The Albanian Riviera & Butrint in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for The Albanian Riviera & Butrint covers 13 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; The Albanian Riviera & Butrint rewards a detour.

The The Albanian Riviera & Butrint route at a glance

• Day 1
• Day 2

Day 1

Day 1 covers 7 stops and about 3.1 km on foot, from Saranda to Butrint Baptistery and Great Basilica. 3 longer hops are best done by public transport or taxi. ≈ 3.1 km of walking, about 40 min

Morning

1. Saranda: Saranda, the harbour town of the Albanian Riviera on a wide bay of the Ionian Sea, with its long seafront promenade, palm trees and cafes, and the island of Corfu on the horizon. 2.6 km on foot (31 min) to the next stop
2. Monastery of the Forty Saints: The ruined Monastery of the Forty Saints on a hill above Saranda, an early Christian monastery that gave the town its name, with a crypt of vaulted chapels and views over the bay. 0.8 km to the next stop: take transport
3. Lëkurësi Castle: Lëkurësi Castle, a square Ottoman fortress with round towers on a hill above Saranda, with wide views over the town, the island of Corfu, the islets of Ksamil and, on clear days, the lagoon of Butrint. 11 km to the next stop: take transport
4. Ksamil and its Islets: Ksamil, the beach village south of Saranda, inside Butrint National Park, with four small wooded islets in clear turquoise water, white sand coves and views of Corfu across the strait. 3.1 km to the next stop: take transport

Afternoon

1. Butrint Lion Gate, Walls and Museum: The ancient walls and the Lion Gate of Butrint, and the hilltop acropolis with its castle and archaeological museum, looking over the Vivari Channel, the lagoon and the island of Corfu. 0.2 km on foot (3 min) to the next stop
2. Butrint Theatre and Sanctuary of Asclepius: The ancient theatre of Butrint, a Hellenistic theatre enlarged by the Romans, set against the wooded acropolis, with the sanctuary and sacred spring of Asclepius, god of healing, beside it. 0.3 km on foot (4 min) to the next stop
3. Butrint Baptistery and Great Basilica: The baptistery of Butrint, a round building of the sixth century with two rings of granite columns and a famous mosaic floor, and nearby the tall ruined walls of the Great Basilica, deep in the forest.

Day 2

Day 2 covers 6 stops and about 0.3 km on foot, from Blue Eye to Llogara Pass. 4 longer hops are best done by public transport or taxi. ≈ 0.3 km of walking, about 5 min

Morning

1. Blue Eye: The Blue Eye, Syri i Kaltër, a deep karst spring in the forest between Saranda and Gjirokastër, where icy water rises from an unknown depth, deep blue at the centre and turquoise at the edges. 17 km to the next stop: take transport
2. Gjirokastër Castle: Gjirokastër Castle, the great stone fortress on the ridge above the old town, rebuilt by Ali Pasha, with vaulted galleries, a clock tower, a former prison and wide views over the Drino valley. 0.3 km on foot (4 min) to the next stop
3. Old Town of Gjirokastër: The old town of Gjirokastër, the City of Stone, a World Heritage Site of tall Ottoman tower houses with roofs of stone slabs, steep cobbled lanes and an old bazaar below the castle. 30 km to the next stop: take transport

Afternoon

1. Porto Palermo Castle: Porto Palermo Castle, a triangular fortress on a small peninsula in a quiet bay south of Himarë, attributed to Ali Pasha, with vaulted rooms and a terrace over clear water. 12 km to the next stop: take transport
2. Himarë and Gjipe Beach: Himarë, the old town on the Riviera with its hilltop castle and beaches, and Gjipe, a hidden cove at the mouth of a narrow canyon between Himarë and Dhërmi, reached only on foot or by boat. 10 km to the next stop: take transport
3. Llogara Pass: The Llogara Pass, about 1,027 metres high in the Ceraunian Mountains, where the coast road climbs through a national park of pine and fir forest and suddenly reveals the whole Albanian Riviera below.

Walking distances and times follow streets and footpaths (routing by openrouteservice.org, map data © OpenStreetMap contributors). Times are walking only, at an easy pace; add time at each stop.

Updated: October 25, 2026

Full The Albanian Riviera & Butrint guide and all stops →