Hi all
We published new photos on Albania Holidays group page on flickr and arranged them. You can also browse sets like: Albanian culture tour, Albanian beach photos under the group Albania Holidays and several sets under Tirana Hotels group such as: tirana business hotels, tirana nature hotels etc.
You are welcome to share some photos of your visit in Albania
Via Flickr:
A wonderful picture from Barbara Hausammann of Lake Koman, Albania
16 April 2012
24 February 2012
Balkans video- Hidden treasures of Europe
A very nice video on Balkan countries. Entitled "Hidden treasures of Europe" this video pictures the best of Balkan countries considering it as integral part of EU, under enlargement.
Under the slogan 'So similar, so different, so European' this clip shows just how gorgeous and surprising Southeast Europe can be. Yes, the region is different and this is what makes it so vibrant, exciting and fascinating. But is it actually that different?
Albania Holidays is also contributing to the idea of promoting Balkan countries with a new online project.
Under the slogan 'So similar, so different, so European' this clip shows just how gorgeous and surprising Southeast Europe can be. Yes, the region is different and this is what makes it so vibrant, exciting and fascinating. But is it actually that different?
Albania Holidays is also contributing to the idea of promoting Balkan countries with a new online project.
08 January 2012
BootsnAll: Eight Reasons to Move Albania to the Top of Your Travel List - By Jessica Hoolko
Great article about visiting Albania ! It has covered all the details you might need when considering to travel to Albania. Unbiased, informative, completed, enthusiastic and written with love, so being an Albanian travel agency we can just say, thank you very much! We will be honored to assist you experiencing Albania as it is described in this article of BootsnAll.
Tell someone you’re traveling to Albania, and you’re likely to get asked a couple of questions. “Where is Albania?” “Is it dangerous?” “What are you going to do there?” and
most common of all, “Why?”
The tiny, often misunderstood Balkan state is located across the Adriatic Sea from Italy,
directly above Greece. The mountainous country is filled with pristine rivers and sparkling mountain springs, bustling cities and charming towns, and its rocky coastline stretches hundreds of kilometers along both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, providing stunning beaches that rival those of its better-known neighbors like Greece, Italy, and Croatia. But Albania’s status as one of Europe’s poorest countries and its slightly checkered past mean that mention of its name is more likely to elicit thoughts of riots and communist dictatorships than beautiful beaches and the vibrant café culture of Tirana, the country’s
capital.
But Albania is changing. Today the country is being built up fast by a people eager to recover from almost 50 years of an oppressive communist dictatorship and the unrest
that accompanied its transition to democracy. Today’s Albania offers young, lively cities, incredibly beautiful natural scenery, and an extremely open and friendly people eager to show off their country, all at a price that can’t be found elsewhere on the continent. What’s more, Albania remains one of the few undiscovered paradises in Europe. But like Croatia before it, it’s only a matter of time before the wandering masses start to pour in. Here are ten reasons why you should buy your ticket, pack your bags, and beat the crowds to
this remarkable Balkan nation.
1. The lek
Albania joined NATO in 2009 and has its eye on EU membership as well, but it will be at least a few more years before it’s accepted into the Euro zone. The official currency there
today is the lek, and the exchange rate between it and other major world currencies alone should be enough to draw hoards of international tourists to Albania.
At first glance, the prices in Albania may not seem so amazing. Three hundred lek for a pizza or 2,000 lek for a night in a hotel room might seem a little steep to the uninitiated. Consider the exchange rate and you’ll begin to understand: at the time of writing, one Albanian lek (sometimes also written as leke) was equivalent to just under a cent, or 0.009
dollars. So that 80 lek ice cream cone? That will set you back about 75 cents.
That 1,800 lek double occupancy ensuite hotel room with a view of the beach in Vlora? It’s a bargain at just under $17. And that dinner of steamed mussels and a bottle of Albanian white wine for two on the beach in Ksamili? At about 600 lek, you’ll be spending approximately six dollars total.
Beer and coffee can often serve as budgetary gauges for international travelers, and you’ll be happy to hear that it’s rare to pay over a dollar for either (usually closer to 45 cents for the coffee), provided that you go for the typical Albanian bottled beer or a shot of the strong, thick espresso that the locals drink.
2. The beaches
The beaches in Albania rival anything that can be found in Europe, and with 362km of coastline stretching through both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, beachgoers have plenty of
sandy spots to pick from. Dhermi, Himara, and Ksamili are some of the names that one might uncover with an online search or a peek into a guidebook, and they are all beautiful. A lot of the bigger coastal cities like Saranda and Vlora also have beaches accessible on foot from the city center, though I’d recommend skipping the city beaches as they are usually a bit dirty, very developed, and quite busy. Traveling a bit outside of the cities (particularly heading south out of town) is a surefire way to find some beautiful beaches that are less crowded and cleaner, but still easy to reach by taxi or bus.
Many of the country’s very best beaches are further afield, away from the newly constructed hotels and restaurants springing up around the coastal cities and bigger towns. There are literally hundreds of coves, caves, and sandy stretches where you can laze away a day, or more if you bring a tent and supplies. Private paradises like the little cove
pictured above (a personal favorite, known as Aquarium) are just waiting to be discovered, and intrepid travelers are sure to have their curiosity rewarded if they choose to hop off the bus or wander down a dusty goat path in search of something a bit different.
But if isolation and a lack of amenities aren’t your idea of a good time, you’ll still have plenty of options throughout the region. The beach at Dhermi is just as clear and sparkling as Aquarium, though they offer a completely different experience. With a slew of hotels
packed tightly into the hills above the water, there is no lack of places to stay, and a number of restaurants, including the excellent Luçiano (of the Hotel Luçiano), offer fresh fish, a variety of pizzas and other Italian-style dishes at extremely reasonable prices. Visitors in June and early July will be pleasantly surprised by the lack of other visitors on the beach, though the area heats up a bit in late July and August, with concerts at the nightclub Havana, right on the sand, bringing in plenty of visitors from throughout
Albania and abroad.
Though the available resources are far from comprehensive, it is easy to find great beaches in Albania with the help of Google or a guidebook, and wherever you end up, you probably won’t be disappointed. An excellent research tool is a online wikimap that shows the
locations of a lot of beaches you won’t find described elsewhere on the internet, including Aquarium. Many of these locations won’t be reachable by public transit, and some of them might even require a bit of hiking to get to, but knowing where they are and having an idea of which stretches of coastline are the most promising will increase your chances of visiting one of the country’s most spectacular beaches.
3. The cities
Albania is also home to a surprising number of vibrant cities that offer an urban travel experience completely different from what can be found elsewhere in Europe. In Tirana, uninspired blocks of austere communist-era apartments sprawl outwards from the center of the city, sprinkled here and there with an ornate old mosque or bustling outdoor market. Amidst the old, however, newer structures are going up at an alarming rate, filling in the cities’ formerly empty spaces with a shocking number of sleek new bars and
modern restaurants. In the capital especially, visitors will find a bustling nighttime
scene, and in the summer dozens of cafes and bars along tree-lined streets like
Ismail Qemali spill out into the largely pedestrianized roads, offering comfortable outdoor lounge areas that all seem brand new and impeccably clean, contrasting starkly with the city’s more run-down neighborhoods and crowded main roads. Even in the flashier establishments, drink prices remain reasonable and the crowds laid back.
Other destinations, such as the “museum cities” of Berat and Gjirokastra, provide a peek into the finer moments of Albania’s history through their winding cobblestone streets and well-preserved Ottoman architecture. Even if the lively nightlife and lovely historical charm of Albania’s cities isn’t enough to draw you in, you’ll have a hard time avoiding them if you’re traveling by bus or furgon. The flexibility and frequency of departures and arrivals makes quick visits to the different cities possible, so it’s easy to stop in Saranda for lunch, or spend a few hours checking out Berat’s charming cobblestone backroads before getting back on the road.
4. Transportation
Albania’s public transportation system is mind-boggling at fist, but once you get a hang of it, you’ll realize that the spontaneous, slightly unorganized nature of it all makes it extremely favorable for impromptu travels and unplanned side trips.
Backpackers basically have three options for getting around: bus, furgon (also known as mini-bus), and taxi (a fourth, rarely used option is the excruciatingly slow train system). Buses are the safest and most reliable way to get around, though their schedules tend to be
more limited than the furgons, which are basically large vans that start their routes earlier and end later than the buses do. Furgon drivers have a reputation for going very fast and not always following the rules of the road, but if you’re looking to get somewhere quick, hop on a furgon (and hope it has seatbelts).
If you’re taking either of these options, the important thing to know is where the driver is headed. The destination city will usually be posted on the windshield, though occasionally there’s nothing at all. In those cases, looking a bit lost and a bit foreign usually cues a
barrage of helpful drivers, all yelling out their destination city, which makes finding the right bus pretty easy.
It’s also good to know that you can get on and get off where you like, so if you see the bus or van you want driving by, flag it down! They’ll stop if there’s room for you. And if you’re on the bus and you spot a pretty beach or nice little town, just shout and they’ll let you off.
This makes it easy to be spontaneous while traveling in Albania, but keep an eye on the clock, because it gets harder to grab a ride as the day goes on and you might find yourself stranded if you wait until early evening to look for a furgon. This unofficial schedule provides a loose idea of when buses leave from the major cities.
When there’s no bus or furgon to be found, taxis offer a surprisingly affordable mode of transportation. As an example, the going rate for the hour and a half trip from Vlora to Dhermi was about 40 dollars, and getting to any of the nice beaches outside of Saranda, Vlora, or Himara would likely cost little more than a couple of bucks. Scheduling a
pick-up gets more complicated, so keep that in mind when visiting destinations off the main roads. Hitchhiking is very common for locals as well as tourists, so in more remote areas, including the road leading to the Blue Eye, don’t be surprised if you’re offered a ride, even if you’re not holding up your thumb.
5. The people
After many years of isolation under communist rule, Albanians were finally allowed to travel internationally in 1990. Those restrictions, as well as the lack of international visitors to the country in recent decades, have limited the exposure that many Albanians have had to different cultures, languages, and people. Many of the people who I met on our
trip were genuinely interested in why I was visiting their country and where I came from, which is a welcome change from the reception that many travelers receive in the more heavily visited tourist destinations of the world.
Within minutes of boarding my first bus in Albania, I was sharing water and Skittles with the driver and several passengers, helping a few young girls practice their English skills, and saying hi to a relative of an elderly passenger who had called her family on her cell
phone to tell them that she had met two Californians on the bus. It was an experience that I had never had on my travels before and haven’t had since, and it certainly helped to take my mind off the five hours I spent on a rickety old bus between Tirana and Vlora.
English is spoken by many young Albanians, but it’s surprisingly easy to find Italian-speakers of all ages throughout the country, and much of my communication during my travels was a curious mix of botched Italian sprinkled with Spanish, an English word here or there, falëminderit (which means thank you in Albanian), and a lot of gesturing and
the occasional drawing. In general, people were patient and extremely helpful with my attempts to communicate, and putting the extra effort into talking with locals provided me with some of the more memorable moments of my trip, though brushing up on a few key Albanian words would be helpful, if you can manage the tricky pronunciation.
6. The nature
Even if the people weren’t so friendly, the beaches so beautiful, and the cities so unique, Albania would still have plenty to offer. Being one of Europe’s most mountainous countries means that a fantastic view is never far away, and traveling any of the country’s twisting-turning mountain roads practically guarantees spectacular scenery all along the
way. The drive from Vlora to Dhermi is particularly enjoyable, offering vistas of the wild Karaburun peninsula across the Bay of Vlorë, as well as lagoons, beaches, and the heavily wooded national park that lies just south of the city.
But while the great views and pretty scenery are basically unavoidable, other places will need to be sought out. One of those places is known as the Blue Eye. It’s called Syri i Kaltër in Albanian, but locals will recognize the name in English. Located just outside of Saranda on the way to Gjirokastra, the Blue Eye is a freezing cold underwater spring with an unbelievable sapphire color. The river that flows downward from the spring is some of the clearest, cleanest water you will ever see, and just laying eyes on the thousands of gallons of ice cold water gushing out of the center of the Eye is worth the trek it takes to get there.
The Eye is located outside of Saranda, just off the road to Gjirokastra. Ask the bus driver to drop you there, then follow the signs. It’s a good distance from the main road to the spring itself, so go early and keep your fingers crossed that a passing driver will pick you up, or
plan to stay the night at the rustic hotel near the spring. The restaurant and bar located alongside the river serves excellent roasted lamb ribs and cold beer, so bring your appetite and prepare to take in some of the most incredible scenery you’ve ever seen while chowing down on a local specialty.
7. The food
Due to its largely Muslim population, lamb is often the meat of choice on Albanian menus, and the spit-roasted variety is a favorite in many Albanian cities. Other meats are frequently available, but the lamb is good and almost always locally raised, so it’s definitely worth a try.
Coastal cities offer a plethora of fresh, local seafood, often pulled right out of the water. If you can figure out how to ask or gesture, it’s a good idea to ask to see the catch of the day. It’s not unusual to get to pick your dinner out of a basket of freshly caught fish, and taking recommendations from the staff is sure to land you a tasty meal. A dinner of fresh fish will usually be the priciest option on the menu, but at a pretty consistent nine dollars per serving, it’s worth the splurge.
Vegans and vegetarians will appreciate the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that Albania’s farms produce, most of which is locally and organically grown, only because many small farmers can’t afford to buy pesticides and fertilizers. Greek salad is a staple on most menus, and the mix of fresh cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, topped
with olives and homemade feta will probably be one of the most flavorful salads you’ve ever had, wherever you end up ordering it.
If you’re not an adventurous eater, don’t worry. Albania’s proximity to Italy means that pizza and pasta make up a considerable portion of most restaurants’ offerings, and even in Albanian it’s easy to read the Italian items off the menu. Albanian food in general tends to
resemble Greek cuisine, so even if you’ve never eaten at an Albanian restaurant, you’ll probably recognize many of the dishes. Most restaurants won’t have a foreign language menu, so familiarizing yourself with a few key items to order—or avoid, is probably a good idea. Era restaurant in Tirana is an exception, they have an English menu and a huge selection of Albanian specialties and Italian basics, so it’s a great way to get acquainted with what’s on offer throughout the rest of the country.
Albanian beers like Korça or Tirana are just as good as the international options, at a much lower price, and strong black coffee and the white wines of the country’s northern regions provide a good selection of local drinking options. The water is safe to drink, though more
sensitive stomachs might want to be a little more careful and stick to the bottled stuff.
And the best part of all—the prices. Eating well in Albania is extremely easy when an entire pizza or plate of risotto costs about four dollars, and a full, fancy meal for two with drinks is easy to come by at under ten.
8. The history
When you’re all beached out and full of all the fine food and drink that the country has to offer, spend some time in Albania’s historical sites. Many of the castles and ruins throughout the country give visitors a much more up close and personal view of history than what’s available in other European countries. You won’t find any guard rails or
roped-off areas in the fortresses at Porto Palermo or Gjirokastra, where visitors are more than welcome to climb over stone walls and crawl into dark little passages, and in Berat, there are over 200 people still living inside the walls of the city’s old fortress, many in beautifully maintained Ottoman-era homes that offer great views of the river valley below.
Ali Pasha’s fortresses are a must see for kids and adults alike, and the slightly overgrown, poorly lit interiors really makes it feel like you’re stepping back in time when you enter into the dark, musty halls. In Gjirokastra, the fortress is home to a collection of heavy artillery from WWII, as well as a U.S. Air Force plane rumored to have been brought down
while spying on the country in the 1950s.
The city of Butrint, just outside of Saranda, is home to a spectacular array of ruins spanning a 2,500 year period that includes the Roman era and earlier. In the summer, theatre performances are occasionally held on a wooden stage in the old amphitheatre, which is partially filled with water, but Butrint is a pleasant place to visit any day of the year, and the combination of architectural styles are fascinating, especially if you luck out and get a working archaeologist as your tour guide.
A more recent historical relic that you won’t be able to avoid on your travels throughout the country is a reminder of some of the darker moments in Albania’s past. Hundreds of thousands of mushroom-shaped concrete bunkers, installed during communist rule, dot the countryside, a tactic that the government hoped would protect the country in case of an attack from the U.S. or Britain. The bunkers were never really used, but they certainly were well constructed, so the majority of them still stand, nestled into the hills above the main roads or clustered in groups on the beaches.
What to know before you go
If you plan on flying to Albania, you only have one option. Mother Teresa International Airport in Tirana is the country’s only one, and there are just a few airlines that fly there, including AlItalia and BelleAir. Prices out of a few European cities, especially larger Italian
ones, tend to be significantly cheaper than the normal European points of departure like London or Frankfurt, so scheduling a cheap Ryanair flight to a city such as Milan and then continuing on to Tirana can often be the most cost effective option for long haul travelers.
Ferries from Italy are also a popular way to enter Albania, and there are overnight voyages that depart from Bari and Brindisi several times a week, depending on the time of year. Ferries are usually cheaper than flights at around seventy dollars each way, but the trip
can take up to eleven hours, and adding the cost and time it takes to get to the Italian ports, in addition to the long boat ride, can often make flying seem a little more attractive. There is also a ferry from Corfu that sails to Saranda in about half an hour and costs about twenty-five dollars each way.
Getting into the country by land can be difficult from the north, due to the mountainous countryside and lack of roads. Entry from Greece is more popular, and there are buses from Athens, as well as other northerly locations that will take you over the border, often at very low prices. The journey is long, hot, and probably crowded. If you suffer from
motion sickness, invest in some Dramamine before you make any long-distance drive in Albania.
There are ATMs all over Tirana and in the other larger cities as well. Smaller destinations like Dhermi do not have ATMs or banks at all, and paying with a credit card will be nearly impossible almost anywhere in the country outside of the fanciest hotels in the capital. It’s a good idea to keep a significant amount of cash on you, and small bills are preferable. The first cash machine that most visitors will encounter is in the airport, and drawing lek from the machines with a foreign ATM or debit card isn’t any different than in other international destinations, and is probably the most economical and reliable way of changing your money.
Bargaining is common and acceptable when taxis and lodging are concerned, and it can often be quite productive. Be proactive and courteous when it comes to fixing a price, and you are likely to save a bit of your travel funds without offending anyone. Taxi drivers are especially likely to bargain because of the plethora of other inexpensive travel options
available throughout the country.
In visiting the cities, a guidebook or some kind of map will come in handy, though the use of street names is inconsistent and many hotels will rely on landmarks for directions instead of actual street names and addresses. In some of the smaller cities, it is rare to ever see a street sign, but having an idea of the lay of the land will be helpful in your attempts to navigate.
Pre-departure planning for a trip to Albania can be a little frustrating due to the lack of resources available online, or anywhere for that matter. There are a few guidebooks available, and I made frequent use of the Bradt guide that I bought before my trip, though it was far from comprehensive. Having a general idea of what you want to do and see and an open mind are the best ways to prepare for your trip. I’d recommend that anyone
entering the country through the capital spend their first night at the Tirana
Backpackers Hostel. The first (and only) hostel in the city has a friendly
English-speaking staff who are incredibly helpful and will gladly give you all the advice you need on what to see and where to go while you are in the country. They have other locations throughout Albania as well, and the 12-euro rate is a deal considering all the help they’ll be able to provide, plus free wi-fi and one euro beers at the little bar in the back.
Read more: http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-11/eight-reasons-to-visit-albania.html
Tell someone you’re traveling to Albania, and you’re likely to get asked a couple of questions. “Where is Albania?” “Is it dangerous?” “What are you going to do there?” and
most common of all, “Why?”
The tiny, often misunderstood Balkan state is located across the Adriatic Sea from Italy,
directly above Greece. The mountainous country is filled with pristine rivers and sparkling mountain springs, bustling cities and charming towns, and its rocky coastline stretches hundreds of kilometers along both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, providing stunning beaches that rival those of its better-known neighbors like Greece, Italy, and Croatia. But Albania’s status as one of Europe’s poorest countries and its slightly checkered past mean that mention of its name is more likely to elicit thoughts of riots and communist dictatorships than beautiful beaches and the vibrant café culture of Tirana, the country’s
capital.
But Albania is changing. Today the country is being built up fast by a people eager to recover from almost 50 years of an oppressive communist dictatorship and the unrest
that accompanied its transition to democracy. Today’s Albania offers young, lively cities, incredibly beautiful natural scenery, and an extremely open and friendly people eager to show off their country, all at a price that can’t be found elsewhere on the continent. What’s more, Albania remains one of the few undiscovered paradises in Europe. But like Croatia before it, it’s only a matter of time before the wandering masses start to pour in. Here are ten reasons why you should buy your ticket, pack your bags, and beat the crowds to
this remarkable Balkan nation.
1. The lek
Albania joined NATO in 2009 and has its eye on EU membership as well, but it will be at least a few more years before it’s accepted into the Euro zone. The official currency there
today is the lek, and the exchange rate between it and other major world currencies alone should be enough to draw hoards of international tourists to Albania.
At first glance, the prices in Albania may not seem so amazing. Three hundred lek for a pizza or 2,000 lek for a night in a hotel room might seem a little steep to the uninitiated. Consider the exchange rate and you’ll begin to understand: at the time of writing, one Albanian lek (sometimes also written as leke) was equivalent to just under a cent, or 0.009
dollars. So that 80 lek ice cream cone? That will set you back about 75 cents.
That 1,800 lek double occupancy ensuite hotel room with a view of the beach in Vlora? It’s a bargain at just under $17. And that dinner of steamed mussels and a bottle of Albanian white wine for two on the beach in Ksamili? At about 600 lek, you’ll be spending approximately six dollars total.
Beer and coffee can often serve as budgetary gauges for international travelers, and you’ll be happy to hear that it’s rare to pay over a dollar for either (usually closer to 45 cents for the coffee), provided that you go for the typical Albanian bottled beer or a shot of the strong, thick espresso that the locals drink.
2. The beaches
The beaches in Albania rival anything that can be found in Europe, and with 362km of coastline stretching through both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, beachgoers have plenty of
sandy spots to pick from. Dhermi, Himara, and Ksamili are some of the names that one might uncover with an online search or a peek into a guidebook, and they are all beautiful. A lot of the bigger coastal cities like Saranda and Vlora also have beaches accessible on foot from the city center, though I’d recommend skipping the city beaches as they are usually a bit dirty, very developed, and quite busy. Traveling a bit outside of the cities (particularly heading south out of town) is a surefire way to find some beautiful beaches that are less crowded and cleaner, but still easy to reach by taxi or bus.
Many of the country’s very best beaches are further afield, away from the newly constructed hotels and restaurants springing up around the coastal cities and bigger towns. There are literally hundreds of coves, caves, and sandy stretches where you can laze away a day, or more if you bring a tent and supplies. Private paradises like the little cove
pictured above (a personal favorite, known as Aquarium) are just waiting to be discovered, and intrepid travelers are sure to have their curiosity rewarded if they choose to hop off the bus or wander down a dusty goat path in search of something a bit different.
But if isolation and a lack of amenities aren’t your idea of a good time, you’ll still have plenty of options throughout the region. The beach at Dhermi is just as clear and sparkling as Aquarium, though they offer a completely different experience. With a slew of hotels
packed tightly into the hills above the water, there is no lack of places to stay, and a number of restaurants, including the excellent Luçiano (of the Hotel Luçiano), offer fresh fish, a variety of pizzas and other Italian-style dishes at extremely reasonable prices. Visitors in June and early July will be pleasantly surprised by the lack of other visitors on the beach, though the area heats up a bit in late July and August, with concerts at the nightclub Havana, right on the sand, bringing in plenty of visitors from throughout
Albania and abroad.
Though the available resources are far from comprehensive, it is easy to find great beaches in Albania with the help of Google or a guidebook, and wherever you end up, you probably won’t be disappointed. An excellent research tool is a online wikimap that shows the
locations of a lot of beaches you won’t find described elsewhere on the internet, including Aquarium. Many of these locations won’t be reachable by public transit, and some of them might even require a bit of hiking to get to, but knowing where they are and having an idea of which stretches of coastline are the most promising will increase your chances of visiting one of the country’s most spectacular beaches.
3. The cities
Albania is also home to a surprising number of vibrant cities that offer an urban travel experience completely different from what can be found elsewhere in Europe. In Tirana, uninspired blocks of austere communist-era apartments sprawl outwards from the center of the city, sprinkled here and there with an ornate old mosque or bustling outdoor market. Amidst the old, however, newer structures are going up at an alarming rate, filling in the cities’ formerly empty spaces with a shocking number of sleek new bars and
modern restaurants. In the capital especially, visitors will find a bustling nighttime
scene, and in the summer dozens of cafes and bars along tree-lined streets like
Ismail Qemali spill out into the largely pedestrianized roads, offering comfortable outdoor lounge areas that all seem brand new and impeccably clean, contrasting starkly with the city’s more run-down neighborhoods and crowded main roads. Even in the flashier establishments, drink prices remain reasonable and the crowds laid back.
Other destinations, such as the “museum cities” of Berat and Gjirokastra, provide a peek into the finer moments of Albania’s history through their winding cobblestone streets and well-preserved Ottoman architecture. Even if the lively nightlife and lovely historical charm of Albania’s cities isn’t enough to draw you in, you’ll have a hard time avoiding them if you’re traveling by bus or furgon. The flexibility and frequency of departures and arrivals makes quick visits to the different cities possible, so it’s easy to stop in Saranda for lunch, or spend a few hours checking out Berat’s charming cobblestone backroads before getting back on the road.
4. Transportation
Albania’s public transportation system is mind-boggling at fist, but once you get a hang of it, you’ll realize that the spontaneous, slightly unorganized nature of it all makes it extremely favorable for impromptu travels and unplanned side trips.
Backpackers basically have three options for getting around: bus, furgon (also known as mini-bus), and taxi (a fourth, rarely used option is the excruciatingly slow train system). Buses are the safest and most reliable way to get around, though their schedules tend to be
more limited than the furgons, which are basically large vans that start their routes earlier and end later than the buses do. Furgon drivers have a reputation for going very fast and not always following the rules of the road, but if you’re looking to get somewhere quick, hop on a furgon (and hope it has seatbelts).
If you’re taking either of these options, the important thing to know is where the driver is headed. The destination city will usually be posted on the windshield, though occasionally there’s nothing at all. In those cases, looking a bit lost and a bit foreign usually cues a
barrage of helpful drivers, all yelling out their destination city, which makes finding the right bus pretty easy.
It’s also good to know that you can get on and get off where you like, so if you see the bus or van you want driving by, flag it down! They’ll stop if there’s room for you. And if you’re on the bus and you spot a pretty beach or nice little town, just shout and they’ll let you off.
This makes it easy to be spontaneous while traveling in Albania, but keep an eye on the clock, because it gets harder to grab a ride as the day goes on and you might find yourself stranded if you wait until early evening to look for a furgon. This unofficial schedule provides a loose idea of when buses leave from the major cities.
When there’s no bus or furgon to be found, taxis offer a surprisingly affordable mode of transportation. As an example, the going rate for the hour and a half trip from Vlora to Dhermi was about 40 dollars, and getting to any of the nice beaches outside of Saranda, Vlora, or Himara would likely cost little more than a couple of bucks. Scheduling a
pick-up gets more complicated, so keep that in mind when visiting destinations off the main roads. Hitchhiking is very common for locals as well as tourists, so in more remote areas, including the road leading to the Blue Eye, don’t be surprised if you’re offered a ride, even if you’re not holding up your thumb.
5. The people
After many years of isolation under communist rule, Albanians were finally allowed to travel internationally in 1990. Those restrictions, as well as the lack of international visitors to the country in recent decades, have limited the exposure that many Albanians have had to different cultures, languages, and people. Many of the people who I met on our
trip were genuinely interested in why I was visiting their country and where I came from, which is a welcome change from the reception that many travelers receive in the more heavily visited tourist destinations of the world.
Within minutes of boarding my first bus in Albania, I was sharing water and Skittles with the driver and several passengers, helping a few young girls practice their English skills, and saying hi to a relative of an elderly passenger who had called her family on her cell
phone to tell them that she had met two Californians on the bus. It was an experience that I had never had on my travels before and haven’t had since, and it certainly helped to take my mind off the five hours I spent on a rickety old bus between Tirana and Vlora.
English is spoken by many young Albanians, but it’s surprisingly easy to find Italian-speakers of all ages throughout the country, and much of my communication during my travels was a curious mix of botched Italian sprinkled with Spanish, an English word here or there, falëminderit (which means thank you in Albanian), and a lot of gesturing and
the occasional drawing. In general, people were patient and extremely helpful with my attempts to communicate, and putting the extra effort into talking with locals provided me with some of the more memorable moments of my trip, though brushing up on a few key Albanian words would be helpful, if you can manage the tricky pronunciation.
6. The nature
way. The drive from Vlora to Dhermi is particularly enjoyable, offering vistas of the wild Karaburun peninsula across the Bay of Vlorë, as well as lagoons, beaches, and the heavily wooded national park that lies just south of the city.
But while the great views and pretty scenery are basically unavoidable, other places will need to be sought out. One of those places is known as the Blue Eye. It’s called Syri i Kaltër in Albanian, but locals will recognize the name in English. Located just outside of Saranda on the way to Gjirokastra, the Blue Eye is a freezing cold underwater spring with an unbelievable sapphire color. The river that flows downward from the spring is some of the clearest, cleanest water you will ever see, and just laying eyes on the thousands of gallons of ice cold water gushing out of the center of the Eye is worth the trek it takes to get there.
The Eye is located outside of Saranda, just off the road to Gjirokastra. Ask the bus driver to drop you there, then follow the signs. It’s a good distance from the main road to the spring itself, so go early and keep your fingers crossed that a passing driver will pick you up, or
plan to stay the night at the rustic hotel near the spring. The restaurant and bar located alongside the river serves excellent roasted lamb ribs and cold beer, so bring your appetite and prepare to take in some of the most incredible scenery you’ve ever seen while chowing down on a local specialty.
7. The food
Due to its largely Muslim population, lamb is often the meat of choice on Albanian menus, and the spit-roasted variety is a favorite in many Albanian cities. Other meats are frequently available, but the lamb is good and almost always locally raised, so it’s definitely worth a try.
Coastal cities offer a plethora of fresh, local seafood, often pulled right out of the water. If you can figure out how to ask or gesture, it’s a good idea to ask to see the catch of the day. It’s not unusual to get to pick your dinner out of a basket of freshly caught fish, and taking recommendations from the staff is sure to land you a tasty meal. A dinner of fresh fish will usually be the priciest option on the menu, but at a pretty consistent nine dollars per serving, it’s worth the splurge.
Vegans and vegetarians will appreciate the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that Albania’s farms produce, most of which is locally and organically grown, only because many small farmers can’t afford to buy pesticides and fertilizers. Greek salad is a staple on most menus, and the mix of fresh cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, topped
with olives and homemade feta will probably be one of the most flavorful salads you’ve ever had, wherever you end up ordering it.
If you’re not an adventurous eater, don’t worry. Albania’s proximity to Italy means that pizza and pasta make up a considerable portion of most restaurants’ offerings, and even in Albanian it’s easy to read the Italian items off the menu. Albanian food in general tends to
resemble Greek cuisine, so even if you’ve never eaten at an Albanian restaurant, you’ll probably recognize many of the dishes. Most restaurants won’t have a foreign language menu, so familiarizing yourself with a few key items to order—or avoid, is probably a good idea. Era restaurant in Tirana is an exception, they have an English menu and a huge selection of Albanian specialties and Italian basics, so it’s a great way to get acquainted with what’s on offer throughout the rest of the country.
Albanian beers like Korça or Tirana are just as good as the international options, at a much lower price, and strong black coffee and the white wines of the country’s northern regions provide a good selection of local drinking options. The water is safe to drink, though more
sensitive stomachs might want to be a little more careful and stick to the bottled stuff.
And the best part of all—the prices. Eating well in Albania is extremely easy when an entire pizza or plate of risotto costs about four dollars, and a full, fancy meal for two with drinks is easy to come by at under ten.
8. The history
When you’re all beached out and full of all the fine food and drink that the country has to offer, spend some time in Albania’s historical sites. Many of the castles and ruins throughout the country give visitors a much more up close and personal view of history than what’s available in other European countries. You won’t find any guard rails or
roped-off areas in the fortresses at Porto Palermo or Gjirokastra, where visitors are more than welcome to climb over stone walls and crawl into dark little passages, and in Berat, there are over 200 people still living inside the walls of the city’s old fortress, many in beautifully maintained Ottoman-era homes that offer great views of the river valley below.
Ali Pasha’s fortresses are a must see for kids and adults alike, and the slightly overgrown, poorly lit interiors really makes it feel like you’re stepping back in time when you enter into the dark, musty halls. In Gjirokastra, the fortress is home to a collection of heavy artillery from WWII, as well as a U.S. Air Force plane rumored to have been brought down
while spying on the country in the 1950s.
The city of Butrint, just outside of Saranda, is home to a spectacular array of ruins spanning a 2,500 year period that includes the Roman era and earlier. In the summer, theatre performances are occasionally held on a wooden stage in the old amphitheatre, which is partially filled with water, but Butrint is a pleasant place to visit any day of the year, and the combination of architectural styles are fascinating, especially if you luck out and get a working archaeologist as your tour guide.
A more recent historical relic that you won’t be able to avoid on your travels throughout the country is a reminder of some of the darker moments in Albania’s past. Hundreds of thousands of mushroom-shaped concrete bunkers, installed during communist rule, dot the countryside, a tactic that the government hoped would protect the country in case of an attack from the U.S. or Britain. The bunkers were never really used, but they certainly were well constructed, so the majority of them still stand, nestled into the hills above the main roads or clustered in groups on the beaches.
What to know before you go
If you plan on flying to Albania, you only have one option. Mother Teresa International Airport in Tirana is the country’s only one, and there are just a few airlines that fly there, including AlItalia and BelleAir. Prices out of a few European cities, especially larger Italian
ones, tend to be significantly cheaper than the normal European points of departure like London or Frankfurt, so scheduling a cheap Ryanair flight to a city such as Milan and then continuing on to Tirana can often be the most cost effective option for long haul travelers.
Ferries from Italy are also a popular way to enter Albania, and there are overnight voyages that depart from Bari and Brindisi several times a week, depending on the time of year. Ferries are usually cheaper than flights at around seventy dollars each way, but the trip
can take up to eleven hours, and adding the cost and time it takes to get to the Italian ports, in addition to the long boat ride, can often make flying seem a little more attractive. There is also a ferry from Corfu that sails to Saranda in about half an hour and costs about twenty-five dollars each way.
Getting into the country by land can be difficult from the north, due to the mountainous countryside and lack of roads. Entry from Greece is more popular, and there are buses from Athens, as well as other northerly locations that will take you over the border, often at very low prices. The journey is long, hot, and probably crowded. If you suffer from
motion sickness, invest in some Dramamine before you make any long-distance drive in Albania.
There are ATMs all over Tirana and in the other larger cities as well. Smaller destinations like Dhermi do not have ATMs or banks at all, and paying with a credit card will be nearly impossible almost anywhere in the country outside of the fanciest hotels in the capital. It’s a good idea to keep a significant amount of cash on you, and small bills are preferable. The first cash machine that most visitors will encounter is in the airport, and drawing lek from the machines with a foreign ATM or debit card isn’t any different than in other international destinations, and is probably the most economical and reliable way of changing your money.
Bargaining is common and acceptable when taxis and lodging are concerned, and it can often be quite productive. Be proactive and courteous when it comes to fixing a price, and you are likely to save a bit of your travel funds without offending anyone. Taxi drivers are especially likely to bargain because of the plethora of other inexpensive travel options
available throughout the country.
In visiting the cities, a guidebook or some kind of map will come in handy, though the use of street names is inconsistent and many hotels will rely on landmarks for directions instead of actual street names and addresses. In some of the smaller cities, it is rare to ever see a street sign, but having an idea of the lay of the land will be helpful in your attempts to navigate.
Pre-departure planning for a trip to Albania can be a little frustrating due to the lack of resources available online, or anywhere for that matter. There are a few guidebooks available, and I made frequent use of the Bradt guide that I bought before my trip, though it was far from comprehensive. Having a general idea of what you want to do and see and an open mind are the best ways to prepare for your trip. I’d recommend that anyone
entering the country through the capital spend their first night at the Tirana
Backpackers Hostel. The first (and only) hostel in the city has a friendly
English-speaking staff who are incredibly helpful and will gladly give you all the advice you need on what to see and where to go while you are in the country. They have other locations throughout Albania as well, and the 12-euro rate is a deal considering all the help they’ll be able to provide, plus free wi-fi and one euro beers at the little bar in the back.
Read more: http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-11/eight-reasons-to-visit-albania.html
15 November 2011
A Mark of Quality for Albanian Tourism
Albania Holidays has been, and still is, one of the main supporters of this USAID project, which will help putting Albanian tourism back into international standards. Projects such as Quality Mark help classifying tourism businesses in Albania and diminish informality. Soon we will publish at our hotel websites www.albania-hotel.com and www.tirana-hotel.com which hotels are awarded the respective Quality Mark, adding in this way another professional source for tourists to find the right hotels. Below the article:
Country's first Quality Mark boosts membership and advocacy efforts of fledgling sector
A Mark of Quality for Albanian Tourism
Logo Authentic Albania
The visual identity of the Authentic Albania Quality Mark program was developed based on motifs placed on ancient Illyrian vases and amphora, as well as ornamental designs used in Albanian traditional folk costumes. The key symbolizes Albanian hospitality.
"This helps members set themselves apart in terms of quality."
USAID began work with the Government of Albania and its tourism industry (or ATA) in 2003 to promote the country's image and strengthen tour operator competition. In 2010, in partnership with the ATA, USAID's Rritje Albania ("Grow Albania") project launched the industry's first quality certification system for hotels and guesthouses: the Authentic Albania Quality Mark. USAID has supported assessor training and the design and promotional campaign.
So far, over 60 hotels and guesthouses have applied to the program to have their facilities and services evaluated based on the international hospitality standards and Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria that govern receipt of the Quality Mark. In April 2011, ATA awarded its first 20 Quality Marks to those businesses meeting its standards. The program is encouraging better business practices and providing recipients with an extremely effective publicity campaign.
"This is becoming one of our association's most visible and effective programs," said ATA's executive director, Ms. Matilda Naco. She added, "There is evident value in the Quality Mark for businesses because it helps members set themselves apart in terms of quality. […] It is increasingly important that we can advocate for sustainable tourism development at the national level. This must be the future of tourism in Albania."
USAID has been an important partner in the development of tourism sector since 2003, helping promote Albanian tourism, working with small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector, as well as the ministry to improve Albania's image as a desirable tourist destination.
The Agency will continue to support Rritje Albania until 2013, at which time local tourism authorities will assume full ownership.
11 November 2011
Frommer's Top Value Destination in 2012: Albanian Riviera !
Being still the Lonely Planet’s Nr.1 country to visit this year, it’s a pleasure to see Frommers confirming this by choosing Albania as 2012 Top Value Destination. Albania Holidays offers you the possibility to travel to Albania, while with www.albania-hotel.com you can book online a hotel in Albanian Riviera. Below the article:
Unsung, undeveloped and eminently affordable, the Albanian Riviera has all the natural attractions of its Croatian counterpart further north but without the crowds and considerable expense. Here you have white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, and Mediterranean villages barely changed since long before King Zog.
A coastal road, reconstructed in 2009, allows you a relaxed and jaw-dropping drive from the Llogara National Park in the north to Lukovë, close to Corfu, in the south.
The black pines and Bulgarian firs of Llogara is where Caesar pursued Pompey the Great. Golden eagles and griffon vultures still fly overhead today, above chamois and European wildcats. Paragliding and hiking provide peaceful recreation in a landscape dotted with lemon groves, olive plantations, and castles built by medieval Sultans intent on taking Corfu. Spit-roasted lamb and honey tea, perhaps sourced within earshot, provide memorable sustenance.
Borsh is considered the warmest spot in Albania. Romans, Greeks and Venetians scrapped for its three-mile-long beach, the longest on Albania's Ionian coast. The Greeks stayed put in Himarë, a sleepy hamlet of authentic tavernas, Orthodox churches and a bizarre dialect of archaic Greek no longer spoken in Athens. This is genuinely Greece as it once was.
In nearby verdant Qeparo, Greeks and Albanians live amid olive groves planted before Napoleon, positioned above a beautiful beach you'll barely have to share.
For real isolation, swim between the four Ksamili Islands just south of Sarandë in Albania's extreme southwest, blessed with a beachside bar, maybe two. From the littoral you could walk to Greece but, then again... why would you?
Read more: http://www.frommers.com/micro/2011/top-destinations-2012/top-value-destination-albanian-riviera.html#ixzz1dR7kRrLb
Top Value Destination: Albanian Riviera
Unsung, undeveloped and eminently affordable, the Albanian Riviera has all the natural attractions of its Croatian counterpart further north but without the crowds and considerable expense. Here you have white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, and Mediterranean villages barely changed since long before King Zog.
A coastal road, reconstructed in 2009, allows you a relaxed and jaw-dropping drive from the Llogara National Park in the north to Lukovë, close to Corfu, in the south.
The black pines and Bulgarian firs of Llogara is where Caesar pursued Pompey the Great. Golden eagles and griffon vultures still fly overhead today, above chamois and European wildcats. Paragliding and hiking provide peaceful recreation in a landscape dotted with lemon groves, olive plantations, and castles built by medieval Sultans intent on taking Corfu. Spit-roasted lamb and honey tea, perhaps sourced within earshot, provide memorable sustenance.
Borsh is considered the warmest spot in Albania. Romans, Greeks and Venetians scrapped for its three-mile-long beach, the longest on Albania's Ionian coast. The Greeks stayed put in Himarë, a sleepy hamlet of authentic tavernas, Orthodox churches and a bizarre dialect of archaic Greek no longer spoken in Athens. This is genuinely Greece as it once was.
In nearby verdant Qeparo, Greeks and Albanians live amid olive groves planted before Napoleon, positioned above a beautiful beach you'll barely have to share.
For real isolation, swim between the four Ksamili Islands just south of Sarandë in Albania's extreme southwest, blessed with a beachside bar, maybe two. From the littoral you could walk to Greece but, then again... why would you?
Read more: http://www.frommers.com/micro/2011/top-destinations-2012/top-value-destination-albanian-riviera.html#ixzz1dR7kRrLb
02 July 2011
New York Times, On the Albanian Riviera
albania-hotel.com is recommended by The New York Times' travel magazine for online booking of hotels in Albania. This is the quote
" Few hotels and fewer private rooms have Web sites, though those intent on booking online will have some luck on www.albania-hotel.com"
The New York Times, On the Albanian Riviera, a Frugal Paradise, 29 June 2011
Just past the tiny village of Ilias, on the two-lane highway that weaves through the Ceraunian Mountains, a sign pointing down a narrow road indicated a monastery about two kilometers on.
“Why not?” I thought, putting on the turn signal of my rental car. I had no agenda other than to seek out adventure along the very affordable 80-mile stretch of beaches and villages between the cities of Vlore and Sarande, an area known as the Albanian Riviera.
But the road ended at a hilltop house where an old woman dressed in black stared at me quizzically.
“Monastiri?” I said in a hapless attempt at an Albanian accent in what I later discovered was a largely Greek-speaking region.
She pointed in the direction of the way I had come and seemed to signal that I had missed a turn. Back toward the main road, I found a severely rutted turnoff, grabbed a camera and sunglasses from the car, and started hiking. Travel fantasy mode kicked in. Would the monks invite me to dinner? Let me stay on a cot for the next few days if I did chores? Ask my opinion about their latest batch of ale?
They would not, because there was no monastery at the end of that road either. Instead, there was an idyllic pebbly beach where an otherwise inaccessible canyon opened up to the deep blue Ionian sea. There was not a soul in sight.
But today, I thought to myself, it’s all mine. With my bathing suit back in the car, I stripped naked and dived into crystal blue waters, registering the scene in my internal archive of top travel moments. It was only as I came out of the water that I spotted two sunburned Austrian tourists hidden under a rock outcropping reading paperbacks, or pretending to as they laughed at me. (I went over to chat with them, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.)
Seth Kugel for The New York Times--Gjipe Beach.
O.K., the Austrians had slightly sullied my afternoon at Gjipe Beach, as I later found out it was called. But at least in budget terms, Albania was surely the best stretch of the six-week-old Frugal Mediterranean adventure. For the first time, 500 euros a week easily paid for everything I wanted, starting with a confusing but not torturous seven-leg bus ride from Dubrovnik, Croatia, just 300 miles away. (Short of hiring taxis, I can’t figure out a more efficient way to do it, and despite language barriers drivers were thoughtful in making sure I got to the next bus.) I also rented a car for four days and private rooms from local families every night. I ate huge restaurant meals topping out at around 8 euros, and guzzled espressos and spring waters at beachfront cafes with glorious views. Still, I didn’t even come close to hitting my budget. (Though it would have been a bit tougher in July or August, when many rooms cost more.)
For most travelers the starting point of the Albanian Riviera is Vlore, a somewhat tacky city with lots of outdoor cafes that have fancy cushions but too much mindless club music; the cluttered, unattractive coastline has mediocre if bustling hard-sand beaches. There’s a certain amount of chaos in Vlore – virtually no signs giving street names, nutty drivers, ugly and seemingly stalled concrete construction projects. But that’s not really surprising in a country that’s still one of the poorest in Europe and only a quarter century removed from the Communist dictatorship of Hoxha. If Albania no longer feels isolated or scary, it still seems to be finding its way.
Seth Kugel for The New York TimesIn a park along the main drag of Vlore, men huddle around an intensely contested game of chess.
There were two highlights in Vlore: a park along the main drag, Bulevardi Vlore-Skele, where old men smoked like chimneys around intensely contested games of chess and dominoes and warmly welcomed a visitor with a camera.
And then there was the Museum of Independence, in the two-story house where Ismail Qemali ruled as the first prime minister after the country gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. As the lone visitor that afternoon I was rewarded with a personal tour by the director, Ilia Cano, who made a valiant attempt to explain the history in poor English mixed with French. (He also let me sit at Qemali’s desk and pretend to sign documents with his quill pen.)
I stayed in Vlore on the first and last nights of the week, but the trip’s real payoff came in the string of small towns that start once you drive up and over the perilously steep and forest-lined roads of Llogara National Park. After asking around about prices of hotels and private rooms in a few towns, I chose Himare as my base. A young man named Simos whose family runs the Internet cafe offered me a large apartment attached to his house, practically in the center of town, for 20 euros a night. (The Albanian currency is actually the lek, at 142 leke per euro or 96 per dollar, but lodging and car rental are often quoted in euros.) Himare didn’t have the best beaches, but it impressed me with cafes overlooking the water and souvlaki stands galore. And it won my heart forever when I spotted a man leading a donkey through town, trying to unload two baaing baby goats slung over its back to the highest bidder.
Seth Kugel for The New York TimesWarm feta with olive oil, peppers and tomatoes at Taverna Viron.
My favorite place in town was the family-run Greek restaurant Taverna Viron. I had three dinners there, attended by Amalia, the English-speaking 15-year-old daughter of the owners, who was very sweet but not so helpful in helping pick the from the menu. Everything, she said, was “so delicious.”
Then again, she was right: pork chops with tzatziki and potatoes, shrimp saganaki (tiny shrimp in a tomato-based, feta-heavy and Tabasco-spiked sauce), and whole grilled fish were all, indeed, quite delicious.
I ate alone but often chatted with interesting groups, from an Albanian-American family from Pelham Parkway in the Bronx to Amalia’s male cousins who invited me over to drink rakia, a liquor distilled from grape pomace.
Though Albania is known for its historic and archaeological treasures like the ancient city of Butrint, this particular stretch of coast has few. But I loved Himare Castle, a medieval site on the northern edge of town across the street and up the hill from the Alpet gas station. Don’t even think of looking for signs, either directing you to the ruins or telling you what they are. But in lieu of actual information, you can play amateur archaeologist, as in: “This must have been an oven. Or a child’s bedroom.”
Though that first trip to Gjipe Beach was fun, I soon switched loyalties to Jali Beach, three miles downhill from the main highway. The beach, lined with umbrellas for rent, is very family-friendly; I’d estimate a running toddler is swept up in a grandparent’s arms approximately once a minute. And the shallow water is a shade of electric blue that designers of mint gum packaging only wish they could emulate.
I was hooked on Jali not for the beach, though, but for the instant friends I made at Taverna Peshkatari, one of several informal beachside restaurants specializing in seafood. (Peshkatari means fisherman in Albanian.) I usually ask for the menu before sitting down, to scout out prices and size up the friendliness of the staff. The guys at Taverna Peshkatari were friendly: they immediately brought a bucket of fish from the kitchen, noting that the owner had caught them all this morning.
Jorgo Andoni mans the outboard motor on a fishing expedition.
I hear these claims all the time, so I shot them a dubious look. “Tomorrow, come fishing and you’ll see,” said a young blue-eyed man in passable English. “Be here at 6 a.m.”
This is what we in the frugal travel business call a ka-ching moment. Free boat trip! Local friends for the making! “When I was fishing in Albania” stories for back home! The next morning I arrived at 5:55 a.m. to find that I had beat the young man, Jorgo Andoni, who turned out to be the owner of Taverna Peshkatari. But three older guys who recognized me from the day before were there drinking espresso and rakia. They invited me to join them. Hey, a 6 a.m. shot of liquor to start the day? Why not, I’m on vacation.
Soon after I was out on the water with Jorgo and his two fishing assistants – Geni Pirra and Eljon Likmeter — reeling in the nets they had laid the previous afternoon just off the rocky coast and watching them untangle their catch: merluza, cuttlefish, shrimp, even a flying fish.
Round about Net 4, Eljon and I abandoned work and dived into the water, swimming over to a tiny sand-lined cove carved into the rocks. I took another mental snapshot to file under Travel Memories – Best Ever. And, this time, no sunburned Austrians to ruin the moment.
IF YOU GO
You can fly to Albania from many European cities, but I’d suggest combining it with a trip to Greece, Italy or another Balkan nation. From Athens, there are daily buses via Ruci Tours to Vlore or Himare (30 euros, about 11 hours) and there’s a ferry from Brindisi, Italy to Vlore (six days a week; seven days in August, 45 euros). Then there are buses from Croatia and Montenegro: it took me seven legs and just under 43 euros from Dubrovnik to Vlore. Your results may vary. In Vlore, I rented a car for 33 euros a day (price goes down with longer rentals) from Tirana Car Rental. Few hotels and fewer private rooms have Web sites, though those intent on booking online will have some luck on www.albania-hotel.com. In Himare, you can e-mail Simos at hokyspokys@hotmail.com about his family’s rooms; Amalia and her family rent nice rooms above the Greek restaurant as well; call (355-69) 221-8728 or (355-69) 425-5755. Jorgo Andoni rents rooms; try him at Taverna Peskatari, (355-68) 200-0343. But unless you’re going in August, it’s probably best just to show up.
MY BOOKS
I ate fresh fish and octopus and lamb and Greek salads and Albanian byreks (savory pies) until I burst and still couldn’t break 8 euros a meal. I slept in private rooms for 20 euros a night and could have spent less if I had bargained. I rented a car. I did pretty much whatever I wanted, and the total bill was 459.87 euros, 40 and change below budget and finally covering my debt from Week 2 in France
" Few hotels and fewer private rooms have Web sites, though those intent on booking online will have some luck on www.albania-hotel.com"
The New York Times, On the Albanian Riviera, a Frugal Paradise, 29 June 2011
On the Albanian Riviera, a Frugal Paradise
By SETH KUGEL“Why not?” I thought, putting on the turn signal of my rental car. I had no agenda other than to seek out adventure along the very affordable 80-mile stretch of beaches and villages between the cities of Vlore and Sarande, an area known as the Albanian Riviera.
But the road ended at a hilltop house where an old woman dressed in black stared at me quizzically.
“Monastiri?” I said in a hapless attempt at an Albanian accent in what I later discovered was a largely Greek-speaking region.
She pointed in the direction of the way I had come and seemed to signal that I had missed a turn. Back toward the main road, I found a severely rutted turnoff, grabbed a camera and sunglasses from the car, and started hiking. Travel fantasy mode kicked in. Would the monks invite me to dinner? Let me stay on a cot for the next few days if I did chores? Ask my opinion about their latest batch of ale?
They would not, because there was no monastery at the end of that road either. Instead, there was an idyllic pebbly beach where an otherwise inaccessible canyon opened up to the deep blue Ionian sea. There was not a soul in sight.
Seth Kugel for The New York Times-Bunkers along the coast put in place by Enver Hoxha, the isolationist leader of cold-war-era Albania.
Near the beach were a number of mushroom-shaped bunkers that the isolationist dictator Enver Hoxha, who died in 1985, installed across the country to defend it against a foreign attack that never came. There were more recent artifacts too: a newspaper horoscope page dated a few days earlier and plenty of soda and beer bottles that indicated the beach had been used much more recently for purposes other than defense.But today, I thought to myself, it’s all mine. With my bathing suit back in the car, I stripped naked and dived into crystal blue waters, registering the scene in my internal archive of top travel moments. It was only as I came out of the water that I spotted two sunburned Austrian tourists hidden under a rock outcropping reading paperbacks, or pretending to as they laughed at me. (I went over to chat with them, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.)
Seth Kugel for The New York Times--Gjipe Beach.
For most travelers the starting point of the Albanian Riviera is Vlore, a somewhat tacky city with lots of outdoor cafes that have fancy cushions but too much mindless club music; the cluttered, unattractive coastline has mediocre if bustling hard-sand beaches. There’s a certain amount of chaos in Vlore – virtually no signs giving street names, nutty drivers, ugly and seemingly stalled concrete construction projects. But that’s not really surprising in a country that’s still one of the poorest in Europe and only a quarter century removed from the Communist dictatorship of Hoxha. If Albania no longer feels isolated or scary, it still seems to be finding its way.
Seth Kugel for The New York TimesIn a park along the main drag of Vlore, men huddle around an intensely contested game of chess.And then there was the Museum of Independence, in the two-story house where Ismail Qemali ruled as the first prime minister after the country gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. As the lone visitor that afternoon I was rewarded with a personal tour by the director, Ilia Cano, who made a valiant attempt to explain the history in poor English mixed with French. (He also let me sit at Qemali’s desk and pretend to sign documents with his quill pen.)
I stayed in Vlore on the first and last nights of the week, but the trip’s real payoff came in the string of small towns that start once you drive up and over the perilously steep and forest-lined roads of Llogara National Park. After asking around about prices of hotels and private rooms in a few towns, I chose Himare as my base. A young man named Simos whose family runs the Internet cafe offered me a large apartment attached to his house, practically in the center of town, for 20 euros a night. (The Albanian currency is actually the lek, at 142 leke per euro or 96 per dollar, but lodging and car rental are often quoted in euros.) Himare didn’t have the best beaches, but it impressed me with cafes overlooking the water and souvlaki stands galore. And it won my heart forever when I spotted a man leading a donkey through town, trying to unload two baaing baby goats slung over its back to the highest bidder.
Seth Kugel for The New York TimesWarm feta with olive oil, peppers and tomatoes at Taverna Viron.Then again, she was right: pork chops with tzatziki and potatoes, shrimp saganaki (tiny shrimp in a tomato-based, feta-heavy and Tabasco-spiked sauce), and whole grilled fish were all, indeed, quite delicious.
I ate alone but often chatted with interesting groups, from an Albanian-American family from Pelham Parkway in the Bronx to Amalia’s male cousins who invited me over to drink rakia, a liquor distilled from grape pomace.
Though Albania is known for its historic and archaeological treasures like the ancient city of Butrint, this particular stretch of coast has few. But I loved Himare Castle, a medieval site on the northern edge of town across the street and up the hill from the Alpet gas station. Don’t even think of looking for signs, either directing you to the ruins or telling you what they are. But in lieu of actual information, you can play amateur archaeologist, as in: “This must have been an oven. Or a child’s bedroom.”
Though that first trip to Gjipe Beach was fun, I soon switched loyalties to Jali Beach, three miles downhill from the main highway. The beach, lined with umbrellas for rent, is very family-friendly; I’d estimate a running toddler is swept up in a grandparent’s arms approximately once a minute. And the shallow water is a shade of electric blue that designers of mint gum packaging only wish they could emulate.
I was hooked on Jali not for the beach, though, but for the instant friends I made at Taverna Peshkatari, one of several informal beachside restaurants specializing in seafood. (Peshkatari means fisherman in Albanian.) I usually ask for the menu before sitting down, to scout out prices and size up the friendliness of the staff. The guys at Taverna Peshkatari were friendly: they immediately brought a bucket of fish from the kitchen, noting that the owner had caught them all this morning.
Jorgo Andoni mans the outboard motor on a fishing expedition.This is what we in the frugal travel business call a ka-ching moment. Free boat trip! Local friends for the making! “When I was fishing in Albania” stories for back home! The next morning I arrived at 5:55 a.m. to find that I had beat the young man, Jorgo Andoni, who turned out to be the owner of Taverna Peshkatari. But three older guys who recognized me from the day before were there drinking espresso and rakia. They invited me to join them. Hey, a 6 a.m. shot of liquor to start the day? Why not, I’m on vacation.
Soon after I was out on the water with Jorgo and his two fishing assistants – Geni Pirra and Eljon Likmeter — reeling in the nets they had laid the previous afternoon just off the rocky coast and watching them untangle their catch: merluza, cuttlefish, shrimp, even a flying fish.
Round about Net 4, Eljon and I abandoned work and dived into the water, swimming over to a tiny sand-lined cove carved into the rocks. I took another mental snapshot to file under Travel Memories – Best Ever. And, this time, no sunburned Austrians to ruin the moment.
IF YOU GO
You can fly to Albania from many European cities, but I’d suggest combining it with a trip to Greece, Italy or another Balkan nation. From Athens, there are daily buses via Ruci Tours to Vlore or Himare (30 euros, about 11 hours) and there’s a ferry from Brindisi, Italy to Vlore (six days a week; seven days in August, 45 euros). Then there are buses from Croatia and Montenegro: it took me seven legs and just under 43 euros from Dubrovnik to Vlore. Your results may vary. In Vlore, I rented a car for 33 euros a day (price goes down with longer rentals) from Tirana Car Rental. Few hotels and fewer private rooms have Web sites, though those intent on booking online will have some luck on www.albania-hotel.com. In Himare, you can e-mail Simos at hokyspokys@hotmail.com about his family’s rooms; Amalia and her family rent nice rooms above the Greek restaurant as well; call (355-69) 221-8728 or (355-69) 425-5755. Jorgo Andoni rents rooms; try him at Taverna Peskatari, (355-68) 200-0343. But unless you’re going in August, it’s probably best just to show up.
MY BOOKS
I ate fresh fish and octopus and lamb and Greek salads and Albanian byreks (savory pies) until I burst and still couldn’t break 8 euros a meal. I slept in private rooms for 20 euros a night and could have spent less if I had bargained. I rented a car. I did pretty much whatever I wanted, and the total bill was 459.87 euros, 40 and change below budget and finally covering my debt from Week 2 in France
31 October 2010
Albania - Nr.1 Destination Lonely Planet’s top 10 countries for 2011
It is
a recognition of the old and rich culture and breathtaking beauty of Albania - this
Mediterranean newest (and final) offer .
What
can you say when you are number 1…just thank you very much Lonely Planet !
Below
the link and the article:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/albania/travel-tips-and-articles/76164
Where in the world should you go next year?
Our in-house travel experts, including Lonely Planet cofounder Tony Wheeler,
have chosen their top 10 countries for next year based on scores for
topicality, excitement, value for money and…that special X-factor. Here they
are, in order of rank, from Lonely Planet’s latest book: Best
in Travel 2011.
1. Albania
Not so long ago, when the Balkans were
considered an ‘only for the brave’ travel destination, only the bravest of the
brave trickled into Albania.
Since backpackers started coming to elusive Albania in the 1990s, tales have
been told in ‘keep it to yourself’ whispers of azure beaches, confrontingly
good cuisine, heritage sites, nightlife, affordable adventures and the
possibility of old-style unplanned journeys complete with open-armed locals for
whom travellers are still a novelty. Sick to death of being dismissed with
blinged-up crime-boss clichés, Albania has announced ‘A New Mediterranean Love’
via its tourist board. The jig is almost up – Albania won’t be off the beaten
track for much longer.
2. Brazil
Famous for samba, football and cinematic
scenery, Brazil has always
been known for celebration (Carnaval being the most obvious manifestation of
this national joie de vivre). Yet, Brazil rings in 2011 with even more
cause for jubilation. Winning the bids to host both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and
the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is undertaking a flurry of
new projects, with billions of dollars earmarked for infrastructure (there’s
even discussion of building a high-speed rail line between Rio and São Paulo). Despite the
strong Brazilian real, travellers should benefit from the addition of thousands
of new hotel rooms, while increased competition from low-cost airline carriers
(including Azul, established by the Brazilian-born founder of JetBlue) should
make travel across this vast country more affordable.
3. Cape Verde
Cape Verdeans might have known about the
wider world forever, but it seems that the wider world is only just opening its
eyes to Cape Verde. On the
surface this is hardly a surprise; the country appears to be nothing but a
blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dot of dust floating off the coast of Africa, but the
islands have recently started catching sideways glances from European
winter-sun tourists. This growing international interest is bringing enormous
changes to an archipelago that looks and feels as if it were born from a
Caribbean mother and an African father. But what is it that these tourists come
for? When someone first mentioned trying to attract foreign visitors to their
‘dot of dust’ most Cape Verdeans must have laughingly thought ‘What can we offer
a tourist here?’. The answer turned out to be quite a lot. Soaring mountains
terraced in greens, a volcano with its head in the clouds, world-class
watersports and sizzling, saucy festivals – but it was the sun that clinched
the deal. With almost more days of sunshine than there are days in the year and
with soft sandy beaches to boot, someone only had to say the words ‘winter sun’
and the islands were being marketed as the ‘New Canary Islands’.
4. Panama
For Panama, the world economic crisis
offered a perfect excuse to hit the reset button. After an unchecked growth
spurt created a clutter of casinos, gated communities and glass towers in the
name of Trump, the investment slump has forced a return to basics. For
travellers, there’s a return to the authentic – local heartland festivals,
jungle treks and lodgings in sand-floor huts in the independent Comarca de Kuna
Yala. With plenty of the country still pristine, true adventure is only a boat
or bus fare away. In 2011 Panama City gets greener, with the anticipated
unveiling of the BíoMuseo, an innovative Frank Gehry-designed space celebrating
ecological diversity. Panama City’s new Cinta Costera (Coastal Belt) creates a
green stripe of waterfront paths that finishes in Casco
Viejo, a stunning historic neighbourhood remade after decades of neglect.
Like elsewhere, climate change and habitat destruction are taking their toll
here. Panama’s inch-long golden frogs, victims of a worldwide epidemic, are
fast disappearing. But the Darién Gap, considered one of the world’s wildest
places, still remains roadless. Countless Panamanian islands persist without
name or a sole inhabitant. Costa Rica eat your heart out.
5. Bulgaria
For those who looked, Bulgaria has always had its
moments – in its biggest cities, on its snow-capped peaks and great-value ski
fields, on its golden-sand beaches and in ancient Black Sea port towns. Yet,
over the years, with history’s contribution, Bulgaria has got lost amid its
more famous neighbours. From the south, the Ottoman soldiers of present-day
Turkey ran Bulgaria for 500 years. Legendary toga-clad Greeks to the south
mocked Bulgaria’s strong wines (before adopting the same). More recently, the
Romanians claimed the share of fame via distinguishing Latin bloodlines and
Transylvania’s mystic, fangy appeal. Bulgaria sometimes feels like the odd guy
out in this corner of Europe. But things are changing. Now proudly part of the
21st-century EU, Bulgaria has enjoyed more attention – and self confidence. Its
ski slopes are de facto destinations for Europeans looking for cheaper
alternatives, empty patches of lovely Black Sea beaches can still be found, and
its quietly brilliant wine industry is flourishing. Whatever happens,
Bulgarians will take it in their stride. As one local song goes, ‘We win, we
lose…either way we get drunk, we’re Bulgarians!’ That oughta be on a T-shirt.
6. Vanuatu
For those in search of authentic experiences,
Vanuatu is hard to beat. From
mighty mountains and thunderous waterfalls to remote villages, from huge
lagoons to tropical islets, there’s so much on offer, far from the crowds.
Don’t expect ritzy resorts and Cancun-style nightlife; with a good choice of
family-run guesthouses in traditional villages and a smattering of comfortable,
romantic hideaways, it’s tailor-made for ecotourists. With 83 islands, you’re
spoilt for choice. Vanuatu has recently seen an increased number of direct
flights from Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomon
Islands – go now, before the secret’s out.
7. Italy
Italy
is a beguiling, beautiful, charismatic mess. The press might be largely owned
by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, stories of corruption, bribery and sex
scandals might be everyday news, and the economy might be in the doldrums, but
this is still one of the world’s most magnificent places to be. The food is
delicious, sunshine is plentiful, scenery and towns are sublime, and there is
millennia-worth of art to look at. There are 44 Unesco World Heritage Sites
here, more than in any other country. That Italy is celebrating only 150 years
as a country in 2011 (it was unified in 1861) highlights how clearly it still
feels like a collection of regions. Local people hail from their region; their
nationality comes second. Each region has a pronounced character and qualities
worthy of the small nations they once were, which makes it particularly
rewarding to explore Italy bit by bit.
8. Tanzania
It’s true, Tanzania is a place of great
marvels – Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar…
The names slip off the tongue like a roll call of Africa’s most alluring
destinations. But that’s not all. It also has great herds of elephants in
Ruaha, treeclimbing lions around Lake Manyara, chimpanzee sanctuaries in Gombe
and Mahale and packs of wild dogs in Selous. There are also sunsets on the
Rufiji River, when the water boils with hippos and crocodiles. In fact, the
country has the whole panoply of east Africa’s wildlife – including such
rarities as the red colobus monkey, black rhino, hawksbill and leatherback
turtles and Pemba flying foxes – concentrated in an unrivalled collection of
parks and reserves. So you think you’ve seen it all? We’re betting Tanzania
still has a surprise or two for you.
9. Syria
Heard the one about Bashar al-Assad and the
US Ambassador? Well it’s no joke. After five years of cold-shoulder treatment
relations have thawed and Syria
is officially off the naughty step. There’s a definite upwardly-mobile attitude
taking over the streets, thanks in part to the state-controlled economy slowly
being overhauled and the noose of the ‘Axis of Evil’ tag no longer hanging
around the nation’s neck. Savvy tourists can lord it up like a pasha, staying
in lovingly restored Ottoman palaces and sipping cappuccino after shopping it
up in the souq. But with all this modernisation it’s good to see some things
are still the same. Out east the Bedouin still herd their scraggly sheep and
welcome strangers into goat-hair tents for tea. Aleppo and Damascus’ Old Cities
remain mazes where the best maps won’t work, and the countryside is still a
vast open-air museum, strewn with the abandoned playgrounds of fallen empires.
With hospitality still a national obsession, the attitude to visitors hasn’t
changed
either.
either.
10. Japan
Japan
has an ill-deserved reputation as an expensive destination where the English
language is in short supply. But US$100 cuts of Kobe beef and the occasional Lost
in Translation moment aside, Japan is surprisingly affordable and
user-friendly. Before you go, stop by your local travel agency and purchase a
Japan Rail Pass, which grants you unlimited access to the country’s
sophisticated transport network. While Tokyo was ultimately unsuccessful in its
bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the campaign resulted in increased English
signage across the country. So, if Japan has been on your travel wishlist for a
while, make this the year that you fi nally see the birthplace of sushi, sake and
sumo.
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