promenade (xhiro) on our doorstep, the farmers market, fresh fruits & vegs 1 min. Open year-round. 14 dorm beds in a new building. Free breakfast. Free wifi. Kitchen. Free security lockers. Free linen & bedsheets. Free coffee and tea. Roof terrace. Beach BBQ dinners in front of the hostel in the summer. Run by Tomi, a local resident, who is such a nice and helpful guy. He will make you feel right at home by going out of his way to help you out. Knows lots of information about day trips to Butrint and the Blue Eye.

The Hairy Lemon Hostel. A small 18-bed hostel run by a great Irish lady. Has hot shower, laundry, free breakfast, 24-hour tea and coffee, internet, comfy bunks and a large balcony with great views of the beach and Corfu.

The Wallaby Hostel. Hostel run by two wacky Australian blokes. Reception's available 24/7 along with sociable staff. Games of beer pong are often had and the owners will take you out for pub crawls.

Holiday Apartments from locals. There are plenty of private houses, apartments offered by locals especially during the high season period. The accommodation offered ranges from low-budget to highly exclusive locations both for low and reasonably high prices. However, if you are traveling in a group of more than 2 people, it is worth considering. The apartments can usually accommodate up to 10 people and are much cheaper than a hotel. Furthermore, you can usually cook in the apartment and save some money. But make sure to book your accommodation in advance, since most of the apartments get booked out very fast.

Hotel New Heaven. Twenty rooms with a shower.