How to visit the Blue Eye from Sarande, Albania by Bus
Updated: Sep 24
The Blue Eye is one of the main attractions of Southern Albania. There are plenty of tours that will take you there from Sarande or Gjirokaster, but unfortunately there are no more public buses that go there. So, if you’re looking to visit the Blue Eye from Sarande, Albania by bus independently, this is the best way.
Contents
I visited the Blue Eye in 2025, so please note the prices in this blog may have changed since then.
How to buy a ticket for the bus from Sarande to the Blue Eye
You’ll have to start at the Sarande bus station and buy a ticket from there. You will need cash for this. It costs 400 LEK (approx. £3.42) for a one-way ticket (400 LEK to the Blue Eye and 400 LEK back to Sarande). If you want to add a stop in Gjirokaster, which I would recommend, it will cost another 400 LEK for that leg.
When do the buses from Sarande to the Blue Eye go?
The buses are not very regular. We took one that left Sarande at 10 am and stopped at Gjirokaster after an hour. 2 hours is plenty of time to see the highlights of Gjirokaster. It then left Gjirokaster at 1:45pm and took about 30 minutes to drive to the Blue Eye. The last departure from the Blue Eye back to Sarande was 5:40pm. This schedule, however, gives you more than enough time in each place.
When you arrive at the Blue Eye
At the Blue Eye, you will be dropped in the parking lot and then will need to walk to the entrance gate to buy a ticket. They cost 50 LEK (approx. 45p) if you took the bus and didn’t park. Then it’s about a 20 minute walk to the Blue Eye. There is an option to take a train, but it’s not worth it at all unless you can’t walk the distance.
There is a nice viewing platform from which you can see the beautiful clear water with its incredible blue and green colours. There are plenty of opportunities to walk around, and a few cafés to stop at within the park, but you really don’t need that much time here.
The drive back to Sarande from the Blue Eye is about 40 minutes, and the bus picks you up on the road where it dropped you off.
Hopefully this provides a clear guide for visiting the Blue Eye from Sarande by bus. As always, look after the places you visit and leave only your footprints behind :)
Looking for more on the Balkans? Have a read of my other posts:
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