Blue Eye and Gjirokastër by Car from Sarandë: Is This the Route Worth Driving?
Updated October 19, 2026 · 7 min read
If you hire a car for one route from Sarandë, combine Blue Eye with Gjirokastër and keep the day focused. The pairing uses the car for what it does well: arriving on your own schedule at a natural sight, then giving a historic town more time than a rapid multi-stop circuit can. If you would rather not drive, choose the Blue Eye and Gjirokastër 4-stop day tour: 8 hours from €32, rated 4.9 from 1,106 reviews.
Start with Blue Eye, then protect time for the town
An early departure gives you the best chance of reaching Blue Eye before the middle of the sightseeing day. Treat the spring as a walking stop rather than a drive-up photograph: follow the signed access arrangements in force when you visit and allow for the walk between the vehicle area and the water. Opening, access and parking arrangements can change, so check the official local information shortly before setting out.
Continue inland to Gjirokastër and make the old town the longer half of the day. Its steep stone lanes reward shoes with grip and a slower pace. The point of driving yourself is not to squeeze in every named stop; it is to choose lunch without a group clock and decide whether the bazaar streets, castle area or a long pause deserves the remaining afternoon.
Do not add Butrint and Ksamil to this same route. They pull the day back towards the coast and turn a coherent inland journey into a checklist. Save them for another day, when their geography and pace can make sense together.
Where the car helps – and where it does not
The car buys timing and privacy, especially if your party wants a long Gjirokastër visit. It also leaves the driver responsible for bends, local traffic, parking decisions and returning after a full day. Drive defensively, leave generous margins and do not plan the day around an exact arrival promise. In poor visibility or when the nominated driver dislikes mountain roads, the organised option is the better decision.
Compare car hire for this Sarandë route
Check the agreement for permitted roads and document the vehicle before departure. If the route is part of a longer rental, it can justify the car; hiring solely to imitate a guided itinerary may not, once collection, deposit and parking are included in the effort.
What the guided day changes
The 8-hour tour adds St Nicholas Monastery Church and Lëkurësi Castle to Blue Eye and Gjirokastër, with travel in an air-conditioned vehicle. It removes navigation and parking from the day. Its cost is flexibility: four stops mean your time in Gjirokastër follows the group schedule.
Check availability for the 4-stop Blue Eye and Gjirokastër tour
For confident drivers who want the old town to be the main event, we recommend the car and this single inland route. For anyone who values a relaxed return and a ready-made sequence more than extra time in one place, book the 4-stop tour instead.
