PLACES TO VISIT IN SARANDA AND SURROUNDINGS, ACCOMMODATION AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
Saranda is one of the most developed resorts in Albania and also one of the most sought-after vacation spots in this country. Basically, I had no choice but to add this much-praised place to my itinerary, which appeared in every travel guide about Albania. However, my expectations were not very high, neither regarding the location, nor regarding this country in general. Probably, by choosing to go to Saranda, I wanted to go on the safe side, to a place worth seeing and if I liked it, to come back to explore other places.
We spent three days in this area, more than enough time to get an idea and to pass on some information to you, which could be useful in creating your itinerary, or which would help you set your expectations with the reality.
In this article, I will talk to you about ways to get to Saranda, places to stay, food and places to eat, beaches and places to visit, both in Saranda and the surrounding area, as well as many other useful information and tips.
HOW DO YOU GET TO SARANDA?
Unfortunately, Saranda does not have its own airport (at least for now), so if you choose to get there by plane, you can opt for a flight to Corfu, then a ferry, or an organised day trip.
There is also the option of flying to Tirana airport, located approximately 250 km away. The advantage of flying to the country's capital is that the prices for plane tickets are more advantageous than those to Corfu. There are bus connections from the airport to most major cities, and the station can be found on the left side of the airport. If you want to have more flexibility, you can opt for renting a car. Among the companies available near the terminal, the most recommended are Europecar, Enterprise and Sicily by car.
WHERE DO YOU ACCOMMODATE IN SARANDA?
Accommodation prices are a bit lower, compared to similar options available in Romania. Being a more developed resort, there are also a few hotels, so you are not limited to choosing between apartments or homestays.
Among the options available on Booking, the ones that caught my attention are:
- Hotel Erioni - accommodation unit with double, triple or apartment-type rooms. It is located near the sea, has parking and internet. There is also a supermarket in the area, and as negative parts, guests have complained about the noise and the reception is not open 24 hours;
- Relax Apts Saranda - apartment type accommodation unit, located 5 minutes from the public beach in Saranda. It has private parking;
- Villa Doka - accommodation unit with double or triple rooms, located near Mango Beach. The location has a restaurant and barbecue area. Parking and internet are included in the booking price;
- Ansi Apartaments - accommodation unit with double rooms, or studio type. It has parking, bar, and breakfast can be served on request.
WHERE DO YOU EAT IN SARANDA?
The menus in Saranda reminded me a lot of Italy. Pizza, pasta, fish and even seafood are a must on the menus. In addition to these, we also add their traditional food, the most famous dishes being: Fërgëse (a soup of tomatoes, peppers, garlic and cheese), Byrek (a pastry filled with various: cheese, meat, vegetables), Tavë kosi (oven lamb with rice, which is eaten in combination with yogurt), Petulla (fried yeast, which is very similar to donuts and is eaten for breakfast). In addition to the diverse food, the coffee in Albania is quite good, Albanians being coffee drinkers.
Among the best-rated restaurants, I leave a few below:
Hera Restaurant - a place where seafood, fish and dishes based on them are the most important parts of the menu. You will also find lamb or beef steaks and you can try the famous seaweed salad.
Fish Restaurant Black Marlin - is a restaurant with a fish specialty. The prices for the food here are a little higher, compared to other restaurants of this type, but the food is very good, according to the customers.
Haxhi - is one of the best rated restaurants in Saranda. On the menu you will find both fish-based dishes and other types of meat.
If you are a sweet tooth, like me, or you love bubble waffles, pancakes and other sweet treats, I recommend going to the "Waffle and juice bar".
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SARANDA
Below are a few things to know about Saranda:
if you want to go to Saranda for the beach, the best time would be June and September. In July and August, the high season months, it will be very crowded. If you don't necessarily want to stay at the beach, any time of year is perfect for visiting, especially since Albania has an average of 300 sunny days/year. However, personally, I would probably avoid both the summer months, due to the crowds, and the winter months, due to the wind;
parking spaces in Saranda are very few, to almost non-existent in the area of the beaches and the promenade by the sea. If you know you will need a car and book accommodation in the resort, make sure that the accommodation unit has its own parking. I noticed that it is a practice, at least on Booking, to provide a parking space, which is actually in the street, which you can find free, or not. Also, parking spaces can be found on the streets on the tops of the hills, where it is not yet built and very far from the tourist area;
Albania is no longer as cheap as it was before the rampant inflation of recent years and since it started to become an increasingly popular destination. It is, however, cheaper than Romania, or Greece;
cash payments are preferred, not card payments. There are very few places where card payments are accepted, even the accommodation booked through Booking I paid for in cash. Euro payments are accepted almost everywhere, there is no need to exchange money into the local currency;
fuel price was €1.8/liter in May 2024;
there is a lot of construction going on in Saranda, as well as in all of Albania. Everywhere you will see buildings under construction, and the ones that are already built and finished seem to have no place in the landscape, or the streets are extremely narrow because of them;
the road conditions are not the best, but not the worst, if you drive on the main roads. If you go through less traveled places or residential neighborhoods, you may even encounter unpaved roads;
the Albanian driving style is a little different from what we are used to, not to say chaotic. I noticed that they don't really understand how priority works, neither in roundabouts, nor when they exit the street and cut you off.
if Saranda or Ksamil don't convince you, Greece is just a stone's throw away. Corfu Island is only 36 km away, which you can travel by ferry, or you can opt for an organized trip, details here;
the grocery stores in Saranda are quite poor and quite few. There are also not many supermarkets, only small shops, where the variety of products is not very wide;
Saranda is a town, so here you will find everything you could need: hospital, playgrounds for children, churches, parks, places for relaxation and entertainment, etc.;
although public transport in Albania leaves a lot to be desired, in Saranda it is very well established and you can find routes to most of the nearby locations and tourist attractions;
BEACHES AND PLACES TO VISIT IN SARANDA:
Bistrica Beach - is a sandy beach mixed with rocks, located near the mouth of the Lumi I Bistrices River. Because of the mountain river, the water in this area is a bit colder. It is mostly a wild beach, but it also has areas equipped with sun loungers and umbrellas. You will find parking spaces, if you arrive early in the morning. Right next to this beach you can also find White Beach, a private beach.
Mango Beach - a pebble beach, located in a small cove. The entrance to the water is smooth only when there are no waves. It has both private areas, equipped with sun loungers and umbrellas, and free areas for towels.
Flamingo Beach - a pebble beach, with a fairly large area of sun loungers. The entrance to the water is quite steep, and the towel area is very small. The water has an unreal turquoise color.
Hidden Rocky Beach is a narrow stretch of beach with large rocks. The beautiful scenery is complemented very well by the turquoise water. Entering the water can be difficult due to the large, rocky rocks.
Santa Quaranta Seaside Beach, a private beach, where public access is allowed even without a reservation at the hotel that manages it, but the first row of sunbeds is reserved for guests. As with most beaches in Saranda, it is a fairly rocky beach, but it also has a platform with a wooden floor, where sunbeds are placed. The negative side is that many tourists have complained about certain aspects such as high prices, lack of parking in the beach area, dirt, inappropriate attitude of the staff and crowding.
Secret Beach - is a sunbathing area built on a sort of terrace with a wooden floor. Access to the water is via both a rocky section of beach and a diving board.
The Public Beach in Saranda is the largest beach in the resort and completely for the towel area. It is not the most beautiful beach, but it can be an option if you are staying several days in Saranda and do not have a car. It is completely covered with stones, it is not a sandy beach.
African Beach Club is a private beach, equipped with sun loungers, umbrellas, hammocks, boho tents and many photo corners.
View point Sarande Beach is one of the most beautiful places to enjoy the sunset in Saranda. It is also a nice place for photos.
Lekuresi Castle is one of the places where you can enjoy an absolutely gorgeous view of Saranda. The location still preserves the old, original walls, built during the Byzantine period. Inside the walls, currently, there is a restaurant.
PLACES TO VISIT NEAR SARANDA
Beaches near Saranda:
Pulebartha Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Albania. It is all equipped with sunbeds and umbrellas, without a place to put a towel. What makes it special is its location, being formed in a cove and surrounded by high cliffs. As with the beaches in Saranda, it is not a sandy beach, but a rocky one, so don't leave your water shoes at home.
Kakome Beach (Kakome Bay) is a pebble beach, with crystal clear water, located in a small cove. It is not as popular as Pulebartha, but it is just as beautiful and a little freer. Currently, the road to the beach is closed to cars and pedestrians, and the only way to access it is by boat.
Krorëza Beachis is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful beaches in Albania. The turquoise color of the water, which the Ionian Sea does not deny, creates the perfect landscape in combination with the high cliffs that surround the beach and those in the sea. As in the case of the beach above, it is only accessible by boat, which makes it quite free even during busy periods. More details about a boat tour to Kroreza.
Shpella e Milotit is one of the most popular places to jump into the sea in the Saranda area. The rocks are not very high, but the water is deep, ideal for jumping.
Borsh Beach is a very long beach, which has both towel areas and sunbed areas. The sand is quite pebbly. It is located at a greater distance from Saranda, approximately 40 km.
Places to visit near Saranda:
Ksamil is one of the Albanian resorts that you should not miss, if you arrive in the area during the summer and you are passionate about staying at the beach. Although all the beaches in this resort are private, the options are quite varied, and the beaches are among the most beautiful I have seen in Albania. The negative side of this location is that during the summer it can become quite crowded. If you get over the inconveniences that come with this aspect, I am convinced that nothing else will displease you. Of the beaches visited, the most interesting beach seemed to me to be Poda Beach.
Butrint Archaeological Park, part of the UNESCO heritage, is one of the places where you can enjoy nature and at the same time, you can learn interesting things about the history of this part of Albania. The location is, in fact, a park where you can admire archaeological sites, which are proof that these places have been inhabited since 5000 BC. Over the hundreds of years, the Greek colonists, then the Romans, then the Byzantines, and then the Venetians, who lived, or just considered these lands a temporary home, left behind constructions whose ruins can still be admired today.
To visit this tourist attraction you need about two hours. The entrance ticket costs 10 euros/person. There is a free parking lot, which gets quite crowded, but if you arrive early, or 2-3 hours before closing, you will find a place.
The Blue Eye is one of the natural wonders of Albania and the perfect place if you want to enjoy nature. This blue eye is special both because of its absolutely gorgeous color, very unusual for a river, and because the water seems to boil above the spring, due to the pressure with which it comes to the surface. The blue-turquoise color can be admired along the entire length of the river. From this spring comes a full-fledged river, not just a stream.
The parking lot for this tourist attraction is located approximately 2 km away. There are several options for walking from the parking lot to the Blue Eye. The most difficult, especially on very hot summer days, is on foot. The entire section to the destination is paved and there are small differences in level. Other options would be by scooter, electric bike, or mini train. Scooters and bikes can be rented right next to the parking lot. The mini train has a station a little higher than the parking lot, near the dam. In May 2024, the parking price is 3 euros/3 hours (3 hours is more than enough time), the entrance ticket to the Blue Eye is 0.5 euros, and the scooter rental is 2 euros.
There is a terrace and a souvenir shop next to the river, and you need about an hour to visit this tourist attraction.
If you do not have your own transport, or a rented car, you can opt for an organized trip, with a visit to Lekuresi and/or Gjirokater included., details here, or here.
Gjirokaster is a small town located about 40 km from Saranda. It is not a very big town, so you can consider a day trip, you don't need more time. I would say that in about 3 hours you can see it all, including the visit to the castle.
Gjirokastër Castle is the most important tourist attraction of the town. It was built in the 6th century and has undergone several changes over time. During the communist regime it was used as a prison. In addition to visiting the castle, do not miss a walk through the old town.
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT SARANDA
Through my eyes, Saranda was seen as a small, small, small Monaco. Without wanting to create unrealistic expectations, I say that what made me make this comparison was an evening walk on the promenade by the sea. The gorgeous palm trees, the buildings climbing the hills surrounding the resort, the boats parked in the harbor and the holiday atmosphere are definitely the salt and pepper of this location. If this is your first time in Albania, it is worth choosing Saranda, regardless of how you like to travel. It is a diverse resort, where you can enjoy the beach and the water, but also the nature, history and superb landscapes.
On our vacation in Albania, besides Saranda, we also visited Ksamil, Gjirokastra, Butrint, Blue Eye, Vlore and Durres. To give you a little perspective, we landed at Tirana airport, where we rented a car. Because we only had 3 days, we chose to focus on a certain part of the country, and the balance tilted towards the southern area. We drove to Saranda, where we booked accommodation for two nights and visited what there is to visit in the surroundings, then on the way back we booked a night in Durres to be closer to the airport.
Read about other locations in Europe: Zakynthos Island, Thassos Island, Kavarna, or even the Romanian coastline.
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