Lonely Planet recommends Albania among 10 places for affordable adventures

Almost every year Albania is part of Lonely Planet recommendations.

Lonely Planet has published “10 places for affordable adventures”, and Albania is ranked on the 8^th place. The famous travel guide highlights Albania’s beaches, the unique history, archeological sites, food scene etc. In Albania you can have different kind of experiences as Lonely Planet describes: “Albania remains a destination where you can hike amid beautiful mountain scenery, stay in tiny and timeless villages and explore the buzzy capital Tirana for far less than pretty much anywhere else in Europe.

© Landscape Nature Photo / Shutterstock

Lonely Planet writes:

“Albania has been Europe’s final frontier for a while. Here’s a pocket of great value hiding in plain sight, with some superb beaches, a unique history and none of the crowds of Montenegro to the north or Greece to the south. The country’s exciting food scene celebrates the fruits of its unique local flavours and offers seriously distinctive dining. Although its archaeological sights, such as Apollonia and Butrint, and its one-of-a-kind blend of Balkan, Mediterranean and Italian influences are no secrets, Albania remains a destination where you can hike amid beautiful mountain scenery, stay in tiny and timeless villages and explore the buzzy capital Tirana for far less than pretty much anywhere else in Europe.”

See full article: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel/value?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=best+in+travel#8

The Best of Albania Takes Travelers Off the Tourism Conveyor Belt

Francesca Masotti, the journalist and blogger from Italia writes again about Albania and the best places to visit in our country. Stunning shores, fabulous beaches, great food and a wallet-friendly economy only scratch the surface when describing this lively Balkan country. While it is becoming more popular with tourists, Albania (the correct name is Shqipëria or, more officially, Republika e Shqipërisë) remains undiscovered. Certainly there are the terrific coastlines and historic attractions, but the best reason to come to Albania is to discover a completely unknown country wrapped in mystery after decades of isolation.

Prepare to fall in love with this wonderful place: from the capital city Tirana to the stunning clear waters of the south through to the ancient towns, an excursion through Albania is a real adventure.

Albania Drymades beach_Francesca Masotti 

The first place is the capital city of Tirana: “Forget London, Paris or Rome. For a city break rich with culture, history and gastronomy—yet unspoiled by the tourists masses—try Tirana instead. The Albanian capital city is the Balkans Peninsula’s (southeastern Europe) next upcoming travel spot.”

Berat (UNESCO City) is the second city on the list for its impressive white houses with small windows climbing up to the hill to its castle, earning it the title of ‘town of a thousand windows’, and many mosques.

 

albania_berat_francesca masotti

Gjirokastra (UNESCO Site):  Reach the citadel of ancient Gijrokastër for dazzling vistas. Once here, you’ll understand why it is UNESCO world-heritage site. One of the oldest cities of Albania, the name means Silver Fortress, and it clearly shows the confluence of Albanian, Greek and Turkish cultures.

albania_gijrokaster_francesca masotti

The Albanian Riviera: Driving along the Albania’s coastline means rolling past striking landscapes filled with traditional villages, golden beaches lapped by turquoise waters, small orthodox churches and mountains that rise dramatically.

The Archeological Park of Butrinti: Before leaving Albania you have to spend few hours in the Butrint Archaeological Park. It is close to the Greek border and less than an hour from Saranda. The ancient ruins of Butrint are in a fantastic natural setting and from a variety of periods, spanning 2,500 years. 

See full article on Paste Magazine: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/take-5-albania.html 

Impressions from Albania

Albania is continually  impressing tourists coming from all over the world, especially those who come for the first time. A Polish tourist is describing our country with such heartfelt words. She is amazed by the beauty of Albania: landscape, towns, people and food. Thank you Kami.
Enjoy her article!

Impressions from Albania
By Kami and the rest of the world

"Albania is the country I knew next to nothing about prior to my visit. I have included Albania in the itinerary, even if just for two days. And it was the best decision ever! From the very first moment I opened my eyes in the bus somewhere in the middle of Albania I knew I’m going to enjoy it. It looked messy, chaotic and so beautiful! .. Dramatic mountains, deep valleys and picturesque towns – that’s what I’ve seen in Albania.. Albania joined the club and ranks pretty high in my personal list of the countries with best people...  It’s been locked for years, making it almost impossible to learn more about it but fortunately it’s slowly opening to the world. The tourism is growing, Albania is discovered by more people and I’m sure in few years’ time it will be a really big thing! So make sure to get there before everyone else will! ....."

Read the full article here:
http://www.mywanderlust.pl/impressions-from-albania/

Is Albania safe?

"Definitely. Being reasonably newish to tourism they adore tourists and will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable". -this is how Lisa Eldridge answers this question in the Albania section of her blog. Thank you Lisa for your positive article about Albania!

Travelling Alone in Albania

I was still on my 16 week tour of Europe and had made my way from Montenegro to Albania and for a country that I was very nervous about entering, it completely surpassed my non expectations and has been one of my favourite countries on my European tour.

What do I love about it? It has mountains, it has beaches, UNESCO sites, and it has a very colourful capital city with great bars and restaurants. In fact, there are so many different areas of the country that spending a week here just wasn’t enough.

Places to see in Albania

Shkodra - Unless you stay at the lake, there’s not that much to see here except the castle with apparently great views of the lake (make sure you go left for the entrance and not right which I did and walked for an hour before realising it wasn’t the way in and then gave up getting to the top). The area near the casino is great for restaurants at night too but everywhere seems to close quite early. There are only 2 hostels here and I stayed at Mi Casa es Tu Casa which was clean and sociable but the rooms were a little overcrowded.

Thethi - In the Albanian Alps, the village of Thethi is dotted with stone houses and a rocky landscape with great walking tracks and clear, mountain air. The journey time from Shkroda is approx 5 hours with the majority of the time on winding, rocky roads which adds to the rustic experience. This area is totally different from the rest of Albania and it is so relaxed that you’ll want to stay for longer than a weekend.

Tirana – A lovely capital city with a large manmade lake, pretty colourful buildings and surprisingly good bars. I didn’t make it to the museums but if you want to go then make sure it’s not on a Monday when they close.

Dhermi – Buses from Tirana take 6 hours and the scenery is gorgeous! The bus drops you off at the top and it’s a 20 minute walk down the winding hill to Dhermi to the beach areas.

Vuno – This is a little locals town in the mountainside on the route between Dhermi and Himare and has a really lovely feel. There is only one shop which doubles up as a restaurant and bar where you will find the locals and occasional donkey walking past.

Sarande – A seaside city with a Mediterranean climate and great beaches. From here you can visit the ancient city of Butrint, the ‘Blue Eye,’ Ksamil and monasteries. This is one of my favourite places to stay.

Read more http://www.girlabouttheglobe.com/destinations/europe/albania.php