Exploring Saranda

Albania

Coffee Shops, Beaches & City Life

Duration: 2,5 months
Country: Albania
Budget: $2500
Coffee Shops Visited: 9

Saranda is one of the best and the most popular summer tourist destination of the Albanian Riviera. It is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea and overlooks the Greek island of Corfu.

The layout of the city is very convenient, you can pretty much walk to all the places. There are a lot of lively coffee shops with the sunset view, great music and pleasant atmosphere. 

There are many popular places that are located nerby Saranda and you can take a day trip there. They are: Blue Eye Lagoon, Permet Hot Springs, and the ancient city of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Saranda as well as the rest of the Albanian Riviera, according to The Guardian, “is set to become the new ‘undiscovered gem’ of the overcrowded Med.” Tourism is the major economic resource for Albania. 

  • Sight Seeing 40% 40%
  • Food 70% 70%
  • Walkable 95% 95%
  • Activities 70% 70%

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.” ― Mark Twain

Trip Video

We highlighted the places we like to walk to in the city. Our favorite coffee places were Jericho Bar and Hard Rock Cafe.

Best Food & Drink

1. Bar Restaurant Limani

This is our favorite place for dinner. The service, the food, the atmosphere, the view, everything was just perfect. We reccomend to try the Alfredo Pizza here. Prices are reasonable and food is delicious. Map

2. Fast Food Corner

Great place for lunch or snack. We tried several fast food places in town, but this one is definetely the best. The prices are really good, the food is always fresh, and their french fries are the best!  Map

3. Jericho Bar

Our favorite cafe with gorgeous sunset view. We were here at least twice a week. Jesse would order Fredo Kapucino, and Julia will orde Capucino. Prices are nice, service is great, and the music creats special atmosphere. Map

Transportation

Saranda is 95% walkable city. You can walk from one side of the city to the other in about 20 minutes. The city is compact and you have everything you need nerby. 

If you need to get somewhere fast it is possible to hire a taxi.

There is a local bus that goes to neighboring little towns, such as Ksamil and Butrint. It costs 1€. The bus starts at the botton of the hill from the port. It leaves once an hour. 

Accomodation

Saranda provides a wide variety of accomodation. You can stay at the hotel or rent an apartment.

The prices are different depending when you are coming to Saranda. If you come in September you can rent an apartment for 300€ per month. During the summer months the daily rate varies from 30-40€ per night.

We stayed on the opposite side of the port where all hotels are, this is the best place for the sunset. 

Activities

The most popular activity in Saranda is taking a boat tour out to the islands and beaches that can not be reached by car. It costs 30€ during the low season and 40€ during the high season. It is a 6 our trip and includes a privat cabin with AC and a bufet. It is a great way to spend a day. 

Sunset Watching

The Highlight of the Trip!

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