Sarande

Sarandë is Albania's Riviera at its most accessible — a crescent-shaped bay on the Ionian coast whose turquoise waters and proximity to the ancient city of Butrint create a Mediterranean experience that rivals Greece at a fraction of the cost.

Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site eighteen kilometers south of Sarandë, spans Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman civilizations compressed into a forested peninsula. The Blue Eye spring (Syri i Kaltër) is a natural phenomenon of mesmerizing beauty — a deep karst spring where water of impossible turquoise emerges from an underwater cave.

Emerald Yacht Cruises, Holland America Line, and Virgin Voyages include Sarandë on Adriatic itineraries. Albanian cuisine produces dishes like tavë kosi (lamb baked in yogurt) and byrek at prices that visitors from more expensive Mediterranean countries find almost comically reasonable.

May through September provides the best conditions.