Tour Gjirokaster,Blue Eye & Lekursi Castle
- 6–7 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Instant confirmation
- Mobile ticket
Highlights
The fascinating old centre of Gjirokaster is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Largely medieval, with some lovely architecture to admire, reflecting the town’s wealthy past, it is built on a hill overlooking a valley and mountains. This interesting museum will give a good impression of the way of living in Albania during the Ottoman period. On our way back to Saranda, we will pass from the national park Syri I Kalter. In this peaceful forest, we will walk (15 min) to the crystal clear spring called Blue Eye, where 900 m3 water per minute is coming from deep down the earth. If time permits, there will be a short coffee break at the restaurant next to the fast streaming river in the park, before heading back to the port of Saranda.
Inclusions
What's included
- Booster seat
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Entrance- Blue Eye
What's not
- Gjirokaster Castel entry (optional)
- Train ticket in Blue Eye
Itinerary
First stop is in Gjirokaster (Old Town) Defined by its castle, roads paved with chunky limestone and shale, imposing slate-roofed houses and views out to the Drina Valley, Gjirokastra is a magical hillside town described beautifully by Albania's most famous author, Ismail Kadare (b 1936), in Chronicle in Stone. There has been a settlement here for 2500 years, though these days it's the 600 'monumental' Ottoman-era houses in town that attract visitors. For Albanians, the town is also synonymous with former dictator Enver Hoxha, who was born here and ensured the town was relatively well preserved under his rule, though he is not memorialised in any way here today.
Second Stop: Blue Eye. Albania’s famous Blue Eye (Syri i kaltër) is a water spring and natural phenomenon that each visitor should witness. A popular tourist attraction, the beautiful light turquoise river stuns with its beauty. Located near Muzinë in Albania’s Vlorë County, you’ll want to rent a car to get to the famous Blue Eye. After following the signs and crossing the bridge (where you’ll pay a small fee), you’ll come across a parking spot and a footpath that leads to the Blue Eye. You’ll first be enchanted by the surrounding dense forest and the beautiful light blue river that flows through this natural paradise. The Blue Eye is located beneath a small metal balcony that was built so you can get a closer look. Even though swimming has been prohibited via signs, it doesn’t really prevent people from jumping right into the ice-cold water.
Third stop: Lekuresi castle Finally, explore Lekuresi Castle, offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 5166
- 410
- 36
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 182 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.
5AMAZING TRIP
The trip was very nice. Our guide Jona was an amazing person. She was funny, friendly and always eager to respond to our questions. She explained us a lot about the history of Albania and told some fun-facts about area which we were passing. The time in all places was perfect - not to much not to less. The driver drove us safely. We definitely recommend this tour!
5Great tour especially when its lead by an excellent tour guide.
We very much enjoyed the tour. We had an absolutely wonderful guide. She gave plenty of information and always kept us updated about everything, especially regarding the time and place to pick us up at our meeting point. This gave us a real sense of security and peace of mind throughout the trip. She made sure that everything went smoothly and, above all made the whole experience very enjoyable. We could not have asked for a better guide. She spoke very well in English. Her unique approach by creating a Whattsap group ensabled us to track where she was and to send us loads of written information that we could read.
4Worth to visit but beware of org/infrastructure
Pros - Amazing guide Jona. Friendly, positive and has lots to share - Smooth pickup and org - All is worth to visit Cons - The tour was for 3 mini-buses so was the guide switching the buses - Beware you'll need to climb the hills / pay extra for the train that stinks like smoke all the time to get to the Blue eye and see how some crazy tourists swim right next to the sign that it's prohibited to swim there
5Great day well organised
Fantastic day trip. Multiple pickup and drop off locations made it very convenient. The minibuses were very comfortable with air conditioning. Our guide Jona was lovely. Very knowledgeable, helpful and so bubbly. We were constantly given choices which allowed the day to go at our pace. Never felt rushed. The sights were amazing and the whole day was great value. So pleased we did this.
5Awesome
Gjirokastër is such a cute and well perserved two. Blue eye gorgeous and the view from Lekusi castle spectacular. An amazing day, made even more amazing with our lovely guide Jona. She was a pleasure. 10/10
5A fabulous day out
A really lovely tour. Jona the guide was so good. She was knowledgeable, funny and very helpful and accommodating. The driver of our very comfortable minibus, Arber, was amazing and navigated the winding roads and hills with such skill we felt relaxed and safe. The only problem was we drove from Himare and arranged for pick up at Vodafone Shop in Sarande. There was absolutely no parking and we missed our pickup time. But Jona was fantastic and arranged to meet us at another much more convenient location. It was a long day but we saw so much and it was really interesting, beautiful and definitely worth seeing. It was excellent value for money.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- This is our agency physical location.
- Pickup
- Pickup is offered, or you can meet at the starting point.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 26 travellers
- Operated by
- Leka Tours & Car Rentals
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Saranda
- Its from-price is 55% below the median of the 62 day trips we list in Saranda.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 62.
- 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).
Special offers in Saranda
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
