Activities
Butrint or the Blue Eye after a party night: easy day plans from Ksamil and Saranda
Butrint is about six minutes by car from Ksamil and open until 20:00 in summer; the Blue Eye is around 45 minutes from Saranda by road.
After a late night on the Riviera, the easiest day plan is a short one. Two sights fit that brief. Butrint, the ancient city on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992, is 4.5 km from Greg Beach in Ksamil, about seven minutes by car. The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër), the karst spring at Muzinë, lies around 18 km from Saranda, the figure given by Albania's national tourism agency. Here's how to fit each one around the parties.
Butrint in short
Butrint is an ancient city inside a national park, a few kilometres south of Ksamil. Albania's national tourism agency describes over two thousand years of history on one site, from Hellenic temples of the fourth century BC to Ottoman forts of the early nineteenth century, with Roman baths, a forum and a large sixth-century baptistery among the remains.
The UNESCO-protected area covers 2,900 hectares, the agency says, and the national park around it takes in Lake Butrint and the Vivari Channel, which drains the lake into the Ionian Sea. It's a walk among ruins, trees and water, at whatever pace suits you.
Getting to Butrint from Ksamil and Saranda
From Ksamil it's a short hop by road: 3.9 km from Principotes (about six minutes by car), 4.5 km from Greg Beach (about seven) and 5.7 km from Mulino Beach (about ten). From the 2026 boat-party boarding point on Saranda's promenade it's 16.9 km, about 27 minutes.
These are measured routes without traffic, between the map pins of the 2026 party venues and the archaeological site. If you're based in Ksamil, it's right on your doorstep.
Opening hours that suit a late start
The official online ticket page for Butrint publishes two timetables. From 1 April to 31 October: open from 08:30, last entry at 18:00, closing at 20:00. From 1 November to 31 March: open from 09:00, last entry at 15:00, closing at 17:30.
In summer, that 18:00 last entry means an afternoon visit works, even after a 05:00 finish. Tickets can be bought online, and an online ticket is valid for a month from purchase, so you can sort it out before the trip and go on whichever day suits. Check the page again before you travel in case the hours change.
Butrint, then a pool party
In 2026 the Latin Pool Party at Mulino Beach started at 18:30, on Mondays and Fridays. Mulino is 5.7 km from Butrint, about ten minutes by car. If the pool parties return to the same time slot in 2027, an afternoon among the ruins and an evening by the pool fit neatly into one day.
Parties mentioned
The Blue Eye: the inland option
The Blue Eye is a spring where the water rises from a depth of more than 45 metres. The deep blue centre, ringed with green, gives it its name. It's a protected Natural Monument and, according to the national tourism agency, one of the most visited attractions in the south of Albania, especially in summer.
The agency puts it about 18 km from Saranda. Our measured road route from Saranda's promenade is 21 km, around 45 minutes by car. From Greg Beach in Ksamil it's 32 km, around an hour, because the road heads back north towards Saranda before turning inland. So the Blue Eye suits a day when you're staying in Saranda.
Blue Eye, then sunset in Saranda
Coming back from the Blue Eye, you reach the Saranda side of the coast first, which is where two of the 2026 evening parties were. Bougainville Bay Resort & SPA hosted the Infinity Sunset Pool Party on Thursday 3 September (19:00–00:00), and Lost Seaside, 240 metres away, held its white party on Tuesdays from 20:00.
Bougainville Bay is about 21 km from the Blue Eye, around 45 minutes by car. Back by early evening and you're in time for the 19:00 start, which the ticket page billed as sunset to midnight.
No car? The islets off Ksamil
If you'd rather not drive at all, stay in Ksamil. The small islets just off its coast, ringed by clear water and small white beaches, are reached by small boat or canoe, according to the national tourism agency. It's the slowest plan of the three, and it keeps you within easy reach of the Ksamil venues for the night.
Which plan after which night
After a French night at Greg Beach (in 2026 they wrapped up at 04:30 or 05:00): Butrint in the afternoon, seven minutes away.
Staying in Saranda with an evening party ahead: the Blue Eye, then back to Rruga Butrinti for sunset.
A slow day without a car: the islets off Ksamil, then the night in Ksamil.
Fitting Butrint into a party week
Butrint's summer timetable runs from 1 April to 31 October, so it covers the whole party summer: every 2026 date on this site, from 11 August to 11 September, fell inside it. The week planner shows which 2026 nights had an early party and which a late one, so you can pick the afternoon for the ruins.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Butrint from Ksamil?
Between 3.9 and 5.7 km by road from the Ksamil party venues, so six to ten minutes by car. From Saranda's promenade it's 16.9 km, about 27 minutes.
What are Butrint's opening hours?
From 1 April to 31 October: 08:30 to 20:00, last entry 18:00. From 1 November to 31 March: 09:00 to 17:30, last entry 15:00. These are the hours on the official online ticket page, checked on 21 October 2026.
How far is the Blue Eye from Saranda?
Around 18 km is the national tourism agency's figure. Our measured road route from Saranda's seafront is 21 km, around 45 minutes by car.
Can I visit Butrint and go to a party on the same day?
Yes. In summer the last entry is at 18:00, and the 2026 pool and sunset parties on this site got going at 18:30, 19:00 or 20:00. Mulino Beach, where the Latin Pool Party took place, is about ten minutes from Butrint by car.
How do you get to the islets off Ksamil?
By small boat or canoe, the national tourism agency says.