Is Sarandë fun with kids? Sarandë is located in southern Albania and is one of the main tourist destinations of the Albanian Riviera. Sarandë was founded by Greek settlers as a seaport for the Greek city of Phoinike. It took another 20 years after the fall of communism for the then-quiet Sarandë to become a tourist hotspot. Sarandë is located on the Ionian Sea 14 kilometers from the Greek island of Corfu. Sarandë is very busy and lively compared to the rest of the places we stayed in Albania, but definitely recommended with kids. We visited this city and in this blog we list the best children’s activities in Sarandë.
Best travel time Sarandë with kids
Sarandë has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. Because temperatures rise to 16 degrees as early as March, the best travel time for Sarandë is between March and October. In the summer the temperature can reach 30 degrees, but there is actually always a nice breeze in the city which makes it feel a little less hot.
From June through September, Sarandë can be very busy with tourists. If you are looking more for peace and quiet with your family then I would recommend Himare or Qeparo, as Sarandë does face mass tourism in the summer months. We ourselves found it especially crowded with tourists in the evening, but still cozy.
Transportation to and in Sarandë
Sarandë can be reached by car, bus, cab and even ferry. From Corfu’s port , you can reach Sarandë in an hour by ferry. You can buy individual tickets online, or join a day tour from Corfu to Sarandë. A round-trip ticket then costs about 30 euros per person.
From Tirana you will travel to Sarandë by car in about 5 hours. A long drive but one with beautiful views. From other places on the coast, Sarandë is also easy to reach by car. One option is to fly to the capital Tirana with the family and rent a car from there. At the Tirana airport you can easily rent a car. To rent a car at Tirana airport, take a look here.
Buses go to Sarandë from several places. There are even buses going from the airport in Tirana to Sarandë. There is also a bus from Gjirokaster to Sarandë and from Ksamil. Because Sarandë is a well-known seaside resort, several buses will also depart for Sarandë from other places on the coast.
You can also reach Sarandë easily by cab. It is advisable to compare several cab companies, as prices can vary greatly between organizations. Prices really depend on where you depart from in Albania. If you want a cab from Tirana to Sarande then you will pay a nice amount of around 230 euros or more, because this ride takes 5 hours.
Then it may be cheaper to rent a car. From other coastal towns on the Albanian Riviera, you can reach Sarandë by cab for less money than this 230 euros.
Children’s activities Sarandë
#1 Beaches of Sarandë
Most families visit Sarandë with kids because of the beautiful beaches this resort has. The beach on Sarandë’s promenade is public which means you can just lay down your towel and not have to rent a bed. This is not true of all beaches in Sarandë, as you also have many private beaches in Sarandë.
You then usually pay a certain amount for an umbrella and a bed to have access to this beach. In general, these prices are not too bad. For example, you have the beach at the Santa Quaranta Resort, the beach at the Albatros Bar and the beach at Alfa Pizzeria, where you have such construction for the beach.
Then you also have Mango and Flamingo beach that you can visit with the family and these are 2 adjacent popular beaches in Sarandë. You walk to these beaches in about half an hour from the center of Sarandë. Note that there are many apartment complexes and hotels near these beaches so in the summer months they can be quite crowded.
Also, some of the beaches are pebbly, so be sure to bring water shoes for the kids if you are visiting Sarandë’s beaches with kids.
There are also some beaches that belong to a bar or restaurant. Also just outside Sarandë on the road to Ksamil you will find some more beautiful beaches such as Plahzi Pulëbhardës, Plahzi I Plasqyrave (this is a pebble beach and is also known as Mirror Beach) and Plahzi I Qetesise (this beach is a 10-minute walk from Plahzi I Plasqyrave). So plenty of choice of beaches to spend several hours with the family in Sarandë.
#2 Boat ride
A boat trip is really super fun to do in Sarandë with kids and you can hardly avoid it, because all along the promenade there are stalls promoting their boat trip after every 5 steps. Plenty of choice! You can choose to go on a pirate ship or one of the other larger boats. There are also many small motor boats that you can opt for and this is what we did with our family.
We left at 11 a.m. by boat and sailed first to Turtle Cave where we stopped briefly by boat to view this cave. Then we visited local fish farms on the water. The third stop was at the cliff formation Gremina e Qefalit, where we were allowed to jump off the boat for a 10-minute swim. Our oldest daughter didn’t let that be said twice and she immediately jumped into the water. But also our youngest daughter of 4 years old really liked it here.
After this stop we sailed a little further to Kakome Beach where we did not go on the beach, but had another 10-minute stop in the clear water. The highlight of most boat trips is the stop at Krozez beach. A beach you can only get to by boat. Here we stopped for 2 hours, so we had enough time here to grab a bite to eat, get some sun and, of course, swim.
We thought this was a really beautiful quiet beach, until me and my oldest daughter started screaming because we suddenly saw dolphins in the distance. Really cool to see these animals in the wild! We highly recommended this boat tour to do with the family. You can book this boat trip from Sarandë in advance online.
#3 Boulevard Sarandë
A third activity that is fun to do in Sarandë with kids is to walk along Sarandë’s promenade. This boulevard is about 1 kilometer long. During the day, this boulevard is not so busy (most people are just lying on the beach then), but in the evening it really comes alive with music, a lot of people and also a nice Ferris wheel.
You also have Luna Park Gjika on the promenade near the harbor, where kids can go on various attractions, including bumper cars and a carousel. On the promenade are numerous restaurants, whose hosts/women stand outside in the evening to welcome people.
At the end of the promenade are also all stalls selling souvenirs, jewelry and a lot of soccer jerseys. The price for these soccer kits is around 1500 (€15). For this amount of money, my daughter had a Ronaldo soccer jersey including a pair of shorts. The promenade is a really nice place to walk around in the evening with kids and grab a bite to eat or a drink.
#4 Museums in Sarandë
You can also visit the museum in Sarandë with kids. There are 3 museums in Sarandë that you can visit. A ticket costs 100 lek (€1) for adults and kids are free and with this ticket you can visit all three museums. They are very small museums so you will have seen it very quickly, but fun to do for lunch, for example, or to escape the heat.
We first visited the Museum of Traditions. Located opposite the port, this museum showcases Sarandë’s cultural heritage and how it has changed over the centuries. There are two floors where old costumes and items can also be admired. Right next to this museum is the Galeria Art Sarandë.
This is a museum where a number of paintings can be admired. Fun for the little artists among us, as our oldest, age 9, really loves to draw, so enjoyed walking around here for a while.
The third museum is the Museum of Archaeology and is down the street behind the Museum of Traditions and unfortunately was closed when we were here. This museum consists of one room with an excavation of a mosaic floor, archaeological excavations and photographs of other archaeological excavations.
This museum was specially built after the excavation of this floor of mosaic (it dates back to the sixth century) to protect the floor. The floor was discovered during the construction of the adjacent post office. Because a ticket to the museum costs almost nothing, this is a great activity to do between visiting the beaches.
#5 Lëkurësi castle
Just outside the seaside town of Sarandë, on top of the Lekuresi hill is the Lëkurësi castle. On this hill you have a great view of the city and the sea. The castle was built in 1537 by Ottoman Emperor Sultan Sulemein the Great when he needed control of the port and attacked Corfu.
The castle was located in the village of Lëkures, whose remains can still be found atop the hill, and has been abandoned since 1879 after the attack by Ali Pasha of Tepelena. Inside the castle walls is now a restaurant (Restaurant Kalaja E Lekuresi), where you can dine on the large outdoor terrace and enjoy the view.
There is often live music and traditional folk dancing. Also, here is a beautiful viewpoint which you may also visit without dining here. The prices in the restaurant do tend to be on the high side but it really is a special place to eat. It is recommended to go here at sunset, as you will have a really beautiful view. This is also a great spot to propose to your partner with the kids there like my friend did 😉.
You can choose to hike to Lëkurësi Castle, but this is a tough hike for kids. You can also take the car up the hill. There is ample parking in front of the castle. From the castle you have one of the best views of Sarandë, the sea, and on the horizon Corfu. On the other side, you have a beautiful view of the mountain range and can even see Lake Butrint.
Outings Sarandë
If you stay several days in Sarandë, it is also advisable to go out to the places nearby. For example, near the city of Sarandë is the seaside resort of Ksamil, which is a tourist attraction with very nice beaches.
Also, in the Sarandë area you can take a trip with kids to the Butrint archaeological park. A little further on an hour’s drive from Sarandë is Gjirökaster. This is a historic village with a castle and bazaar and nearby another Blue Eye Pool.
Family-friendly restaurant Sarandë
You can eat and drink in Sarandë with kids just fine. You have plenty of family-friendly restaurants in Sarandë where you can go for a bite to eat. Below we list some of these family-friendly restaurants.
Grill: this restaurant is located on the promenade of Sarandë and is a very nice restaurant for kids. The menu includes several burgers, meat dishes from the grill and pizzas. What makes this restaurant so fun for kids is that there is an open kitchen so the kids can really see how the food is prepared.
Sophra restaurant: this is a fine family-friendly restaurant on the promenade with traditional Albanian dishes. There are a variety of meat, fish and pasta dishes at a fine price. There is friendly staff and you can sit outside with the family.
LuLu Cafe Sarande: This is a fine place to have breakfast in Sarandë with the kids. There are several omelets on the menu, toast, pancakes (great for the kids) and yogurt. This family-friendly restaurant has friendly staff and fresh food as well as a beautiful view.
Family-friendly hotel Sarandë
You can stay in Sarandë with kids just fine. You have plenty of nice family-friendly accommodations in Sarandë that you can book. We list the best options in different price ranges. Click on the blue link for more information!
Budget accommodation: Hotel Vila Alvin & Apartments
Mid-range accommodation: Julia Hotel
Luxury accommodation: Demi Hotel
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Sarandë, take a look here.
