"From Greece to Albania." Top 5 Page for this destination Sarande by GrantBoone

Sarande Travel Guide: 134 reviews and 277 photos

WHY ALBANIA?

A week in Corfu was never going to be enough. We saw adverts for Day trips to Albania on our first day on Corfu. A boat trip to a country which had re- opened its borders to visitors that same month. We just had to go for it! ...........
(notice the luxury transport awaiting us on the left of the photo!!)

ARRIVAL

Welcome to Albania.!

We waited at 5am for the ferry from Corfu Town to Sarande, Albania. The ferry took about two hours before we saw our first glimpse of the grey apartment blocks scattered along the small harbour. And then , from nowhere came the sight of hundreds of small boys on makeshift rafts coming towards our boat .All with there hands outstretched . They shouted for food , drinks , pens(!!) and money. In fact anything and everything! *

GREETINGS FROM ALBANIA!

The children await our arrival !

As we docked in the harbour, we were followed by the group of children onto a coach bound for Roman ruins in a place called Butrint.
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Read on for the rest of the story! .>>

Pros and Cons

Pros:Unique, incredible people. Just to be able to say IVE BEEN THERE!
Cons:Difficult to find faults on such a short visit.
In a nutshell:So glad I took the chance to visit an undiscovered country

Last visit to Sarande: Oct 1991
Intro Updated Jun 30, 2007
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Reviews (16)

THE PROMENADE Things to Do (3)

Once we arrived by ferry we were met at by a guide and taken by coach along the coastline. The promenade was very... more travel advice

Our stay in Sarande Hotels (2)

We didnt actually stay long enough in Sarande to need a hotel but we used the hotel seen in the picture to change our... more travel advice

TRAVEL LIGHT!! Tourist Traps (2)

We made the mistake of taking bags of food and drink with us to Albania and once we arrived , we were swarmed by... more travel advice

THE MEETING PLACE Hotels (2)

Our meeting place for the return journey back to Corfu was a Hotel by the seafront. I m not sure of the name but the... more travel advice

Favorites (2)
See All WHERE IS SARANDE ?
Local Customs (1)
The passport stamp.
Warnings and Dangers (2)
See All SECURITY WORRIES 2 .

Comments (46)

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toonsarah Feb 15, 2011 at 12:09 PM

I imagine things may have changed a little in Albania since your visit, but nevertheless this is a fascinating page - really enjoyed reading your impressions
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janiebaxter Feb 3, 2011 at 9:50 AM

Hi, Thanks for visiting my Yemen pages. Glad I got to go when I did. My friends from that trip actually met in Albania 25 years ago coincidentally!
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nickandchris Nov 3, 2009 at 2:30 PM

Quite fancy seeing Albania - far prefer the less touristy places.
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budapest8 Sep 21, 2009 at 5:30 AM

Nice pics...Maybe Luton to Sarande is quicker than Budapest to Sarande? Takes 18 hours by train to Podgarica from Budapest, then another 90 mins to Shkoder, 2 hrs to Tirane, 3 hrs to Vlore then maybe 5 to Sarande? How many times u been?
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junecorlett Feb 20, 2009 at 12:32 AM

Good tips, thanks Grant.
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angiebabe Jun 29, 2008 at 10:38 AM

What an excellent opportunity you took back then to go visit Albania - interesting page thanks - hope i get there myself before too long!
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eni83 Jan 15, 2008 at 4:52 AM

You too have a lvely picture here at Saranda page.
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millablake Oct 5, 2006 at 4:59 AM

shucks. the latest motto she has given you is woeful! and i saw a little sun in London, for about 2 minutes about 8 weeks ago...
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evona Sep 5, 2006 at 6:21 PM

Interesting place for visit it. I see the young boys didn`t want you felt there alone :)
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Edla Jun 27, 2006 at 5:32 AM

yes, the question does sound stupid (the one on your motto) so what does it mean, coz I'm sure it's not really stupid :)