Search flights to Saranda

Saranda, which is located in the south of Albania, is also known as Ayasaranda and Aya Sarandi. The city, which is the capital of the region, is situated in the south of the country. The population of Saranda is over 20 thousand. This number increases with the visitors coming to the region for holiday in the summer months. The city, which is among the leading holiday destinations of the Albanian Riviera, also attracts visitors from other countries of Europe.

During the World War II, Benito Mussolini changed the name of the city as Porto Edda, in honor of his eldest daughter. Saranda is twinned with Marmaris of Turkey, Marseille of France, Otranto of Italy and Split of Croatia.

The city located on the coast of the Ionian Sea is about 15 kilometers away from the Corfu Island. In the recent years, there is a significant increase in the number of tourists coming to Saranda. Almost all of the visitors come here with big passenger ships. The perfect nature of the city and its archeological remains are among the factors positively affecting this increase. The name of the city derives from the Greek phrase Agioi Saranda. The city is home to a significant Greek population. The city, which was under the Ottoman rule until the Balkan Wars, was an important point for coastal trade in this period. The city, which was later dominated by the Italians for a while, is today an independent part of Albania.

The effect of the Mediterranean climate is felt throughout the year in Saranda. The hot summers are followed by rainy and warm winters. Spring and autumn months are generally moderate. In July and August, the temperature is measured around 30-32 degrees. In the winter months, it doesn't drop below 5-6 degrees. The sun shines in the sky on 300 days of the year. The rainiest period is the autumn season.

Saranda was only a port and it did not host any resident population until the end of the Ottoman domination with the Balkan Wars. Following this period, Christian population increased in the region. Today, Muslims constitute only a limited part of the population. In the city, whose population did not increase much until the 1990s, the population doubled after these years.  

Today, Saranda's economy is focused on tourism and construction. With the fall of the communist government, the tourism has developed in the course of time and reached its present status. Although tourism is developed in the city, there are still many places to discover compared to other crowded coastal towns of the Mediterranean. The visitors coming here by big passenger ships constitute almost all of the tourists. Saranda, which is among the most popular tourist destinations of Albania, offers a great atmosphere for its visitors with its brilliant coasts, wonderful lakes and untouched nature.