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

Momondo: Explore one of Europe’s best kept secret - Albania

“Albania is an untouched and undiscovered piece of Europe’s complex puzzle. Filled with fairy-tale landscapes, eye-boggling views, rich culture and incredibly hospitable locals, Albania should be considered one of the top destinations to visit for an authentic travel experience. Travel writer Anita Hendrieka has set about to discover the country’s finest experiences.”- writes Momondo.

 Momondo is a global travel search and comparison site, based in Copenhagen, Denmark and shares articles for different tourism destination all over the world. Albania, one of Europe’s most untraveled and charming gems is promoted with a long article, highlighting the best things to do in Albania. Splitting Albania between North and South, there are mesmerizing landscapes and breathtaking coastline,- the country has it all.

Source: Momondo

If you go to Southern Albania you will get natural and ancient wonders, like coastal towns of Saranda, Ksamil and Himara. But if you are looking for ancient towns, go to Berat and Gjirokastra.

“Further north towards the centre of Albania is beautiful Berat, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. With over 2400 years of history, Berat is a pearl of Albania’s past. A castle is perched overlooking the city, and leading up to it is an assortment of Ottoman influenced white houses, giving Berat its nickname: the “town with a thousand windows”.

© Pero Kvrzica

Gjirokastёr is often referred to as the twin city of Berat, but don’t be mistaken to think you can visit one and not the other. Like Berat, Gjirokastёr also has white Ottoman-styled houses, but with flatter stone roofs, and they’re so unique and well-preserved the city has been inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list. Come see its cobbled streets, small fortresses and stone houses, and relish in its culinary art, too.

© Serial Hikers

For culture and history buffs alike visit Tirana.

Albania’s lively capital Tirana is a melting pot of culture and the beating heart of this fascinating country. After communism fell in 1992 Tirana was given a makeover, and this once restricted and dull city was flipped upside down – it was painted with bright colours, streets were lined with bars and restaurants, and public squares popped up all over the city. A weekend in Tirana is best spent checking out the array of top-notch museums, admiring the murals that are scattered around the city and bar crawling. During winter it’s the centre of Albanian nightlife when locals return from their summer work elsewhere.

© a.dombrowski

Two other cities that are worth a visit are: Durresi and Shkodra. Durrёs is the most ancient city in Albania, dating back to the seventh century BC. It’s renowned for its ancient ruins, including the largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkans.

Close towards the border of Montenegro is Shkodёr, also known as the gateway to the Albanian Alps. Many writers, artists, photographers and painters were born here, and it’s known to be a culturally rich city.

See full article here

The Dutch Media "Volkskrant " promotes Albania

Volkskrant one of the oldest and the most popular newspaper in Netherlands has published an article about Albania. A writer and a photographer from Netherland visited Albania and share their experiences on this article.  Dutch media is now added to the list of other international media which recommend Albania as “must-visit-now” destination.  

Photo credits: Franky Verdickt 

 

They were looking for an azure sea, empty beach with no high-rise buildings around the beach and they discovered the south of Albania.

“This was the Mediterranean Sea, the sea where were often, but this time in another world. The concrete bunkers seemed to be left behind by decorative pieces from a science fiction film. The tomatoes and watermelons tastes so sweets and the coffee in Albania is sublime.”. 

Photo credits: Franky Verdickt  

The difference between Corfu Island and Saranda is that Corfu is very crowded and you don’t enjoy very much, in Albania’s southern beaches you will find relaxation in small hidden bays.

After exploring the Albanian Riviera they visited Gjirokastra, the UNESCO city where Enver Hoxha was born. This city is like a fairytale with steep streets, stone rooftops.

See full article here! 

Albania No 1 on the list of "15 Up and coming Destinations Around the World"

One of the most prestigious travel websites, Travel and Leisure has listed Albania as the 1^st up-coming destinations around the world. Albania has made to be the first on the list leaving behind much known destinations in the world such as: India, Peru, Egypt, Mexico etc.

“Albania rose eight places to land in the 98th spot this year, meaning it's one of the most exciting up-and-coming destinations for tourists.”

 

Getty Images/ AWL Images RM

You can’t miss the Albanian Riviera for a perfect summer vacation and if you want to something ancient from Albania, go to city of Gjirokastra.

As Travel and Leisure suggests visiting the Albanian Riviera for teal waters and nearly year-round sun, or wander through Gjirokastra, ‘The City of Stone,’ for a dose of culture and history.”

Photo: Albania Holidays

See full original article: http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/up-and-coming-countries#azerbaijan-baku

Albanian UNESCO listed ancient towns of Gjirokastër and Berat

Albania has it all that you mention here unspoiled beaches, wild mountainous areas and lake shores, but above all it has its own unique culture. And the top of the list are these antique, in fact magical cities like Gjirokastra and Berat. Thank you Giulia, once again you nailed it.

Despite its beautiful nature and its rich cultural heritage, Albania is still not such a touristic destination: most of the time we were the only two foreigners enjoying unspoiled beaches, wild mountainous areas and lake shores. The only two times when we weren’t the only foreigners around –besides of course in the capital town Tirana- there were in the two UNESCO listed ancient towns of Gjirokastër and Berat. Both Gjirokastër and Berat are well-known for their ancient neighborhoods preserving historic Ottoman-era architectures, a style originated in Turkey between the 14th and 15th centuries and arrived in Albania during the 18th and 19th centuries, but that's not the only reason why I found them both very fascinating!

  The ancient town of Gjirokastër

In Gjirokastër you can spot tourists by the way they face Gjirokastër’s steep cobbled streets. 

For this time I was definitely not acting as a local by taking ant-steps and being constantly so terrified to slide that sitting in a bar was usually a huger consolation to my paranoid mood rather than to my feet. Locals –instead- do climb their streets as they were goats: old ladies more often than not overtook me, even if they were carrying their grocery; kids ran so fast up and down the alleys that I almost wanted to scream them to be careful. Streets are narrow and curvy, the town itself keeps climbing over the nearby mountain year after year and its urban plan, from above, looks like a maze. 

The ancient town of Berat

Old Berat is divided in two parts by the river Osumi and on those two banks there are the the two old neighborhoods of Mangalem and Gorica, both inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list to protect their old Ottoman typical houses. These ancient neighborhoods are characterized by picturesque cobbled alleys and houses with beautiful wooden structure, bright white walls and so many windows that Berat’s epithet is “city of a thousand windows”.

Read full article here: 
http://www.blocal-travel.com/2014/10/albanian-unesco-listed-ancient-towns-of.html

Albania daily life tour, tour to Gjirokaster, Unesco Heritage Site

Albania Holidays organizes original tours of unique value.

In the video below you can see how tourists enjoy Albanian hospitality and see for themselves the simple life in Gjirokaster and Dhoksat village in Lunxheria. Guests feel at home when they are welcomed with a glass of traditional drink Raki or a spoon of homemade jam (or gliko). Hear the testimonies!

Albania Daily Life Tour