Ksamil and Sarande
Posted by No_Face_No_Casse@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 11 comments
Probably going to take like a 10 day vacation to Ksamil and Sarande to enjoy the beach. It will be my first time to Albania. What is the night life like for young people ( I’m 25 ), fun activities during the day or explore things. Is there maybe anything to avoid ? Really excited to try traditional food so if anybody could inform me, really would appreciate it .
Old-Ad2636@reddit
i'll also be in this area in mid-late september & would like to know if any places there take credit cards these days? all the info i could find online is from pre-pandemic so i'm not sure how much it may have changed. thank you!
Puzzleheaded-Win9898@reddit
Dont visit ksamil in peak season, thats all i have to say
Emmo52@reddit
Is peak season also in the end of August and start of September or is there less tourists by then ?
Teabx@reddit
Nightlife in ksamil specifically is not so good. Even Saranda has like one decent night club, although “decent” is subjective. So if you want to get wasted, you have to consider the taxi ride back to ksamil.
In ksamil there are some options which may be fun depending on the people. Sometimes even the shittiest clubs can become amazing if the atmosphere is great. So you could just try some of those out in your first couple of nights and see if the vibe is for you.
In general though, Ksamil is really crowded these summer months. And its also the most expensive Albanian destination, so I hope you’re not expecting super cheap prices.
dominus_23@reddit
Off topic but i have to ask...how is the road from Kapshtica to the border with Montenegro?
Teabx@reddit
No highways in that part of the country (south-east), but they’re good roads. I think recently they were re-paved. Can have some beautiful scenery in places too.
There is a highway connecting Elbasan and Tirana, and a short bit of good highway from Tirana up until Milot. From then onwards, the road is not great because it has a lot of traffic and those roads were never designed to deal with that many cars. So prepare to be extremely bored and traveling slowly from Milot to the border.
dominus_23@reddit
Thanx a lot mate.Grateful for your answer.
Substratas@reddit
Night life in Albania is not so good. Avoid Ksamil like plague during peak season (June, July, August).
zeroyt9@reddit
What about late August?
Teabx@reddit
Well, you can’t generalize Greece, because Greece has options for almost any budget. Compared to the most expensive Greek islands, Albania is way cheaper, but also you can’t really directly compare places like Santorini with Albania.
Compared to the more affordable Greek locations, the prices are actually almost the same. In south Albania, prices can vary a lot depending on location though, so you need to do some research via Google instead of blindingly going into places to avoid “surprises”.
In Albania, if you avoid the tourist hotspots and get a rental car to move around, I would say you can have a decent holiday for cheaper than in Greece. There are a lot of small beaches in the riviera which are not very accessible to tourists that are way cheaper than bigger cities while having (in my opinion) better beaches.
If you’re about that crowdy city life but want to do it on a budget, Durres, Golem and northern Albania beaches are a cheaper alternative, but the sea is more beautiful in the south, so there’s a compromise there.
I would also say that in general, even though Albania is improving every year in this regard, I would say Greece is still better in terms of service. It’s less likely to encounter bad waiters and whatnot in Greece than in Albania.
IllyrianBTR@reddit
Saranda is nice. Also Jali and Dhermiu for nightlife and beautiful beaches.