The Blue Eye in Albania | A pool near Sarandë

By Roberto (Updated Dec 21)

⏱ 2 min

The Blue Eye in Albania, near Sarandë, was since the beginning in our Top Visit places for Albania. The photos we saw in the internet were like crystalline pools and all the blogs talked about “magical paradise, breathtaking, mesmerising and hypnotic”… Here we share all the information you’ll need about the Blue Eye in Albania and confess whether or not we agree with these epic descriptions.

Why to visit The Blue Eye?

The Blue Eye is an underwater spring with a hole that pumps thousands of litres per second of crystalline water to the surface. The water is insanely cold, around 10 ºC year around, yet it invites you to go in and swim as if it were a pool. Brave people jump into the water and can feel the constant pressure of the water that brings them up in less than one second.

Around the main attraction, there is a beautiful scenery of water and green trees. The area is – surprisingly, for Albania – quite clean and there is a floating restaurant and other facilities. The Blue Eye is a good option for a get-away from Sarandë or, as we did, to stop at on our way from the southern coast to Gjirokaster.

Where is The Blue Eye in Albania?

The Blue Eye is located in southern Albania, just 22 km east from Sarandë, which makes this place a tourist destination. We went there on a Sunday of September and the place was OVERcrowded. The parking was almost complete and tons of families, groups and kids were around. I hope it’s better outside of the summer months, and in the midweek.

Coming here has no mystery at all. Just put the Blue Eye on Google Maps and follow the indications. The road is paved until the parking, where you have to pay a low fare in cash. From there, the road is made from gravel but you can drive without any problem. It takes less than 40 minutes from Sarandë and roughly one hour from Gjirokaster.

How much is the entry to The Blue Eye?

They charge you an entrance fee to the Blue Eye that is 100 LEK per car and an extra 50 LEK per person. After paying this fare, you can pass the bridge that leads to the parking area, which they are improving to accommodate more visitors.

Once you arrive, there are toilets, a minibar, a petite floating restaurant, all of which are next to the parking area. Right at the Blue Eye, there are some souvenir stores.

Is it worth the visit?

To conclude this post I’d like to wrap our experience and thoughts. We think the place is so overrated in photos and local blogs. This leads visitors to come to this very tiny area, where the parking extension is twice as big as the Blue Eye. And because of this, the result is a crowded place with minimum natural atmosphere, focused on the business.

The Blue Eye truly is a beautiful piece of art from Nature, that combines the greens and blues that we always love. But other than a quick swim and a 3-minutes walk around the area, there’s nothing much to do. Therefore, I would not recommend the visit in the summer or on a weekend. In case you come outside of these dates, then I’d say, it can be a nice place to have a break where eat your sandwich and to have a refreshing swim.

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