Albania Cruise from Corfu

Day trip to Albania

It was a fantastic trip indeed but I very long day. I was picked up from a very suitable location to me and taken to the port. I went through passport control swiftly and boarded the ship. It took roughly 2 hours to get there, and I opted in to do the tour, which was about 3 hours with a buffet lunch included. We then had free time for 2 hours to explore the city and back on the ship to Corfu. The issue was on the way back. The ship was nearly one hour late to collect us, and once we arrived at Corfu, it took nearly 2 hours to get through passport control due to long queuing times and 2 ships loads of people arriving at the same time. Then, I had to get on the coach for an hour back to my hotel. Overall, it was worth it to see such a beautiful country in a day but be prepared for long queuing times regarding passport control in Corfu.

Amazing

This was such an amazing day on our holiday! They picked us up straight from our hotel and everything went very smoothly. The boat was nice and clean and not too packed with people. I highly recommend doing the Butrint add on when you get on the boat. It was well worth the money as we had a buffet lunch included (drinks excluded). Overall a very good day out!

Another Country Off the List.

Apart from getting another country off the list, there's very little else to justify theh 13 hours of your life you'll lose by taking the trip. Albania is pretty dreary, and apart from Butrint there was nothing else memorable. We stopped at the dismal Meditteranee Hotel for mid-morning coffee. It was truly the worst coffee I've ever had. Two hours later we went back! The buffet lunch was pretty bad, and the staff made it clear they weren't pleased to see us again. There's a lot of waiting around, and Greek customs on the return was a 45-minute fiasco. Butrint was interesting, but that's it.

Sarande is lovely

It was a lovely day trip to Sarande. There was some confusion at Corfu port. It could have been organised better. But once on the ferry, I knew what to do and how to return. In return to Corfu, we waited quite some time on the coach (to go back to Sidari) for others from another excursion to return from their trip.

Needs to be better organised.

Because I didn't opt for the hotel pickup, there was very little instruction. I was told to meet at the port authority on the right-hand side after entering the building. There was no signage or exact meeting point, and no one at the port authority was able to give me any information. I went through customs when it wasn't required. Luckily, my ticket meant that I ended up on the same boat as the tour.

After a hectic noisy time in Corfu, Albania was heaven.

A country I knew very little about its history so I will further the learning with reading when I am back in Canada

Great day trip

Had a great daybout, long and tiring but glad we went from Corfu. Sarande really does feel like Albanian riviera. The ruins we visited were interesting, thankfully well shaded by trees . Downside was not having much free time before catching ferry back. Our guide was lovely - Gregory and showed us where to get tri-leche cake which my hotel manager had recommended. Although it said lunch not included, it was.

When in Corfu a must on the list is this tour.

It was a great experience, the lady guide was excellent her knowledge was exceptional, the food was good at the lunch stop, no complaints here.

Amazing day! Would recommend.

Absolutely loved the trip! We got the public bus to Ksamil, (however would recommend renting a car / getting a taxi as the bus took quite a while). Ksamil was beautiful. Once back at Sarandë, we enjoyed a stroll along the front. There was quite a lengthy wait time at border control in Corfu but overall would recommend this trip!

Excellent archeological experience

Everything was very well designed, except maybe the bus organisation at the end of the trip, quite confused and without representatives. A part of that, I loved the guide, pretty passionate and very well prepared. The archaeological site has to visit.

Amazing time

I had a great time in this trip. We were decided to language groups so we didn't spend time listening to in another 2-3 language s which is useful in such a trips. The guide is very acknowledged. She told us about Albania and Sarande itself. I got a lot of information in the Butrint National Park. That was very interesting. We had a buffet style lunch in the restaurant terrace with amazing sea view. And before we left Albania, we had 1.5 hour free time in Sarande. It's enough to have a walk on the promenade, visit shops and have a swim right there on the public beach or sit in the nice cafe. I defo recommend this trip.

The guide to and from...

The guide to and from Butrint was excellent and very informative. The immigration queue leaving Greece was long but the cruise line had the ability to skip Albanian immigration in and out which saved lots of time at Saranda.

A good excursion

Tour guide alone was worth it. Ancient city is very nice and you get to spend some free time in Saranda. Lunch was also very good.

They're racist and don't give refunds.

DONT GO IF YOU'RE NOT WHITE BECAUSE YOU WILL EXPERIENCE RACISM. and then when u ask for a refund they claim it is my fault I had a racist woman at passport control and it was my fault for letting the experience be ruined because of the blatant disgusting racists views they have. Made me wait an hour and show all my past travel tickets at passport control and then withheld my passport for no reason. I have a British passport, I'm brown skinned and the only person in the queue to look brown and coincidentally the only one to be hassled.

Great way to visit Albania but beware immigration queues

This is a great way to visit Albania for a day trip. The ferry arrives at Sarrande port where you have the option to remain in the town and relax by the pebble beach / waterfront or go on a paid excursion (€35 per person) to the archaeological site of Butrint. I would highly recommend doing the paid excursion. You get to spend a couple of hours exploring the site which is well protected and presented. Buffet lunch (vegetarian options available) is included at a restaurant on the way back to Sarandë. The buffet is basic but plentiful. Drinks are not included but are reasonably priced. Post lunch we had 90 mins spare time to explore Sarandë which was enough to see this town. The main issue with this excursion is that the immigration queue at Corfu port is diabolical. There are only 2 counters open to check everyone’s passports. So the queues end up being ridiculously long. We were picked up from our hotel in Gouvia at 0805, reached the port at 0820 and waited in the immigration queue for 40 min to board the 0915 ferry . The queue was equally diabolical on the return leg. So, yes, this is an issue with this trip but don’t think the tour operator can solve this unless Corfu port opens up more kiosks to shorten the queuing times. Thankfully, there are no immigration checks performed on the Albanian side. The ferry itself is comfortable, has drinks / food facilities on board and the staff are polite.

Great day to Albania

Great cruise but instructions to find the boarding place were insufficient…spent at least 20 minutes along the port to guess the place..the link sent via email was not loading. Really stressful start…a part from that it was really enjoyable.

Good to to do, if you have extra time in Corfu

Overall a fun bucket list check experience. Interesting to learn about the Albanian culture and heritage. Definitely get the guided tour! The English speaking male guide was a delight with non stop info sharing. Boarding experience was unorganised and under the heat and sun which could have happened somewhere else. Lunch food was mediocre.

It was a good day trip

It was well organised and did what it said on the tin - got us to Albania and back in a day from Corfu. There was an extra excursion included if you wanted it, or you could do what we did and just stay in the resort. It's a very reasonably priced country and was a good use of a day.

Hilariously bad!

If you want to get shouted as a whole group by an angry crew because you're not lining up properly despite their complete lack of organisation and threatened that you'll be left on-shore in Albania then squashed on to a wobbly ship having gone to the Benidorm of the peninsula then sail right on. Oh, need to add the transfers took ages, as we waited for another boat to come in, as did going through passport control. But having said all this, my friend and I had a really hilarious time and we really enjoyed the experience. Judging by the reactions of the other passengers though, they didn't.

Needs better organisation

I would have saved up to 15 Euros if I had booked tis trip through my hotel. Over 3 hours of the excursion time was spent queuing in temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees; passport control going and return and boarding the vessel. The organisation could have been better The highlight was the guided tour of Butrint. For anyone with even the slightest interest in ancient archaeology this is a must.

Albania trip

We spent more time travelling than in Albania , in 12hours we only spent 4 hours & 20 minutes in the country . The ruins were good but not if you have any sort of mobility problems .

Highly recommended

A highly recommended experience with appreciation to Yoni our knowledgeable guide stepping back in time in the ancient city of Butrint time to shop in Saranda capturing local delicacies over lunch in Livia restaurant and a delightful cruise over the Ionian Sea , Sharon Ireland 🇮🇪

Highly recommend

Interesting place to go to visit, a day seemed enough as there isn’t loads to do. The ruins were fascinating, tour guide was so informative and happy to answer questions. Definitely worth doing

Great day trip!

I was sceptical reading other reviews but honestly they were looking for reasons to whine. You are travelling to another country (and a recently post communist recovering economy)....passport control is what it is. We went through quick and yes the boat ride is longer than the hovercraft....because that’s how science works enjoy the sail. It’s lovely. I would recommend the trip they offer to the ruins and castle with lunch - worth the extra money. The guides are VERY knowledgeable about the ruins and the country of Albania. If you don’t take the trip have a leisurely meal and some drinks on the promenade - one street up is a supermarket if you want to pay slightly less for local goods to take back. And you can use the beaches. There is not a huge amount to do there but it’s still lovely. Reminded us of the French Riviera.

Day in my life Im not getting back

Really is very little to do when you get there. I opted not to go on the bus tour to the archarlogogical archarlogical site and that may have been my mistake. 6 hours spent in a seaside town that offers little was not my idea of fun. On the plus side, I can tick off another country I've been to and on the way over we saw dolphins which was s first for ne in the wild,

Boat trip

This cruise is worth going on, enjoyed it but its a long day we got picked up at 6am an never returned to hotel till 8pm

Beautiful!

Albania is so beautiful! Upon arriving by ferry, a local taxi driver named Gazim offered to take us on a tour. We were a bit hesitant but since we didn't really have any plan to keep us busy for a couple hours until departure, we decided to give it a go. he took us to the most amazing places and was so keen for us to experience Albania at it's finest. He even offered to take pictures of us at each location we visited and bought us snacks along the way. Think we were very lucky to have someone so friendly show us around, Albania is indeed such a beautiful country with the friendliest of locals. The food there was amazingly inexpensive but so tasty and the beaches were just perfection..

Day of my life wasted

Discovered when I got to Sidari that I could have booked this slightly cheaper and gone by hydrofoil in half the time. The boat I was on wasn't great but to be fair, I saw my first, in the wild, dolphins. That was amazing. if you go you should probably pay the extra and go on archaeological trip. in fact it should just be built in as a given. I didn't go on the trip and had to spend 6 hours in a small seaside town that really had little to offer. Positives were the aforementioned dolphins and I can tick the box for another country. negatives. nothing to do for 6 hours, poor boat and guide and being made to stand in the sun for an hour at passport control on return leg.

Albania

Overall the trip was very good. Only downside was the delay leaving Corfu, this was poorly organised, which meant we were late leaving and then had no free time in Saranda.

All the best

Best tourguide, best Journey by the sea, everthing was fine. I Would recommand that Journey. Boutrint is a Must have, otherwise you will be 6 Hours in the City, that‘s to long

Excellent trip

I would highly recommend doing this trip. Albania is a real gem, even though we only saw a little bit of it. The trip took us to the Blue Eye, a spring source, and then to the Butrint National Park, an archeological marvel surrounded by stunning views. Lunch was included in the excursion and was delicious. Only issue we had was that the communication with the travel agency was a bit poor but he made it up by picking us up from our hotel and brought us straight to the ferry

So well organised and worth the cost

This was a last minute booking as the forecast wasn't good for the day. We were collected from our hotel front and the bus was slightly early but happy to wait. He transferred us to the port where someone was waiting to advise us all where to queue for passport control. There's a duty free shop after that, prior to boarding the boat. We were on the boat for about an hour and there you had to pay €10 port tax as you got on. There were toilets and a bar on board. On the other side you disembark and go to the bus that has tour guides in your language (English and German on one bus, French and Russian the other). The bus drives everyone the short distance to a local cafe where those who plan to do the day trip can have a toilet break and drink before driving on for about 30 mins to Butrint. The guides provide regular commentary and walk you round the ruins at Butrint explaining the history. After about 90 mins you head back to the same cafe for a lunch. Drinks are not included but are v cheap circa €1@. After lunch the bus drives up a nearby hill where there are good views across to Corfu and a castle ruin. Short stop there then a return to town for about 90 mins free time before catching the bus back to the port for the return crossing and transfer back to your hotel.

Corfu to Albania Day Drip by Ferry with trips to Blue eye spring and Butrint

Basic tour was well organised although had to follow up to confirm time of pick up. But Pick up was on time albeit it was some time before we got to the ferry as there were many pick ups. Ferry ride was around 70/80 minutes which was longer than i thought but very comfortable. On the ferry you selected the optional tour which was an additional 46 euros for 2 of us. Tour very well organised with several coaches providing different language guides. We were on English coach and guide was informative on history of area and Albania generally while we drove to beautiful Blue eye spring. Fabulous views and we had around 30 minutes there before returning to Sarande for an enjoyable lunch in a clean restaurant with lovely views over the bay. Drinks were not included but were very cheap. After lunch coach continued onto Butrint and tour guide was knowledgeable about buildings and history. Fascinating afternoon and wonderful to see Roman ruins with Venetian Buildings as well. we spent around 90 minutes here and then returned to Sarande and had just over an hour to walk around the town centre. It didn't take that long and gave us opportunity to sit at the harbour and enjoy some drinks and the view. It was a lovely day out and the tour was well worth it in my opinion. But it was a reasonably cool day so not sure i would feel the same in the height of summer as very little shade in either location. once in Albania

Good for transportation to Albania

- Picked up from hotel on a Ionian cruise bus at around 8.30am (hotel near Corfu Town) which was the last stop for the coach - it was 10 minutes later than the time I was given but thankfully arrived - Check in and immigration at Corfu port was very quick, quickly boarded the boat where you had to pay the €10 fee, and an extra €33 if you want to do the Butrint tour, which isn't included on this even though the entry fee to Butrint was - I decided against the tour as I wanted to visit the site myself and in my own time - Arrived in Saranada just after 9.30am local time, told boat departs at 4.30pm, no immigration procedures, I just walked out - For anyone interested in exploring Butrint on their own - it's really easy and I've put together instructions from my experience as I found it quite difficult to piece all the relevant information together. - I explored Sarande when I arrived and boarded the 1030 bus, which got me to Butrint at around 11am, stayed until 12.30 then headed to Kasmil. Stayed in Kasmil for lunch and for a quick beach trip, then started heading back to Saranda at around 3pm, and walked the coast of Saranda (the beaches in Saranda are very pebblelly so Kasmil is better) - Drop off - coach dropped me off around 5 minutes away from hotel which was annoying Visiting Butrint solo The local bus stop is situated is situated right opposite the "Ruins of the 5th Century Synagogue", there are no signs and no bus times, but when I boarded the bus, there was a list of times From Saranda 0630, 0700, 0800, 0830, 0930, 1030, 1130, 1230, 1330, 1430, 1530, 1630,1730, 1830 From Butrinti 0700, 0730, 0830, 0930, 1030, 1130, 1230, 1330, 1430, 1530, 1630, 1730, 1830, 1930 You should get to the bus stop around 10 minutes before scheduled departure though as you are at the hands of the local albanian drivers. The bus goes from Sarande to Ksamil to Butrint, so it's also great if you want to visit the beautiful Kasamil beaches. It costs 100 LEK each way (euros not accepted, plenty of ATMs everywhere - no ATM fees) - you don't pay the driver on the way in, so just get in through any of the doors. There is a man who will walk around the bus around a few stops and passengers can pay him - he gives change so no need to have small change. It took around 30 minutes to get to Butrint (last stop so you won't miss it) - where you get off the bus is also where the bus leaves, so make a note of the spot as there are no bus stop signs. Entry to Butrini is 700 LE

Excellent experience on a day trip

Great way to spend some time in Albania - so much so we did I twice! Just double check where the ferry is sailing too though - make sure that the trip is straight to Sarande, Albania and not to Igoumenista, mainland Greece - where your coach journey cuts a lot out of your day. We did the first one that went to Igoumenista, great ferry journey into the lovely port, a bit of a long journey to Butrint, and Blue Eye however well worth going. The return sailing was against a spectacular sunset with a couple of drinks from the bar. For the second day trip we just wanted to spend the day in Sarande; really friendly, great value - lovey promenade with plenty of bars and restaurants, market place and squares . Well worth a few hours to relax and stroll

Unique and interesting day trip from Corfu

We decided to do this day trip from Corfu because it looked interesting and was something a bit different from the usual Greek Island fare. We booked at a local agency in Ipsos where we were staying, and were taken by bus to the main port in Corfu Town. Unfortunately the day started off on the wrong side as when we boarded the boat and had to give in out passports for the visa, we were informed there was an extra charge which we hadn't been told about at the agency. Make sure to factor this in. Upon arriving in Sarande, it was a pretty port town, and we explored for a little bit before being taken for lunch. Our tour then took us to the Blue Eye cold spring (the water was only about 8 degrees and the temperature that day was about 40C so it felt very cold! It was beautiful but I could only wade in up to my knees before I had to get out it was so cold! But super fresh and pretty. We were then taken to the ancient ruins of Butrint. As a history buff, this was one of my favourite parts, as it's a city that had been built upon by multiple civilizations throughout history, and this was visible in the remains of different types of building materials and styles. Overall was a great day trip if you've got an extra day in Corfu!

Wonderful day

Iloved this excursion to Albania & Butrint. Butrint is a UNESCO site of great historical archialogical importance. Greco/Roman, Byzantine influences. The tour also includes a buffet lunch. I would very much recommend this tour.

Nice Day Trip but not Disabled Friendly

Nice Day Trip but not Disabled Friendly Going out we were picked up close to the hotel and taken to the port, where we had to join a long queue for Border Control, there was no assistance for the disabled or those with walking difficulties, eventually we got to the desks and through to the scanners. Then there was the hike to the boat. . Half way along was the end of the car deck and to go further there was a step about 12 inches high and a couple of inches wide basically a water stop to get over, the doorway is not very wide,. a person in a wheelchair would have to get out to get any further. I use a walker and that had to be folded to go through. Once here if you had not paid in advance they collected the money and checked-in advanced booking on board. Once away the trip took one and a half hours. On arrival Coaches were waiting for the people going on the tour, which was then quite a distance to Butrint National Park, think they take the long was so you can see the country and have places of interest pointed out. The Park itself is not disabled friendly also lacks toilet facilities, a lot of the paths are uneven and there is a bank to get down in one place and steps in other places. I could not walk on the paths with my walker, walked most of the time on the dropped leaves at the side oif the path. For those able-bodied people the site had been well restored and there were good information boards around the site. After the tour it back to the coach and to Lunch, all the coaches seem to go back to the same restaurant. Lunch is self-service main course, salads and for desert fresh fruit. Drinks were extra. We were allowed one hour here. Then we were back off to Sarande where we had a short spell of free time, its quite nice but would not rave over it. Local booze is cheap but propriety brands are expensive. Now back onto the ferry and back to Corfu where there was help to get off the boat and straight through border control. Special Assistance was not expected. Onward now to our hotel, buses were waiting

Long day travelling but worth it

We took the trip to Albania and did the optional Butrint Tour which was very good. The day is very long and most of it is travelling, from leaving our hotel in Sidari we did not arrive in Albania for 4 hours, it was an hour to the port in Corfu town followed by an hour queuing at the port to board the boat to a two hour boat trip across to Albania. So 8 of the 12 hours of this day trip were travelling! I am very pleased we visited Butrint as Sarande has a very nice promenade and harbour but unless you just wanted to shop and sit in a bar/restaurant I think you might struggle to fill the time. Our guide in Butrint was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country and its history and the site itself is quite something! After Burtrint we stopped for lunch which was ok, nothing special, to be honest I would rather have found a restaurant myself in Sarande. We did have an hour in Sarande which was enough time to have a mooch around the shops and grab an ice cream, we could use our Euros in Albania there was no need to get local currency and it is extremely inexpensive, we stopped in a bar along the harbour for a coke and ice cream and the bill was 2 Euros. I do recommend this trip despite the lengthy travel time it is well worth it.

A totally unique day out.

After a lengthy queue to get through customs in Corfu we were off. Managed to get up on the top deck to get a seat in the sun and enjoy the boat trip to Saranda. We choose to do the optional Butrint trip which was fascinating. Enjoyed the bus trip of approx 45minutes through the Albanian countryside to reach our destination. Only had 2 hours at the site so chose to break away from tour guide and explore ourselves. The bus stopped off for refreshments at a hotel on the way and for a lunch on the way back to Sarande. I would have preferred this time to myself to explore Sarande. We did get about 1 hour free time to explore. We looked at a fruit market near the harbour and had a quick dip in the sea before we got back on the boat.

Something for everyone

The Albania day trip combined a round trip ferry rife from Corfu, a visit to a mountain spring, exploration of a classical site, and visit to a modern city. For the most part the trip was highly informative and introduced Albania.

Butrint and Ali Pasha castle

I had a great day trip in Saranda. However some things are to be clarified. Butrint is an Epirotic-Roman archaeological site, not Greco-Roman. Some hellenic colons went there, but they did not leave too much construct legacy. Epirots and Illyrians were the same nation. Castle of Ali Pasha, is not part of the ottoman constructs. Even though Ottoman constructs were built by Albanian Pashas themselves, castles of Ali Pasha Tepelena are not Ottoman, because he was independent and against the central Ottoman rule. He built 80 castles, mostly with Albanian constructors and engineers.

A Good Day Trip From Corfu

If you take this trip definitely include Butrint as this is the highlight as there is little of interest in Saranda. This is quite an amazing site that dates back 800 AD . It is large and covers many years from 800 BC until the present and well worth a visit. The tour guide we had was excellent and knew her stuff and went out of her way to assist a multi national l audience.The fast speed ferry left a bit to be desired but worth the pain .

Well worth a visit if you fancy something different

Albania might not be everyones first choice of a day trip when visiting Corfu but if yuou want something different than the usual coach trip i would highly recomend it. Butrint was interesting and there's much more there than we expected. Saranda was more resort like than we thought as Albania beaches and sun beds didn't really seem likely but that was our own outdated view of Albania as even the cruise ships stop here now. Ferry was easy with a calm crossing of around 1 hour 15 minutes. There are strict rules on how much alcohol and cigarettes you can bring back into Corfu and the passport control is quite stringent. Top tip don't forget your passport ! They are also happy to take Euro so need to get any Lek .

Interesting, cheap, BUT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PERMISSION FOR YOUR KIDS!

My friend and I took the one day trip to Saranda and the archeological site of Butrint. All very interesting, seeing the contrast between Saranda, which is pretty built up, and Kassiopi where we'd been staying in Corfum which is totally different in style. But my main reason for writing this review is because of what we witnessed as we were passing through customs leaving Corfu harbour. The man in front of us was with his son, perhaps about 13 years old, and the border officer asked to see a letter from the man's wife giving him permission to take his son out of the country. He clearly had not been informed about this by the tour operator (the one we used in Kassiopi DID in fact tell all its customers about this) and was shown an email address for him to contact so that he could get the permission emailed through. Given that the hydrofoil was leaving in 10 minutes I think his chances of getting the necessary documentation in time were very remote and so they had probably wasted their time and money. Goodness knows what a person does if they are a widow or widower or single parent!

Albania is a beautiful country and...

<p>Albania is a beautiful country and the trip was easy. We opted for the archaeological site tour as well which was very interesting and the guides had a depth of knowledge with excellent English.<br/> Downside- queuing to get on the boat whilst the staff tried to sell the tour extension as you board which took ages. From memory this was not available to purchase in advance on the viator site which if it was, would speed up the process and then not require such an early start.</p>

Very helpful driver to pick us up...

<p>Very helpful driver to pick us up from the hotel and drop us back in the evening. Bought tickets to Butrint as we got on the ferry. Slightly confusing on the Albanian dockside, but once on the coach all was well - a wonderful trip to Butrint and a knowledgeable guide. Fascinating site, lots to see. Buffet lunch in Saranda was included and then on to a bonus trip, the Blue Eye spring among Albanian mountains north of Saranda. Back in time for a coffee and a wander round Saranda before the ferry back. Great day and very good value.</p>

Muy mala experiencia

La verdad es que por las imágenes te da la sensación de que el tour incluye la visita arqueológica. Al final llegas a Saranda, una ciudad con apenas zona de arena (todo son piedras y muy escaso el espacio para tomar el sol. El tour a las ruinas cuesta 25 euros más y nos cobraron 15 euros por la entrada a Albania. El día anterior hice un tour con la misma empresa que costó lo mismo o menos, y no tiene comparación. Fue decepcionante, al punto que al llegar a Albania y ver lo que me esperaba, ya me quería regresar. Si van es mejor que programen tours en Albania con alguna agencia para que aprovechen el día.

Extraordinaire

Excellent! Nous sommes tomber sur un guide extraordinaire. Ari était gentil, agréable et tres humain. Il connaissait son pays parfaitement. Nous avons bien rigolé et il nous a fait visiter pleins de choses. Nous avons eu un temps limité et il l’a respecté à la minute près. Bon malheureusement le transfert du retour ne nous a pas attendu à part cela Je recommande fortement. Merci Ari.

Good experience

Apart from the queue for the paper check and the traffic jams in Albania, a nice visit to the archaeological site. Good guide