Corfu to Saranda Ferry — Schedule, Tickets & Tips 2026

Sarandë sits just 30 minutes across the Ionian Sea from Corfu. A fast catamaran run mainly by Ionian Seaways makes multiple daily crossings in high season (mid-June to mid-September), dropping to 1–2 sailings per day in shoulder months and weekends only in winter. One-way tickets cost €20–25 per foot passenger, return €40–50. You usually do not need to book far in advance, but reserve at least a week ahead if you are travelling in August or on a Sunday evening. If you would rather arrive by air, see our full how to get to Albania guide and the dedicated Tirana Airport (TIA) overview.

Most catamarans leave from Corfu Old Port (Neo Limani, right at the edge of the old town), not the New Port where the big Grimaldi and Anek cruise-ferries from Italy dock. A handful of Ionian Seaways departures do use the New Port in peak weeks — always double-check the pier printed on your ticket. The two ports are only about 2 km apart, but with luggage and August traffic that is a €10 taxi or a hot 25-minute walk.

On the Albanian side the boat berths at Sarandë passenger port, a small terminal literally on the town seafront. It is a 5–10 minute walk along the Lungomare to most hotels in the centre and less than 15 minutes to the north-end beaches. See the Sarandë destination guide for orientation, neighbourhoods and things to do once you land.

The crossing itself runs about 20 km across the northern Corfu Channel. Corfu recedes to your right (starboard), the Ceraunian foothills of southern Albania open up ahead, and on a clear day you can pick out the white sprawl of Sarandë climbing the amphitheatre of hills. Sit on the port side (left, facing forward) for the best photos of the Albanian coast on approach. Weather-sensitive months are November to March, when the southerly siroccos occasionally cancel morning sailings; in summer cancellations are rare.

Three operators share the route, but one dominates.

• Ionian Seaways — the main year-round operator. Fast catamaran, most frequent sailings, most reliable winter service. Book on their site or via the aggregator Ferryhopper (English, saves cards).
• Finikas Lines — a slower ferry that runs in some summers only. Cheaper if you have time, useful when Ionian is fully booked in mid-August.
• Petrakis Lines — occasional extra summer sailings, mostly on day-trip combos.

A typical high-season timetable (mid-June to mid-September) has four to six daily crossings — Corfu → Sarandë departures cluster around 08:00, 10:30, 14:30 and 17:00, with return sailings 30–60 minutes after each arrival. Exact times shift year to year and month to month; always check the current schedule within two weeks of your travel date.

Shoulder season (April–May, October) usually means one morning outbound around 09:00 and one afternoon return around 16:30, sometimes a second sailing on weekends. Winter (November–March) drops to weekends-only or is suspended entirely for 2–3 weeks around January weather windows.

Alongside the scheduled ferry, small Corfu operators like Kayakoi Cruises and Corfu Sea Cruises sell all-inclusive day-trip combos — return catamaran + minibus transfer to Ksamil and Butrint + lunch — for €70–110. Different product, more expensive per hour but zero logistics on the ground. Fine if you have exactly one day. If you have two nights, take the scheduled ferry and see Ksamil and the Blue Eye spring at your own pace.

You have three practical routes to a ticket.

• Online aggregator — Ferryhopper or Direct Ferries. English interface, all operators in one search, real-time availability, PDF ticket by email. Small booking fee (€1–3).
• Direct on the operator site — ionianseaways.com is the most reliable. No fee, but the interface is dated and only accepts some card types.
• Walk-in at the port — kiosks at Corfu Old Port open about one hour before each scheduled departure; the Sarandë side has a small ticket office in the terminal. Cash euros or card.

August peak: if your date is fixed and you need the Corfu → Sarandë morning sailing, book 1–2 weeks ahead. Return direction and later departures usually have space until 24 hours before. Shoulder and winter — walk-in is almost always fine.

Documents: EU nationals can travel on ID card alone; everyone else needs a passport valid for the trip length (Albania does not require six months of remaining validity, but check your home country's rules on the return leg). Non-Schengen nationals receive an Albanian entry stamp at Sarandë passport control; keep it — you'll need it if you continue overland into Greece or Kosovo.

Corfu Old Port vs New Port is the single most common mistake. The two are 2 km apart. Most Ionian Seaways catamarans leave from the Old Port (Neo Limani), right next to the medieval town — walkable from any hotel in Corfu Town. The New Port is the industrial berth further north-west, used mainly by the Italy overnight ferries and some peak-week Sarandë departures. Read your ticket carefully — the pier name is printed on it. If you're unsure, arrive with a 45-minute buffer instead of 30.

Check-in on the Corfu side: 45 minutes before departure. Bring ID or passport, a basic X-ray of hand luggage, and a printed or on-phone PDF ticket. There's a small waiting area with kiosks selling water and snacks — nothing on board rivals a proper meal, so eat beforehand.

Sarandë-side arrival: disembark, walk 30 metres to the passenger terminal, present passport to the Albanian border officer. Visa-free entry for 90 days applies to EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and most Latin American passports. The stamp takes 30 seconds. A small currency-exchange kiosk sits inside the terminal — rates are noticeably worse than any bank or ATM in town, so change only what you need for the next hour (€30–50) and use the multiple ATMs a two-minute walk away for the rest.

On board: open-plan seating on the catamaran, WC, a small snack bar (coffee, beer, sandwiches, chocolate). Some vessels have a limited outside deck at the stern — pleasant in June and September, wind-blown in July and August. There is no assigned seating; boarding is orderly.

Once you clear passport control, the terminal empties onto the Lungomare. From there:

• Sarandë centre — 5–10 minutes on foot along the seafront promenade. Most hotels and restaurants are within a 15-minute walk. See the Sarandë destination guide.
• Ksamil — €15–20 taxi, 20 minutes south. This is the beach village most people come for. Full details on the Ksamil guide.
• Butrint UNESCO archaeological park — hourly local minibus (furgon) from the port area, €0.50, 30 minutes. Or the same taxi to Ksamil continues to Butrint for a small supplement.
• Blue Eye spring (Syri i Kaltër) — €35–50 taxi round-trip with 30-minute wait, 45 minutes each way. See the Blue Eye guide.
• Rental car — Sixt, Enterprise and a handful of local agencies operate in Sarandë. Usually cheaper to book from Tirana Airport when the itinerary allows; read our Albania car rental guide.
• Onward buses / furgons to Vlorë, Gjirokastër, Berat and Tirana leave from a small terminal (a paved lot) 10 minutes' walk from the port. Cash only, €8–15, morning departures. For a door-to-door alternative see private transfers in Albania.