Albania

Albania[1] is a small country in Mediterranean Europe. It borders on Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro.

Cities

• Tirana - the capital
• Berat
• Durrës
• Elbasan
• Fier
• Gjirokastër - One of the most interesting and nicest cities of Albania. There is a large castle on the hill in the middle of the city. Army museum is located inside.
• Korca
• Sarande
• Shkodra
• Vlorë
• Lezhe

Other destinations

• Butrint - Largest archaeological site from Roman era in Albania. It lies on the coast in the southernmost tip of the country, near the Greek border. Minibuses available from Saranda.

• Tomorri Mountain ridge in the southern part of Albania, not far from Berat. This part of the country is formed by parallel mountain ridges (up to around 2000-2500 m) separated by valleys. Although the ridges are not very long, they offer few days of hiking with enormous scenic beauty and fantastic panoramic views. Tomorri is one of the most known ridge with Bektash monastery and chapel on the very top.

• Albanian Alps, Prokletije. This mountainous complex on the north of the country forms border between Albania and Montenegro. Rich on rainfalls, sheep, bare rocks and scenic views it is one of the places in Albania you should see. One of the places where you can be less than 10 km away from the nearest village and still have a day long trip there...

• Dhermi - one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road between Vlore and Saranda, perfect for camping.

Culture and History

Following the defeat of the Axis powers at the end of World War II, a totalitarian Communist government was established, presided over by resistance leader Enver Hoxha. Albania became infamous for its isolation, not just from the market-run democracies of Western Europe, but with the Soviet Union, China, and even neighboring Yugoslavia. Even as the Iron Curtain came down and Communists lost power throughout Eastern Europe, Albania seemed intent on staying the course, alone.

But in 1992, several years after the death of Hoxha, the Communist party finally relinquished power and Albania established a multi-party democracy with a coalition government. The transition has proven difficult, as corrupt governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, a dilapidated infrastructure, widespread gangsterism, and disruptive political opponents. Today Albania is making progress, with EU integration as its goal; Albania signed the SAA on June 2006, thus completing the first major step towards joining. In 2008 Albania is also expected to recieve an invitation to join NATO.

Travel to Albania, visa requirements

Most European and U.S. nationals can enter Albania without obtaining a visa but you'll have to pay an entry and exit fee of €10. This is strictly enforced when entering the country by Air but land borders are less strict. The Albania guards are very nice and do their best to help out and will, on occasion, allow fees to be paid in dollar or will forget to charge you. It's worth making sure you've got the €10 on you as the customs officers at Mother Teresa airport don't give change.

Flights to Albania, airtickets

Tirana's "Mother Teresa" International Airport [2] is located just 15 minutes away from the city. It is served by numerous European flag carriers such as British Airways, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Austrian, and the low cost carrier Germanwings. A new, larger terminal opened in 2007.

At the airport exit there are numerous taxis 24/7 that can take you to the city. The taxi fee to the city center is 25 Euros. Taxi fees to other locations are posted on a placard just outside the exit doors.

By train

There is no possibility to cross the border to Albania with a train, because there are no connections.

Buses to Albania

You can reach Tirana by coach from Istanbul, Turkey (20hr, €35 one-way), Athens,Greece (16hr, €30), Sofia, Bulgaria (13hr, €25) and Tetovo, Macedonia

By boat

Ferries to Durrës arrive from Bari (9h, €50) and Ancona (19h, €70). A high-speed service operates from Bari (3h, €60). Flying Dolphins from Corfu to Agioi Saranda and Himara

There is also a reliable overnight ferry service operated by Skenderbeg Lines from Brindisi to Vlore Skenderbeg Lines

By car

You can reach Albania by car from: - Podgorica, Montenegro - Ohrid , Macedonia - Prizren, Kosovo where pass the main roads.

There is a 10-euro/person tax, which must be paid upon entering Albania. After payment of the tax to the police, the customs officer will issue a "road tax certificate", which you must keep until you leave the country. When you exit the country, you'll pay 2 euro/day and return the certificate.

Get around

Buses to Albania

Most people in Albania travel by private minibuses (called the "furgons"), which depart quite frequently to destinations around Albania. These furgons have no timetable (they depart when they are full). Also ask around for the directions and to where you can get these minibuses.

From Tirana, many furgons a day depart to Shkoder, Durres and Berat. Furgons departing to the south like Gjirokaster or Saranda tend to depart fairly early in the morning. These furgons are fairly comfortable and are a quite fast way to travel.

Buses are more comfortable and cheaper, but they are less frequent.

By train

Limited services operate between Tirana and Shkodra, Fier, Ballsh, Vlorë and Pogradec. The train route from Lezhe to Shkodra has scenic beauty. The Tirana-Durres trains (and vice versa) depart up to 8 times a day. As of 2006, the trains in Albania are still in extremely poor condition - despite the route from Tirana to Vlore looking convenient on a map, the more wealthy Albanians never use trains and if not traveling in their own cars, use the many mini-buses. If you do go anywhere by train, expect an extremely uncomfortable ride, and strange looks from your fellow passengers.

By car

The roads between the important destinations have been recently repaved and fixed, and offer all the security measures one would expect on a highway. There are no fees for using the highways.

In the cities, and especially Tirana, many roads are being upgraded and fixed. Because of that, traveling by car inside the city will be slow.

A very nice ride is the Vlorë-Saranda mountain road. It is a typical Mediterranean road and offers an amazing view of the sea from the mountains.

By bicycle

The pot holes, driving standards and lack of places to stay in many villages and towns make Albania a challenging cycling destination, but a rewarding one. Often, asking around to see if you can stay in somebody's home / camp in their garden is the only option. Food and water are easily available in the frequent roadside cafes and bars.

Talk

Albanian is the official language. Other useful languges include Italian, English, and Greek.

Shopping, Albania souvenirs

The national currency is the lek (ALL). There are 92.90 lek to the US dollar (28 Apr 2007).

Be aware that some Albanians write prices with an extra zero; they are not trying to charge you 10 times the going rate, merely using the old currency.

Hundreds of new ATMs have been installed in most major cities. Use the Visa ATM Locator to find them. The ATMs accept most international VISA and Mastercard Credit/Debit cards.

Almost all convenience stores will NOT accept any other method of payment other than cash (currently in Albanian lek). However supermarkets, the better bookstores and the better boutique stores will accept Credit or Debit Cards. The most widely accepted cards are VISA, Mastercard, and Diner's Club.

Good restaurants and cheap meals

Restaurants are very frequent inside and outside the cities. Albania, like the Balkans in general, has a primarily Turkish influence in its cuisine. This influence stems from over 400 years of Ottoman rule in the region. Recent influences after the fall of communism in the early 1990's has been from Italy and generally Western Europe. Most of what is available in neighboring countries such as Greece and Italy will be available in Albania, particularly in the larger cities.

Albania nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.

The preferred alcoholic hard drink is Raki that is locally produced in small towns as well as in many homes in the countryside; in some instances you may run across men washing down breakfast with a few shots. The number of homemade beers, wines and Raki is as varied as the population itself; the quality of these drinks is as varied as the quantity available.

Non-alcoholic drinks range from the well-known international and regional soft drink brands to the locally produced copies.

Hotels, youth hostels, lodging

Inside the cities hotels are abundant and prices per night start as low as 15 Euros. Hotels are usually clean and their staff speaks English and/or Italian.

Outside the cities the hotels are less frequent.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Take the usual precautions. Foreigners are not targeted by the local crime scene and since the opening of the border, no major incidents toward tourists have been reported.

Stay healthy

Its best to drink bottled water, but potted water is usually drinkable too.

Respect

The Albanians are very hospitable, much as were their ancient forefathers, the Ilyrians. Even more so than the rest of the Balkans, elder males expect to be shown due respect on account of their age and sex.

Albanians are explicit Italophiles - they watch Italian soap operas and admire Italian food, fashion, art, football teams, etc. Most Albanians speak some Italian as a second language, very few speak any English. Albanians also tend to be very pro-USA due to the intervention during the Kosovo War. It is not uncommon to see on Albanian beaches many American Flag motif bikinis and speedos. The autobiography of Bill Clinton is one of the highest-selling books in the country, and The West Wing with Albanian subtitles is a very popular television show.

Cope

Electricity

Officially 220V 50Hz. Outlets are the European standard CEE-7/7 "Schukostecker" or "Schuko" or the compatible, but non-grounded, CEE-7/16 "Europlug" types. Generally speaking, U.S. and Canadian travellers should pack an adapter for these outlets if they plan to use North American electrical equipment in Albania.

Contact

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