St Mary’s Monastery, Kakome

Lëkurësi Castle was built in 1537 under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to guard the port and the sea and land routes near Sarandë. Its surviving walls look out over the town, the coastline and the Ionian Sea.

The Monastery of the Forty Saints dates from the medieval period and was an important spiritual centre for the local community; Sarandë takes its name from it. It stands on the hill of the same name, above the town.

Butrint is a UNESCO World Heritage site whose remains span more than 2,000 years, from Greek temples and a theatre to a large early 6th-century baptistery and Ottoman forts. The national park around it takes in lakes, lagoons, forest and coast, and its wetlands are a Ramsar site.

The ruins of Sarandë’s old synagogue are a trace of the Jewish community that lived and worshipped here centuries ago. As they lie within the town, they fit easily into a walk through Sarandë’s religious and cultural history.

This Ottoman-era fortress near Butrint is tied to Ali Pasha of Tepelena, who used it as a strategic defensive post. It stands where the Vivari Channel meets the sea, and its sturdy walls look out over the coast and the calm Ionian.

Shën Kolli (St Nicholas) Monastery near Mesopotam dates from the reign of Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042–1054); its four-domed church is among the largest Byzantine churches in Albania. Look for the eagle, dragons and lion on the apse.