1-Day Tour in Blue Eye, Monastery, Gjirokaster and Lekursi Castle

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. One of the oldest and largest churches of the Byzantine era and one of the world’s pearls of Byzantine architecture, St. Nicholas Monastery is located in the south of the Mesopotam village in the outskirts of Saranda, very close to the ancient city of Finiq. The monastery is thought to have been built in 1224 or 1225. It was once enclosed by a circular wall which is today only partly preserved. Its double apse makes it unique in its genre, and some researchers have advanced the hypothesis that this was due to the monastery being used by two religious rites (Catholic and Orthodox).

   1 h

2. The "Blue Eye" (Albanian: Syri i Kaltër) is a water spring and natural phenomenon occurring in the village of Muzinë in Finiq municipality, southern Albania.[3] A popular tourist attraction, the clear blue water of the river can be seen from a depth of more than fifty metres. Divers have descended to fifty metres, but it is still unclear what the actual depth of the karst hole is

   2 h

3. Gjirokastra, is also known as the stone city, and has been protected by UNESCO since 2005. It is one of the last Ottomans -style cities left in the Balkans

   3 h

4. Lekursi Castle (Kajala e Lëkurësit) is a castle on Lekursi Hill, just behind Saranda with an amazing view over the town and bay, making this the most popular and iconic viewpoint of Saranda.

   1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 146 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Lovely day out. Worth the money.

  Beautiful day out. Cover so many places . Nicely explained. Very informed drive/guide. Very happy with our experience.

  Jayshree_POctober 2026via Viator

• 5Excellent tour to see 4 sites around Saranda

  Great day out visiting 4 sites and having an overview of each from our guide then having free time to explore on or own . Enough time was spent at each site to enjoy it . Our guide was an excellent driver too .

  Janet_BOctober 2026via Viator

• 5A beautiful day out with lots of history and beautiful places to see

  This was a great experience. Blue eye is beautiful and not so difficult to walk if you are kind of fit, if you have mobility problems or are older you should definitely take the train. Gjirokaster is so beautiful and we had plenty of time to walk around the castle and bazaar. Last stop in Lekursi Castle was also very beautiful and we were there around sunset time what made it even more special. I would definitely recommend this day out.

  Luciana_AOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Beautiful Nature, an Ancient city and stunning views!

  So lovely to see the National Park with the gorgeous blue spring and big river. It was nice to see so much green in the rich river basin compared to the dry dry desert all around. Gjirokaster was a delightful city. I loved the architecture here. Way too many tourist shops though all selling the same thing. We had Delicious traditional food for lunch. Easy transportation. No stretch too long. Friendly guide who shared a lot of history. The view from the castle in Saranda stretched for miles. We loved it and stayed for sunset. Plenty of taxis were waiting after to bring us back. It was a Wonderful day.

  Kathy MOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Amazing tour! Plenty of...

  Amazing tour! Plenty of time. I wish there was more time in Gjiro rather then blue eye. Extra hour would be great to walk and see everything including the bridge.

  Edgar_BOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Great comprehsive tour that cover all the major sites

  Wonderful experience. Angelino the guide was really nice and provided us with a lot of information and very interesting stories. Highly recommended!!!

  Eyal_KSeptember 2026via Viator

Know before you go

How it compares in Saranda

• Its from-price is 23% below the median of the 9 city tours we list in Saranda.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1 of 9.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Saranda

Saranda is a sunny port on Albania's Ionian coast, curved around a wide bay with the Greek island of Corfu in sight across the water.

Saranda climbs a steep hillside above its bay, with a palm-lined promenade at the water's edge and apartment blocks stacked up the slope. Its name is a local form of the Greek for Forty Saints, after a monastery whose ruins lie among the houses. The mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue was found near the harbour, and Lëkurësi Castle, a sixteenth-century fortress on the ridge, looks over the town towards Corfu.

Top-ranked sights in Saranda: Lekursi Castle (Kajala e Lekuresit).

See all 172 experiences in Saranda