Claire & Kirsty | Corfu & Albania 2026

Trip Essentials

Everything you need to know

Flights

Outbound: easyJet EZY3233, Edinburgh (EDI) → Corfu (CFU), Thu 13 Aug, depart 14:30, arrive 20:15.
Return: easyJet EZY3234, Corfu (CFU) → Edinburgh (EDI), Sun 23 Aug, depart 21:25, arrive 23:25.
Booking references: KCL7LM6 (outbound), KCP22HM (return).
Corfu Airport is small — you should be through and out within an hour of landing.

Ferry: Corfu → Saranda

Not booked yet. Leaves from Corfu New Port (Neo Limani), Corfu Town — a 10 min taxi (€20–25) or the No. 15 blue bus (a couple of euros) from the airport.
Operators: Finikas Lines, Ionian Seaways, Albania Luxury Ferries. Multiple sailings daily in summer.
Crossing time: 30–40 min on the fast hydrofoil, up to about an hour on the slower ferry.
Cost: roughly €20–30 one way per foot passenger (fares seen €10–40).
Book via: Ferryhopper, Direct Ferries, Ferryscanner or Omio. Book ahead — August is peak.
Check-in 60 minutes before departure; gates close around 30 minutes before, so arrive early.
Passport control both sides — Albania isn't Schengen, so you clear Greek control leaving Corfu and Albanian control arriving in Saranda. Have the Saranda address ready.
Albania is 1 hour behind Greece — your clock goes back on landing. Bring euro cash for the ticket (no exchange on board) and keep your ticket stub as proof of entry date.

Hand Luggage Liquids — different rule at each end

Leaving Edinburgh

New CT scanners mean the 100ml limit is gone — containers up to 2 litres each, kept in your bag, no clear plastic bag needed. Empty metal or vacuum flasks before security, the scanners can't read through them.

Flying home from Corfu

Back to the old 100ml rule: each container 100ml or less, all in one clear resealable bag up to 1 litre, taken out and put in the tray. Duty-free over 100ml is fine if sealed in the tamper-evident bag with the receipt inside.

Albania

No liquid rules apply — you leave by ferry from Saranda, not by air.

Practical version: pack freely leaving Edinburgh, but for the trip home from Corfu, put anything over 100ml (sunscreen, moisturiser) in the hold bag or use travel sizes, and keep an empty clear bag in your case. Gluten-free spreads or dips count as a liquid and hit the 100ml limit at Corfu on the way home.

Currency

Greece: euros (EUR) throughout.
Albania: Albanian lek (ALL), roughly 100 lek to €1 — easy conversion.
Euros are widely accepted along the Riviera, but you'll often get change back in lek.

Cash & ATMs

Cash still matters for taxis, small cafes, beach sunbeds, market stalls and the ferry ticket.
Use ATMs inside proper bank branches, not standalone street machines — avoid freestanding Euronet-type ones (worst fees).
Always choose to be charged in lek (not GBP) at ATMs and card terminals — the "helpful" conversion gives a poor rate.
Tell both banks you're travelling to Greece and Albania so cards don't get blocked.

Costs at a Glance

€20–30

Ferry, one way

~€1.80

Petrol / litre

€3–5

Parking, Saranda/Ksamil

Small cash fee

Blue Eye entry

Passports & Visas

Schengen rule (Corfu), the binding one: passport must be issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid at least 3 months after you leave. Check the issue date, not just expiry — some older UK passports look fine on expiry but are over 10 years old.
Albania: visa-free up to 90 days. Some sources suggest 6 months' validity to be safe — renew if either passport is near the edge.
Neither country needs a visa for a trip this length.

Border Systems

ETIAS: not needed for this trip. Not live yet, expected around Q4 2026.
EES (Entry/Exit System): at the Greek border you'll give fingerprints and a photo instead of getting a stamp — build in a little extra queue time.

Insurance & Health

GHIC is not valid in Albania (not an EU member) — travel insurance covering Albania with medical evacuation is essential.
Tap water is fine in Corfu; drink bottled water in Albania.
Emergency number: 112 in both countries.

Phone & Plugs

Check your provider's roaming: Greece may be in your EU allowance, but Albania almost certainly isn't and can be pricey — an eSIM for the Albania leg is worth it.
Download offline maps of the Saranda area before you go.
Plugs: Type C and F, 230V, standard round two-pin European — pack a UK-to-EU adapter.

A car is what makes this trip

Roads in the south are good, no 4x4 needed, and there are no toll roads down here. Book before you arrive — August is peak season, so cars get scarce and prices climb (often 25–35% higher). Book 2–3 weeks ahead, earlier for an automatic. Pick up and drop back in Saranda — note that hire cars generally can't be taken on the Corfu ferry, so the car is Albania-only.

The deposit — if Kirsty has no credit card

This is easily solved. Plenty of local Saranda companies do no-deposit, no-credit-card rentals where you pay by debit card or cash:

SarandaCar 4Drive (meets you at the ferry port) RentCarFy RosCar

Or use a platform and filter for it: on Localrent or Cria, filter for "no credit card" and "no deposit"; on FindYCar use the "No deposit" and "Debit card" filters.

Important terms

The name on the card and booking must match the driver — book in Kirsty's name with Kirsty's card.
Even a "no deposit" car still leaves you liable for tyre, glass and undercarriage damage — consider full coverage.

If Kirsty does get a credit card

Mainstream options open up too — DiscoverCars to compare, or the Enterprise and Alamo desks at Saranda Port. Expect a hold anywhere from a couple of hundred euros up to €1,200–2,000 with the big international desks.

What you need at pickup

Kirsty's full Canadian driving licence, held at least 1 year (2 years for SUVs and automatics). The original card, not a photo or copy.
Passport.
Minimum age usually 21 (some cars 23+).

About the IDP (International Driving Permit)

Kirsty doesn't have one, and that's fine for most rentals. A Canadian licence is Latin-alphabet, so Albanian firms widely accept it on its own (same as EU, UK, US and Australian licences).

Two things to know: a Canadian IDP can only be issued in Canada before travelling, so it isn't something she can pick up here; and technically Albanian law expects non-resident foreign drivers to also carry an IDP, so in theory a strict police check could query it, though rental desks routinely accept a Canadian licence without one.

The safe move: book a provider whose listing accepts a Canadian licence without an IDP, and confirm it in writing (WhatsApp or email) before you pay.

Photograph everything

Photograph and video the whole car before driving off — front, back, both sides, wheels. Check any existing scratches are written on the contract, and repeat at drop-off. Check there's a first aid kit in the car (legally required).

Driving rules & road sense

Drive on the right. Alcohol limit is effectively zero — don't drink and drive at all.
Speeds roughly 40 km/h in town, 80–110 on open roads. Watch the signs.
Expect lively local driving, and the odd goat or cow on rural roads. Avoid mountain roads after dark.
The SH8 coast road is stunning but has hairpins and sheer drops with few guardrails.
Parking near the Saranda waterfront and in Ksamil is tight in August (small paid lots, €3–5).

Grilled seafood skewers with vegetables and lemon

Gluten-free is the easy part

The Riviera is one of the easier stretches of Albania for gluten-free, because the cooking is built on grilled meat, grilled fish, rice, yogurt, cheese, peppers and olive oil. Roughly half of most menus is naturally gluten-free before anything is adapted.

The real challenge: onion & garlic, not gluten

Balkan and Mediterranean savoury cooking leans heavily on both, especially in sauces, stews, marinades and dressings. The reliable move is to order things grilled and plain, and ask for no sauce. Plain grilled fish or meat with a simple salad, plain rice and grilled veg is safe and abundant.

Stock-up plan

Gluten-free products can be patchy and pricier in Albanian supermarkets, so buy GF staples and snacks in Corfu first, where they're much easier to find (bread, crackers, pasta, cereal). Carry car snacks for day trips, since options at beaches and remote spots are limited. If the flat has a kitchen, self-catering a few meals takes the pressure off.

Reading the menu

Tavë kosi (the national dish: lamb, rice, egg, yogurt) reads gluten-free but some kitchens thicken the topping with a flour roux — order it pa miell (without flour). Naturally safer bets: grilled fish and meat, qofte (grilled meatballs, confirm no breadcrumbs), Greek salad, grilled vegetables, rice. Watch out for byrek (filo pastry — means airborne flour) and shared fryers for chips.

Albanian phrases

pa gluten

without gluten

pa miell

without flour

pa qepë dhe hudhër

without onion and garlic (qepë = onion, hudhër = garlic)

Restaurants that cater well

Confirm onion and garlic separately — these lists are gluten-focused.

Sophra · Saranda

Traditional Albanian, gluten-free versions confirmed by coeliac travellers.

Centrali · Saranda

Staff understand gluten and coeliac disease as separate things.

Fishbar · Saranda

Grilled seafood, well reviewed for gluten-free, some keep a separate fryer.

Fourth Island · Ksamil

Publishes a gluten-free menu (GF pasta, pizza), highly rated.

Explore Guide

Our base & where to roam

Saranda coastline at dusk with Lëkurësi Castle

Our Base: The Saranda Flat

Hosted by Ermal. The flat sits up the hillside on the south side of Saranda, which is why it has that elevated view over the bay. The seafront promenade is a downhill walk from here, and a bit of a climb back up.

Rruga Butrinti, Saranda

Qarku i Vlorës 9702, Albania

Stay: 15–23 Aug · check-in after 14:00

On foot from the flat

Saranda promenade & embankment

The heart of town — a palm-lined seafront of cafes, restaurants, shops and beach access that lights up at night. Head down for golden hour, the sunset over the water is the thing to catch.

Town beach

Pebbly, with access all along the promenade.

Lëkurësi Castle

On the hill above the flat — a stiff uphill walk or a short taxi, rewarded with a 16th-century Ottoman fort, a restaurant, and huge views over the bay, Butrint and across to Corfu.

Best spots to drive to (from Saranda)

Ksamil

~20 min drive

Turquoise coves and little swimmable islands, the "Maldives of Europe". Go early (8–9am) in August or the sunbeds are gone.

Butrint National Park

~30 min drive

Excellent UNESCO Greek and Roman ruins in woodland by the water. Arrive early before the buses, allow 2–3 hours.

Crystal-clear spring waters at the Blue Eye, Albania

Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)

~35–40 min drive

Mesmerising deep-blue natural spring. Park and walk in, or take the little train. Bring cash for the small entry fee.

Gjirokastër

~1 hr drive

UNESCO "City of Stone", Ottoman bazaar and an enormous, well-restored hilltop castle with valley views. Parking is fiddly, go earlyish.

Coastal road along the SH8 near Himarë, Albania

Himarë + Porto Palermo

~1 hr 15 drive

The SH8 coast road north is one of the best drives in southern Albania. Himarë is a relaxed beach town, and Porto Palermo Castle sits on its own little peninsula just beyond, with a jaw-dropping approach.

Claire & Kirsty's Corfu & Albania adventure

Things to sort before we go

The Itinerary

Fly to Corfu

Explore Corfu Town

Ferry Day: Corfu → Saranda

Saranda Base Week

Ferry Back & Fly Home

Weather in Corfu & Saranda

Corfu Town

Saranda