Hotel Piccolino
Sarandë - Rruga: Mitat Hoxha,87
Hotel Piccolino, a 3-star hotel, is a beachfront property set in Sarandë, facing the sea.
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Right in front of Corfu, only an hour by ferry from the port of the well-known Greek island, lies the Albanian town of Saranda. We are in the far south of the country, a 40-minute drive from the land border with Greece and less than an hour and a half from Igoumenitsa. In this seaside resort, which has always been very popular among Albanians and has recently been discovered by tourists from all over Europe, Albania is at its best: it is possible to admire the sea, culture and history within a radius of just a few square kilometres.
Saranda is in fact known not only for its pleasant city centre, with its pedestrian promenade lined with many hotels and restaurants, but especially for the magnificent beaches in its immediate surroundings. Moreover, the city is the ideal starting point for a series of day trips to discover the beauties of Albania, such as the archaeological park of Butrint, the karstic spring of Syri i kalter, and even the Ottoman city of Gjirokastra.
Saranda is a small town, with a population of around 40 000. However, its urban development took place in very recent times, especially along the southern coast. This is why, from a historical point of view, it does not offer much and there are no monuments of note. However, Saranda is a well-known seaside resort, and therefore the main reason why it is crowded with tourists, who flock to the promenade in the evenings, are its magnificent beaches.
Saranda’s promenade is entirely pedestrianised, and is one of the most beautiful in Albania. With the sea on one side and palm trees on the other, it is a pleasure to stroll back and forth after a day at the beach. Saranda’s seafront promenade is lined with numerous hotels, bars and restaurants, and there is also a small marina where you can hire boats or go on excursions.
The beaches around Saranda are really beautiful, and are easily accessible by car. The further you travel from the city, the fewer people you’ll meet. Considering also that the best beaches are outside the city, it goes without saying that all you’ll have to do is grab a rental car or taxi and drive around all of them!
For convenience, start by exploring the beaches south of Saranda, as those to the north are difficult to reach due to the roads not always in good condition and the lay of the land. The south coast, on the other hand, is much more developed and is covered by the state road.
Visit the Bay of Mussels (Gjiri i Midhjeve), the Monastery beach (Plazhi i Manastirit, so called because behind it is the old monastery of St George) and the Mirror beach (Plazhi i Pasqyrave). The names are very evocative and distinctive, but reaching them is not always easy as there are no road signs. However, the sight of the turquoise sea that opens up as soon as you arrive will repay you from any effort.
The most famous beach in Albania deserves its own paragraph. It is Ksamil, named after the village of the same name located about a 10-minute drive south of Saranda. It is located 3 kilometres as the crow flies from the coast of Corfu, but is easily reached from Saranda by rented car, public transport or taxi.
Once you arrive at your destination, you will find an incredibly colourful sea and three curious islets not far from the coast, two of which you can reach by swimming or hiring a pedalo. The beach is all in all small and winds sinuously along the coast, partly of natural sand, partly on wooden or concrete platforms built to increase its volume.
The beach at Ksamil is a true paradise, of unique beauty, but unfortunately in August it is overcrowded at all hours of the day; moreover, the location in recent years has been the victim of unparalleled building speculation, which has seen the construction of hotels and restaurants that have radically transformed the area behind the beach.
Our advice is obviously to visit Ksamil if you are in Saranda in August for a short time and have no alternative, but promise yourself to return in the low season to enjoy it to the full.
Saranda is not just about the sea: about half an hour’s drive south, past the vast marshy lake of the same name, is the archaeological park of Butrint, located on the tip of a lush peninsula. Here you can admire the remains of the ancient Illyrian civilisation that dominated these lands thousands of years ago, as well as successive dominations, such as those of the Romans and Byzantines.
Wonders not to be missed in Butrint, part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, include the ancient Roman theatre, the baptistery, the large basilica and the Lion’s Gate, one of the most important gates to the city.
Let’s move inland from Saranda, following the SH99 state road for about 30 minutes. Here, at the foot of the mountains and surrounded by forest, lies the karstic spring of the Blue Eye, or Syri i kalter in Albanian. It is one of the wonders of nature not to be missed during a trip to Albania, even if you are spending a few days there as a spin-off from your trip to Greece.
Cool off in this corner of Albanian paradise, admire the incredible colours of the spring waters and the rivers that surround it, and treat yourself to a stop at the bar overlooking the water.
Reaching Syri i kalter from Saranda is not easy if you don’t have a car, so we strongly recommend you rent one for a few hours. Alternatively, you can also take a taxi, negotiating considerably on the price and also considering the taxi driver’s waiting time and the return journey.
Until 2010, Saranda had the only five-star hotel in Albania. Considering that the town only has a population of 40,000, it is enough to understand how the town is one of the country’s main tourist destinations, where even in the early days of international tourism there were plenty of hotels, among other things very cheap by western living standards.
In the last 10 years, with the boom of tourism in Albania, Saranda has become a favourite destination for travellers, thanks to its unique mix of enchanting sea and cultural sightseeing, so it is not surprising that many more hotels have sprung up, with excellent facilities, crazy views of the coast, dreamy swimming pools and all the amenities required by holidaymakers. All at a fraction of the price we are used to paying in other locations, even in the middle of August (although naturally more expensive than at other times of the year).
Sleeping in Saranda is therefore not always a matter of budget, but depends mainly on the type of holiday you intend to take. Hotels on the beach are plentiful, some even have their own private beach. If you prefer to stay in the city, take an evening stroll along the promenade and are not afraid of night noises, choose a hotel in the centre, while if you prefer a more secluded option, choose a hotel in the suburbs, where you will certainly not have trouble parking or sleeping peacefully at night.
We still recommend sleeping in a hotel, and avoid guest houses or private flats. Nothing against them, but with hotel prices so affordable, why not take advantage of their services?
We offer a selection of hotels at Saranda to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Saranda, sorted by number of reviews.
If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Saranda. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Saranda are in high demand.
Saranda is located in the far south of Albania, and is connected to Corfu by ferries that leave once or several times a day. From Corfu it is also possible to take part in organised mini-tours of Albania, lasting 10 or 12 hours, departing in the morning and returning in the evening, which include a return ferry, transfers to and from Butrint and the Blue Eye, and a few hours of relaxation on the beach.
Once you disembark in Saranda, you will have no difficulty finding an exchange office: the Albanian currency is the lek, exchanged at around 120-140 lek for 1 euro, depending on the current exchange rate. Check it online before you leave and exchange money where the best rate is offered, although exchange offices in Albania usually all charge very good rates.
A valid EU identity card is sufficient to enter Saranda from Greece. Beware of the fact that you are leaving the European Union, so phone calls and data line costs will be much higher, as EU roaming no longer applies. We recommend turning off your data connection and only using wifi, which can be found in practically every bar and restaurant in town.
As mentioned, Saranda can be reached in a comfortable one-hour ferry ride from Corfu: for those on the Greek island, this is undoubtedly the best option.
If, on the other hand, you want to make Saranda the focus of your holiday, you can get there by plane by landing in Tirana and driving south for about 4-6 hours depending on the traffic and road works you can potentially find. There is also public transport but the journey becomes very long.
For many it may even be more convenient to fly to Corfu, take a taxi to the port and from there ferry to Saranda.
Saranda is about two hours from Vlora. From there, head south past the scenic Llogora pass, the beautiful beach of Dhermiu and the fortress of Porto Palermo. Arriving in Saranda is from the north, after admiring wild, unspoilt coastal stretches and rugged mountains.
Similarly, you can get to Saranda via Greece from Igoumenitsa, and then proceeding north, crossing the Greece-Albania border at Qafe Bote.
What's the weather at Saranda? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Saranda for the next few days.
Saranda is the southernmost city in Albania. It is located just north of the Greek island of Corfu, just over an hour's drive from Igoumenitsa.
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