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There’s a lot to do around Saranda, Albania and the surrounding area!
We are very grateful to the people we met during our time in Saranda who shared and adventured to some of these amazing places with us. We met some really great locals, travelers, and expats here. Saranda has a great community feel!
Of course, this list of things to do isn’t exhaustive. These are some of our favorite things we did while staying in Saranda for 1.5 months from January-March 2022 that we thought would be worth sharing with you.
Here’s a Google MyMap for Saranda we made for you that includes all of the places mentioned in this article.
We also made a video about Things to Do in Saranda on our Youtube channel.
If you notice any information that needs to be updated here, please let us know in the comments or send us an email to Jen (at) twocantravel.com
- Walk along the Promenade
- Beaches in Town
- Hiking in and Around Town
- 40 Saint Monastery
- Lëkuresi Castle
- Butrint National Park and Archaeological Site
- Butrint Lake Boat Ride and Ali Pasha’s Castle
- Ksamil Beach
- The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)
- Delvinë, a local village
- Local Restaurants
- Bektashi Temple
- Watch the Sunset
1. Walk Along the Promenade
Saranda’s promenade stretches for over one kilometer along the bay. It is a beautiful place to walk, especially in the early morning when it is less crowded, or in the evening around sunset.
In the early morning, you can see fishermen bringing in their fresh catch and locals bargaining for the best seafood.
Along the promenade, there are many restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, and shops.
One of the most popular restaurants at the center of the promenade is Limani which has delicious food and given the location and quality, very reasonable prices.
Another restaurant we enjoyed is called Paradise, located at the end of the promenade.
Cafe culture is big in Albania, and you’ll see people sitting at various cafes on the promenade sipping espressos and chatting at all times of the day.
2. Beaches in Town
There are several small beaches just within the Saranda city center. Most are not sand beaches and are covered in pebbles and rocks. However, people still spread out towels, swim, and enjoy relaxing down by the water.
A few of the beaches in town are Saranda Beach, Mango Beach, Flamingo Beach, and Plazhi Era. You can check out Saranda’s beaches Google Maps and make your way down the coast beach hopping to find the best beach for you.
3. Hiking in and Around town
There are some hikes organized by locals and other travelers that people post about in the Expats in Saranda and Saranda Expats Facebook groups. In our experience, joining those hikes has been a good way to meet fellow travelers and locals.
We’ve done a good amount of hiking and exploring just within walking distance from our apartment in the center of town.
4. Forty Saints Monastery
The ruins of this Eastern Orthodox monastery, originally built in the 6th century, sit atop a hill with sweeping views overlooking Sarandë.
At one point the monastery was the most important pilgrimage site in the Ionian Sea region. It remained an important pilgrimage site until the 15th century when it suffered destruction during the Ottoman conquest of the region.
On the monastery grounds, there was a basilica, hostels for guests and pilgrims, holy water pools, and crypts. In the underground chambers, there were forty small chapels dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
The monastery regained importance again in the 18th and 19th centuries. Then, during World War II the monastery was destroyed, either by German artillery or Allied aircraft.
During communism in Albania from 1944-1991 the monastery was turned into a military base. It remained this way until the end of the Albanian Civil War in 1997.
The site retains some importance today with the Greek Orthodox community, some pilgrims, locals, and tourists still visiting the site. Read more about this historic site.
5. Lëkuresi Castle
It takes about 30-40 minutes to walk up to the Lëkursi Castle from the center of town.
The Lëkursi castle was built in 1537 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. (what a name!) The Sultan had attacked Corfu and needed to take control of the harbor of Saranda as well as the road that connected with Butrint. This strategic point where he built the castle made it possible to control Saranda and the islands of Ksamil.
In the 18th century, the Lëkursi castle and the surrounding village were attacked by Ali Pasha of Ioannina (we’ll see his castle later!).
There is a restaurant by the castle. There are also a couple of restaurants along the road on the way up to the castle. We stopped at Natyra restaurant for a coffee and there were beautiful views of the valley below and the mountains. The menu looked pretty good too, though we didn’t eat there.
6. Butrint National Park and Archaeological Site
Watch our video about Butrint National Park on our YouTube channel.
The ancient city of Butrint is located 18km south of Saranda inside Butrint National Park. It is a great place for lovers of nature and archeology and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The 2500-year-old ancient city ruins inside Butrint National Park are some of the most underrated archeological sites in the region. Butrint National Park is of great importance for Albania and in our opinion, it’s well worth visiting!
Inside the park, there are different artifacts and structures dating from the Iron Age up until the Middle Ages. Signs inside the park are well marked in English. There are brochures in multiple languages next to the ticket office at the entrance with a map and descriptions of each site.
You can easily spend 2-3 hours inside Butrint, especially if you read every sign. Some points of interest inside include the Roman Theater, the Baptistery, the Great Basilica, the Lion Gate, and the castle with a museum inside.
You may want to do the brochure’s suggested route backward and start with the castle, as this is where the majority of the well-preserved artifacts can be found (entrance is included in your ticket price).
The Butrint National Park covers 94 square kilometers of lakes, swamps, and islands. There are over 1200 plant and animal species which are under the protection of the national park.
You can also take the cable ferry by the parking lot across the water to the triangular fortress.
7. Butrint Lake Boat Ride and Ali Pasha’s Castle
Watch our video about Butrint Lake.
Ali Pasha’s castle is located at the mouth of the Vivari Channel and the only way to reach it is by boat. The castle was built by the Ottoman ruler Ali Pasha of Tepelena in the early 19th century in order to protect Butrint.
Sometimes there are local boatmen outside the entrance to Butrint Archeological site near the parking lot. You can try to arrange with them to take you out to Ali Pasha’s castle. Just make sure you agree on a price ahead of time.
Ali Pasha’s castle was built over a Venetian fortified house that controlled fishing traps in the bay. You can still see some remains of the house inside.
The views of the bay, Butrint National park, and Corfu are stunning and we really enjoyed this boat ride.
We spent about an hour and a half between the boat ride and exploring the Ali Pasha castle ruins.
We did this boat trip with our friend Sonja who is a tour guide in Saranda, along with a trip to Ksamil. However, you could try and tack it on after your trip inside Butrint Archaeological site.
8. Ksamil Beach
Just north of Burtint National Park is Ksamil, with some of the most beautiful beaches on the Albanian Riviera. The bus that goes between Saranda and Butrint also stops at Ksamil, dropping you just a short walk from the beaches.
9. The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)
Watch our video about the Blue Eye.
The Blue Eye is a beautiful natural spring that feeds into a stunning turquoise, blue, and green river. It is an amazing sight, especially knowing that the Blue Eye is at least 50 meters (150 feet) deep!
Swimming at the Blue Eye is prohibited according to the signs, however, we still saw people swimming on the day we were there, even though the water was only 10°C! (50°F!).
There are remnants of a platform over the Blue Eye that are in disrepair, but that didn’t stop the people we saw from jumping off a protruding rusty metal beam into the water.
Just past that platform, there is a small hiking trail. We followed the trail for about an hour and enjoyed the views of the river and lake and being in nature. Just be aware that not all of the areas of the trail are well kept, so be careful and use your best judgment.
It is possible to reach the Blue Eye from Saranda by taking the bus that goes to Gjirokaster and asking the driver to stop along the way. The bus to Gjirokaster leaves from the center of Saranda nearby the Rossmann and Lala store, about a block from the Friendship Park. Just let the driver know you want to stop at the Blue Eye. It should cost 200-300 Lek each way.
After you get off the bus, follow the signs. You’ll pass an old church and some beehives along the way. Then you’ll cross a bridge and keep following the path. It is about a 20-30 minute walk from where the bus drops you off to reach the Blue Eye.
We caught a 3pm bus coming back from Gjirokaster to Saranda by waiting by the road in the same place we got dropped off and flagging it down. You could also hire a taxi to take you there and back or rent a car or a motorbike in Saranda to go there on your own.
10. Delvinë-local village
If you’re interested to see more of the towns and villages nearby Saranda, Delvinë is a great option.
Delvinë is located just 20-30 minutes outside of Saranda by bus. Buses depart at the bus area in the center of town near Rossmann and Lala shop. You can ask the bus drivers in that area and they’ll point you in the right direction.
The town of Delvinë is built on a mountain slope. It’s a nice place to walk around and go for a coffee or a meal and see an even slower pace of life than Saranda.
The town has a mosque, a Catholic church, a Protestant church, and an Orthodox church. The most interesting thing there was visiting the remainders of a medieval castle up on a hill. It takes about a 30-minute to walk up to the ruins from the center of town. Ask any local “kala” which means castle and they can point you in the right direction to get there.
The ruins aren’t all that exciting, but the views are amazing!
After visiting the castle, we walked along the road through the village below the castle. We met some friendly local people along the way and saw a lot of animals including cows, donkeys, dogs, goats, sheep, chickens, and even guinea hens.
A nice restaurant to eat at in Delvinë is Bar Restaurant Freskia.
I’ll leave a link to the Delvine Wikipedia page below so you can read more about the history of the town which is quite interesting. Link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delvin%C3%AB
11. Bektashi Temple
We first learned about the Bektashi religion from our tour guide on the Tirana free walking tour. It’s very interesting, however, we aren’t experts so we’ll leave you to learn more about the religion here.
The Bektashi Temple in Saranda is located up on a hill. It takes about 40 minutes to walk there from the center of town. It is a nice walk to get there, though a bit steep towards the end as you approach the temple.
The arched entrance with large red doors depicting the Albanian flag is notably beautiful as you enter the grounds. The temple is grand and very nice inside. The views from the temple are stunning!
We were warmly welcomed to enter the temple. A lovely woman inside showed us around and even opened several doors to let us go inside different rooms revealing beautiful decorations and artifacts.
There are also tombs and gardens on the site.
11. Watch the Sunset
Hopefully, you’re able to book accommodation in Saranda with beautiful views for sunset. But if not, head down to the promenade, any of the restaurants along the coast, up to Lekursi Castle, or find your own perfect place to watch the sun go down.
12. Take a Trip to Corfu
The Greek Island of Corfu is just south of Saranda and can be easily reached by ferry. Ferries leave from the boat terminal, which is the pink building you can see from the promenade near the police station.
There are both slow boat and fast boat options. Ticket prices vary based on the ferry you choose and the time of year but cost roughly 20 Euros each way.
13. Eat at Saranda’s delicious restaurants-our faves
During the low season (October-April) there are fewer choices for restaurants in Saranda because a lot of businesses are closed.
But even so, we found plenty of wonderful restaurants to eat at in the center of town. A few of our favorites are:
Marini, Hahxi, Paradise, and Limani.
Some restaurants, like Black Light Saranda, a sushi restaurant, are open just one night per week in the low season.
There are also plenty of markets to shop at and a nice local market in the middle of town with lots of produce and lovely vendors.
In Conclusion
We hope you found this video helpful! Check out our YouTube videos about Saranda and more places in Albania!
Check out even more things to do in Saranda and tour options here.
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