Transfers · Corfu → Saranda
Corfu to Saranda, the two-mile crossing.
The fast ferry, a private boat or a water taxi across the narrowest point of the Ionian corridor — with times, indicative prices and the border facts nobody else keeps current.
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Corfu and Saranda sit barely two nautical miles apart at the narrowest point of the strait, yet they are two countries — Greece and Albania — and one of the most rewarding short crossings in the Mediterranean. From the port beside Corfu's Venetian old town, the fast ferry reaches Saranda in about thirty minutes; slower boats take a little over an hour. In high season several departures run each day in both directions.
It is an international crossing, so it is passport-controlled: bring travel documents, arrive at the port a good half-hour before departure for border formalities, and expect a short queue in July and August. Tickets are worth booking ahead in peak weeks — the fast boats sell out on the best afternoon slots.
Below: the three ways to make the crossing (scheduled ferry, private boat, water taxi), whether you can take a car, what it costs indicatively, and how the customs question actually works. We arrange the whole chain — port pick-up on both sides, tickets, and the onward transfer to your villa in Ksamil, Saranda or up the Riviera.
Your options
How to cross.
Scheduled fast ferry
≈30 min, several daily in season, foot passengers, passport control both ends.
from €39 per person
Private boat crossing
Leaves when you do, villa jetty to harbour, up to ~10 guests, skipper handles the paperwork.
on request
Water taxi / RIB
Fast small-group shuttle across the narrows for a flexible departure time.
on request
Can I take a car across?
This is the question that trips travellers up. The fast passenger ferries between Corfu Town and Saranda do not carry cars — they are foot-passenger boats. A rental car hired in Corfu almost always cannot leave Greece anyway: Greek hire contracts forbid taking the vehicle to Albania, and insurance lapses at the border.
The clean solution is to travel across as foot passengers and rent a second car on the Albanian side — we arrange delivery of a car to Saranda port so it is waiting as you clear customs. You drive the Riviera on Albanian plates, and hand it back at the port on the way home. Two rentals, zero border headaches, and it is usually cheaper than the cross-border surcharges anyway.
Border & customs, in plain terms
It is a full international frontier between an EU country (Greece) and a non-EU country (Albania). Passports are checked on both sides; EU, UK and US passport-holders do not need a visa for Albania for tourist stays. Keep passports handy, not in the hold luggage.
Arrive early — 30 to 45 minutes before a scheduled ferry — because the border booth, not the boat, sets the pace in peak season. On a private crossing the skipper clears you through the designated port of entry; you still carry your passport.
FAQ