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Our Albania experience
One day that changed what we thought Albania was
🇦🇱 Albania
Sarandë · Butrint · The Blue Eye
Our first visit: 2018
Albania Day Trip from Corfu —Sarandë, Butrint & the Blue Eye
Our southern Albania travel guide — Sarandë, Butrint and the Blue Eye.
We got our first taste of Albania in 2018 on a day trip from Corfu — a short ferry across the Ionian Sea, one guided tour, and by the time we sailed back we'd completely revised what we thought Albania was. This is our hub for everything we saw on that trip and around Sarandë, with a dedicated guide to each of the places we visited.
3
Destination
guides
guides
2018
Our first
visit
visit
1
UNESCO
site (Butrint)
site (Butrint)
30min
Fast ferry
from Corfu
from Corfu
Albania travel guide
Sarandë Albania
Butrint UNESCO
Blue Eye Albania
Corfu to Albania ferry
Southern Albania
Albanian Riviera
01
Know before you go
Albania at a glance
CountryRepublic of Albania
WhereBalkans, on the Ionian & Adriatic coasts
EU / SchengenNot in either — international border checks apply
CurrencyAlbanian lek (ALL)
LanguageAlbanian; English common in tourism
Easy fromCorfu — fast ferries can take around 30 min; conventional services take longer
UNESCO siteButrint — near Sarandë
Natural wonderThe Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)
We visited2018 — day trip from Corfu
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Where we went
Three guides. One day. One country we'd write off never again.
Three dedicated guides, one for each of the places we visited on our day trip from Corfu. Tap through any of them for a proper deep-dive.
01🌊
Our gateway to Albania
Sarandë
The coastal town where the Corfu ferry drops you — waterfront, Ionian views and the perfect base for Butrint, the Blue Eye and the wider Albanian Riviera.
Explore Sarandë →
02🏛️
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Butrint
Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian ruins layered on a peninsula between lake and sea. One of the great archaeological sites of the Mediterranean.
Explore Butrint →
03💧
A natural wonder
The Blue Eye
Syri i Kaltër — a spring in the forest whose water is a colour you genuinely have to see to believe. One of the most beautiful natural sights we've ever seen.
Explore the Blue Eye →
"Albania genuinely took us by surprise. We arrived not knowing quite what to expect and left completely enchanted — by the scenery, the history, the food, and above all by the warmth of the people we met."
We were on holiday in Corfu in 2018 when we decided to take the ferry across to Albania for the day. It was one of the best decisions we made on that trip. Fast ferries can reach Sarandë in around 30 minutes, while conventional services take longer, and the route drops you into a country that most Corfu visitors — us included, at the time — barely knew anything about.
Once in Sarandë we joined a guided day tour, which was easily the smartest way to make the most of a single day. It took us to Butrint — the ancient UNESCO-listed archaeological site — and to the Blue Eye, an unbelievably vivid natural spring in the woods. Both are proper standout sights that would sit comfortably in any European travel bucket list.
A note on time: when we first went, Albania felt like one of Europe's genuinely under-the-radar destinations. That's changed a lot since 2018. Sarandë, the Albanian Riviera, Butrint and the Blue Eye are all firmly on the tourist map now, especially in summer. What we saw is still there, still spectacular — you just won't be nearly as alone as we were.
Our own experience of Albania is limited to this southern coastal corner — we haven't yet been to Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër or the north. So this guide is honest about what we've done: a proper deep-dive on southern Albania, and the three places we can talk about first-hand.
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Explore more of Albania — virtually
See another side of Albania from your sofa
Collaboration · Drive From Home
Our own Albania trip took us through the south, so Sarandë, Butrint and the Blue Eye are the places we can talk about first-hand. But there is plenty more of Albania still on our list.
Through our collaboration with Drive From Home, you can virtually explore three more Albanian cities — Tirana, Durrës and Korçë — and get a feel for the streets before planning a future trip.
🚗
Capital city
Tirana
Explore virtually →
🌊
Adriatic coast
Durrës
Explore virtually →
🏔️
Southeast highlands
Korçë
Explore virtually →
These are virtual city experiences from Drive From Home. We have not personally visited Tirana, Durrës or Korçë yet.
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From the archive
Southern Albania in pictures
A few frames from our 2018 day trip — the ruins, the coastline and the Blue Eye. There are more in each of the individual guides.
Butrint · Sarandë · The Blue Eye ✨
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Plan your own trip
Tours & experiences
Day trips & activitiesGetYourGuide
Book Albania experiences with GetYourGuide
Blue Eye day trips, Sarandë excursions, Butrint tours and Corfu-based day trips into Albania:
Powered by GetYourGuide
Disclosure: If you book through these links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Multi-day toursTourRadar
Multi-day Albania & Balkans tours
For a longer, deeper look at Albania — Tirana, the Albanian Riviera, the mountains and the UNESCO sites — a guided multi-day tour is a brilliant way to see more without the logistics headache of planning in a still-emerging destination.
Disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you book through it we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Common questions
Albania FAQ
Is Albania worth visiting?
Yes — Albania has become one of the most talked-about travel destinations in Europe. Stunning natural scenery, ancient history, a beautiful Ionian coastline, delicious food and famously warm hospitality. When we first visited in 2018 it felt genuinely under-the-radar; that's changed a lot, but the underlying appeal is the same.
Can you visit Albania as a day trip from Corfu?
Yes — regular ferries between Corfu and Sarandë make Albania very accessible as a day trip, with fast services taking around 30 minutes and conventional ferries taking longer. Several operators serve the route, with more sailings in summer. This is an international border crossing: Greece is in the EU and Schengen Area, while Albania is not, so document checks apply. Check current schedules and entry requirements before you travel.
Where in Albania is best for a first visit?
Southern Albania — Sarandë, the UNESCO site of Butrint, the Blue Eye spring and the Albanian Riviera — is where a lot of first-time visitors head, particularly if arriving from Corfu. It packs coastline, ancient history and dramatic natural scenery into a compact area. The capital Tirana and northern Albania are separate trips in their own right.
Do you need a visa for Albania?
Irish and other EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Albania — a valid passport is enough. Many other nationalities can enter visa-free for tourism as well, but check the current rules for your own passport before travelling.
What currency does Albania use?
Albania is not in the EU or the Eurozone. The local currency is the Albanian lek (ALL). Euros are sometimes accepted in tourist areas and near the border, but you shouldn't assume they'll be accepted everywhere — carry some lek, especially for smaller purchases and outside of the main tourist zones.
Just take the ferry ✨
Planning a trip to southern Albania?
Start with Sarandë — it's the base for everything else in the south. From there, Butrint and the Blue Eye are both easy day trips, either on a guided tour or independently. And if you're already in Corfu, honestly, do it. Take the ferry. It might change what you think Albania is too.
Affiliate disclosure: if you book through our links we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We only recommend experiences we've done ourselves.