Butrint

I visited this WHS in Spring 2022. This ancient port city is one of the most visited cultural sites of the country, being very close to the modern ferry port city of Sarande. Thanks to the Italian Archaeological Mission, who worked here for nearly 10 years in the 1920s-30s, Butrint offers today a remarkable journey through the ages of history, dating back to the 8th century B.C. The old city retains a unique testimony of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman cultures and civilizations.

The historical site of Butrint lies in the Butrint National Park which also includes "natural monuments" such as Ksamil's Islands, Butrint's Forest, Vivari's Channel, Bufi Lake and Mulleri Salted Springs (and some excellent birdwatching spots too). While approaching Butrint from Sarande, you'll be able to spot some of the Venetian/Ottoman fortifications from above and after parking near the entrance (or also by car if you want), you can catch a fun little barge to explore one of the triangular fortifications across the channel to the Vrina plains.

After paying the entrance ticket, the first thing you'll see is a 15th-16th Venetian tower and from there you can visit most of the different sites in a clockwise or anticlockwise loop. The vast majority tend to visit in a clockwise fashion, so we decided to visit in an anticlockwise fashion and had the sites mostly for ourselves for most of the time of our visit. Also, this way we started mainly with scattered ruins in a …

So far as archaeological sites in the Balkans go, Butrint is an absolute highlight. I visited Butrint while staying in the popular resort town of Sarandë for 2 weeks, in 2019. Trip from Sarandë is very easy. There is a direct bus connection with Butrint. As there were no 'real' bus stops, we had to stop the bus on the middle of the public road. The route is very scenic. I would recommend stopping at the nice town of Ksamil on the way back, just to lie down on the most well-known and popular 'beach' of Albania. I must say, beaches are not Albania's strongsuit. Butrint is a very nice collection of Greek, Roman, Venetian and Ottoman archaeological sites. Tip: make sure to visit the castle on top on the hill, as you get a very nice view from there. You could spend at least a couple of hours just wandering around. 

As ruins go, Butrint spans a large time span and covers a large area. You find Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian buildings and remains. The site also holds floor mosaics, but these are buried below sand to protect them from the humid climate. Only every two years are they uncovered and made visible to the public.

Rising water levels constantly endangered parts of Butrint. The Triconch Palace is a good example here, being built on the shoreline.

When the Venetians in the 16th century built the fortress on the other side of the canal, the city was finally abandoned. The new fortress controlled access to the lagoon and the rich fish reservoir, so a settlement in Butrint was no longer needed.

Getting There

The hub for Butrint is Saranda. By ferry, you can visit from Corfu. By minibus, you can connect to all over Albania (Gjirokaster) and Greece. If you are so inclined, you can visit both Gjirokaster and Butrint in a day by getting a taxi in Saranda (should go without saying: agree on a fixed price). But personally, I liked Albania better than Corfu, so for me, Corfu would be the day trip.

From Saranda, hourly line buses depart half past from the bus station on Rruga Skënderbeu facing the ruins of the old synagogue. The bus stop is 50m from where the minibuses to Tirana and Gjirokaster depart. In addition, there are also private buses that run along the …

Butrint lies just across the Straits of Corfu from my previous destination, the Old Town of Corfu. It’s an easy trip out there from the Ionian Island: daily hydrofoils and ferries ply the route to the Albanian resort of Sarande, from where an hourly local bus heads out to Butrint 30km south. The WHS covers an archeological site that spans a long period, with mainly Greek, Roman and Byzantine remains. It also seems to have been renominated in 1999 as a cultural landscape, although UNESCO does not list it as such.

During the high season, the site can be crowded with daytrippers from Corfu, but fortunately I arrived early in the season. After paying the 700 lek entrance fee (5 EUR), I headed out on the forest path that connects the ruins. This shady environment was the first surprise of my visit: it’s a pleasure just to walk here, and I heard birds singing all the time. The natural area of Butrint also is awarded Ramsar wetland status.

The wetness of the area clearly shows at the first major archeological group: the former Greek sanctuary and theatre can only be entered via a boardwalk, and I noticed frogs in the Roman baths. Here’s where the origins of the site are, Butrint was founded as a sanctuary to Asklepios the Greek god of medicine. Visitors even freed some of their slaves to persuade the gods to help them – and they testified to that by carving inscriptions into the …

I reached Sarande by bus along a modern highway from Tirane, about 80% complete. From Sarande a local bus took me to the gates of the site. In exchange for the 700 lek entry fee I received a descriptive brochure with a map of the site, in English. There were other signposts around the site attempting to explain which parts of the excavations belong to which period of occupation. There was no compulsion to join a tour or hire a guide.

Even without the archaeological site the scenery of the sea separated from the lake by a narrow strip of land would be worth visiting.

From Sarande I left by hydrofoil ferry for Corfu, another WHS.

This is certainly an awesome site. We went on a tour whilst on a holiday in Corfu, to Sarande in Albania. The place is full of antiquities! Unfortunately as others have noted, the place is collapsing into the nearby lake. Infact the main temple and other parts of Butrint are already underwater. The area is a treasure in itself with remains of Greek, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and the Turks. A definite visit for history enthusiasts!

We visited Butrint in mid August 2005 on a day trip from Parga in Greece. Our gude was extremely knowledgeable and genuinely helped us understand the site. This was important because the "guidebook" (effectively an expensive pamphlet at 6E) was probaly the most useless of it's type I have encountered!

The main dissapointment was that we were not able to explore, and followed a set route, which although benefiting from the guide, meant we did not see all that we would have liked. Also dissapointing was that the mosaics were all (rightly) covered with sand for protection, but there was only a very poor diagram - a photo display would have been so much better.

The other point to note is that Butrint is in a marsh, and the attendent mosquitoes are very active. We all got severely bitten, despite pleanty (we thought) insect repellent.

Butrinti is an extensive site covering most periods of Albanian and Balkan history - with the merciful exception of the 20th century. Many of the ruins are very striking but, because one is looking at an early Christian basilica one moment and maybe remains of fortifications built by an early 19th century local warlord the next, mental orientation can be quite difficult at times and a guide is particularly useful. If travelling independently, an excellently-produced guide-book is available but it may not be on sale at the site - this is Albania, after all - although it should be in the nearby town of Saranda. What is easy to appreciate, however, is the glorious siting of Butrinti, almost surrounded by a lake and against a mountain backdrop.

All visitors to Corfu should consider a day-trip to Butrinti - easily arranged and with minimal formalities. Not only is this an opportunity of seeing one of the great Balkan achaeological sites, it also allows a brief glimpse of a fascinating country which has come a long way in the last decade but still has a hard road ahead of it.