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Travellers are increasingly looking at Albania for their next summer vacation in Europe. For many people planning on visiting, the decision of Saranda or Ksamil for where to stay on the Albania Riviera is an all too common dilemma. These aren’t the only places you can on Albania’s coast, but they’re probably the best known.
Choosing between visiting Ksamil or Sarande requires you to know a few things. Logistics, ambience, and what you can do at each destination come to mind. I can tell you from personal experience that Saranda and Ksamil differ a bit in these things, just as you’ll find different seaside getaways in the Balkans such as Montenegro’s coast and Bulgaria’s coast. So, which do you choose?
Getting to Saranda and Ksamil
No matter where you choose to stay, getting to these resort destinations is mostly the same.
Saranda and Ksamil are located at the very southern end of Albania’s coast, just across from Corfu in Greece. Because of this, options to get there are limited; for either place, you will always need to go to Saranda first.
Coming from Greece, you’ll take a ferry from Corfu to the port at Saranda. The journey across takes 1.5 hours, plus the waiting around beforehand. If you’re already in Albania, rent a car and drive down or go by bus. Vlora, Berat, and Tirana all have direct buses to Saranda.
Now, Saranda and Ksamil aren’t that far from one another. On a good day, you can drive between the two in under 30 minutes. But it can take time, especially in summer, because traffic clogs up the one-lane each-way road between the two resorts.
Public buses go from Sarande to Ksamil, but they’re almost always overly full. If you’re travelling in a group or with luggage, just get a taxi. It may be cheaper or roughly the same price and it frees up public transport for locals.
I would not recommend my experience on the bus.
Visit Saranda (Sarandë)
Saranda (written as Sarandë in Albania) is a small resort city on the Ionian Sea.
White tower blocks of apartments squeeze in between the city’s compact waterfront and nearby imposing hills. A small marina sits opposite an equally small port, with beaches filling the rest of the coast in the city centre.
The appeal of Sarande is straightforward. You get a reasonably modern city with its creature comforts, some local beaches, and convenient access to attractions in this part of the country.
If you’re after a comfortable and easy place for an Albanian seaside vacation, Saranda works.
Beaches in Saranda
You have two main options for beaches in Saranda.
There’s Saranda Beach, a city beach closest to the city centre, and the public beach to its east. Both are pebble beaches with some sand backed by the waterfront promenade and steps to sit and lie down on. However, they’re public beaches that you can freely enjoy, which you’ll soon see is important.
But are they the best beaches in Saranda?
Well, if you’re after a beach setup with umbrellas and sunbeds for hire – no. Beaches and beach clubs dot the waterfront in the south of Saranda. It’s there, at spots such as Flamingo Beach and Mango Beach, that you can pay for that kind of experience.
Things to do in Saranda
Is there anything to do in Sarande besides going to the beach?
Yes, there is, which is good if, like me, you can’t spend all your time at the beach. The hills overlooking Saranda are home to two landmarks, as well as views across the city and coast.
One is Lëkurësi Castle, an Ottoman castle ruin that mainly serves as an observation point now. The other is the Monastery of the 40 Saints on a hill across from the castle, which is just more ruins with a view. I didn’t have time or the energy to hike up to either in the summer afternoon heat.
Another thing to do in Sarande is travel inland to visit the popular Blue Eye freshwater swimming hole. It’s called Syri i Kalter locally and shouldn’t be confused with the one in Theth. You can take the bus heading to Gjirokaster to get there, but it’s easier to take a tour.
Visitors short on time, who want to do as much as possible in Saranda should find this tour especially helpful.
Where to stay in Saranda
Saranda may not be a large city, but you have lots of choices in where you stay. Your options can be broken into four areas:
- city centre
- the port
- the hills
- the south coast
Staying in the city centre area as I did is nice as you have easy access to the waterfront promenade, with its beaches and restaurants. I’m not convinced that staying in the hills would be worth it because even staying a few blocks back from the coast involved a steep walk up.
Those staying west of the port probably want convenience. You’re close to several small private beaches, lots of restaurants, and the harbour if you’re taking a boat trip. The coastal option down towards Mango Beach is less convenient, but that may not matter if you’re staying at a high-end resort.
I really liked Ngjela Apartments for the short time I was there, but other highly-rated options include:
Visit Ksamil
Ksamil is a growing resort town centred around white sand beaches and crystal clear water.
And yet, a decade ago, Ksamil was little more than a coastal village. It’s exploded in popularity in the last 10 years and is now going through growing pains. Honestly, I think it’s a real-time example of the challenges that come with rapid development and over-tourism.
Still, many people seek out a vacation in Ksamil to swim, relax, and party. And I get the appeal. Relaxing at a beach club with a drink or iced coffee, chilling out to music, and looking at crystal clear water is an easy sell.
Beaches in Ksamil
There’s a lot of choice when it comes to beaches in Ksamil.
The largest and most popular beach is Ksamil Beach, but you might be a little confused when you get there. Rather than one large sand beach, instead, you’ll find a patchwork of different umbrellas and sun beds hugging the water.
This seems to be the case for most beaches at Ksamil. There may have been public beaches at one point, but now you have to pay to use most of the resort’s beaches.
In 2023, two chairs with an umbrella at Ksamil Beach cost 1500-2000 lek (15-20€) for the day. Coming from Australia with our public beaches, I refused to pay that much for two sun beds by myself that I wouldn’t want for more than an hour or two.
Some of the southern beaches are meant to be less touristy and intense, such as The Last Bay and Lori Beach. I know some people don’t mind private beaches, and if that’s you, Ksamil has a lot to offer.
Things to do in Ksamil
Similar to Saranda, Ksamil has a few things to offer visitors beyond its beaches.
To me as a history nerd, the highlight of my visit was seeing Butrint National Archaeological Park. The ruins of this ancient Greek/Roman city are extensive and you do feel like you’re walking around a large ancient settlement. You can hail the bus to Butrint in town.
One attraction in Ksamil that I missed was the Ksamil Islands. These small islands just off the coast are what earned Ksamil the “Maldives of Europe” nickname, and I imagine are much more peaceful than the beach clubs at Ksamil Beach.
Boat tours to the island are in high demand, so you need to organise yours early on in your visit. A more active alternative is to go with a paddleboard tour from Ksamil, the islands are that close.
Where to stay in Ksamil
Ksamil is smaller than Saranda but also less compact.
You’ll find most of the hotels in Ksamil along the main road or between it and the beaches. But lots of guesthouses sit in the backstreets towards Lake Butrint away from the coast.
This presents an easy choice; noise and busier accommodation near the beach, bars and restaurants, or quieter accommodation that requires a bit of a walk (10 minutes) to go places.
I opted for a guesthouse near Lake Butrint, which was the right choice for me. It involved a bit of a walk to the beach, but it was relaxing being away from everything, and the owners at Villa Sarti were very welcoming.
For other well-rated places to stay in Ksamil, you can use these suggestions:
Which is best, Ksamil or Saranda?
It should be clear by now that Saranda and Ksamil offer different approaches to a beach getaway.
One isn’t better than the other; travellers will need to pick the destination that they think better suits their tastes. What’s great about these two places being so close together is that you can easily do a day trip from one to the other. Ksamil’s beaches are a bus or taxi ride away from Sarande and vice versa.
However you choose, I think visiting the Albanian Riviera is an interesting experience worth considering.
Tips for Visiting the Albanian Riviera
While I may have focused on how much it costs to get a sunbed at Ksamil, I think some perspective here is useful.
Yes, you will pay a lot just to use certain beaches, but that’s just one expense. Accommodation, food, transport, and even drinks at the beach clubs are all quite reasonable. Saranda and Ksamil offer affordable beach getaways, so long as you factor in the expense of going to the beach.
Speaking of food, I was a little surprised by what I found. Greek food was far more common here than I would have expected, but this area is home to one of the main ethnic Greek communities in Albania.
Of course, there’s also Western Food and places to get Albanian cuisine; for Albanian food, I recommend Mëndra Traditional Restaurant.
One last tip is to watch your step in Ksamil. Between rocky backroads and the developing local infrastructure, you need to be careful when walking around. I twisted my ankle on my first day there and was lucky it wasn’t worse.
