Sarande, Albania

[ann141]

Has anyone suggestions for what to do in Sarande

[cruisemom42]

The town of Sarande is one of the most dispiriting places I’ve visited in the Med. Take an excursion or private tour out of town to Butrint. Even if you’re not a “ruins” person, the site is picturesque sitting on the water as it does. 

[ann141]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

The town of Sarande is one of the most dispiriting places I’ve visited in the Med. Take an excursion or private tour out of town to Butrint. Even if you’re not a “ruins” person, the site is picturesque sitting on the water as it does. 

Thank you 

[MAVIP]

Butrint, like @cruisemom42 suggests. And buy lacework/handwork from woman/girls, if they are there or in Sarande that day. 

[yakcruiser]

Four of us hired a taxi for the day.  We went to Butrint, Blue Eye freshwater spring, Lekuresi castle and a very old church I don't remember the name of. Beware though the taxi drivers will pass on narrow winding roads driving at high speeds and talking on their phones. The Blue Eye is quite a hike in and would not be for somebody who is mobility challenged.

[Vineyard View]

I also recommend getting away from Sarande. We made the mistake of deciding to walk the town. It was not a place to do this. The begging was very disheartening and everywhere. There really is nothing whatsoever to do or see. Cruisemom42 always has great ideas! 

[edinburgher]

On 8/26/2023 at 8:55 PM, ann141 said:

Has anyone suggestions for what to do in Sarande

Sounds as if Sarande wasn't great.  We were in the other port, Durres, but thankfully and unlike us,had decided to book a shorex which took us to Kruje and Tirana, both of which were worth visiting and we also saw some of the countryside along the way.

 

The little we saw of Durres from the coach when leaving and arriving back into the town/city wasn't greatly inspiring and the descriptions of Sarande above could also apply to Durres.

[cobalt206]

We had a wonderful experience here. We took a cab to 3 Islands Beach Club in Ksamil Beach and it exceeded our expectations. The beach was clean, water very clear and also very scenic.The restaurant there was very good and very reasonable.

 

I think many cruise passengers end up hating Sarande because they never venture out to see places like Ksamil Beach. We were very glad we found this place and wouldn’t hesitate to return.

 

[Vineyard View]

I also recommend getting away from Sarande. We made the mistake of deciding to walk the town. It was not a place to do this. The begging was very disheartening and everywhere. 
I am glad to learn of these options should we ever again find ourselves on an itinerary that includes this port. 

[carlmm]

Another option for an excursion is Gjirokastra, a world heritage site. This city is further away but historically and culturally interesting with both an important huge castel and small museum converted traditional homes.

 

About Sarande itself I have a much more favourable opinion than some of the above posters:

Sarande is a kind of sea side resort with a promenade along the beach, small bars and so on, albeit it reminded me, a visitor from Western Europe, of maye Italy 50 years ago. No wonder given the much younger history of freedom and tourism. Still not overdeveloped, relaxed, friendly and joyful.

[WanderingTheWorld]

I will be in Sarandë in early November on a HAL cruise. I am interested in visiting Butrint. Through the cruise line, I found an excursion called Archaeological Albania. Has anyone been on this excursion? Did you have to pay admission to Butrint, or was it included in the excursion price?

 

I do prefer using an independent tour company rather than the cruise line. Does anyone know of any good tour providers? My internet searches have not yielded much. Thanks!

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, WanderingTheWorld said:

I will be in Sarandë in early November on a HAL cruise. I am interested in visiting Butrint. Through the cruise line, I found an excursion called Archaeological Albania. Has anyone been on this excursion? Did you have to pay admission to Butrint, or was it included in the excursion price?

 

I do prefer using an independent tour company rather than the cruise line. Does anyone know of any good tour providers? My internet searches have not yielded much. Thanks!

 

Given the way these excursions run, if they talk about seeing a major site like Butrint, any entrance fees are included.

 

I've been to Butrint twice, once on a shore excursion with a specialty cruise line (included and very good) and once on a private tour with the woman who directed some of the recent excavations there, which was excellent but I'm not sure whether she does these tours any more. If you are really interested in a super-detailed tour, I can dig up her info and pass it along to you but I'd rather not post it on a public site without her okay -- so if interested, feel free to reach out to me at cruisemom42 AT gmail DOT com.

 

 

[sun16]

16 hours ago, WanderingTheWorld said:

I will be in Sarandë in early November on a HAL cruise. I am interested in visiting Butrint. Through the cruise line, I found an excursion called Archaeological Albania. Has anyone been on this excursion? Did you have to pay admission to Butrint, or was it included in the excursion price?

 

I do prefer using an independent tour company rather than the cruise line. Does anyone know of any good tour providers? My internet searches have not yielded much. Thanks!

https://www.visitsaranda.net/see/saranda-beachfront-boulevard/

 

Hi Wandering - we are on the same cruise - in Albania Nov 2?  I saw the attached youtube and thought we would do this.  Not overly confident on purchasing a private tour here.

[WanderingTheWorld]

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

once on a private tour with the woman who directed some of the recent excavations there, which was excellent but I'm not sure whether she does these tours any more. If you are really interested in a super-detailed tour, I can dig up her info and pass it along to you but I'd rather not post it on a public site without her okay -- so if interested, feel free to reach out to me at cruisemom42 AT gmail DOT com.

 

 

@cruisemom42, I just emailed you. Thanks so much! 😊

[WanderingTheWorld]

1 hour ago, sun16 said:

https://www.visitsaranda.net/see/saranda-beachfront-boulevard/

 

Hi Wandering - we are on the same cruise - in Albania Nov 2?  I saw the attached youtube and thought we would do this.  Not overly confident on purchasing a private tour here.

@sun16 - Yes, we are on the same cruise! Thank you for sharing the video and article. I agree that it has been tough finding private tour companies here. There aren't many to choose from, and some of them have less than stellar reviews.