At the southern tip of Albania, on a wooded headland between a lagoon and the narrow Vivari channel, the ruins of Butrint have been layering up for close to three thousand years. Greek colonists from Corfu, just across the strait, built a sanctuary and a theatre here; the Romans made it a colony and added baths, an aqueduct and villas; the Byzantines raised a great baptistery with a mosaic floor of birds and animals; and the Venetians left a fortified tower and a triangular castle by the water. Wandering the shaded paths among laurel and eucalyptus, you move from one century to the next in a few steps, with frogs croaking in the flooded parts of the agora and the lagoon glinting through the trees. The site has been on the UNESCO list since 1992 and is the heart of a national park.
The wetlands around the lagoon are rich in birds, from herons and egrets to cormorants, and in spring the marshes are noisy with frogs and loud with nightingales. Mussel farms dot Lake Butrint, and the local seafood, especially mussels, is excellent. A small cable ferry crosses the Vivari channel just beside the ruins, carrying vehicles across toward the Greek border region, which turns the area into a handy shortcut as well as a destination.
The ride down from Sarandë is short and pleasant, running past the beach resort of Ksamil with its small islands and turquoise water, then through olive groves and along the edge of the lagoon. The road is generally in good condition, but summer traffic can be heavy, and Albanian driving habits take some getting used to: overtaking on blind bends, sudden stops and pedestrians walking along the road. Head inland from Sarandë and the roads climb over the hills toward the Blue Eye spring and the Drino valley, with curves and views in every direction. Spring and early autumn are ideal; high summer is hot and crowded.
Sarandë, about fourteen kilometres away, has fuel, cafés, restaurants and accommodation, and Ksamil has plenty of seasonal places to eat. Try grilled fish, mussels from the lake, or byrek, a flaky pie with cheese or spinach. There is an entry fee, and an early arrival beats both the heat and the tour groups coming over from Corfu by boat. Bring water and comfortable shoes, walk the full loop to the Venetian castle, and look across the channel at the hills of Greece.