Can you see albania from corfu

I have written a complete Albanian Riviera itinerary here, with the best things to do in the Albanian Riviera. There are several ferry boats between Corfu and Albania every day. The ferry brings you from the Port of Corfu to the Port of Saranda. Saranda is a big coastal city in the south of Albania, which is popular among tourists.

I have written a full guide to the paradise-like Ksamil beach, which you can check out here. For your trip, you can choose between two different types of boats: a speedboat or a ferry boat. With a speedboat, the trip from Corfu to Albania takes only 30 minutes. On the other hand, you can take the regular ferry boat, which takes 70 minutes. Some people prefer the slower ferry boat, because you have more time to take pictures and enjoy the view.

The ticket prices for the ferry boat are a bit higher in the summer season, than in the low season. The high season is from the 1st of July until the 10th of September.

Then the low season, starts on the 11th of September until the 30th of June the next year. Whether you travel by bus, by car, by ferry, by taxi or with a rental car - this transportation guide will get you to the most beautiful places in Albania.

There are four different ferry boat companies, that operate a ferry from Corfu to Albania. However, Ionian Seaways and Finikas Lines work together, so their timetable and price list are identical. When you search for ferry companies online, you will also see the website of Direct Ferries. Direct Ferries does not operate any ferries, it is merely a price comparison website. The ferry boat from Corfu to Saranda departs between 2 — 13 times a day. The number of boat departures per day, depends on the season.

The winter is the slow period, therefore, there are only 2 boats per day. In July and August, it is high season in Albania, therefore there are 13 boats per day. In the spring and autumn, there are somewhere between 4 — 7 ferries a day. If you are looking for inspiration on what to do in the Albanian Riviera, check out my perfect Albanian Riviera itinerary here.

Basically, Corfu island is 1 hour ahead in time of Albania. So, when you travel from Corfu to Albania, you win an extra hour. However, if you are travelling from Saranda to Corfu, bear in mind that you will lose 1 hour. This is especially important if you are catching a flight from Corfu airport.

Below, I have enclosed 3 x timetables for the ferry from Corfu to Saranda. Basically, there are three companies, that operate boats between Corfu and Saranda. The ticket prices for the ferry from Corfu to Albania depend on the season. Moreover, there are small variances in price between the different ferry operators. Children under the age of 12 years old pay less for the ferry tickets from Corfu to Albania. To get on the ferry, you need to travel to the Port of Corfu.

You can travel to the port, from the city center of Kerkyra or from the airport. Kerkyra is the main town of Corfu and it is close to the ferry port. The distance between the city center of Kerkyra and the port is only 1. Therefore, you can walk from the old town to the port. It is a popular walking route.

So, there is signage from city center all the way to the port. It is also possible to get to the port of Corfu by bus. You can get on Bus Line No 15 at the airport or in the city center of Kerkyra. Bus line No 15, departs from Corfu airport. The bus drives to the intercity bus station, through the city center, 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. It does. Considered a microcosm of Mediterranean history, Butrint covers the rise and fall of great empires from 4th century BC to the Ottoman defenses created in the early 19th century.

According to classical mythology, Butrint was founded by exiles fleeing the fall of Troy. By the 19th century, Butrint had become a small fishing village clustered around a castle. Over the centuries the ancient town had all but disappeared under layers of silt and vegetation but in an Italian archaeological mission began excavating the site. Over the course of the next 10 years, they uncovered the grand monuments visible today.

Read More: 24 Hours in Athens. The white-pebbled shore is lined with hotels and cafes. And on this sunny summer Saturday afternoon it is bursting with beachgoers. I spend some time walking along the beach just enjoying the beautiful day. All in all, a splendid day exploring the Albanian Riviera and well worth the side trip from Corfu. Corfu is part of the Ionian Islands and was one of the first Greek islands to open its doors to tourism. It is the only city in Greece to be fortified in this way.

Read More: The Romance of Venice. Absent are the white-washed buildings clad with bright blue shutters, replaced by the warm pink and yellow hues that define the Venetian blend of Gothic and Moorish architecture. The Venetian influence in architecture reminds me of one of my favorite Greek islands, Symi.

Though Symi is much smaller and, in my opinion, far more charming. I love a good gyro and they are ubiquitous street food elsewhere in Greece. In Corfu, the two gyro stands I did manage to find were both disappointing. As was the Greek salad I ordered which had horrors! At square miles, Corfu is a huge island. Getting around without your own wheels is a challenge. Especially when you arrive in the middle of a seemingly endless taxi strike.

Call me crazy but I like my Greek islands small, quaint, and easily navigable. It was a perfectly lovely hotel with extremely friendly staff, but the location was a bit far from town. With a taxi strike and rental cars fully booked, that left only the bus. If I had it to do over again, I would choose a hotel right on the beach like the Alymros Beach Resort. Or something right in the heart of the action in Corfu Town, like the Bella Venezia.

Though when it comes to amazing beaches, the Greek island of Milos is tough to beat. I spend the rest of Sunday wandering the narrow alleyways of Corfu Town and visiting both the new and old fortresses.

That afternoon I walked yes, walked two miles to the airport with my luggage for my flight to Bucharest. The taxi drivers are still on strike and, as I learned the hard way, the buses are very infrequent on Sundays.

But perhaps Mykonos and Santorini have spoiled me. Read More: The Meaning of Mykonos. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy my time in Saranda, Butrint, and the Albanian Riviera. Visiting by ferry from Corfu is truly the ideal way to explore this part of Albania and it was the highlight of my stay. Next up, my final stop of the trip, Romania! In any case, I didn't want to talk any more at all.

I just wanted to get on with it. As we chugged in two boats out of the picturesque little harbour of Agios Stephanos, I was simultaneously heartened and dismayed by the size of my support crew. There was the effervescent Robin Gourlay, a friend who had helped enormously in getting the thing off the ground; Elena and Spiros from Start TV; the unflappable Charis, and, resplendent in their bright red T-shirts, his team, which consisted of a doctor and three divers.

Why three divers, I found myself wondering. I clearly wasn't going to be allowed to drown. At the same time, I couldn't help reflecting that there would be more people to witness my humiliation if something were to go wrong — if, for instance, I was to develop cramp halfway across, and be forced to stop.

Or if some other difficulty should arise. The rugged coastline of Albania loomed closer and we entered its shadow. I clambered onto the sharp rocks and awaited my moment. Thumbs up and in I went. Completed the first stroke. Only a few thousand more of these to go, I thought.

The biggest danger, I had assumed, would be from ferries, but I wasn't particularly worried. For one thing, I had spent every morning over the previous week ensconced on the beautiful beach at Kerasia near Agios Stephanos, ferry-spotting. I had set my alarm to vibrate every three minutes, at which point I would glance up from my reading, and see if the Corfu-Venice, Brindisi-Corfu, or any of the other boats were cruising through the strait. The worrying thing was that their timings seemed to bear no relation to the schedules published online by the ferry companies.

Nevertheless, I'd noticed what I took to be a more or less clear window between 11 and 12 each day. I was also encouraged by the knowledge that the Greek minister of shipping, whose express permission had to be sought, had arranged that every ferry captain be informed in advance of what was taking place that day, and requested to slow his speed down to less than 10 knots.

This turned out to be rather fortunate, since, after 20 minutes of slow breaststroke, I glanced behind me to see an enormous Minoan Lines ferry ploughing past like a sea monster — and this was in the middle of what I'd convinced myself was the safest time of day.

The boat was near enough that I could hear the captain on the intercom, telling his passengers that if they looked to their right, they would see a small begoggled figure splashing his way from one country to another.

I struggled on, beset by curious thoughts. For the first time, it occurred to me that the action of my stroke was rather as if I was repeatedly headbutting the sea. Occasionally my attention was caught by a single reed, suspended upright in the otherwise empty depths. Then, gradually, I became aware of a small problem. My baggy swimming trunks I knew I should have plumped for Speedos had begun rubbing at a particularly sensitive part of my body, causing a level of pain that would soon become unbearable.

I hesitated, but not for long.