Clubs & Nightlife6 min read

Boat Parties in Saranda: the Vikingen and Friends

Three dance floors, a foam party at sunset and an open bar in the middle of the Ionian — how the Saranda boat party works and how not to miss the boat. Literally.

The Vikingen: a floating club

The Vikingen boat party casts off from the Saranda waterfront at 5:30pm and turns the Ionian into a club for the evening. The official listing promises three dance floors — the biggest commercial hits on one deck, reggaeton and Latin vibes on the second, and a foam party under the sunset sky on the third — plus a fully open bar that keeps flowing all cruise long and swimming stops in crystal-clear water. It is strictly 18+ with physical ID checked at boarding, and tickets start at €45.

More ways onto the water

The Vikingen is not alone out there. Through the season the programme has included Le Classico — a French boat party leaving from the promenade with a fireworks and bottle show — and for daylight hours the El Mar Boat Tour runs daily from Guma on the promenade: Turtle Bay, Anchor Bay, Soldier Bay and the Gremina cove, with snorkelling gear and sunbeds included for €40. Party boat in the evening, discovery boat the morning after — that is the correct order.

The Saranda boat party, hour by hour

A boat party in Saranda runs on boat time, not club time, so here is the shape of the evening. The door is the waterfront: you turn up before 5:30pm, the crew checks your physical ID, and the Vikingen casts off on schedule. The first stretch is pure golden hour — the commercial hits deck warming up while Saranda shrinks behind you and Corfu sits on the horizon. Then come the swimming stops, jumping straight off the boat into water where you can see the bottom, with the open bar running the whole time. As the light drops, the reggaeton deck takes over and the foam deck opens under the sunset sky. By then the whole boat is one crowd rather than three decks, which is the point at which people stop filming and start actually dancing. You are back on the promenade around 9pm, salty and with the whole night still ahead, landing right as the xhiro fills Shëtitorja Naim Frashëri.

What to bring on board (and what you can leave behind)

Short list, and most of it fits in one small bag. The physical ID is non-negotiable: this one is strictly 18+, and a photo of your passport will not get you up the gangway. Then swimwear under your outfit, a towel, high-factor sun cream and a cap — August highs average around 31°C and there is no shade in the middle of the Ionian. A light layer for the way back matters more than people expect, because wet clothes plus wind after sunset gets cold fast. What you do not need is drink money: the open bar covers the entire cruise. A little cash in lek is still worth having for once you are ashore — a taxi, a late bite, the things that never take cards. Leave the good shoes, the big bag and anything you would rather not see disappear into a foam party. One last thing before you leave the hotel: eat something. An open bar that starts at sunset is far friendlier on a full stomach.

Book early, and plan the ride home

Two things first-timers get wrong when they book a boat party in Albania. One: tickets go in batches and the price climbs as each batch sells out — on the 2026 boat the first batch was €45 and the second €50 — so the cheap seat is the early seat. Two: the boat lands back around 9pm, while the local buses between Saranda and Ksamil stop around 8pm, so if you are sleeping in Ksamil you need a taxi, and you agree the fare before you get in. There is no official rate: expect anywhere from €13 to €40 depending on season and negotiation. Around that, the week builds itself. Keep the daytime easy — a beach morning rather than a full excursion — and let the evening carry on: Saturday finishes at The Wolf of Wall Street from 11:30pm, Sunday at the White Party in Ksamil from 11:45pm. Book the boat first and let the rest arrange itself around that date.

Golden rule: the boat does not wait

Be at the waterfront early — boarding closes before departure and there is no catching up with a boat. Bring a physical ID (a photo on your phone does not count), swimwear under your outfit for the swim stops, and book your date online: boat party tickets are the fastest sellers of the week.

Vikingen Boat — dates & tickets