Tour Gjirokaster,Blue Eye & Lekursi Castle
Description
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.
Tour Options
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.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Free pickup is available in Saranda and Ksamil. Please be at your designated pickup point 20–30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Pickups in Ksamil are scheduled slightly earlier to ensure an on-time departure from Saranda and to account for seasonal traffic. Our team will contact you via WhatsApp with your exact pickup details before the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(144)
This was such a great trip the time in each place was just enough. A great balance between guided and being able to have free time. Guide was very knowledgable, friendly and helpful. Only down side if you are tall the seats on the bus are very tight making it uncomfortable.
Great stops, really good and informative guide (Jona), great driver and a comfortable ride!
We had such an amazing experience! My sister, my mom, and I called at the very last minute to ask if they happened to have any spots left, and they told us they could pick us up in just half an hour. They actually came to pick us up right from the place where we called them, so all we had to do was wait! Our guide, Jona, welcomed us with a huge smile that she kept throughout the entire tour. We had such a fun day thanks to her positive energy, enthusiasm, and great sense of humor. She made sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves the whole time, and explained everything in such an interesting and engaging way. Jona truly made the whole experience special and memorable. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Highly recommended! ☀️
Beautiful Gjirokaster. The Blue Eye and the views from Lekursi Castle are incredible. Our guide Jona shared very interesting facts about the history of Albania with us
I had such a wonderful experience on this tour, and a big part of it was thanks to our amazing guide, Jona! ☀️ Jona was incredibly kind, friendly, and welcoming from the very beginning. She made the whole day feel relaxed and enjoyable, while at the same time sharing so many interesting facts and stories about the places we visited. She explained everything in such an engaging way, and you can really tell that she cares about her guests and puts her heart into her work. I especially appreciated how warm and attentive she was throughout the entire tour. It felt less like simply following a guide and more like exploring Albania with someone who genuinely wanted us to have a great experience. Thank you so much, Jona, for such a lovely day and for making my trip to Albania even more memorable! ❤️ I’m really happy I got to meet you and would absolutely recommend a tour with Jona to anyone visiting the area. ☀️
Had a great time with Jona, the driver and other travelers! Sights were great, especially Gjirokastër was beautiful with it's ottoman period buildings. Jona brought great energy throughout the whole trip and was always so helpful with answering questions from us.
Jona was a great tour guide! All locations were excellent. Highly recommend if you are after a full day excursion. 😊
It was a great tour with our guide Jona.She is a very kind,friendly person and gave to all of us Nice vibe.She explaind in detail about all the places we saw today and was very careful with all the group.We definitely recommend guide Jona and we are glad for meeting her! Gabriela and Orhan
Great experience. The guide, Jona, was wonderful. The explanations were clear, cheerful, and complete. I recommend it.
Super trip tin nice places with very good guide with good knowledge of the places we visited!
