Things to do
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Blue Eye
A karst spring pushes cold water up through a deep blue vent in the forest near Muzinë, feeding the Bistricë river from a shaft divers have not reached the bottom of. Swimming is banned and the water sits near ten degrees in any case. Cars stop at a gate and the last stretch is walked, which keeps an early arrival calmer.
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Butrint
Layers of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian building sit on a wooded peninsula between a lagoon and the Vivari channel, with a theatre, baptistery mosaics and a triangular fortress along a marked loop. Mosquitoes work the marsh edge in the evening. The mosaics stay covered in sand for protection most of the year, and a small ferry crosses to the far bank.
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Ksamil Islands
Four small limestone islets lie a short swim or a pedalo ride off the beaches at the southern end of the Riviera, in clear shallow water over white sand. Two can be walked around in minutes. Loungers cover most of the mainland shore in July and August and day boats fill the islets, while June and September give the quiet back.
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Lëkurësi Castle
An Ottoman fort on the hill above Sarandë looks down the coast to Ksamil and across to Corfu, with the Butrint lagoon behind it. Little survives beyond the walls and two towers, and a restaurant occupies the courtyard. The road up is short and steep, and sunset is the hour it draws a crowd, so an early table is the safer bet.