Everything you need to know before you visit Sarandë, Albania

One of our favourite places on the planet, Albania is a country brimming with diverse landscapes. From snow capped mountains in the north, deep canyons and huge lakes in the east, and a coastline running the entire west coast of the country, it’s sea views are similar to those of its’ neighbours Greece, Montenegro and Croatia, with beaches just as beautiful and less crowded.

Sarandë (pronounced Saranda) is in the south of the country on the coast. It is positioned close to the island of Corfu meaning that the sea is calmer here and the beaches offer sheltered swimming spots, and also that you can get a boat over from Corfu.

Albania is a country that, due to its’ harsh history of communism and violence, was thought unsafe to visit until the mid 2000’s. Tom first went to Albania in 2014 and fell in love with the landscapes, the people and the simplicity of life. He headed for Sarandë to volunteer in a hostel there and it has since become one of our favourite places in the world, seeing us travel back there for family holidays time and time again over the last decade and in 2023 we stayed there for 10 weeks to really immerse ourselves in the culture and community of the city.

The scenery is stunning, the accommodation, food and drink is cheap, and with no airport in the south of the country (yet) the place hasn’t been discovered by too many tourists. All of this may change as TikTok has recently made the beaches of Ksamil (20 minutes by bus from Saranda) famous and it’s being hailed as the “Maldives of Europe”. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

When to go: We tend to visit outside of the popular summer months of July and August where many people do come over from the Greek islands - shoulder seasons are our favourite time in Saranda (March-June, September-November). Weather is nice all year round but hottest from May-September.

Essentials to pack: Swimwear, good walking shoes or sandals, sun cream, an extra stomach for all the Burek you’ll be eating!

Currency: Albanian Lek - £1 = 117 Lek (April 2024). Lek is now a closed currency so you need to take Euros with you and then exchange them on arrival. You can also withdraw Lek from cashpoints if you have a travel credit card. Some places in Saranda do also accept Euros or card payments (the bigger more touristic places!).

Must see: Saranda food market, ruins near the bus station, Lekursi castle, Ksamil beaches, Blue eye spring, Saranda clothes market, Christiano wine bar, Butrint UNESCO site, boat trips, The view bar, Xhiro

How to get there: Due to the location of Saranda and it’s distance from airports and the lack of rail infrastructure in Albania your travel options are a bit limited.

You can fly from the UK to Tirana (approx. £100 return, 3 hour flight, https://www.skyscanner.net/) and then get a bus down to Saranda (approx. 8-10 hours BUT a new tunnel has just opened which is supposed to be able to cut the journey time down to around 4 hours).

What we usually do, however, is to fly from the UK to Corfu (approx. £150 return, 3 hour flight, https://www.skyscanner.net/) and then get a ferry across directly to Saranda (30 minute hovercraft, £40 return pp, https://finikas-lines.com/). The second option to fly to Corfu means that you arrive in Saranda much quicker without a long and uncomfortable bus journey.

TOP TIP: If flying into Corfu research ferry crossing times before booking your flights as the amount and timings of crossings vary (there are more frequent services in high season) and this could save you having to spend a night in Corfu on the way to/from Saranda.

Public transport: Transport in Albania is usually only by bus. There are busses in Saranda to take you as far afield as the capital, Tirana, but mostly we use the local busses to get to the beaches at Ksamil or to visit Butrint. Bus travel is cheap - a ticket to Ksamil from Saranda is 200 Lek per person which is around £1.60 each way, but the further you travel usually the cheaper it is.

Where to stay: We have stayed at many places in Saranda. Our pick of hotels would be Hotel Lindi, located a little way back from the front so no sea views but a very warm welcome, incredible breakfast included in the price and opulent rooms await. Hotel Mano on the front is also very good if you want a sea view room but it’s closer to the port side of the city. In 2023 we booked an apartment through booking.com as we were staying for 10 weeks (£500 for 10 weeks with a sea view). There are lots of options on Airbnb too.

SARANDA LIKE A LOCAL:

Beaches in Saranda

The front is mainly a pedestrianised walkway but there is a central beach which is a stony/grainy mix, on the port side of the city Cocktail Dreams bar allows you to use it’s loungers for free if you’re having drinks there for the day - this beach is sandy (imported, but sandy nonetheless!)

Beaches in Ksamil

You will have to pay for loungers in most places here, but the beaches are so beautiful it’s worth it and it’s only approx. 500 lek per lounger for the day. We get off the bus at the first bus stop in Ksamil near supermarket Gjordeni and head down to the beach at Bar Restaurant Rilinda.

Best bars

Jericho for cocktails
Kristiano wine bar for the wine and the view
View bar terrace for the incredible view, great conversation, iced coffee (ask for a Freddo espresso) and great drinks. Our friend Tasi and his family run the place and they are lovely people.

Best restaurants

Centrali (located on the front so amazing views of the bay, great food, coffee and conversation)
Mussel house (on the way towards Ksamil, fresh mussels from the local mussel farms and great prices, also a gorgeous setting!)
Harmony (more pricey michelin style food)
Limani (main bar in Saranda, bit pricey but good atmosphere)
Guma Bar Restaurant (great seafood, located on the front of the promenade so great for people watching)
Moma Pasta Fresca (Italian cuisine)

Burek

Let’s talk a bit about Burek (Byrek, Borek, it’s spelt many ways)..
A traditional Albanian food and one that many places in Saranda make fresh each day - it’s filling, cheap and easy to find (just follow your nose). A filo-pastry enriched with lots of butter flaky goodness, it’s usually filled with either meat (mish), spinach (spinaq) or cheese (djathe). The spinach and cheese ones are similar to spanakopita, and all of them are soooo good. Price wise they’re a bargain at around 50-60 Lek per slice (50p!!!!!) and they are really filling. We’d usually buy a few to take with us on day trips, and I ended up having one most days for my lunch. You won’t be able to resist the smells of them wafting across Saranda bay.

Hidden gems

Central food market - every day (mostly mornings) there is a fruit and vegetable market in the centre of Saranda on the first street back from the waterfront, towards the port side of town. The produce is all fresh and very tasty, as well as cheap!
Clothes market - also in operation every day (mostly mornings), but very difficult to find. The best way we can describe this shanty-town style hidden maze of market stalls is to head to Rossmann & Lala Sarandë in the centre of town, turning left towards Hotel Tatzati. Once at the hotel, look for a small alleyway entrance on the left hand side and you’ll have found it. It does come up on Google Maps as “tregu industrial”. Enjoy getting lost and haggling for bargains in here.
Fish market - Every morning at the waterfront next to Limani there is a fish market. Get there early and purchase some fresh local mussels (they are de-shelled and in water bottles, this is normal practice here do not be alarmed!).
My favourite shop that sells burek and pastries is on the Port side of town, it’s called Peta Jon. Every morning they have queues out the door and they do sell out. Their pizza type slices with cheese and vegetables are incredible - don’t miss it.
Cake shops in Saranda are surprisingly good. My favourites are Kalimera patisserie and Pastiçeri dolce.
Archaeological remains in the centre of town near to the bus station/Friendship park are the remnants of an old Synagogue. Interesting to look at and read the information board about.

Lekursi castle

This magnificent hilltop castle was built in 1537 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. It was built in order to defend against attack by the Venetians. It’s a long but enjoyable walk up to the top, with some steep sections, or you can get a taxi from the centre of town. The panoramic views from the terrace stretch towards mainland Greece, over Corfu and over the city of Saranda and more of Albania. It’s free to enter the castle grounds and terrace, and the main castle building is now a restaurant so you can choose to have a drink or some food at the top if you wish. A new bar/restaurant called Natyra has opened on the route up to the castle, which has incredible views of inland Albania and a lovely terrace for a coffee or a glass of wine.

Xhiro

Xhiro is an Albanian word which translates to “walk” and is the art of ambling slowly around the streets at leisure, usually in the early evening. You will see this phenomenon occur daily with locals taking to the promenade for a stroll.

Saranda street dogs

Russ, an American expat, has set up a charity for the street dogs of Saranda, of which there are many. He raises funds to help dogs which are starving, have been hit by cars, or need help with injuries/infections. He is attempting to get them flea’d, wormed, and neutered before re-releasing them back onto the streets. He also has a business providing dog boarding services in Saranda. If you’re here for a while, go and volunteer - there’s always dogs to be walked, fed or looked after.

Hiking out of the city

Out the back of Saranda is a little known hiking trail which is glorious in the springtime with wildflowers and bumblebee’s buzzing around. Walk out of the city on Rruga Adem Sheme (Adam Sheme street) until the road runs out. A track of sorts leads you further out towards meadows and hills. It’s an out and back route but gets you back into nature for a short while. Beware of loose dogs that will protect their property.

Saranda Petra gym

If you love the gym and are looking for one whilst here, Saranda Petra gym is the place to go. With exercise classes such as yoga and pilates as well as full weight and cardio equipment, combined with reasonable prices and a view of the sea from the treadmill that will make you want to stay on it forever, you can’t go wrong. Ari runs the yoga classes here, and she also has her own studio Stellar Therapies for private and group yoga classes.

Street names

If you ask a local for directions whilst here, don’t expect them to know or provide you with street names. Most people here refer to the streets as follows:
First street (the first street back from the waterfront)
Second street (the second street back from the waterfront)
Third street (the third street back from the waterfront)
And so on…

DAY TRIPS FROM SARANDA:

Ksamil - A quick 20 minute bus journey along the coast will take you to Ksamil, a paradise of protected swimming bays, islands you can swim or kayak to, palm trees, sandy beaches and beach bars. The perfect “beach bum” day starts here.

Butrint UNESCO site - Historical and important archaeological ruins from the ancient Greek empire are located here at Butrint, a UNESCO site. It’s around another 15 minutes from Ksamil on the bus (35 minutes from Saranda) and a must visit whilst here. It’s around 1000 Lek per person (£10) and an enjoyable trip done in half a day.

Blue eye - Around an hours’ drive from Saranda, the Blue Eye or Syri i Kaltër, is a beautiful place to visit. A natural mountain spring named for its rich colour, the blue eye has had a makeover in recent years, with dedicated parking, tarmacked walkways and toilet blocks having been built for visitors.

The water is surrounded by wild ferns, roses, oaks & sycamores as well as a huge population of blue dragonflies. There are two restaurant/cafe’s on site. You can get the bus here which takes around 1.5 hours or a taxi direct from Saranda.

Gjirokaster - Around 1.5-2 hours drive from Saranda (busses go here from the bus stops next to Friendship Park), Gjirokaster is an ancient town filled with cobbled streets and overlooked by the jaw-dropping Gjirokaster fortress and castle. Visit the castle for panoramic views, history and information about the impressive site and then wander the streets to shop for trinkets and mementos before tucking into a hearty traditional lunch.

Boat trips - There are many different companies that offer boat trips from Saranda, ranging from an hour to a day trip, and offering things such as boat parties, the opportunity to try fishing, scenic tours of coves and beaches. Enquire on the front with the sellers direct.

Corfu - Accessible from Saranda port in as little as 30 minutes if you take the hovercraft, tickets are around £40pp return. Don’t forget your passport and some euros!

ALBANIA LIKE A LOCAL:

Language - In most countries we attempt to learn some of the language, but never have we had people be so surprised and delighted by our efforts than in Albania. I said “good morning” to a lady on a market stall in Albanian and she was so excited that I knew the words when I was obviously a tourist that she went and told everyone around her. Learning the words for hello, goodbye, please, thank you and cheers are ice-breakers that can encourage friendships with locals.

History - Albania has a fraught and tumultuous history which some may feel comfortable discussing and others may not. Respect the opinions of those around you whom may have suffered under communism, forced labour camps and the loss of family members. You will see remnants of this history all over the country in the hundreds of bunkers that dot the landscape. Some have been repurposed, such as one on Mount Tujanit which was turned into a part of the mini golf course.

Customs - In Albania head shakes are reversed to Western culture, so if a local shakes their head from side to side, they actually mean yes, and a nod up and down actually means no. This can take some getting used to. In rural or mountainous areas where settlements are more sparse it is considered vulgar to show too much skin so cover your knees and shoulders where possible. If a local provides you with Raki (see below) sip the drink slowly and try not to grimace.

Raki - A very high percentage alcohol which is often homemade by locals, Raki is an acquired taste. Similar to Ouzo in Greece, it is often provided at the end of a meal or shared between friends, and you’ll often see the locals drinking a measure of it with their morning espresso. It’s something that may grow on you, give it a go, it’s tradition after all!

Hopefully this blog has given you an insight into the Albanian way of life and will encourage you to make your next holiday a trip to Saranda!

Everything you need to know before you visit Sarandë, Albania

Brno, Czech Republic

Blog Gallery