City Break in Saranda

Need to escape for few days? We recommend you to enjoy culture, history and more on our city breaks to Saranda.

Overview

Day 01: Saranda Port - Butrint - Saranda

Day 02: Saranda – Blue Eye - Gjirokastra

Day 03: Gjirokaster – Saranda Port

Day 01: Saranda Port - Butrint - Saranda (19 km, 35 min driving time)

Pick up from the port of Saranda to start our tour of Saranda, a charming town that has an attractive waterfront and houses fanning the hillsides, with a wonderful view of the blue Ionian. . Its current name derives from an early Christian Monastery (nowadays in ruins), dedicated to Agioi Saranda (Forty Saints). We then proceed to visit the ancient city of Butrint, UNESCO World Heritage.
Things to see:

• Greek amphitheater
• The Baptistery
• Roman temple
• Byzantine Basilica
• Lion Gate
• Butrint Museum

After an extensive visit to the site we will return to Saranda for the night.

Day 02: Saranda –Blue Eye-Gjirokastra (56.5 km, 1 hour driving time)

This morning after a delicious breakfast, we drive to the famous Blue Eye (Syri i Kalter),  a picturesque natural phenomenon of the 18 water springs coming out of the carstic bottom of the earth that form a rare beauty. Is located 25 km away from Saranda on the road to Tepelene, near the traditional stone village Musina, built within a forest of hazelnuts, walnuts, cherries and fir trees, 177 meters above the sea. A characteristic of the Blue Eye’s water is the very dark blue color and outstanding transparency of its oval shaped water basins. Usually, visitors throw a stone into the center of this spring and after a while they see the stone coming up on the surface. Next to a picturesque waterfall opposite the Blue Eye, there are few traditional restaurants serving delicious Albanian food and famous Albanian drink “Raki”. Then we continue to the ancient stone city of Gjirokaster, which located in southern Albania. Its old town is noted on UNESCO’s World Heritage list as “a rare example of well preserved Ottoman town, those of citadel town built by notable landowners. Here we visit the Castle of Gjirokaster, Military Museum and the Ethnographic Museum, which was the home of former dictator Enver Hoxha. Overnight in Gjirokastra.

Day 03: Gjirokastra –Saranda Port (56km, 1 hour driving time)  

After the breakfast, transfer to the port of Saranda. End of our Service.

Km traveled: 132