Tirana Times
As the dog days of summer return to Albania, and the days are getting longer and hotterנespecially in Tiranaנit is time to zealously pick up the efforts of identifying the best places to escape the city heat. After all, fighting through the heavy urban air on a Monday through Friday basis is enoughנwho wants to continue the struggle unnecessarily on the weekends?
This week’s featured destination is Saranda. Yes, we know, last week we pushed northern Albania (and still do), but in the name of keeping it fresh let’s bring something different, shall we?
Saranda is one of the most tourist-friendly cities in Albania, and they know it. Upon leaving this southern town, travelers are greeted by a large sign along the road to Tirana reading Good Luck! in English.
Draped along a curving bay with a narrow strip of beach, the town has witnessed a construction boom making it tricky to spot any pre-1990 buildings. In summer, many foreigners arrive by ferry at the passenger terminal on the southern end of the harbor on daytrips from Corfu.
Admittedly, there’s not much to see in Saranda itselfנexcept for some excavations near the main squareנhowever, the city makes a lively base for trips to fantastic beaches, and other places of interest, such as Butrint.
Butrint
If you haven’t already heard of, or visited, Butrint, it’s about time you did. Just south of Saranda, it consists of a well-preserved ancient city and one of the Mediterranean’s most important archaeological sites, (open 08:00 – dusk; admission 700 lek), a National Park and World Heritage site.
Thousands of years of settlement by Neolithic tribes, Illyrians, Greeks, Trojans, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Angevins, Ottomans and Venetians have left their traces hereحaking it European history in a concentrate form.
Butrint is mostly untouched, with bits of masonry poking from the ground here and there, and woods providing a romantic atmosphere. Its highlights are the well preserved theatre; the Temple of Asklepios; the remains of a large Roman house; an early Christian baptistry and a church; the Greek-era Well of Nymphs, and some massive Illyrian city walls. Climb up the acropolis for a great view of the site and the bay.
In addition, the beautiful lagoons, marshlands, forests and olive groves of the National Park can be explored on foot, by boat or even on horseback with CISP, an Italian eco-tourism agency (www.cisp-ngo.org).
Getting there:
Several city buses run to Butrint daily (50 lek, from Saranda’s main square, via the Butrint hotel; 30 minutes)
Ksamil
It is a staggering view: four small islands only one stone’s throw away from the shore of Ksamil. This cozy little village lies just some miles away from Sarandaآetween the city and Butrint. The water of the sea is shining azure and it is clear as crystal. One would have to pay thousands of Euros to enjoy a dramatic view like this in Western Europe- in a luxury resort that would most certainly have been constructed at such an exceptional sight. Yet in Ksamil life still proceeds at a different pace. Despite of its potential of becoming a very popular destination for travelers, there is not much of a tourist infrastructure existing yet in the village. On the other hand there is not a hint of a “get-as-much-as-you-can”-mentality among the local population towards foreigners, which one often encounters at sites of major tourist attractions.
Up to the present Ksamil remains relatively an insider’s tip for travelers who dispose of a sense for adventure and the desire to explore an outstanding place exclusively by themselves. In other words: if one is not expecting an “All-inclusive-Package” but on the contrary is able to organize accommodation by him- or herself Ksamil will be great fun. In return for this certain lack of comfort, travelers will enjoy exclusive access to a paradise-like beach, flavorsome fresh fish meals and a likewise exclusive way to get in touch with the local population.
Getting there:
Take the Saranda-Ksamil road (approximately 20 minute driving from Saranda)
Comments or suggestions? Email us at: editor@tiranatimes.com
We’d love to hear your favorite destinations in Albania
