Sarandë or Ksamil: Where Should You Stay?
Stay in Sarandë and visit Ksamil as a day trip. That is the opposite of what most Albania guides tell you, and it is what we would do again after splitting a week between the two in July 2025.
Ksamil has the beaches everyone comes for. It also has the sunbeds, the crowds and the prices that come with them. Sarandë gave us more to actually do once we were off the sand, better restaurants, a castle worth driving up to at sunset, and it cost us less per night. Ksamil is 15 kilometres down the road, so you never have to choose between them.
Sarandë or Ksamil: which should you choose?
If you only read one line: Sarandë for the base, Ksamil for the day.
We gave Sarandë 9 out of 10 and Ksamil 7.5. That gap is not about the beaches, because Ksamil clearly wins those. It is about everything else. In Sarandë we could swim in the morning, work, find a good dinner, drive up to a castle for sunset and still have somewhere to go afterwards. In Ksamil, once the beach day ended, so did the day.
Ksamil also cost us more. Our Ksamil apartment worked out at A$115.50 a night for two, against A$95.01 a night in Sarandë. For a place that is smaller and has less to do, that is worth knowing before you book.
Choose Ksamil as your base only if a beach holiday is genuinely the whole trip and you do not mind paying a premium for being able to walk to the water.
What is Sarandë actually like?
Busier and more built-up than the Riviera postcards suggest, and we liked it more because of that.
The main beach runs along the front of town, so you can swim before breakfast and be back at an apartment in ten minutes. We started most days that way, then worked, then went looking for lunch. It functions as a town rather than a resort strip, which is exactly what we wanted for three nights.
Crystal Island was our beach club day. It is social, the music is good and the staff were great. The weak point is the food, which is a limited menu and would be difficult if you have dietary requirements. When we were there a cabana was 6,000 lek, a day bed 3,000 and a sun bed 2,000, with cocktails around 600 lek and beer 350. That put a cocktail at roughly A$10.90 and a beer at A$6.30 in July 2025.
Lost Seaside was one of the best meals of the whole trip. The gnocchi and the baked cheese are what I would order again. Mains ran from around 580 to 2,000 lek and our average spend landed near A$20 a head, with cocktails around A$20 to A$23.
The one thing that genuinely annoyed us
Parking. It was consistently difficult, and it is the main reason Sarandë did not score a 10.
This matters most at Lëkurësi Castle, which sits on the hill above town and is the best sunset in the area. Get there around two hours before sunset. We arrived later than that and spent longer than we wanted looking for a space. If you are driving the Riviera, factor it in.
The castle itself is a 16th-century Ottoman fort about 4 kilometres above town, and entry and parking are both free. You only pay if you eat at the restaurant inside it, which does need booking for a sunset table. Without a car, a taxi up from the centre runs roughly 500 to 1,000 lek each way.
What is Ksamil actually like?
Genuinely beautiful, and busier than we expected.
The water really is that colour, and the little islands just offshore look like the photos. What the photos leave out is how much of the shoreline is covered in sunbeds, how tightly they are packed, and how much of the beach is effectively rented rather than open. In peak July it felt crowded in a way Himarë never did.
It is also expensive by Albanian standards. Not expensive compared with Greece or Italy, but noticeably more than the rest of the country, and that jars slightly when everywhere else has felt like such good value.
We ate at Greg Restaurant and would go back. The view over the water is the reason to sit there.
Which has the better beaches?
Ksamil, but the best beach we found near either town is neither of the famous ones.
Pulëbardha Beach sits between Sarandë and Ksamil and is one of my top five beaches anywhere. It has the same clear water without the same density of people.
Here is the tip that made it: walk past the main sunbed area to the rocks at the far end. Most people stop at the first stretch. Keep going and there is a much quieter corner where we spent the afternoon.
If you are staying in Sarandë, Pulëbardha is an easy stop on the way to Ksamil, which is another argument for basing yourself in town and driving out.
Which is better value?
Sarandë, on what we actually paid.
Scroll to see the full table →
| Sarandë | Ksamil | |
|---|---|---|
| Nights we stayed | 3 | 2 |
| Total for two | A$285.03 | A$231.00 |
| Per night for two | A$95.01 | A$115.50 |
| Our rating | 9 / 10 | 7.5 / 10 |
Those are our July 2025 bookings, not a quote for your dates. Riviera prices move a lot between June and August, and Ksamil moves most.
The wider point is that Ksamil charges a premium for proximity to the water. If you are happy to drive 25 minutes, Sarandë gives you a cheaper bed, more restaurants and more to do in the evening.
Where to stay in Sarandë
We rented an apartment in the middle of town, a short walk from the main beach and the restaurants, which is exactly the trade we would make again. If we were booking a hotel for the same stay, these are the two I would compare.
For the location
Hotel Real
Central, which in Sarandë is the thing that matters most. Being able to leave the car parked and walk to dinner and the beach removes the single biggest frustration we had with the town. It scored 9.1 from 444 reviews when I checked, which is a lot of reviews for reassurance.
For a nicer stay
Illyrian Boutique Hotel
The step up if you want the room to feel like part of the holiday rather than somewhere to sleep between beach days. It scored 8.6 from 355 reviews when I checked. Worth comparing if you are only giving the Riviera a few nights.
Where to stay in Ksamil
If you would rather wake up on the beach and accept the premium, these are the two I would look at.
For the beach
Sunlight Hotel
Close to the water, which is the entire reason to pay Ksamil prices. It scored 9.2 from more than 1,100 reviews when I checked, so it is a known quantity. If you are staying here rather than day tripping, getting to the sand before the sunbeds fill is what makes it worth it.
For a bit more comfort
Veranda Hotel by Mirage
The option I would compare for a slower Ksamil stay, where the plan is a few days of beach and not much else. It scored 9.9 when I checked, though from only 51 reviews, so read the newest ones yourself. Central Ksamil is lively in July, so check for noise comments too.
Property photos supplied through the Booking.com listings. Tap any image to check live availability and current prices.
How do you get from Sarandë to Ksamil?
It is about 15 kilometres and 25 to 30 minutes by car.
We had a hire car for the coastal part of the trip, which is what makes the day-trip plan work. It also lets you stop at Pulëbardha on the way rather than choosing between the two. If you are planning the Riviera, it is worth comparing car rental prices early, because July availability goes quickly.
Without a car you can still do it by taxi or local minibus, but you lose the ability to stop wherever the water looks good, which is most of the reason to drive this coast.
How many nights should you give each?
Three nights in Sarandë and a full day in Ksamil covered it comfortably for us.
If you have longer on the Riviera, put the extra nights into Himarë rather than either of these. It was our favourite stop on the coast by a clear margin, and we gave it four nights without running out of things we wanted to do.
Our honest verdict
Sarandë, and it was not especially close.
Ksamil is beautiful and you should absolutely see it. But we spent two nights there and left feeling we had done it, whereas in Sarandë we were still finding places on the last morning. Add that Sarandë was cheaper per night, and the day trip takes half an hour, and the decision makes itself.
The one thing we would change is going to Lëkurësi Castle earlier and not fighting for a parking space at golden hour.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to stay in Sarandë or Ksamil?
Sarandë, for most travellers. It has more restaurants, more to do in the evening and it cost us less per night. Ksamil has better beaches but is smaller, busier and more expensive, and it is only 25 to 30 minutes away, so you can stay in Sarandë and still spend a full day there.
Is Ksamil worth staying in?
It is worth visiting, and worth staying in only if a pure beach holiday is the entire point of your trip. We found it crowded in July, heavily covered in sunbeds and expensive by Albanian standards.
How far is Ksamil from Sarandë?
About 15 kilometres, or 25 to 30 minutes by car. Pulëbardha Beach sits between the two and is an easy stop on the way.
What is the best beach near Sarandë and Ksamil?
Pulëbardha Beach, for us. Walk past the main sunbed section to the rocks at the far end and it gets much quieter.
How many days do you need in Sarandë?
Three nights was right for us. That gave time for the main beach, a beach club day, Lëkurësi Castle at sunset and a day trip down to Ksamil and Pulëbardha.
Is Sarandë expensive?
Not by European standards. Our apartment was A$95.01 a night for two in July 2025, dinner at a good restaurant landed near A$20 a head and a beer at a beach club was about A$6.30. Ksamil was noticeably pricier.
