Travel
A primary-time information to Albania
Albania has by no means been extra well-liked with vacationers than it’s now. Joel Balsam, writer of the Albania chapter within the new Western Balkans guidebook, shares his skilled ideas for exploring this singular nation.
Is it simply me or does it really feel like everyone seems to be speaking about touring to Albania? It’s been like that for a couple of years, and it’s straightforward to see why.
TikTok-adored Adriatic seashores with turquoise-painted water line the southwestern coast, the Albanian Alps present excellent mountain climbing terrain, there’s wonderful historic structure, and Albania is far cheaper than close by Croatia, Greece and Italy.
However for each constructive pitch about why you need to e book a visit to Albania proper this on the spot, there are its detractors – some appear to assume that Albanian gangs elsewhere in Europe signify the common individual in Albania. Briefly: they don’t, and the locals you’ll encounter in Albania are trustworthy, curious and welcoming.
Right here’s what you need to know in your first time visiting Albania.
When ought to I am going to Albania?
Europe’s obsession with lazy seashore days and low-cost flights make Albania’s finest accessible seashores, Ksamil and Saranda, good and actually swarming from June via September. If you’d like a bit of extra peace and quiet, plan a go to in Might, although the ocean will probably be chilly. Higher but, go between September and December, that are in all probability the very best months to go to Albania total because the climate continues to be pretty and there are fewer guests.
If visiting in winter, persist with Tirana, the capital metropolis, the place you may heat up in its many atmospheric eating places and bars like Komiteti, which serves many various flavors of rakija (fruit brandy). Actions in a lot of the remainder of the nation shut throughout winter.
How a lot time ought to I spend in Albania?
In the event you solely have a weekend, fly to Corfu in Greece and take the ferry over to Saranda to see the Albanian Riviera. Or land in Tirana to benefit from the capital’s terrific meals and historic sights.
When you’ve got time for a street journey, you may cowl Albania highlights like Tirana, a seashore on the coast and one in every of Berat or Gjirokastra in every week. Enable for extra time if you wish to hike within the Accursed Mountains or in case you plan to take public transport – Albanian buses are notoriously unreliable and gradual.
Is it straightforward to get in and round Albania?
There’s only one worldwide transport hub in Albania at Tirana Worldwide Airport. However if you wish to go to the southwestern seashores it’s higher to fly to Corfu and take the brief ferry journey over.
As soon as inside Albania, getting round is, sadly, very difficult. Communist-era furgon shared minibuses that run between cities belong in a museum and don’t have constant timetables. In addition they have a nasty behavior of breaking down.
Driving is extra handy, although it comes with loads of warnings. Many complain about Albania’s aggressive drivers and speedy sports activities automobiles (prone to be a Volkswagen or Mercedes). Personally, I don’t discover driving in Albania to be that unhealthy, particularly on the principle highways – and you actually ought to persist with the highways as nation roads aren’t at all times nicely maintained.
Hiring a automotive can be a headache, with worldwide manufacturers charging a premium and solely sustaining workplaces at Tirana airport. Native automotive rent firms are cheaper and may be discovered exterior the airport, however you’ll should pay money or financial institution switch, which means you gained’t have the ability to use insurance coverage protections out of your bank card if it comes with these.
Prime issues to do in Albania
Get pleasure from Albania’s stunning shoreline
You could have seen it on Instagram – now’s your probability to swim from Albania’s picture-perfect seashores. Ksamil, the nation’s hottest seashore, is certainly beautiful, however dearer than anyplace within the nation and stupidly crowded in summer time – there isn’t even room to place down a seashore towel. Journey up the shoreline to seek out quieter seashores in and round Himara and Dhërmi and take a ship tour to “secret” seashores inaccessible to automobiles.
In the event you do go to Ksamil, don’t you dare miss Butrint, a jaw-dropping Greek and Roman metropolis.
Bar hop in Tirana’s Blloku neighborhood
Throughout Albania’s communist period from 1946–1991, Tirana’s Blloku neighborhood was blocked off to the general public as a personal residence for celebration officers. When Albania’s democratic revolution lastly toppled the regime, the gates to Blloku swung open and the neighborhood has since grow to be a spot to see and be seen. Hip cafes and bars with plant-filled terraces line the streets, and there are many cool golf equipment as nicely. My private favourite is Radio Bar.
Go to the “museum cities” of Berat and Gjirokastra
For wonderful structure, journey to Albania’s UNESCO-recognized “museum cities”. In Berat, discover a city-sized citadel atop the hill and wind via tiny stone alleyways. Don’t miss town’s prized home windows, that are finest seen from throughout the Osum River.
In Gjirokastra, the structure isn’t any much less outstanding. Stroll up the hill (you’ll be doing quite a lot of that right here), to see historic houses with heavy stone tile roofs and its spectacular citadel. Beneath town, wander via communist-era bunkers – there’s an enormous one beside the city corridor.
My favourite factor to do in Albania
What actually gained me over in Albania is the nation’s mountainous north, beginning with Shkodra. The artsy pupil metropolis is well essentially the most bike-friendly place I’ve seen in Jap Europe and a terrific base for exploring close by peaks.
In three days, you may take a ferry to Valbona, hike a piece of the Peaks of the Balkans path linking Albania with Kosovo and Montenegro and soar into cobalt “blue eye” ponds in Theth. Lodging in Shkodra can set up the circuit for you.
How a lot cash do I would like for Albania?
Few locations in Albania settle for card funds. You’ll be able to take out native forex, lek, from ATMs, with a steep transaction charge or change money at cash changers. On the time of writing, €1 equals 100 lekë.
- Hostel room: 1500 lekë
- Primary room for 2: 5000 lekë per evening
- Self-catering residence (together with Airbnb): 5000 lekë per evening
- Ticket for a bus in Tirana: 40 lekë
- Inter-city bus: costs fluctuate. A visit between Saranda and Tirana is 1600 lekë
- Espresso: 100 to 200 lekë
- Sandwich: 600 lekë
- Dinner for 2: 2000 lekë
- Beer/pint on the bar: 300 lekë
Is Albania secure?
Opposite to what many say, Albania is secure. Pickpocketing barely occurs, and crime related to Albanian organized crime elsewhere in Europe has little to do with the common traveler’s expertise.
Is Albania spiritual?
Most Albanians establish as Muslim, however you’ll not often see locals show their religion in public with conventional clothes. You’ll, nonetheless, see loads of mosques in addition to quite a lot of church buildings.
Regardless of Albania showing fairly secular, it’s nonetheless respectful to decorate conservatively exterior of Tirana and the seashores. If coming into a preferred mosque, there needs to be further clothes to cowl up throughout your go to.
Is it price visiting Kosovo whereas in Albania?
A go to to Kosovo, Albania’s neighbor to the east, is simple, and border guards will not often even cease you to verify your passport. The 2 nations are strongly linked, with the overwhelming majority of individuals in each figuring out as ethnic Albanian – their division is a results of border strains drawn by Western European powers.
In Kosovo, you’ll discover prettier mountain trails together with historic Prizren, with its many beautiful locations of worship and castles. Additionally, take a look at burgeoning Pristina, which seems to be extra like a Western European metropolis by the day.