Albania's Riviera gateway — the Ionian coast, a Greek island visible from shore, and UNESCO Butrint minutes away
Sarandë (Saranda) on Albania's southern Ionian coast is the jumping-off point for the Albanian Riviera and the closest Albanian city to Greece — Corfu is visible across the strait, 9km away, with frequent ferry connections. The town itself has transformed rapidly since the 1990s from a closed Communist-era resort town into a Mediterranean coastal city with a promenade, decent seafood restaurants, and connections to some of the coast's most spectacular beaches (Ksamil, with its clear turquoise water and small islands, is 15 minutes by taxi). Five kilometres south, the UNESCO World Heritage sit…
Ancient Sarandë was the site of the Greek city of Onchesmos, a port connected to the much larger city of Butrint across the lagoon. Roman presence followed Greek, then Byzantine fortification, then Norman, then Serbian, then Ottoman rule from the 15th century until Albanian independence in 1912. Under the Communist government of Enver Hoxha (1944–85), Sarandë was a closed resort town accessible only to party members and approved tourism — it was cut off from Greece and the outside world entirely during this period. The post-Communist opening has been dramatically rapid.