Vlorë to Sarandë 🇦🇱 on the Bus from Hell

We had a relaxed start to the day, with no need to check out until 10am, aiming to catch the 11:30am bus to Sarandë. We hopped on the local bus from outside our apartment and returned to the spot we’d scoped out earlier in the week. We thought the bus to Sarandë might be a mini-bus, but it turned out to be a full-sized one. Tickets were purchased on board—but we had no idea how much they would cost (we’d find out soon enough).

With some time to kill, we grabbed a coffee (me) and a Coke Zero (Sarah) at one of the cafés conveniently located next to the bus. I also spotted a nearby supermarket and grabbed a few snacks for the ride. It was already heating up, and it got even hotter as we waited. The bus wasn’t running yet, so there was no air-con. After a while in the café, we tossed our backpacks into the luggage hold and waited under a nearby tree.

Thankfully, the driver started the engine a little before 11:30am, and we hopped on to grab seats near the front. The bus wasn’t full, but the air-conditioning was barely functioning—this was shaping up to be a sticky ride. We had chosen this time because it suited a later but not too late start. We had read it might go via the coast road, which is more scenic, but longer. Turns out it’s a lot longer time wise than the inland route.

The journey was painfully slow. The bus crawled along at 40–60 km/h on some of the narrowest, windiest roads we’ve ever seen. Sure, the coastline was pretty—charming seaside towns, pebbled beaches, turquoise water, and thousands of olive trees—but the novelty wore off long before the trip ended.

We had a single 20-minute stop at a roadside café around 1pm. I got out to stretch my legs, but Sarah stayed in the bus. Eventually, at 3:30pm—four hours later—we arrived in Sarandë. We'd expected a three-hour trip for the 123 km distance, so it was a bit of a slog. That said, we were thankful to arrive safely—at times it felt like we were on a one-lane road with oncoming traffic barreling towards us!

Turns out we went over Llogara Pass in the Ceraunian Mountain Range, which tops out at 1,027m. That explained a lot and might have been the reason for many of the hairpin corners.

From the bus station, which was really just a side of the road stop, we had a 1km walk to our apartment. The one we’d booked in a hurry yesterday. The walk wasn’t too bad, mostly shaded, and only about 30°C. First impressions of Sarandë were good. It looks like a nice seaside city. We are here for 8 nights so hopefully it works out well. 

We were sent GPS coordinates instead of an address (there are no proper street numbers in Albania), which should’ve been ideal for a geocacher, right? Wrong! I navigated us to the exact coordinates—but the host didn’t meet us there. Instead she just sent a photo and a key code. The photo was barely helpful. After a flurry of WhatsApp messages and me sending her photos in return, she gave us updated instructions. By now I was getting hot, sweaty, and slightly grumpy. It turns out she was just helping out her cousin who owns the apartment and he is away. Hence, the slightly useless onboarding process. ☹️

Eventually, we found the apartment—on the opposite side of the street from the coordinates! No wonder we couldn’t find it at first. Once inside, we were relieved. The place was huge compared to some we’ve had—basic but perfectly fine. We cranked the air-con on and started our recovery process. 😂 I also took some new photos for the host to help future guests actually find the place!

Below is the photo she sent us.

And here is the photo I took. I'll let you play spot the differences.

There’s a handy Spar supermarket just down the road (accessible via some nearby steps), where we stocked up on water (10L), milk, cereal, yoghurt, and drinks. No meat section though, so we decided to eat out.

Further up the street, we found a well-reviewed local restaurant serving traditional Albanian cuisine. We ordered:

Qofte Kungulli (vegetarian pumpkin “meatballs”)

Tavë Kosi (lamb and yoghurt casserole)

A green salad

Two Coke Zeros

They also brought us a complimentary appetiser—bread, beetroot, and ricotta cheese. The meal was lovely but on the pricier side for us, at $43.25 NZD. Still cheap compared to eating out back home, but we’ll be cooking in for the next few nights!

Here is in the slightly rough view from our balcony. A mixture of apartments and businesses around this area including a smoke stack perhaps from a laundry? 🤔