Saranda
Sarandë faces the Ionian Sea with the crisp light of a bay the Greeks called Onchesmos and the Romans Anchiasmos: an arc of white...
Updated 8 July 2026
Saranda
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Saranda now
The story
The story of Saranda
From Hellenic origins to a province of modern Albania
The ancient name of Sarandë, Onchesmos, already appears in Greek sources as a port linked to Corcyra, modern-day Corfu, and as a staging post for trade between the Ionian Sea and the interior of Epirus. In Roman times the port, renamed Anchiasmos, grew in importance along the routes connecting Italy to Greece, while inland nearby Phoenice briefly became the capital of the Epirote League, powerful enough to negotiate with Rome as an equal. With the fall of the Western Empire the region passed under Byzantium, which left a solid Christian presence there; centuries of contention followed between Normans, Angevins, Venetians and finally Ottomans, who governed the area for nearly four centuries, leaving traces still legible in place names and architecture. The name Sarandë, from the Greek Saranta (Forty), is according to popular tradition linked to the Byzantine monastery of the Forty Saints that stood on the heights above the town.
The twentieth century: wars, isolation and rebirth
The twentieth century brought Sarandë the same fractures experienced by all of Albania: independence in 1912, border disputes with Greece after the First World War, and Italian then German occupation during the Second World War. With the establishment of Enver Hoxha's communist regime, the town, because of its position on the maritime frontier facing the West, was sealed off: fishermen and residents could not freely approach the shore, and thousands of concrete bunkers were scattered across the surrounding hills, some still visible today as scars on the landscape. The fall of the regime in 1990 and the openness of the following years transformed Sarandë into one of the country's most dynamic coastal destinations, with a seafront rebuilt almost entirely within a few decades and an economy that today lives on tourism, fishing and export agriculture, particularly citrus fruit and olives.
Butrint, the city time has layered
A handful of kilometres south of Sarandë, immersed in the vegetation of a national park overlooking Lake Butrint and the Vivari Channel, lies the archaeological site of Butrint, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Founded, according to myth, by Trojan exiles, it was a Greek settlement, a Roman colony of veterans established by Augustus, an early Christian episcopal seat and finally a Venetian fortress. Walking among its stones, one encounters in succession the archaic cyclopean walls, a Hellenistic theatre still used for performances, the remains of baths and an early Christian basilica with splendid floor mosaics, a circular baptistery among the largest of the late-antique Mediterranean, and finally the Venetian castle that seals, like a stamp, two thousand years of stratification. It is probably the most important archaeological testimony in all of Albania.
Lëkurësi Castle, sentinel over the gulf
On the hill overlooking Sarandë from the south, just over two kilometres from the centre, stands Lëkurësi Castle, built in the sixteenth century by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to control the gulf and the routes toward Corfu. The structure, of a relatively simple plan, has lost much of its original military function to become today above all a scenic viewpoint: from its ramparts the eye takes in the entire bay of Sarandë, the Ksamil islands and, on clear days, the Greek coast. At sunset, the climb to the castle has become a small ritual for those staying in town, helped along by a restaurant set within the fortress that lets diners eat with the illuminated city at their feet.
The Blue Eye, the enchanted spring of the hinterland
About thirty kilometres from Sarandë, in the heart of a forest of beeches and plane trees along the course of the Bistricë river, opens the Syri i Kaltër, the Blue Eye: a karst spring that pours icy water from a deep cavity, creating a natural pool of cobalt blue shading into turquoise at the shallower edges. The phenomenon, due to the particular refraction of light on the extremely pure water and the depth of the underground conduit, never fully explored, has made the place one of the most photographed natural attractions in southern Albania. Shaded paths, picnic areas and small family-run restaurants have developed around the spring, ideal for a cool break on the hottest summer days.
Ksamil, the islands carved out of the Ionian
A few minutes' drive south of Sarandë, facing the village of Ksamil, four islets covered in Mediterranean scrub dot a sea with shallow, crystal-clear waters, reachable by swimming or short boat crossings. The scenery, often compared to the Caribbean for the colours of the water, is actually part of Butrint National Park and retains a natural balance still relatively intact despite the village's rapid tourist growth. Ksamil's beaches, some free and others equipped with facilities, have in recent years become one of the emblematic images of the Albanian Riviera, capable of attracting visitors for even just a day at the sea, on a day trip from Sarandë or Corfu.
Porto Palermo Castle and the coast to the north
Heading up the coast to the north, beyond the town of Himarë, already at the edge of the province, the bay of Porto Palermo holds a star-shaped castle built in the nineteenth century by Ali Pasha of Tepelenë, the semi-independent lord of Epirus, to defend one of the most sheltered natural harbours on the entire Albanian Ionian coast. The fortress, connected to the mainland by a spit of sand, is mirrored in intensely blue water framed by rocky headlands, and is today a destination for boat and kayak excursions from Sarandë, often combined with visits to the nearby pebble beaches reachable only by sea or via scenic trails.
The seafront and the urban face of Sarandë
The centre of Sarandë develops almost entirely along the curve of the bay, with a seafront promenade lined with cafés, fish restaurants and shops that fills in the evening with residents and visitors in a Mediterranean ritual of the evening stroll. Behind the promenade the town climbs rapidly in elevation with modern buildings constructed in the decades following the fall of communism, while older traces survive in the remains of the 5th–6th century early Christian synagogue discovered in the heart of the city, with its mosaic floor decorated with Jewish candelabra, a rare testimony to the presence of a Jewish community in late-antique Epirus. The port, still today a point of arrival for ferries to and from Corfu, remains the beating heart of the town's economy.
The landscape: Ionian coast and hilly hinterland
The province of Sarandë alternates a jagged coastline, made of white pebble coves, limestone headlands and small inlets reachable only by sea, with a hilly hinterland cultivated with olives, citrus and vineyards that climbs gradually toward the first foothills of the mountains of Albanian Epirus. The Bistricë river, which feeds the Blue Eye, descends from these heights through wooded gorges before flowing into the coastal plain, while further south the border with Greece runs along the Pavllë valley, opening the province also to a kind of frontier tourism. It is a landscape in which the green of the Mediterranean scrub, the grey of the karst rock and the blue of the sea alternate within a few kilometres, offering strikingly different scenery from one stretch to the next.
Traditions, flavours and popular culture
The cuisine of Sarandë is typical of the Albanian Ionian coast: fresh grilled fish, locally farmed mussels, savoury byrek filled with cheese or vegetables, olive oil produced from the olive groves surrounding the town, and a home-distilled raki often made in family kitchens. The oranges and mandarins of the coastal plain, grown thanks to the mild climate and abundant springs, are another signature of local agriculture. In the hinterland the tradition of iso-polyphony survives, the multi-voice choral singing typical of southern Albania and recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, which in the villages still intertwines with patron saint festivals, weddings and Orthodox and Muslim religious observances, testimony to the centuries-old coexistence of different faiths in this part of the country.
When to go and how to experience the province
The beach season in Sarandë runs roughly from May to October, with the peak in visitors and temperatures between July and August, when the sea is warmest but the beaches, especially those of Ksamil, can fill up quickly. May, June and September remain the recommended months for those seeking a balance between pleasant weather, lower prices and a less hectic pace, also ideal for combining the sea with excursions to Butrint, the Blue Eye and the coastal trails. In winter the town empties almost entirely of visitors and resumes its character as a provincial town, with a climate that remains mild compared to the rest of Albania thanks to the shelter of the hills behind it.
- Wander at sunset through the ruins of Butrint, between the Roman theatre and the early Christian basilica
- Climb up to Lëkurësi Castle for the panorama over the gulf of Sarandë and Corfu
- Swim in the cobalt water of the Blue Eye, the karst spring of the Bistricë river
- Reach the islets of Ksamil by boat or by swimming, and their crystal-clear beaches
- Visit the mosaics of the early Christian synagogue in the centre of Sarandë
- Explore the bay and the nineteenth-century castle of Porto Palermo by kayak
- Taste grilled fish and local citrus fruit along the town's seafront
- Take the ferry for a day trip to Corfu, visible on the horizon
FAQ
Quanti giorni servono per visitare Sarandë e dintorni?
Qual è il periodo migliore per andare a Sarandë?
Cosa vedere in un solo giorno a Sarandë?
Si può arrivare a Sarandë da Corfù?
Ksamil è adatta alle famiglie con bambini?
Dove si parcheggia per visitare Butrinto?
Getting there
- Aeroporto Internazionale di Tirana Nënë Tereza, circa 280 km, collegamento su strada di 4-5 ore
- Aeroporto Internazionale di Corfù, in Grecia, raggiungibile poi con traghetto per Sarandë in circa 30-40 minuti
- L'Albania non dispone di collegamenti ferroviari verso Sarandë; il trasporto avviene su gomma o via mare
- Da Tirana si segue la SH4 fino a Fier e poi la SH8 lungo la costa attraverso Vlorë e la Riviera Albanese, oppure la SH75 attraverso Gjirokastër dall'entroterra; entrambi i percorsi richiedono circa 4-5 ore di guida su strade panoramiche ma spesso tortuose.
- Nei mesi estivi conviene prenotare in anticipo traghetti e alloggi a Ksamil, e mettere in conto tempi di percorrenza più lunghi lungo la costa per il traffico stagionale.
Perfect for
Acque cristalline tra il lungomare di Sarandë, le isole di Ksamil e le calette di Porto Palermo, ideali per bagni, snorkeling e uscite in barca.
Il parco di Butrinto, patrimonio UNESCO, e i resti dell'antica Phoenice raccontano oltre duemila anni di storia stratificata.
La sorgente carsica dell'Occhio Blu e l'entroterra boscoso lungo il fiume Bistricë offrono un contrappunto fresco alla costa assolata.
La polifonia iso dei villaggi dell'entroterra e la convivenza di tradizioni ortodosse e musulmane raccontano l'anima plurale del sud Albania.
Pesce fresco, olio d'oliva, agrumi e raki artigianale definiscono una cucina semplice e legata al territorio costiero.
To see
What to see in Saranda
Routes · Trovido Route
