Day Trip to Butrint National Park

Another attempt to take a bus on a day trip — but this time, a successful one! We caught the 7am bus to Butrint National Park, an ancient Roman site just past the touristy beach town of Ksamil. The ride took about 40 minutes. Google said the park opened at either 8am or 9am, but it turned out to be 8:30am, so we had a bit of a wait.

There were things to watch while waiting, including a woman in obvious pain who had called an ambulance and was picked up. We also saw a small ferry transporting cars and motorbikes across the harbour — a short 200m gap with no bridge. From the far side the Greek border is just 23km away.

It cost 1,000 Lek each to enter the Park (about $20 NZD), but that was good value as we ended up spending almost two hours exploring. We started with a guided tour — led by a dog! He walked in front and waited for us as we checked out the Roman theatre, then wandered off when we headed up to the museum.

The museum was actually really good — quite small, but it provided a clear chronological summary of Butrint’s history. The earliest settlements here date back to 1000 BC — that’s 3,000 years ago! The Romans occupied the area 2,000 years ago and built much of what we were seeing today.

The museum is located up some steep steps and built under and into the remains of a Venetian castle, originally constructed in the 14th century and reconstructed in the 1930s. The whole park is surrounded by ancient walls.

After visiting the museum, we tried to find the Lion’s Gate at the top of the hill. Our first attempt to follow a track up led us back to where we started! We asked a security guard for help, and with better directions we eventually found the ruins — just a crumbling archway, not restored at all. Back at the museum, our guide (the dog) turned up again. Bit late, buddy — we already got lost!

We headed back down to the theatre where we were met by our guide dog 🦮 once again. We and he needed a drink of water as it was getting quite hot. After the theatre we continued past it to see the old Roman forum and residential ruins. There was also a baptistry, which used to feature a mosaic, but it was removed due to damage caused by flooding from the nearby lagoon.

Further on from the baptistry was the Great Basilica, originally built in the 6th century AD. It was more than just a ruin — quite impressive, actually.

Lastly, we went outside the walls to see the lagoon and the remains of a Roman civic house, later transformed into a palace known as Trikonk Palace. Only the foundations remain today.

It was now 10:10am and the next bus back to Sarandë was scheduled for 10:30am, so we exited the park and headed to the bus stop. There was a bit of traffic nearing the final stop in Sarandë, but we were back at base well before midday.

After a brief rest, it was time to go see the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. 😉 We didn’t need candles, but we did get milk and a tomato to go with our fresh bread.

Dinner tonight was a weird mixture: yummy pork steaks, fettuccine with sauce, capsicum, and tomato. After dinner, we took a walk down to the beach to see how it looked after dark. The street was busy, but the seaside restaurants were surprisingly quiet. The area looks beautiful at night.