Saranda Port Car Rental — Pickup Guide for Ferry Arrivals How to Pick Up Your Rental Car at Saranda Port Skipping Day-One Driving? Corfu to Saranda Ferry — What to Know Before Booking a Car Saranda Port Rental Deposits and Payment Driving from Saranda Port — First 30 Minutes Enterprise Card preauthorisation Credit card Often includes CDW; ask about SCDW or zero excess EasyGo Rental Cash or card Variable Card, debit, cash Confirm MTPL and excess rules before pickup Nexhipi Car Rental Cash deposit Cash, sometimes transfer Meet-and-greet handover is common RentFromLocals.al Cash deposit Cash, sometimes card Check franchise and deductible wording Can I pick up a rental car at Saranda Port? Yes, Saranda Port offers car pickup for prebooked rentals, including desks or meet-and-greet service from Enterprise, EasyGo Rental, Nexhipi Car Rental, Leka Tours, and RentFromLocals.al. How do I get from the Corfu ferry to the rental desk? After disembarking the ferry and clearing passport control, Enterprise is on the 2nd floor of the Sea Port Terminal, while EasyGo Rental is at street level. Local agencies often meet passengers in the arrivals area with a name sign. Can I take a rental car on the Corfu ferry? No, rental cars generally cannot cross the Greece–Albania border. The cleanest solution is to return the Greek vehicle in Corfu, board as a foot passenger, and collect a separate Albanian rental at Saranda Port. What deposit do I need at Saranda Port? Enterprise uses credit card preauthorisation of €290–€1,000 depending on vehicle class. EasyGo Rental and local suppliers often accept cash deposits of €100–€200. Home › Port Pickup Saranda Port Car Rental — Pickup Guide for Ferry Arrivals Arriving at Saranda Port by Corfu ferry is the fastest way to start an Albanian Riviera road trip, and the port processed 754,686 passengers in one recent annual count. If you land as a foot passenger, the most efficient plan is to collect a pre-booked car after passport control and drive straight onto SH8 or SH99 depending on your route. How to Pick Up Your Rental Car at Saranda Port At Saranda Port, the pickup process starts after ferry disembarkation and passport control, and the route to the car desk depends on the supplier named in your booking confirmation. Enterprise uses the 2nd floor of the Sea Port Terminal, so a traveler clears immigration, takes the elevator up one level, and reaches the desk about 10 meters from the lift, which is useful if the booking includes CDW and a preauthorisation on a credit card. EasyGo Rental keeps its office on the street level of the terminal, so the traveler exits the main doors, finds the desk, and usually signs for a car that already has MTPL plus optional SCDW or zero excess cover. For local meet-and-greet handovers, Nexhipi Car Rental, Saranda Center, and Leka Tours commonly meet passengers in the arrivals area with a name sign and then escort the customer to the vehicle. That arrangement is practical for routes along SH8 toward the Albanian Riviera, and it is also common for families heading to Ksamil, Butrint, or Lëkurësi Castle. If the booking is for a late ferry, Enterprise can arrange after-hours collection for €15 when requested at least 24 hours ahead, while many local desks align staffing with scheduled Ionian Seaways, Finikas Lines, and Joy Lines arrivals. Skipping Day-One Driving? Some travellers land late, carry heavy luggage, or would rather not drive straight off the ferry. A pre-booked private transfer covers that first leg — the fare is agreed in advance and the driver waits with a name sign — so you can pick the rental car up in town the next morning instead. It also works for the long run from Tirana Airport to Saranda (~4 h) when the ferry is not part of the plan. Check fixed transfer prices on Kiwitaxi → Corfu to Saranda Ferry — What to Know Before Booking a Car The Corfu to Saranda ferry is a short maritime crossing of about 18 km, and the trip usually takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on whether the vessel is a hydrofoil or a conventional ferry. The main operators on this route are Ionian Seaways, Finikas Lines, and Joy Lines, and summer schedules often show multiple daily departures with fares around €19 to €25 per foot passenger. That means the practical decision is usually not about the boat itself, but about whether the onward car should be collected in Saranda Port or in Corfu. A rental car generally cannot be taken across the Greece–Albania border because Greek and Albanian contracts usually block cross-border use for insurance and liability reasons. In practice, the cleanest solution is to return the Greek vehicle in Corfu, board as a foot passenger, and collect a separate Albanian rental at Saranda Port after passport control. The same logic applies whether the booking is with Hertz, Sixt, RentFromLocals.al, or rentx.al: the ferry handles people, not the rental car, and the car handover happens after arrival on the Albanian side. Saranda Port Rental Deposits and Payment At Saranda Port, deposit and payment rules vary by brand, vehicle class, and whether the booking includes full coverage or a higher franchise. Enterprise usually uses a card preauthorisation on a major credit card, with deposits of €290 for Mini and Economy cars, €390 for Compact and Intermediate cars, and €1,000 for Standard and Luxury cars; those amounts function as the renter's excess/deductible exposure if the policy is not upgraded to zero excess or FDW. EasyGo Rental and many local suppliers such as Nexhipi Car Rental or RentFromLocals.al may accept cash deposits of €100 to €200, which can make pickup easier for travelers without a suitable card. For payment, EasyGo Rental accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash, while many small agencies prefer EUR cash over Albanian Lek for the rental balance and deposit. A few operators also accept bank transfers through Wise or Revolut, although card rules still matter when the booking includes CDW, SCDW, or an excess waiver. A practical pickup strategy is to bring enough EUR to cover the rental amount plus the deposit, and to confirm whether the quoted price includes MTPL, third-party liability, or a higher-level policy such as FDW. Provider Deposit Type Amount Payment Methods Coverage Notes Driving from Saranda Port — First 30 Minutes After pickup at Saranda Port, the first 30 minutes of driving are usually simple because the terminal sits close to the city center and most hotels are within a 5-minute drive. Albania uses right-hand traffic, and the short-stay parking area in front of the terminal is for loading only, so the driver should move immediately after settling luggage. Under Law No. 32/2021, rental cars in Albania must carry MTPL insurance — see our rental tips and driving rules guide for full details on coverage, traffic rules, and required equipment. From the port, the road choice depends on destination and road condition. For Ksamil and Butrint, the route is generally south — see our day trips from Saranda guide for distances and parking; for Himara, Dhermi, Borsh Beach, Mirror Beach (Pasqyra), or Pulebardha, the driver usually follows SH8 along the Albanian Riviera coastal drive; for Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) or Gjirokaster, the route turns inland. Local driving around Saranda Center and up to Lëkurësi Castle can be busy in summer, and the city speed limit is 40 km/h, so defensive driving matters more than speed.