thetrainfamilyPeople in Tirana and Durres lit up when we mentioned that we were going to Saranda later. At the same time, we were well aware that the city is one of Albania’s most touristic cities. So we were excited about this beautiful, southern Albanian coastal village.
Getting in
In this post I have written about our crazy bus trip to Sarande. However, most foreigners fly to the Greek island of Corfu. The island is very close to the Albanian mainland. There are three ferry companies that sail between the port of Saranda and the port of Corfu: Finikas Lines, Ionian Seaways and Joy Lines. The most spectacular of the ferries is the hydrofoil, which is owned by the ferry company Finikas Lines. The crossing takes 30 minutes with the hydrofoil and 1 hour and 30 minutes with the car ferry. It is thus very easy to get to Saranda from Corfu. However, remember that you are crossing a border, so there is border control and that Greece and Albania each have their own time zone.
The City Center
Saranda is a beautifully situated coastal city in southern Albania. The town lies along a natural bay with lovely crystal clear turquoise water. There are several small beaches along the bay. The city center is in the area from the port to the bus street (in Albania there is often not a bus station with a building, but rather a street that the buses stop on). From here, buses run to, for example, Tirana, Gjirokastra and Vlorë. Friendship Park is right next to the station. Let it be said that the park looks nicer in pictures such as here on visitSaranda’s website than in reality. When we were there the fountain was not working and there was a homeless man sleeping on a bench. Diagonally opposite the park is a supermarket which has all the most common necessities. You can pay both by card (minimum amount 500 lek) and cash. Opposite this is a baker “Kosova”, which has both bread, pizza and cakes. In our opinion, we stayed in the best place in the city, namely in this Airbnb apartment close to the bus, park, supermarket and bakery. link. From here we had a fantastic view of the city, the bay and we could even see Corfu. The city does not have many attractions, nor a shopping center or pedestrian street. But there are still some things you should not miss out on, while you’re in Saranda.
Our recommendations
We always visit interesting cemeteries or memorials and luckily Saranda also has one. It is slightly hidden from the road and when we were there, we were the only tourists. The cemetery is beautifully situated on a hilltop overlooking the sea. The area consists of a large white column with six red stars. Partisans who fought for the country during the Second World War are buried in the cemetery. The place is a little poorly maintained but still in ok condition. And definitely worth a visit.
The city has many hotels – more or less nice. One of the hotels you should pass by is the 5-star hotel Butrinti – link to the hotel homepage. The hotel was inaugurated in 1973 at a time when Albania was isolated from the rest of the world. Moreover, it was used exclusively for foreign delegations and tourists, making it a mysterious and exciting place for the locals. In 2001, the hotel was completely renovated and today has 5 stars.
The harbor area is unfortunately closed to non-sailing visitors. However, we went over there anyway to get as close to the hydrofoil as possible. A hydrofoil is a vessel with an airfoil under the hull that lifts the hull above the water surface. This reduces friction between the boat and the water and makes it possible to increase speed. Enough of the airfoil must remain in the water to keep the hydrofoil above water. The one that sails between Corfu and Saranda is of the “Kometa” type, built in the USSR in 1975.
Along the bay is a promenade with restaurants, cafes, benches and souvenir shops. It is pleasant to stroll here – both in the summer heat with an ice cream, in the evening with cicadas singing and on a cool day with debris from the sea. We also enjoyed watching the fishermen cleaning the day’s catch at the dock.
And of course the beach must be mentioned again. It is probably primarily because of the beach and the possibility of a beach holiday that visitors come to Saranda. We bathed every day while we were in town. It was super easy to get to the beach as you only have to walk down a few steps from the promenade to get there. The beach is a stone beach but with small stones, so it is not uncomfortable to lie on. However, remember to wear bathing shoes, as there are capsules and small glass shards! The bathing shoes are also good to wear in the water, as there are often older men fishing. And wonder if they don’t lose a hook every now and then… Every day we went to a kind of jumping tower, as the children loved to jump from there. The sea was deep below, so they jumped both feet and head first (always check the sea depth before jumping!). We saw a few big fish once in a while.
Saranda – go there!
Saranda is a lovely holiday destination in southern Albania and we enjoyed our stay there. The town is beautifully situated by the sea, close to Corfu. We have previously been to the Albanian port city of Durres, which was exciting, but also very chaotic (see blog post about Durres). There is not much to see in Saranda apart from swimming in the lovely turquoise sea. Fortunately, we found some interesting places. Alternatively, an excursion to Corfu is an option. In Saranda, it is also possible to rent a car so that you can visit surrounding towns like Ksamil and Gjirokastër.
