The Blue Eye Parking Place — Attraction in Bashkia Finiq

A second larger parking space located near the main road, roughly 400 metres from the entrance to the Blue Eye park.

If you arrive out of the main season (e.g. early April), there will likely be enough parking spots and nobody at the kiosk container selling parking tickets.

However, if you walk up, there will be guards at the entrance to the park, asking you to pay the entry fee (50 lek/person) AND 400 lek for the parking - which feels like a SCAM, because they didn't see us arriving in a car, it's the rate for 3-4 hours (which is unnecessarily too much time, and you can only argue to lower the price if you remembered the prices displayed on a sign on the lower parking lot), and of course, you pay in cash and can forget about getting a parking ticket or any other document proving you did pay.

So if you have enough time and want to fight the scammy guards, go on, I think you have a good chance to succeed and negotiate more reasonable prices.

If you don't feel like it, I would recommend driving all the way up to the smaller parking lot near the entrance gate - there are enough parking spaces out of the season and you don't have to walk the...

Visiting the Blue Eye is a memorable experience, though there are a few practical points worth noting. Traffic in the area can be rather heavy, with a steady stream of cars throughout the day. That said, parking itself is very straightforward – it is free of charge and conveniently located.

For those wishing to avoid the walk, electric scooters are available everywhere for hire, and bicycles can be rented at around €20. We opted for a bike, which proved an excellent choice, saving considerable time – especially as most visitors come primarily to take in the famous view and capture photographs of the Blue Lake.

Entry to the Blue Eye requires a separate ticket, and one important detail to keep in mind is that card payments are not accepted. Cash is the only option, and I would strongly advise bringing Albanian Lek. While euros are accepted, they are exchanged at an unfavourable rate – in our case, €1 was counted as only 50 Lek. With no alternative, we had to pay in euros and absorb the loss, which did rather sour the moment.

Still, with a little preparation – cash in hand and perhaps a rented bike or scooter – the Blue Eye is well...

אנגלית / עברית

‏🇬🇧 Review in English – The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër)

‏We visited the Blue Eye on a hot summer day – a family with two small kids (ages 3 and 5). ‏We arrived around 10:00 AM and parked in the official parking lot (400 ALL for up to 4 hours).

‏From the parking area, we walked 5 minutes to the ticket booth and paid 400 ALL for two adults. ‏Although you can rent electric scooters or take the tourist train (300 ALL per person including kids), we decided to walk.

‏The walk took about 30–45 minutes on a paved road – not difficult.

‏When we reached the Blue Eye, the view was absolutely stunning! ‏Despite the number of visitors, if you continue past the main viewing platform, there’s a small peaceful area where you can dip your feet into the cold (12.5°C) but refreshing water.

‏From the main spot, you can: ‏ • Walk back the same way ‏ • Take the return train ‏ • Or follow the circular trail around the lake through the forest (which we chose).

‏The return hike took us about an hour at a relaxed pace, mostly shaded with charming hidden spots. ‏Important: there are a few uphill and downhill parts – bring hiking sandals or walking shoes, not flip-flops!

‏We started walking at 10:25 AM and returned to the car around 1:40 PM – with kids and in hot weather. ‏Bring at least 1.5 liters of water per person and some snacks.

‏Highly recommended experience – worth every step!

🇮🇱 המלצה בעברית – העין הכחולה (The Blue Eye / Syri i Kaltër)

הגענו לעין הכחולה (יש נקודה בגוגל ווויז) ביום קיץ חם – משפחה עם שני ילדים בני 3 ו-5. חנינו בחניון הרשמי בשעה 10:00 בערך, שילמנו 400 לק עבור עד 4 שעות. מהחנייה המשכנו רגלית כ-5 דקות לעמדת הכניסה, שם שילמנו עוד 400 לק לשני מבוגרים.

ניתן להשכיר קורקינטים חשמליים או לעלות על רכבת תיירותית (300 לק לאדם כולל ילדים), אך בחרנו ללכת ברגל. ההליכה עצמה על כביש, 30–45 דקות, לא קשה ועם כמה קטעים מוצלים.

כשהגענו לעין הכחולה – הנוף פשוט מדהים! למרות שהיה עומס מבקרים, אם ממשיכים אחרי מרפסת התצפית, אפשר לרדת לפינה קטנה ולתפוס אותה לכמה רגעים ולשכשך רגליים במים – קרים מאוד (12.5 מעלות), אבל מרעננים בטירוף.

מהתצפית אפשר לבחור: • לחזור באותה הדרך ברגל • לעלות על הרכבת • או להמשיך במסלול מעגלי ביער שעובר סביב האגם וחוזר לחנייה (מה שבחרנו).

המסלול חזור לקח לנו כשעה – הליכה נעימה ברובה בצל עם פינות חמד ויופי טבעי. יש כמה עליות וירידות, אז חשוב להגיע עם סנדלי הליכה או נעלי ספורט – לא כפכפים!

יצאנו לדרך ב-10:25, וחזרנו לרכב סביב 13:40 – בקצב רגוע עם ילדים. מומלץ להביא לפחות 1.5 ליטר מים לאדם ונשנושים לדרך.

חוויה נהדרת!...