European road trip of the month: Albania

For those who doesn't consider Albania as an adventurous destination, they should think it again. The online magazine “Carole Nash”,  a motorcycle insurance brokers in the UK and Ireland writes about Albania and call it the “European road trip of the month”.

Read the article below:

Going on a road trip is an ideal way to clear your mind, and Europe offers plenty of idyllic locations for you to explore. A country that’s worth visiting is Albania because there are lots of wonderful places to see. It’s an underrated locale that’s steadily growing in popularity. With beautiful beaches, historic towns and gorgeous scenery, Albania is worth checking out.

Some of the best sites in the country:

Tirana

Start your road trip off in the capital city of Tirana, which is a thriving cultural hub. While you’re in the city, you should visit Skanderbeg Square, which contains the Clock Tower and the National History Museum. You’ll be able to access the top of the Clock Tower and get amazing views of the entire city. If you fancy getting some good food, then you’ll want to head over to the Blloku district that has some of the best restaurants in the city. The architecture throughout Tirana is stunning, so you’ll have plenty of photographic opportunities.

Mount Dajti

Head outside of the city to Mount Dajti and you’ll be treated to spectacular views of Tirana and beyond. You can reach the top of the mountain by taking the Dajti Ekspres cable car. There’s the chance to see all kinds of wildlife, from wolves to wild cats. The natural beauty of Mount Dajti makes it one of Albania’s most picturesque locations.

Durres

Found 21 miles west of Tirana, Durres is an ancient city that houses Albania’s main port. Durres has popular beaches that come alive during the warmer months, making summer an ideal time to visit. Away from the sea, there are other sites worth seeing, like the Durres Archaeological Museum. It contains artefacts from Ancient Greece and Rome.

Berat

Known as ‘The Town of a Thousand Windows,’ Berat is another ancient town that’s worth visiting for its heritage. Berat gets its nickname from the old manor houses with their many windows. You should check out the The Kala, a fortress within the town that played an important role in Albania’s military history. There’s also the old districts of Mangalem and Gorica, with their white stone houses and terracotta tiles. The districts are connected by the Gorica Bridge, which is steeped in folklore.

Gjirokaster

Gjirokaster has a fairytale quality, as seen from its quirky, stone architecture. A stand out location is Gjirokaster fortress, which overlooks the town. Every five years the fortress is used for the National Folklore Festival to celebrate Albanian culture. There’s traditional music and dancing that gives an insight into the country’s history.

See original article: Carole Nash

Archeology magazine: Albania’s archeological treasures and findings

New archaeological findings in Albania, shows that this country is rich in history and still unexplored. 

As a new pipeline cuts its way through the Balkans, archaeologists in Albania are grabbing every opportunity to expose the country’s history, from the Neolithic to the present, - writes Archaeology magazine in a new article which also featured on the cover of January/February 2018 issue: “The head of a bronze figurine identified as Zeus from Apollonia, Albania”.

(TAP/G. Shkullaku)

In modern Albania, the mélange of historical cultures is packed so densely they often seem to collide. The national E852 highway follows the same bank of the Shkumbin River as an ancient highway, the Via Egnatia, which was first traveled by Roman soldiers around 200 b.c. The road was modernized and maintained for centuries thereafter, and it became the main thoroughfare between Constantinople and the Adriatic, facilitating communication and trade between Rome and the eastern lands of the empire. Today, luxury Mercedes swerve between transcontinental bicyclists taking in the lush Mediterranean landscape and donkey carts hauling towering piles of forage. The route winds gently past medieval Ottoman Turkish bridges and white obelisks from the Communist era immortalizing partisan battles fought during World War II. Scrappy tobacco fields and mounds of hay and cornstalks line the route, planted and stacked by hand, much as they have been for centuries.


See full article here: https://www.archaeology.org/issues/284-1801/letter-from/6161-albania-pipeline-excavations

Le Parisien: L’Albanie des grands trésors à petits prix

Le Parisien, un journal quotidien français au site Web, publie un article dans l'Albanie, ce pays de l’ex-bloc communiste, encore peu connu, recèle d’innombrables richesses. Patrimoine préservé, paysages sauvages et plages sublimes.

Longtemps enserrée dans un carcan communiste, l’Albanie ne s’est ouverte au tourisme que dans les années 1990. Certes, les routes sont encore en mauvais état, les infrastructures d’hébergement, de qualité inégale, et le patrimoine, très mal mis en valeur, mais le « Pays des aigles », dont le drapeau arbore deux rapaces, ne manque pas d’arguments pour les amoureux d’histoire, de nature et de plages. Sur une superficie guère plus grande que la Bretagne, l’Albanie offre des paysages grandioses, avec ses majestueuses montagnes sur les trois quarts de son territoire, ses lacs, ses rivières, ses parcs préservés et son immense littoral de près de 400 kilomètres, qui fait alterner

longues plages, petites criques et falaises plongeant dans la mer.

L’Albanie c’est  une destination bon marché, notamment au niveau de l’hébergement et de la gastronomie subtile aux accents méditerranéens.

Source: http://www.leparisien.fr/week-end/tourisme-en-albanie-des-grands-tresors-a-petits-prix-11-10-2017-7324440.php

Between archaeology and bunkers, the contradictions and fascination of Albania

Recently, the international media keeps urging the tourists to visit Albania.

One of the most prestigious Italian newspapers published an article focused on the Albania, a former Communist country, with its secrets to discover.

 “Repubblica” newspaper dedicated the article how to explore the Albanian natural beauties, archeological sites and gastronomy.

Photo: Nino Barletta

Today, in this country that ended 46-years Communist regime and has isolated it from the rest of the world, we find a tourist destination. The geographical proximity of the two countries, across the Adriatic Sea to the Apulia shores, the low cost of life convinced 182,000 Italians from January to July 2017 to spend their holidays in the Eagle's Earth, 56% more than last year.

The seaside resorts of the South, Saranda first, are the favorite and the most crowded in the high season.

Photo: Nino Barletta

Butrint archaeological site and the towns of Argirocastro and Berat, who tell the story of the past, are included in the travel routes.

So, the “Repubblica” advices  the Italian readers to visit Albania, this beautiful and charmingly odd country. 

 

Photo: Nino Barletta

Original article in Italian here!

Albania Holidays free tour for kids of Fshati SOS in Albania

Albania Holidays in cooperation with its UK partner, Exodus Travel organized a free tour to Berat for children of SOS Village Albania. SOS Village is  a social, non-profit, non-politic and non-religious organization offering shelter to children who have lost parental care.

The group of 28 children had the chance to visit Berat, a UNESCO city,  on April 1st, while some of them have never been in this city. Kids of age up to 15 years old enjoyed this trip and learned a lot about this UNESCO Site. The program included transport, tour guide, a visit to Onufri Museum and Berat Castle all for free!

Thank you letter of SOS Village Director

"Corriere della Sera" promotes the most beautiful beaches in the southern Albania

The prestigious Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera", has dedicated a long report on the beaches of southern Albania. The journalist Francesca Masotti has visited beaches of Albania and has collected 15 amazing pictures captured in Albanian coastline. The article reveals beaches that are still intact, crazy backdrops, good food and low cost. Albania should be your travel destination 2016: close, new, with accommodation and services that is reaching fast the standards of the rest of Europe.

"Who would have thought that Albania would become one of the European summer destinations of the moment, making his debut for the first time this year in the catalogs of many tour operators? Moreover in recent years the country of eagles has been reborn: young, dynamic and creative, and unspoiled nature. The area so praised by the famous Australian publisher is located in the south of the country: the mountains near the sea, clear water and unspoiled nature. If you want to visit a different place, to hunt for alternative destinations and low cost, relaxing and where you eat well with a few euros, Albania is the place for you.

She described the most beautiful beaches of Albania, starting from Karaburun peninsula, still pristine and uninhabited, with some amazing places to discover such as haxhi Aliu Cave, so called Pirate Cave, and the stunning view of Sazan island, former military fortified islet now open for tourists.
Other beaches recommended to Italian tourists are Dhermi; Jale, Humara, Potami, Livadhia,  Porto Palermo, Borsh and the beautiful Ksamil, considered the Pearl of Ionian Sea located in Saranda region. She describes Saranda as the Rimini of Albania.
Behind Ksamil lies the Butrint National Park, one of the most beautiful archaeological parks in the Balkans, UNESCO World Heritage Site that takes you to discover the ancient history of this beautiful country still little known.

See full article here: http://viaggi.corriere.it/viaggi/vacanze/albania-le-spiagge-e-il-mare-da-scoprire-questestate/?cmpid=SF020103COR

Top ten things to do in Tirana

Tirana is very beautiful and attractive even during the winter time. A Dutch tourist who visited Tirana few days ago, interviewed by Manderina Promotions team recommends these 10 things to do in Tirana in winter time.

Top 10 things to do in Tirana, from a tourist point of view:

1. Stroll through the streets of Blloku. It is full of bars, night clubs and shops. It's the favorite place of youth. Blloku is the former exclusive neighborhood of the Communist regime and is currently the hub of cafe culture in Tirana. Having a coffee in that area is like in any other European modern city.

 2. Take a hike in the park. Tirana big park in the artificial lake is one of the main attractions of Tirana, the capital of Albania. Despite many buildings around, it remains one of the most relaxing places of the capital. There are other points of interest in the park, including the Saint Procopius Church, memorials, statues.

3. Read or work at the Friends Book Store. There are few book stores, where you can read, work on your project and drink a warm coffee in Tirana. For me Friends book Store is like a warm house.

4. Visit a live music bar. The bars and restaurants in Tirana are very modern, colorful, well designed and always full of young people. The music played is Albanian, Greek, and international. You can drink a cocktail and dance until morning

5. Visit the opera house. Opera is a trendy way of entertainment. Albanians are excellent singers

6. Have a coffee on the terrace of Tajvani complex or any of the other terraces. Even in the winter, in Tirana most of the days are shining. You can stay outside to have a coffee, taking the sunlight.

7. Drink a cocktail at Sky Tower. It’s a big building in the entrance of Blloku area. From there you can have the best views of Tirana by day and night, 360 degrees of your sight.

 8. Eat an Albanian dinner at Pizzeria Era. The best Albanian food you can find and taste. All the time I visit Tirana, I go there, and never been deluded.

9. Go up to the top of Dajti mountain. A visit to the Dajti National Park is a great way to spend a day in an attractive mountainous landscape outside and literally ‘above' the city. During the winter, the mountain Dajti is a popular retreat for locals, who seldom get a chance to see snow.

10. Visit Bunkart, the latest addition to Tirana’ s attraction. For the first time, almost 25 years after the fall of communism, the government opened the nuclear bunker built by the communist government for sheltering the leaders. Bunkart museum can be combined with other points of interest of socialist time, and can really make be a wonderful tour. You can book a Bunkart tour here: http://www.albania-holidays.com/tours-to-albania/bunkart-tirana-tour

Where to stay:

I highly recommend staying at Theranda hotel, a little gem in the heart of Tirana. Located in Blloku area it is perfect for business or leisure travelers. In five minutes’ walk you reach all main institutional and government offices for your business meetings, while in the afternoon you can relax in one of the many trendy bars and restaurants very close to Hotel. Theranda has a genuinely welcoming and hospitable staff that makes me feel home. Having the breakfast or morning coffee at its beautiful and quiet garden even in winter time, is a royal treat for everyone. You can book your stay at Theranda directly at their website www.therandahotel.com

 

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