Albania

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Shqipëria

Capital

Tirana

Government

Republic

Nationality

Albanian

Population

3,600,000

Languages

Albanian

Religions

Islam, Christianity (Albanian Orthodox, Catholic)

Currency

Albanian Lek (ALL)

Calling Code

+355

Time Zone

CET (UTC+1)

Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

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Introduction

Old Lady from Kosova

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A Communist state for half a century until the early nineties, Albania's move away from Communism has been one charged with difficulty, as it continues to move forward. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, Albania is fast becoming one of the world's most interesting getaways. Still relatively unspoiled by globalization, tourists will notice an inspiring mixture of civilizations and cultures - making this European country truly unique.

Nestled in between Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro, and across the Adriatic from Italy, Albania boasts blue and turquoise seas, beautiful beaches, snow peaked mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests. As well as stunning nature, Albanians themselves are famous for their hospitality, and tourists are welcomed with heart-warming generosity.

Albanian history and culture is fascinating. Butrint, one of the world's archeological wonders - and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - in the south of Albania provides a glimpse of Mediterranean civilization from the Bronze Age through the Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman periods - all atop a cliff overlooking Corfu. It's not to be missed!

Home of both Mother Theresa and the great 15th Century hero Skanderbeg, Albania today offers not only beach and mountain holidays, but also a vibrant city life, a relaxing outdoor cafe culture and you will see that it's quickly evolving in a myriad of directions.

Brief History

Geography

Albania shares international borders with Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Counties

Albania is divided into 12 counties, which in turn are divided into districts. The 12 counties are:

• Berat
• Dibër
• Durrës
• Elbasan
• Fier
• Gjirokastër
• Korçë
• Kukës
• Lezhë
• Shkodër
• Tirana
• Vlorë

Cities

• Tirana - the capital
• Berat
• Durrës
• Elbasan
• Fier
• Gjirokastër
• Korca
• Sarande
• Shkodra
• Vlorë
• Lezhe

Sights and Activities

Butrint

Butrint is one of the cultural highlights of Albania and on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is located in the south of the country and can be visited from Sarandë as a day trip. It used to be a city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods and was abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequently malaria epidemic. It had been inhabited since prehistoric times. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development. Butrint can even be visited as a day trip from the Greek Island of Corfu, meaning extra crowds during the summer months.

Gjirokäster

Another UNESCO site, the Museum-City of Gjirokästerin is located the Drinos River valley in southern Albania. It is a fine, but rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate. The 13th-century citadel is the main feature in the town with its typical tower houses, which have a tall basement, a first floor for use in the cold season, and a second floor for the warm season. The castle has an exhibit of Enver Hoxha's army's cannons and other features include the Ethnographic Museum, the Old Bazaar and the nearby old city of Antigonea.

Durrës

Durrës is one of the oldest cities in Albania and is the major port city of the country. The city has been flooded three times and the current one is built on top of the previous two. There are some fantastic sites as well including the largest amphitheater in the Balkans. Although there are some beaches and new hotels are being built all the time, hoping to see some tourists mainly from Italy, it is not a dream destination to spend your holiday. That said, it is a nice and convenient place to travel on your way from Italy to the Balkan region and vice versa. Boats leave for Bari daily.

Other sights and activities

• Albanian Alps
• Lura National Par
• Kruja

Events and Festivals

Weather

Parts of Albania, like other countries in the region, have a Mediterranean climate with generally warm and dry summers and mild, wet winters. Summer lasts from May until early October, with temperatures around 30 °C, sometimes close to 40 °C on the hottest days. Nights are around 20 °C at the coastline, but are cooler more inland and in the higher parts of the country.
Winter is from December to March, with coastal areas seeing temperatures between 10 °C and 15 °C, but inland areas can be much colder and the higher areas can have some snow.
Although summers are relatively dry, from November to May rainfall increases and Albania is wetter compared to many other countries in the Mediterranean region.

Getting There

By Plane

Tirana International Airport (also known as Rinas airport or Mother Teresa airport) is located 25 km north-west of Tirana. There are regular connections with Italy, Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, England, Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia. Albanian Airlines is the national carrier. Significant upgrades, including a new passenger terminal, were completed in March 2007 and the airport now describes itself as 'meeting international standards'. Taxis can take you to and from the airport for about 2500 Lek (roughly €20) each way. The journey is 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Rinas Express operates an hourly bus service (6am-6pm) between the Airport and the National Museum in the centre of Tirana. The one-way fare is 250 Lek.^[1]

By Car

You can drive into Albania from Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia or Greece. You need all the proper documentation, insurance and possibly a visa though regulations have become better. Some companies won't cover insurance for Albania though, so check things properly or you will have problems when you are involved in an accident.
To Greece, there are border crossings between Korça and Florina at Kapshtica/Krystallopigi, between Ioannina and Gjirokastra at Kakavija/Kakavia, between Ioannina and Përmeti, and north of the Greek port of Igoumenitsa at Konispoli/Sagiada.
There are four border crossings with Macedonia, the two most used are south and north of Lake Ohrid (via Pogradec or directly east from Elbasan).
Montenegro has two border crossings, the direct one to Podgorica is not in a good condition, the one from Shkodra is.

By Bus

Bus services link Tirana to Tetovo (Macedonia), Prishtina (Kosovo), Athens (Greece), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Istanbul (Turkey). To Prishtina, there are three daily buses taking 10 hours. Sofia is about 17 hours away.
To Ohrid in Macedonia, you will have to cross on foot from Pogradec (after taking a taxi to the border) and get an onward bus to Ohrid (45 minutes). There are regular minibuses between Shkodra and Ulcinj (40 minutes) in Montenegro.

By Boat

Albania's port cities of Durrës, Vlora, Shen Gjini and Saranda link the country to Italy and the Greek island of Corfu.Ionian Cruises has daily hydrofoils between Corfu and Saranda in Albania.
Ferry operators include Ventouris between Bari, Greece and Durres as well as Agoudimos Lines between Brindisi and Vlore.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are no domestic flights in Albania.

By Train

Durres, Tirana, Shkodra, Fier, Ballsh, Vlora and Pogradec all have railway stations and most trains terminate or originate in Tirana. Still, services are infrequent and slow and carriages are downright dirty sometimes, with broken windows being the rule rather than the exception. Tirana to Durres is just about an hour and if you really want to do a train trip in Albania, make it this short one. Otherwise, buses are much faster.

By Car

Although until recently there were only a few good roads, the road network is being upgraded at a rapid pace. Secondary roads are still in a rather deteriorated shape though. Other roads are winding mountain roads, but generally don't require a 4wd. You can rent cars and relatively high prices from most international firms at the international airport or downtown in Tirana. Renting a taxi for a day or so sometimes is just as expensive and save you the hassle of driving. Traffic drives on the right and you need a national driver's licence and international driving permit.

By Bus

Buses and minibuses (called 'furgons') ply most routes in the country and there are frequent services to the main cities and towns, including Tirana, Durres, Sarande, Shkodra, Vlora, Fier and Pogradec. They are reliable, cheap and comfortable modes of transport and often the best way to get around from point a to be the fastest.

By Boat

The only domestic ferry journey is the Komani to Fierza boat.

Red Tape

Passport holders from the following countries can get a 30-day visa upon arrival for about €10:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chili, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Canada, Korea, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Cyprus, Romania, San Marino, USA, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Other national need to apply for a visa in advance at the nearest embassy or consulate of Albania.

Money

See also: Money Matters

The currency of Albania is the Albanian Lek (ISO code: ALL) (plural Lekë). Albanian banknotes are in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 5000 lekë, while coins come in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 lekë.

Work

Study

Language

Albanians have a very unique language, taking up its own branch of the Indo-European language family. It doesn't compare easily to any other language and as a result, it is very hard to understand for an outsider. There are two main spoken dialects of Albanian, southern Tosk and northern Gheg, and they are mutually intelligible.

Italian is probably the most useful other language to know as a traveller, as many Albanians have learnt to speak it by working in Italy or through Italian broadcasts on television. Many Albanians are multilingual, often able to speak 3 or 4 languages with varying levels of fluency. Consequently, it is possible to get by in English, Greek or French. Russian is understood to some degree by some of the older generation, as they were taught it in school when they were younger.

Though not specifically language related, it is well worth pointing out an interesting difference in Albanian custom. Nodding means 'no' in Albania and shaking your head means 'yes'. Considering you often have to resort to waving your arms around and using physical communications due to language barriers, this can become exceedingly confusing.

Eat

Albania has a variety of different cuisines to offer, such as Italian, Turkish and Greek.

A must try when visiting Albania is the "Koran" fish in the city of Pogradec near the city of Korca. Also the signature dish of Albania called Burek.

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Albania is: 355
To make an international call from Albania, the code is: 00

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