Corfu To Sarande Day Trip: What To See & Do

This post will share details of my Corfu to Sarande day trip.

As part of my three-day itinerary in Corfu, I decided to spend one day in Albania.

This was honestly the highlight of my trip, as I had previously visited Greece, specifically Rhodes, and didn’t have the desire to return.

However, I then discovered that I could visit Corfu, a place I had never been to before, and take a ferry to Sarandë in Albania.

That sounded like a great plan on paper, especially since there aren’t that many direct flights to Albania from Manchester anyway.

We only have one to the capital, Tirana, which is a four-hour drive from Sarande.

But thanks to the incredibly hot weather, which I did not anticipate – shockingly – the trip almost turned out to be a waste because I wasn’t able to explore.

As always, I booked a Day Trip To Sarande and Butrint National Park from Corfu on Get Your Guide.

Unlike my previous trips, I waited till the last minute to book because I wanted to be sure I could cope in 30-degree weather.

Fortunately, this turned out to be an excellent idea, as I had struggled a lot.

At the end, I skipped the Butrint National Park tour and just paid for the ferry tickets alone.

In hindsight, this was a great decision, but unfortunately, it left a gaping hole.

Unlike other day trips where I had felt somewhat satisfied, this one left me unsatisfied.

Right there and then, I decided to return to Albania to explore the country properly.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the details of the day trip.

Here’s What To See & Do On A Corfu To Sarande Day Trip

For this trip, I decided to book with Ionian Cruises.

Two activity providers were offering these day trips on GetYourGuide.

However, only one of them offered pickup and drop-off options directly from your hotel, rather than at a designated meeting point.

My hotel was already far out, public transportation in Corfu was abysmal, and taxis cost a fortune; there had to be a pick-up option at my hotel, or I wouldn’t go.

As a result of booking last minute, I had to check in almost immediately with my passport details.

After that, I was issued a digital boarding card that included all the necessary instructions, including my pickup time, for the next morning.

Itinerary

For this trip, there was no detailed itinerary, as it was a direct trip with only one additional optional guided tour.

Sarande is a coastal city in southern Albania, which sits in the gulf of the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

As Corfu is the second-largest island in the Ionian Sea, it makes sense for the distance to be relatively close.

Here is how the day trip went;

7.55 – 8.13 am – Pickup and arrival at Corfu Port

After getting only about five hours of sleep the previous night, I had to drag myself out of bed to get ready for the early morning.

Honestly, there’s nothing I hate more than an incredibly early morning.

Anyway, I got ready and waited at the hotel’s reception for the coach, which I thought would pick me up at the entrance.

It turns out that the driver parked on the other side of the road and was waiting for me to cross over.

After a slight delay, I boarded the coach, and we proceeded to Corfu Port.

There were only a couple of pickups left after me, so we arrived pretty early.

When we arrived at the port, the driver dropped us at two different spots.

I’m not sure if it was due to my lack of sleep and coffee or both, but he kept announcing for anyone going to Albania to drop off, but I didn’t hear.

Turns out the coach was also filled with people going to Paxos.

Anyway, after clarifying the confusion, he dropped me back at the port terminal to get my passport stamped.

8:20 – 8.54 – Passport Control at Corfu Port

After disembarking from the coach, I was issued a physical boarding card.

I had to use it to get through security at the port terminal.

I immediately joined the queue and took its sweet time to move.

Eventually, we made progress until we reached the Passport Control, where our passports were stamped.

The entire process luckily took around 35 minutes, despite my delay.

After which, I was able to join the rest of the passengers on the boat.

8:54 – 9:04 am (Albanian Time) – Corfu, Greece to Sarande, Albania

Once I boarded the boat, we were set to sail in no time.

During my last boat cruise in Malta, I experienced a severe case of sea sickness, so I was slightly nervous and more prepared.

This time, I bought a motion sickness band to test its effectiveness.

I think it did work as I barely experienced any sea sickness despite sitting on the top deck.

The journey lasted around an hour, and while sailing, we were asked to pay €20 in cash for port fees.

I had forgotten to pay, so I was escorted to the cabin to settle my payment.

When I was done, I was given a paper return ticket with other people’s names on it, which was unusual.

That did not seem to be a problem throughout the trip.

The journey itself was smooth, but the views were uneventful and disappointing.

Heck, the waves had better views than the mountains.

After about an hour, we arrived at Sarande Port, and it was time to disembark.

9:04 – 15:00 – Sarande, Albania

After disembarking from the boat, we were told to return by 14:40.

The Albania port officials were ready to let us through after checking our boarding card.

The people who booked the National Tour were escorted to their coach.

While the rest of us were left to our own devices.

I walked through the port gates to get some ice cream first to refresh myself.

Just after the gates, we were harassed by private tour operators who wanted us to book with them.

I almost got tempted to book one until he said it would cost around 6000 LEK, which was around €60.

In hindsight, that was not too crazy for a private tour.

Instead, I dismissed him and went to find something to eat.

I settled on a seafront restaurant where I had both breakfast and lunch while catching up with a friend via WhatsApp and people-watching.

When it was almost time, I grabbed a sandwich from a nearby salad bar.

Then I made my way back to the terminal after grabbing a fridge magnet along the way.

In the end, I had a very relaxing day, which is quite unusual for me as an explorer with wanderlust.

This is why I would be returning to Albania, as I unfortunately did not do the country justice.

15:05 – 17:30 (Greece Time) – Sarande to Corfu

With barely enough time to spare, I arrived back at the port terminal, only for them to leave us at the entrance of the boat for about twenty minutes before we could board.

We finally did, and we all just crashed out.

I decided to stay in the cabin this time to catch some sleep.

Even though I didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy, I was still exhausted from the heat and sleep-deprived.

Throughout the trip, I went in and out of naps until we finally got back to Corfu.

When we were close, the captain made her announcement, and I returned to the deck to take some last photos for the trip.

17:30 – 17:45 – Passport Control, Corfu Port

After we disembarked from the boat, we proceeded directly to passport control.

Thankfully, the queue wasn’t so long this time, and the entire process took around twenty minutes.

In fact, at some point, the official took all our passports, stamped them in bulk and returned them to us straightaway.

17:50 – 18:05 – Drop off

With the passport control moving very quickly, the last of us were able to join our coaches rapidly as well.

Thankfully, my hotel wasn’t too far away, so mine was the third stop right in front of my hotel.

Quick Tips

• Similar to Montenegro, Albania is not part of the Schengen area, so you will need to make arrangements for mobile data. Thankfully, my mobile provider offered a one-off plan of £7 per day for non-Schengen areas, allowing me to use my internet as usual.
• The Albanian currency is the Lek (LEK), but they also accept Euros, which makes sense, as many tourists regularly take day trips from Corfu to Saranda.
• If you don’t want to convert any cash, pay with a card.
• If you have some spare change and don’t want to take it back with you, consider spending it on a fridge magnet, as I did.
• Most people, especially on the Sarande coast, in shops and restaurants, speak English, so don’t worry too much about the language barrier.

Finally,

Despite my Corfu to Sarande day trip not going as planned, it wasn’t that bad at all.

I just needed to embrace that travel comes in different variations, which is precisely what makes it great.