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Saranda, Ksamil & Blue Eye Day Trip from Tirana

Already staying in the south? See the Saranda-based version →

5.063 Google reviewsDay trip from Tirana, Durrës or Golem

The south is the part of Albania people come for and the part most visitors on the central coast never reach, because Ksamil is five hours from Tirana and everyone assumes that means a three-day trip. It does not have to. We leave before dawn, drive the coast road in daylight, and give you the whole middle of the day down there.

Itinerary

For reference only. Itineraries are subject to change.

  1. 04:30

    Pickup and the drive south

    Early pickup from your hotel. We take the inland route down while it is dark, with a breakfast stop around Fier.

  2. 09:30

    The Blue Eye

    A short walk in through the plane trees to the spring. The water comes up at about 10 degrees and the colour is hard to believe until you see it.

  3. 11:00

    Ksamil

    Straight to the beach. Three hours: swim out to the islands, lunch at a beach restaurant, or do nothing under an umbrella.

  4. 14:30

    Saranda waterfront

    An hour on the promenade with Corfu sitting across the channel, and a stop at the Lekursi Castle terrace above the bay.

  5. 16:00

    North over Llogara

    The coast road through Borsh and Himarë, then the climb to the Llogara Pass with the whole Ionian below you.

  6. 19:30

    Back on the plain

    Dinner stop near Vlora, then home. Durrës and Golem around 21:30, Tirana closer to 22:00.

Experience & Highlights

  • The Blue Eye spring, cold and impossibly blue
  • Three hours at Ksamil and its islands
  • Saranda waterfront and the Lekursi Castle view
  • The Llogara Pass at golden hour on the way home
  • Hotel pickup in Tirana, Durrës, Golem and Qerret

Full Description

The Blue Eye is first: a karst spring that pushes cold water up through a hole nobody has yet found the bottom of, so blue it looks filtered. Then Ksamil, where the sea goes shallow and turquoise over white sand and three small islands sit a short swim offshore. Three hours there, enough for a proper swim and a long lunch rather than a photo stop.

We come back over the Llogara Pass in the evening, which climbs to 1,000 metres directly above the sea and is the single best stretch of road in the country. It is a fifteen-hour day. People do it anyway, and the ones who do not usually wish they had.

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tirana, Durrës, Golem and Qerret
  • Air-conditioned transport for the full day
  • English-speaking guide
  • Blue Eye park entry
  • Bottled water

Not included

  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner stops
  • Ksamil sunbed and umbrella hire (about €5 to €10)
  • Boat to the Ksamil islands if you would rather not swim (€5)

Good to know

  • This is a 15 to 16 hour day with about nine hours of driving. Most people who do it are glad they did, and it is long. If you would rather split it, ask us about the overnight version.
  • Swimming is not allowed in the Blue Eye itself. The swim is at Ksamil.
  • Bring a swimsuit, a towel and sunscreen in a day bag. Luggage stays in the van between stops.
  • Runs May through October. Outside those months we swap Ksamil for Butrint and Gjirokastër.

Good questions, honest answers

How long does it take to get to Ksamil from Tirana?

About five hours each way on the inland route, which is why this runs as a 15-hour day with a 04:30 pickup. We drive south in the dark to protect the daylight hours, and come back over the Llogara Pass in the evening when the light is worth having.

Can you swim in the Blue Eye?

No, swimming in the spring is prohibited and enforced. The water is about 10 degrees year-round in any case. The swimming on this trip happens at Ksamil, where you get three hours.

Is the Ksamil day trip from Tirana worth it?

If the alternative is not seeing the south at all, yes. You get roughly five hours on the ground across three stops. If you have two spare nights, basing yourself in Saranda and doing it locally is more relaxed and you will see more.

Plan the rest of your trip

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