Albania – how to get there
Airplane: A journey by airplane is among other things with theAirlines Albanian Airlines from Prishtina (Kosovo), Adria Airways from Ljubljana (Slovenia), Hemus Air from Sofia (Bulgaria), JAT Airways from Belgrade (Serbia) and Malév Hungarian Airlines from Budapest (Hungary) are possible.
Airports: Albania’s only international oneairportis the Nënë Teresa International Airport about 26 kilometers northwest of Tirana.
Car: Albania borders Greece, Macedonia and Montenegro and Kosovo. Access to or from all neighboring countries is usually problem-free and unrestricted.
To Greece there are border crossings between Korça and Florina on Kapshtica / Krystallopigi between Ioannina and Gjirokastra on Kakavija / Kakavia between Ioannina and Përmeti, and north of the Greek port city of Igoumenitsa on Konispoli / Sagiada.
Between Albania and Macedonia there are currently four border crossings. The two most important are on both sides of Lake Ohrid: Qafa e Degen-Kafa San, 65 km east of Elbasan and Tushëmishti-Sveti Naum, 5 km east of Pogradec. The latter is usually crossed on foot. You can then continue your journey by taxi or, on the Macedonian side, by bus. There are two smaller border crossings in Blato, 5 km northwest of Debar, and Stenje on the western shore of Lake Prespa.
After Montenegro there are currently two border crossings. There are regular minibuses between Shkodra and Ulcinj via the Muriqani border crossing. Another border crossing is at Han i Hotit.
The best border crossing for travelers from Kosovo is Morina / Vrbnica between Kukës and Prizren.
Bus: Bus routes operate between Albania and Kosovo and between Albania and Bulgaria and Macedonia
Albania – traveling in the country
Airplane: There are no domestic flights in Albania.
Bus: an inexpensive way of traveling within the country, which most Albanians also use, is to travel by bus or so-called furgons – vans with nine to twelve seats. There are daily buses to Tirana from almost all cities in Albania. The prices for the bus trips are very low.
Both the buses and the furgons are privately owned and do not run according to a fixed timetable, but only when there are enough passengers. At first glance, the Furgeon system appears to be challenging; however, it works pretty well.
Automobile: Albania has only recently had its official traffic regulations. Most drivers have only learned to drive in recent years. During the communist era, car owners needed government permits, which were rarely given and little investment was made in the road network.
Albania has improved its infrastructure in recent years, but is still far behind European Standard back. There are good motorable roads from the Macedonian border to Tirana and Durrës and from these cities out to the north towards Shkodra. The main roads to the south will be widened. The coastal road from Vlora to Saranda is particularly tricky. The signage of theHighwaysis bad and there are many construction sites to deal with the explosive increase in the number of vehicles. The local, rather unorthodox driving habits do not make driving easy for travelers either. Off the main roads, four-wheel drive is a necessity. Driving at night is particularly dangerous and driving on mountain roads is not recommended in the winter months. There is still no national automobile association in Albania.
Rental car: the principle of rental cars is relatively new in Albania and, given the driving conditions, traveling by rental car is not recommended.
Train: before 1948 there were no passenger railways in Albania. However, the communist government built a limited north-south rail network. Nowadays, however, nobody who can afford any other means of transport takes the train, even though the tariffs are cheap. The reason for this is the poor condition of the trains: decrepit wagons, usually with broken windows and no toilets. On top of that, the trains are only painfully slow. A trip by train is therefore more of an adventurous character and some routes are also very picturesque.
Bicycle: Although many Albanians regularly cycle short distances through the country, cycling around the country is not recommended for visitors for safety reasons. In addition, many roads are unpaved and there are no bike lanes across the country.
Albania – places of interest
Albania is one of those countries that the tourism industry has not yet really discovered as a source of income. Still, the country has a few attractions to offer. Visit thenailmythology.com for Albania destinations.
Durrës Plazh – Durrës is particularly recommended for bathers. This is a lovely sandy beach not far from the city of Durrës. Another recommendation is the Shëtitorja – Durrës. Here you canbathego, but diving there is also an experience. From Shëtitorja – Durrës you can explore the underwater ruins of the old town of Shëtitorja. The part of the old town wall that has sunk into the sea is just a hundred meters from the beach.
The amphitheater in the city of Durrës is absolutely impressive. It was discovered by accident in the twentieth century when a cavity was encountered. After a while it became theatre completely exposed. Particularly interesting are the fascinating mosaics of the chapel, which is located under the auditorium.
The castle of Kruja is also worth a visit. The castle is also known as the “Balcony of the Adriatic”. Anyone visiting the castle should also visit the Skanderbeg Museum there. All kinds of pieces about the Albanian national saint are shown in the museum.
You should definitely have seen the Dorso fortress of Tirana. It is one of the main tourist magnets in the whole country. The fortress is of great importance to the country’s culture as it is a major part of early Illyrian culture.
The castle of Berati, the Kalaja, is worth a detour. It is one of the highlights of the city. The best way to get to the castle is through the Mangalem district, which is made up of small houses as it was hundreds of years ago.
The Kanina Castle near Vlora is absolutely impressive. The castle is located on a hill, right on the ancient trade route between the cities of Aulon and Amantia. Exactly from which time the castle originates is difficult to prove, since the remains of the wall date back to the Illyrian period around the fourth century. But there are also Justinian, Byzantine and Ottoman elements, which makes it extremely difficult to determine the time.
The Petrela castle ruins are also worth seeing. The ruins are in a fantastic landscape that should not be missed. The nearby mountain village of Petrela is well worth a visit, as nothing great has changed here for a few hundred years.
You should definitely not miss a visit to the Roman ruins on the Butrint peninsula in Lake Butrinter. Here you can visit the ruins of various houses, churches, baths and a theater. The old remains are in astonishingly good condition. The peninsula is under nature protection, so nature has expanded there accordingly, which gives the Roman ruins their corresponding charm.
You should also see the fortress of Ali Pasha Tepelena from the nineteenth century. The fortress is located exactly on the opposite bank of the aforementioned peninsula.
Other old buildings or castles that are worth seeing are the Roman cistern in Berati, Rozafa near Shkodra, the city walls of Elbasan and a long list of other buildings and monuments.
Museum lovers will not miss out on a holiday in Albania either, as there are a large number of museums here.
So they should definitely see the ethnographic museum in Elbsan. The eighteenth-century building alone is worth a visit. Inside the museum, exhibitions on traditional handicrafts from the Ottoman period are shown.
The gallery of figurative art in Tirana is worth a visit. It shows the work of Albanian and foreign artists. Up to 3,200 different works can currently be seen.
Other interesting museums in the country are the National Historical Museum in Tirana, the National Museum of Medieval Albanian Art in Korca, the Onufri Museum in Berati, the Piramida in Tirana etc.
Albania also has various sacred buildings to offer. A large part of the old sacred buildings are mosques, but there are also some churches of the Christian faith to be visited. The historic churches and mosques can be seen all over the country.
The country also has some sights of natural origin to offer, such as B. Dajti, Galicica National Park, the mineral springs (Gijrokastra, Teplene, Glina), Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa, etc.
Nature lovers will get their money’s worth in Albania one hundred percent.
