Does Saranda in Albania have an airport?

If you want to travel to Saranda in Albania, you might be wondering if Saranda in Albania has an airport. In this blog post, I will discuss how you can travel to Saranda as a tourist.

Does Saranda in Albania have an airport? Saranda in Albania does not have an airport. In 2021, the Albanian government announced an airport in Saranda will be constructed in the future, but construction has not started. The closest airport in Albania is Tirana International Airport. Or you can fly to Corfu island and take the ferry (35 min) to Saranda.

In this blog post, I will discuss:

• Updates on the construction of Saranda airport
• What is the closest airport to Saranda?
• How to get to Saranda in Albania?
• How to get from Corfu to Saranda?
• How do I get from Tirana to Saranda?

Does Saranda have an airport?

Saranda does not have an airport. There are plans to build an airport in Saranda in the future. However, construction on the Saranda airport has not started yet.

Basically, the Albanian government opened a competition in 2021. In essence, they are looking for a private investor to build Saranda airport. However, nobody showed interest. The Albanian government then re-opened the competition a second time and eased some of the criteria, but still no interest and no bids.

“The tender for the concession of Saranda airport fails for the second time. The Ministry of Infrastructure stated that no bids were submitted in the competition, while the minimum tender value was 34.3 million euros.” Quote from Albanian Daily News from December 2021 (source)

The point is that the construction of an airport in Saranda was a promise from Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama.

Albania has two airports right now, one in Tirana and one in Kukes. Tirana International Airport is the main airport in Albania in the centre of the country. Kukes airport is a much smaller scale airport in the mountainous area near the border with Kosovo.

And the third airport in Vlore is under construction. Vlore airport will be convenient for travel to Saranda in the future as it is only a 2.5 to 3-hour drive from Vlore to Saranda.

“The Saranda airport construction was one of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s campaign promises.” Quote from Exit News Albania (source)

As of right now, it is unknown when Saranda Airport will be constructed. Until the Albanian government announces that they found a company or investor to construct the airport in Saranda, the construction for an airport in Saranda will not start.

So Saranda in Albania does not have an airport. There are plans to build an airport in Saranda, but since no private investor has been found and construction has not started. It will certainly be a while before Saranda in Albania will have an airport.

“The construction works of Saranda Airport will be financed through private investment, the infrastructure ministry said in a tender notice published on Tuesday by the public procurement agency.” Quote from See News (source)

What is the closest airport to Saranda Albania?

The closest airport to Saranda in Albania is:

1) Corfu airport on the Greek Corfu island
2) Tirana International Airport

Corfu island is a Greek island, which is located in front of the Albanian coastline. Because there is no airport in Saranda, many tourists fly to Corfu island and take the ferry from Corfu to Saranda. The ferry boat from Corfu to Saranda takes on 35 minutes.

Tirana International Airport is the main airport in Albania. If you fly to Tirana International airport it will take you at least 5 hours to travel from Tirana to Saranda by bus, by taxi or by car.

How to get to Saranda Albania?

You can get to Saranda in two ways:

Option 1: Fly to the Greek Corfu island and take the ferry to Saranda
Option 2: Fly to Tirana airport and take a bus/taxi/car to Saranda

Corfu island is a Greek island in front of the Albanian coastline. If you fly to Corfu island, you can take a 35-minute ferry boat from Corfu to Saranda. Of course, this journey does require some transfers.

First, you fly to Corfu island. Secondly, you take a taxi or bus from Corfu airport to the Port of Corfu. Thirdly, you take the ferry boat from Corfu to Saranda. And fourthly, you will take a taxi from the Port of Saranda to your hotel in Saranda. A ticket for the ferry from Corfu to Saranda costs between 19 euros and 24 euros per adult for a one-way journey.

If you fly to Tirana airport in Albania, you will need to travel 5-6 hours from Tirana to Saranda. You can travel from Tirana airport to Saranda by taxi, by car or by bus.

A direct taxi from Tirana airport to Saranda costs 165 euros for a one-way trip. A rental car in Albania costs at least 20-25 euros per day plus 70-80 euros for petrol to drive to Saranda.

Of course, the local bus from Tirana to Saranda is much cheaper, as it only costs 12-14 euros per person for a one-way trip. However, the bus from Tirana to Saranda does not depart from Tirana airport, so you must take a taxi to the bus terminal to catch the bus.

How to get from Corfu to Saranda?

You can get from Corfu to Saranda by ferry boat. You can book a ferry boat from Corfu to Saranda with two companies: Ionian Seaways and Finikas Lines.

A ticket for the Corfu to Saranda ferry will cost you between 19 euros and 24 euros per adult for a one-way journey.

There are two types of boats between Corfu and Saranda.

Option 1: Take the Speedboat from Corfu to Saranda.

The speedboats are called “Flying Dolphins” or “high-speed hydrofoils”. If you book the speedboat it will take you 30-35 minutes to get from Corfu to Saranda.

Option 2: Take the slower car ferry from Corfu to Saranda.

If you take the car ferry, it will take you 1 hour and 15 minutes to get from Corfu to Saranda. So if you are trying to get from Corfu to Saranda or Tirana as quick as possible, be sure to book the speedboat instead.

The Corfu-Saranda ferry departs from the Port of Corfu. So if you are flying to Corfu airport, you will need to take a taxi or bus from the airport to the Port of Corfu.

By bus, it takes 20 minutes to travel from Corfu Airport to the Port of Corfu. You can take bus line No 15. Bus line No 15, departs from Corfu airport. The bus drives to the intercity bus station, through the city centre, by San Rocco Square and its final stop is at the Port of Corfu. At the port, the bus makes two stops. Firstly, it stops behind the ferry ticket offices and finally, it stops at the port itself. The bus ticket costs only €1.20.

By taxi, it takes 12 minutes to get from Corfu airport to the Port of Corfu. There are always taxis at the airport, so it is a good option if you need to be quick. The taxi journey from Corfu airport to the Port of Corfu will cost you between €15 – €20.

The timetable for the ferry from Corfu to Saranda varies by season. From November until March, Finikas lines only operate 1 ferry boat per day. Whereas in July and August, Finikas lines operate 6 ferry boats per day.

Timetable for Corfu-Saranda Ferry from Finikas Lines:

• 1 January – 5 April – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM
• 6 April – 15 May – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM, 11:45 AM and 16:45 PM.
• 16 May – 31 May – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 16:15 PM and 19:00 PM
• 1 June – 30 June – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 16:30 PM and 19:00 PM.
• 1 July – 31 August – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 8:15 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 13:00 PM, 16:30 PM and 19:00 PM.
• 1 September – 21 September – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 13:00 PM, 16:30 PM and 19:00 PM.
• 22 September – 31 September – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 13:00 PM, 16:30 PM and 19:00 PM.
• 1 October – 15 October – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 18:30 PM.
• 16 October – 31 October – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM and 19:00 PM.
• 1 November – 31 December – Ferry from Corfu to Saranda departs at 9:00 AM.

You can check the timetable for the Corfu-Saranda ferry on the websites of Finikas Lines and Ionian Seaways. The timetable for Finikas Lines can be found here: https://www.finikas-lines.com/lines  . The timetable for Ionian Seaways can be found here: https://ionianseaways.com/timetable/

How do I get from Tirana to Saranda?

You can get from Tirana to Saranda by bus, by taxi or by rental car.

Bus from Tirana to Saranda

The bus from Tirana to Saranda departs from the Regional Bus Terminal, which is a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the city centre of Tirana.

So if you are flying to Tirana airport, you must take a taxi to the Regional Bus Terminal. Or if you are staying in a hotel in Tirana’s city centre, you must take a taxi to the Regional Bus Terminal in order to catch the bus from Tirana to Saranda.

The Regional Bus Terminal is officially called:
In Albanian Language: Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut dhe Veriut
In English Language: Regional Bus Terminal – North and South Albania

You can see the location of the Regional Bus Terminal by clicking on this link to Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/Jso228CjaScxrMGS6

The bus from Tirana to Saranda departs 6 x times per day. The bus from Tirana to Saranda departs at 6:15 AM, 7:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 9:45 AM, 12:30 PM and 16:00 PM. You can always check the latest bus timetable from Tirana to Saranda on the website of Gjirafa Autobus here: https://gjirafa.com/autobus

A bus ticket from Tirana to Saranda costs 12-14 euros for a one-way trip or 24-28 euros for a return trip. You do not have to book a ticket for the bus online. Simply travel to the bus terminal and pay for your bus ticket in cash with the driver of the bus.

Taxi from Tirana to Saranda

A taxi from Tirana to Saranda costs between 134 euros – 191 euros.

These are the taxi prices from Tirana’s city centre to Saranda:

• Merr Taxi charges 191 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Saranda
• UPs taxi charges 21502 Leke (177 euros) for a taxi from Tirana to Saranda
• Speedtaxi charges 16000 Leke or 134 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Saranda
• City Taxi charges 16000 Leke (134 euros) for a taxi from Tirana to Saranda
• Euro Taxi charges 130 euros for a taxi from Tirana to Saranda

If you want to take a taxi from Tirana airport directly to Saranda, you can take an airport taxi. The official Tirana airport taxi service charges 165 euros for a taxi from Tirana airport to Saranda. The advantage of the licensed taxi service is that they have a set price list, which is published online here: https://tiataxi.al/travel/

The taxi journey from Tirana to Saranda takes around 5 hours.

Rent a car and drive from Tirana to Saranda

It costs at least 20 – 25 euros to rent a car in Albania. And it will cost you around 80 euros to buy petrol for your drive from Tirana to Saranda.

I have recently written a blog post about the costs of renting a car in Albania. I basically requested car rental rates from many car rental companies in Tirana. The most affordable car rental will cost you 20 – 25 euros per day.

However, you must reach out to several car rental companies before your holiday. I recommend you do your research, to ensure you get a good deal! Because I have spoken to tourists, who were charged 60-70 euros per day for a rental car. You can read my blog post about the costs of renting a car in Albania here: https://albaniatourguide.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-rent-a-car-in-albania/

There are two possible routes to drive from Tirana to Saranda:
Option 1: The shorter inland road (Tirana -> Durres -> Fier -> Tepelene -> Gjirokaster -> Saranda)
Option 2: The longer coastal road (Tirana -> Durres -> Fier -> Vlore -> Himare -> Saranda)

The shortest route to get from Tirana to Saranda is via the inland route. However, I highly recommend you drive via the longer coastal road instead, because the coastline between Vlore and Saranda is stunning.

The 120 kilometre long coastline between Vlore and Saranda is called “the Albanian Riviera”. And even if, you won’t have time to stop at every beach. You will still enjoy stunning views along this route. I recommend you plan 1 day to drive along the coastline. You can make stops at Zvernec island, the Llogara Pass, Dhermi Beach, Jale beach and the Castle of Ali Pasha in the Bay of Porto Palermo. Take your time, because you are on holiday after all!

Important! Driving in Albania can be daunting or challenging as a foreign driver. The Albanian drivers have a chaotic and aggressive driving style. Although there are rules on the road, you will certainly meet Albanian drivers, who do not follow the rules. You are the only person, who can judge your driving ability, but you must be an alert and confident driver to drive in Albania. Do not drive in Albania at night, because street lighting is limited.

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