The Albanian Riviera is a region not to be missed! With white-sand beaches, turquoise water, old churches and cobbled streets, you’ll find plenty of things to do in Sarande.
We spent 5 nights in Sarande using the area as a base and exploring the best things to do along the coast. The minimum amount of time you’ll need is 3 days, but we recommend spending more, especially if you love beaches!
As Sarande is a great base for visiting the rest of the Albanian Riviera, we’ll show you places in Himare and Ksamil in this guide. We’ll also show you how to travel from Sarande using public transport or car rentals to other beautiful destinations along the coast.
So if you’ve already booked accommodation in Sarande, don’t worry, you’ll be able to do everything on this list! Let’s explore the bustling city of Sarande!
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Quick Tips for a Sarande Itinerary
- Currency – Albanian Lek (compare to your own currency here)
- Language – Albanian
- Cuisine – Albanian / Mediterranean Cuisine (byrek, tavë kosi, grosh, lakror)
- Albania Power Voltage – Plugs C & F (230 V)
- Where to stay in Sarande – Porto Eda Hotel
- Need a sim? We love grabbing E-sims from Airalo!
12 Best Things To Do In Sarande, Albania
We’ll jump straight into the best things to do in Sarande! You’ll find tips on how to get around, where to stay and our food recommendations at the end of this guide.
1. Explore Butrint National Archaeological Park
Butrint National Archaeological Park is one of the most popular ancient ruins in Albania. It was declared the first UNESCO Heritage Site in the country back in 1992.
The site includes crumbled ruins from the Greek, Roman and Venetian periods. Some sections are well preserved, whilst others are a little unrecognisable now. You can explore self-guided or on a tour. Here’s a day trip to Butrint Park, the Blue Eye, Ksamil & Lekuresi Castle!
Although you won’t find rolling green hills like the average national park, you’ll be able to discover the history of Albania and see the architectural development over the years. There’s also a museum at the end of the route.
It’s the perfect escape to the beaches of the coast and a must-visit if you love history! In the car park, you’ll also find locals offering boat tours to Ali Pasha Castle!
💰 1000 lek
2. Take a boat trip to hidden beaches
One of the best things to do in Sarande is to take a boat trip to see the beautiful hidden beaches of the Albanian Riviera.
We chose Ava Boat Tours as they’re a family-owned business with a small speed boat and snorkelling gear. Alternatively, there’s huge 100+ pirate ships, but you’ll be sharing each spot with everyone on your boat.
They took us to turquoise coves, where we jumped into the Ionian Sea and swam with the fish. Almost every boat tour takes you to Krorëza Beach for lunch, but as our tour left at 12pm instead of 10 am, we had an almost empty beach to ourselves!
➤ Book your boat trip on Get Your Guide!
💰 from 2500 lek
➤ Check out our 2 Week Albania Itinerary!
3. Discover the history of the Albanian Riviera
During the Ottoman era, Sarande was a small quaint fishing village. It was then inhabited by Greeks, Italians and British before the Albanian communists ruled the country. Now it’s one of the most popular places to visit on the Albanian Riviera and the perfect summer destination in the Balkans!
Alongside the ruins in Butrint Archaeological Park, you can find old monuments and castles all over the coast, including artefacts inside museums!
Here’s a few historic places to explore during your Sarande trip:
- Ruins of the Synagogue – crumbled bricks in the heart of Sarande with a free entrance!
- Lekursi Castle – near Sarande city with impressive views of the coast!
- The Monastery of the 40 Saints – see the old Byzantine frescoes (Roman Empire) and enjoy the views!
- Himarë Castle – preserved but old castle walls that date back to the 13th century
- Himare Old Town – right next to the Castle, you’ll find the lovely cobbled streets of the Old Town.
- Museum Of Traditions – a very small museum with some historic artefacts. There’s also an archaeological museum included in the price.
4. Find the beautiful beaches in Himare
The beaches of Albania are absolutely breathtaking and comparable to popular countries nearby like Greece and Croatia. Think white-sand beaches and bright turquoise water, especially when the sun is shining!
Himare is filled with a beautiful range of beaches! You’ll find beaches on the coast of the town or some a taxi or drive away!
On the way to Himare, we drove past incredible beaches! Here’s some of the beaches we recommend:
- Llamani Beach – a beautiful little turquoise cove!
- Borsh Beach – the largest beach in South Albania!
- Gjipe Beach – close to Dhermi near the interesting caves
- Jale Beach – one of our favourite beaches just passed Himare
- Aquarium Beach – a small cove with a tiny cafe (park at Jale Beach)
- Livadi Beach – a huge strip of beach near Himare.
- Sfageio Beach – in the centre of Himare!
Don’t forget to browse Himare when you’re in the area! It’s more peaceful than Sarande with fewer hotels and crowds. There’s the Old Town and the coastal strip. We recommend staying here if you don’t want the busy vibe of Sarande.
How to get to the beaches in Himare from Sarande?
We rented a scooter in Sarande for €20 a day and paid about €7 per day for fuel. There’s also plenty of rental cars in Sarande to book in advance or you can catch the bus.
You’ll be able to catch the 10 am or 1 pm bus to Himare from Sarande and then catch a bus back at 7pm. Sarande bus station is in the heart of the city!
5. Admire the views from Lekursi Castle
Although we’ve already mentioned a few historic places worth visiting in Sarande, we wanted to talk a little more about Lekursi Castle.
You’ll find it high on the hilltops of Sarande town and due to the height, you know it’s going to have good views! Lekursi Castle was built by Sultan Suleiman I (Ottoman emperor) in the 1500s. Book a Lekursi Castle Sunset Tour!
The castle once held the village of Lëkurës and protected them from attacks by the Venetians. Over time it’s been abandoned and restored to the state it’s in today.
It’s best to get a taxi or drive to the castle otherwise it’s a 1 hour steep walk. There’s also a restaurant on the hilltop if you want to dine with a sunset!
Sadly we didn’t have time to visit Lekursi Castle, but we managed to find some awesome views on the way to our dinner reservation (Green Market). If you like castles and ruins, check out our Berat itinerary!
Where to stay in Sarande? Porto Eda Hotel!
6. Take a day trip to Gjirokaster
Gjirokaster is home to one of our favourite castles in Albania and it’s easy to get to on a day trip from Sarande! The bus takes about 1 hour and costs 400 lek per person (each way).
There are multiple buses leaving a day, but they’re not very frequent. It’s best to aim for 8 or 9 am if you’re travelling by bus. The car park can fill up fast during the summer months, so if you’re driving, you’ll want to leave early too! You can also book a Gjirokastra & Blue Eye Day Trip from Sarande!
A few ways to spend the in Gjirokaster are to explore the beautiful cobbled Old Town, visit the impressive castle, eat traditional Albanian food and explore the secret Cold War tunnel.
We have a full 1 day Gjirokaster travel guide if you want to plan your trip!
7. Visit the Blue Eye of Southern Albania
The Blue Eye is a beautiful water spring in Albania and there’s actually two in the country! We visited the Blue Eye in the North near Theth and loved it! The water in both springs is fresh, cold and from the mountains!
It’s a great place to cool down, especially in the summer heat. Although you can’t technically swim in the Blue Eye due to many warning signs – loads of people do!
The bus that goes to Gjirokaster passes by the Blue Eye of the South, so you can jump off on the way and catch another bus back to Sarande.
In recent years, the Blue Eye has become very popular and it’s quite a busy place to visit. If you have a car or transport, we recommend visiting as early as possible! Otherwise you can book a tour here!
8. Relax on the beaches of Ksamil
When see photos of Albanian beaches, you’re probably seeing the beaches of Ksamil. Ksamil is known as the Maldives of Europe, although we saw a lot of Tulum (Mexico) influences.
Turquoise waters surround the coast with a variety of beach clubs and tasty places to eat. Honestly, we couldn’t believe Albania looked like this! We didn’t have much luck finding good snorkelling spots but you can find many beaches in the area.
We managed to find a free public beach (here’s the location) on Paradise Beach, but there’s also an area for sun beds here too. Cocoa Beach Bar has a hand sculpture over the ocean which is an Instagram spot! We walked around many different kinds of beaches!
The prices for a sun bed can range from €10 upwards, usually within the €15 – €30 range for a nice sun bed and wicker umbrella.
Ksamil is the perfect place to spend the day after visiting Butrint! We spent an afternoon here before heading back to Sarande town.
➤ Visiting Albania on a budget? Here’s our full travel costs for our Albania trip!
9. Explore Dhermi Village
Dhermi is located further up the coast from Sarande nestled in the incredible mountain landscape. It’s just passed Himare on the way to Vlorë, so you may be able to visit Dhermi on the way back to Tirana! We recommend visiting if you have a car or scooter as the bus journey is a little long for a day trip.
Dhermi Village is the perfect Albanian Old Town with charming shops, lovely guesthouses and no major tourist strip. It’s much more quieter than Sarande, but also very small.
The Church of Saint Spyridon is one of the highlights with a blue-topped dome standing out against the orange buildings of the village. Most of the old stone houses have been restored over time which has given Dhermi a fresh makeover!
When planning a trip to Dhermi from Sarande, don’t forget to visit Dhërmi Beach (a 10-minute drive away from the village) and Gjipe Beach (a 25-minute drive away).
10. Walk along the Sarande Promenade
Sarande Beach is the main beach in Sarande and we think it’s pretty underrated! Yes it’s busy with locals and the water isn’t as turquoise as others on the coast, but it’s free! Walking down to the main beach is one of the best things to do in Sarande!
When the sun goes down, the boulevard becomes the central hotspot! Locals come out for their evening walk, restaurants are at their peak and tonnes of markets line up along the strip. There’s lots of places to find ice cream and even a few vegan sorbets. (Here’s our vegan Albania guide)
We spent a few of our evenings strolling the boulevard people watching and feeding a few friendly dogs.
The boulevard is also the best spot for finding boat trips in Sarande! We went with Ava Boat Tours, but there are plenty along the strip, including a Davy Jones pirate ship!
11. Visit the Ksamil Islands
Another one of the best things to do in Sarande is to visit the Ksamil Islands! We didn’t know about these until we saw them from the coast of Ksamil!
There are four islands near Ksamil in the Ionian Sea and the only way to reach them is on the water! You can catch a speed boat, rent a kayak or canoe or you can even swim to some of the closer islands!
If you’re interested in kayaking! Take a Kayak & SUP Tour in Sarande!
The waters on these islands look so untouched! They are protected by Butrint National Park and there are no hotels or guesthouses on them! So the best way to visit is during the daytime.
There’s also plenty of viewpoints around Ksamil where you can admire these islands without heading into the water!
12. Day trip to Corfu Old Town
A visit to Corfu is the perfect day trip from Sarande as ferries leave multiple times a day! Corfu Old Town is only a 35-minute speed ferry away so you can explore Greece whilst visiting Albania.
We chose to visit Corfu after our 2.5 weeks in Albania, so we spent three days in Corfu. The Old Town feels like a little slice of Italy, with all the Venetian architecture. We spent a day wandering around the beautiful cobbled streets eating our way through tasty Greek food (Tabule Rasa) and browsing the local shops.
There’s plenty of museums to keep you occupied and even a few places to dip in the water! The Old Fortress and New Fortress are both worth visiting, but on a day trip from Sarande, we recommend visiting the Old Fortress!
The Old Town also has amazing souvenirs to buy although you may find a lot of them cheaper in Albania. Corfu is definitely more expensive than Sarande and Albania!
We’ve written a full guide on our 3 days in Corfu, including exploring the beautiful Old Town!
That’s the end of our things to do in Sarande! Generally, if you love beaches, you can spend a week exploring new beaches and all the places we’ve mentioned in this guide. We spent 5 days in Sarande and it was perfect for us!
How to spend 5 days in Sarande: Our Sarande Itinerary
On our Sarande itinerary, we spent the first day wandering through the city, chilling on the beach and admiring the viewpoints.
The second, third and fourth days were dedicated to day trips from Sarande. We explored Butrint and Ksamil in one day, Himare on another day and you can use the other day for Dhermi, Gjirokaster or the Blue Eye.
On day 5, we chilled at a local beach near our apartment on the west of Sarande before catching the ferry to Corfu the next day! Alongside our Sarande travel guide, here’s a few tours you might be interested in:
Where to stay in Sarande
Accommodation is more expensive in the south of Albania and as we were travelling in July we made sure to book a few months in advance. Even the hostels were more expensive! Here’s a few places we recommend in the Sarande region:
Vila Marina apartments – We spent 5 nights at this apartment in Sarande as we wanted to cook during our trip. It was the perfect place for us and only a 20-minute walk out of the city centre and main beach – Find it on Booking.com here!
Porto Eda Hotel – If you want to stay in the heart of Sarande, this hotel is for you! – Find it on Booking.com here!
Sea Breeze Rooms – For Himare, we recommend Sea Breeze Rooms near Maracit for a lovely place to stay near the beaches.
Should I stay in Sarande or Ksamil?
Sarande has a lot more options for accommodation, from luxury hotels to apartments and lovely guesthouses. Ksamil is much smaller than Sarande and if you want to explore places like Himare, Dhermi or Gjirokaster, you’ll be driving an extra 40 minutes compared to staying in Sarande.
However, Ksamil is much more relaxing, and prettier and most of the beaches are closer and generally more photogenic (even if you have to pay to use most of them). So, if you’re only spending 2 nights on the coast and you don’t want to do any day trips – we recommend staying in Ksamil.
Diol Hotel Ksamil – here’s a beautiful hotel we can recommend on the southern side of Ksamil – Find it here on Booking.com!
If you want to use your location as a base and go on day trips like we did, it’s best to stay in Sarande! We recommend Porto Eda Hotel!
Best Places to Eat in Sarande
- Green Life Market – an incredible vegan restaurant serving fresh homemade food!
- Papu Gyros – serving amazing Greek gyros in Ksamil!
- Tako Taco Pub – get your fix of Mexican food in Sarande!
- Restaurant Merkur Merkuri – an affordable but luxury-feeling restaurant, we tried the vegan risotto!
- Meraki – a Greek place in Sarande serving great gyros!
- Pizza Amaris – lovely pizza close to Sarande beach!
We have a guide to eating vegan in Albania if you’re a veggie or vegan traveller!
How to get to Sarande
By Flight – There is no airport in Sarande, which means you’ll either have to fly into Tirana (The capital city) or catch a ferry from the nearby island of Corfu, Greece.
By Ferry – You can reach Sarande from Corfu, (Greece), Bari (Italy) or Brindisi (Italy). We took the ferry to Corfu for €22 each but prices vary depending on the time of year. The journeys are quick and easy with the ferry terminal being in the heart of Sarande.
By Bus – We took a bus from Gjirokaster for €4 and the journey only took 1 hour. Other bus routes you might need are Tirana, Berat and Durres. The drive to Tirana is quite long, so that’s why we chose to head over to Corfu instead!
By Car – Albania is very easy to get around by car! You can find many car rentals in Tirana or the city of Sarande. Browse car rentals in advance on DiscoverCars.
How to get around Sarande
Sarande isn’t a huge city, but it might take a while to get around depending on the location of your accommodation! We stayed a 20-minute walk away from the centre, so it was easy to walk around Sarande to get where we needed.
But, as there are so many things to do in Sarande that are outside of the city centre – we chose to rent a scooter. This helped to get to Butrint National Park, Himare and Ksamil!
Car or Scooter Rental – There’s loads of places to rent scooters from in Sarande! We chose one that had no deposit or mileage so we could explore wherever we wanted. Browse Discover Cars for car rental in Sarande!
Local Bus – We saw buses heading to Butrint and Ksamil from the bus stop near Pizza Amaris. They leave every hour and don’t cost much! You can buy your tickets on the bus.
How to get to Himare from Sarande – You’ll need to take a ‘cross country’ bus heading along the coast. Catch a bus to Himare from Sarande Bus Station! We use Gjirafa to check the times.
Best Time to Visit Sarande
The best time to visit Sarande is in the summer months, but this is often the busiest and hottest time of year! So we recommend visiting between May to June and September to early October!
You’ll still experience lovely weather, especially in June or September, and you won’t have to put up with crowded beaches.
We visited in July as that’s the only time we had free, and it was pretty busy. It was also 35°C plus every day which meant we tried to keep shade when bathing on the beaches and exploring the best things to do in Sarande!
Is Sarande worth visiting?
We think Sarande is worth visiting if you’re exploring the Albanian Riviera. Whether you choose to stay in the city is up to you! We found lots of great places to stay in Sarande to fit our budget and we had supermarkets down the road so we could cook and save money.
Sarande is busy, more commercial and less charming than other regions or villages on the coast, but it does come with its benefits. We hope this guide helped you find out what to do in Sarande and how you can explore the beautiful coast of Albania.
That’s the end of our Sarande travel guide! If you need any more help planning – send us a message on Instagram (@thesunrisedreamers). Check out our other Albania travel guides!
- 3 Day Corfu Itinerary, Greece
- 2 Week Albania Itinerary
- How to spend 2 days in Tirana
- 2 Day Berat Itinerary
- Best Things To Do in Theth
- 1 day Gjirokaster Itinerary
- Best Things To Do in Krujë
- Top Things To Do in Shkoder
- How to travel Albania on a Budget
- Vegan in Albania Guide
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