Day trips from Saranda to Gjirokastra the Blue Eye Lekursi castle

Saranda, Albania

5 to 6 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket

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Overview

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle

All Fees and Taxes

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We offer the pick up at all the hotels in Saranda and Ksamil .

Drop-off point

Hotel Saranda Butrinti Affiliated by Meliá
Lagjia NR. 1 "Naim Fasheri" wrinkles, Sarandë 9701, Albania
We drop off our travelers at their pick up point or it depends by their preferences

Operating hours
.8:00 am

Itinerary

Gjirokaster Castle

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Gjirokastra Bazaar

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

The Blue Eye

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Kalaja e Lëkurësit

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Reviews

4.4

based on 5 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Our driver was...

Cassie_S, Mar 2026

Our driver was professional and drove well, but his English was limited. I booked this tour expecting a tour guide, not just a driver. He was unable to tell us facts or history about Albania during our van ride. We googled the information after the fact but I would have liked to have had information during the tour.

A little underwhelming

Jessica_P, Nov 2025

I was left feeling a little underwhelmed with this day trip. To start with, the activity was supposed to started at 8am, but I didn't receive a message until late the night before that we wouldn't be getting picked-up until 9.30am. The description also says the trip was a total of 5-6 hours. Based on this, I'd assumed we'd be back around 2-3pm at the latest (as I had to start work at 3pm), but we ended up getting back at 5.30pm. Gjirokastra & the castle were okay, but I actually preferred Kruja. The blue eye was very disappointing, only one small spot to really see and totally the wrong time of day late afternoon for good lighting.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry for any confusion about the pickup time. As our guests are collected from different locations, pickup times can vary, and in your case that location could only be served at 09:30. Regarding the tour length, the itinerary normally runs 7–8 hours depending on traffic and the time spent at each stop, and we will review our description to make this clearer. The Blue Eye can look different depending on light conditions during the day, but we’re sorry it didn’t fully meet your expectations. We still hope you enjoyed the rest of the tour and we appreciate your comments as they help us improve. Kind regards.

A Delightful Day Exploring Saranda with a Friendly Local Driver

Rudy_H, Aug 2025

We recently took a tour in Albania through Viator while staying in Saranda, and it was a fantastic experience. It wasn’t a typical guided tour; it was more like a chauffeur service that picked us up right in front of our Airbnb. My family and I had a private car all to ourselves. Our driver even switched out with his dad at one point, who didn’t speak any English, but that didn’t matter at all—he was super friendly and we got along great. We visited a beautiful castle and then the famous Blue Eye. A huge highlight: our driver took us right to the front of the line, so we got in without any waiting. By the way, if you go to the Blue Eye, definitely take a kayak halfway through—it’s absolutely the best part and way more fun than any motorized option. We also stopped in Gjirokastër, explored the old town, did a bit of shopping, had a nice lunch, and even got to extend our tour by an hour so we could enjoy everything at a relaxed pace. At the end of the day, they dropped us right back at our Airbnb in Saranda. Overall, it was a perfect, stress-free day, and we really appreciated the flexibility and friendliness.