Eastern Europe - Travel To Albania

 

Awaking Sleeping Beauty–like in the 1990s from her hardline communist isolation, Albania was a stranger from another time. Her cities weren’t choked by car fumes, her beaches were unspoilt by mass tourism, her long-suffering people were a little dazed and confused. While things have changed a lot since then, this ancient land still offers something increasingly rare in Europe these days – a glance into a culture that is all its own. Raised on a diet of separation and hardship, Albania is distinctly Albanian.

You’ll continue to find beautiful pristine beaches on parts of the Ionian Coast (try the charming town of Saranda), fascinating classical sites like ancient Berat, and dramatic mountain citadels, but the mad traffic of Tirana is symptomatic of a bustling, bright city shrugging off its Stalinist grey patina. Squat toilets are no longer the norm and you can even sip cocktails at hip bars while listening to rock bands. Meanwhile, Northern Albania keeps the country's reputation as a wild frontier alive and well, with bleak mountains and the occasional blood feud.

Not just the preserve of the adventurous, Albania is a warm and sincerely hospitable country – with enough rough edges to keep it interesting. Book you cheap flight to Albania with ASAP Travel Deals today to experience this country for your self.

Best time to find the cheapest flights to Albania

Coastal Albania has a pleasant Mediterranean climate. Summer is the peak tourist season, when people from the sweltering interior escape temperatures that can reach the high 30s in July. In Tirana and other inland towns on the plains there is plenty of rainfall during the winter, but temperatures below freezing are rare. The high mountains often experience heavy snow between November and March. The best time to visit Albania is spring or autumn.

Getting around Albania

Most Albanians travel around their country in buses or furgons, which are nine- to 12-seater vans. Buses to Tirana depart from towns all around Albania at the crack of dawn. Pay the conductor on board; the fares are low (eg Tirana–Durrës is 100 lekë). Tickets are rarely issued.

Both buses and furgons are privately owned and don’t follow a timetable – they leave when they’ve got enough passengers to make it worth their while. The furgon and bus drivers seem to take it in turns to strike, each looking for some concession from the government to restrict the activities of the other. At the time of writing it was the bus drivers’ turn, some of whom were on hunger strike. Clearly neither group make much money from the meagre fares charged.

The furgon system can seem daunting at first, but it actually works really well. There are always more furgons running in the mornings and the last departure is usually in plenty of time to enable the driver (they’re always men) to reach his destination before nightfall.

Before 1948 Albania had no passenger railways, but the communists built up a limited north–south rail network. Today, however, nobody who can afford other types of transport takes the train, even though fares are seriously cheap. The reason will be obvious once you board: the decrepit carriages typically have broken windows, no toilets and are agonisingly slow. That said, they are something of an adventure and some of the routes are quite scenic.

Facts about Albania

• Don't miss the ancient city of Butrint, with archaeological remains spanning 2,500 years. Embark on one of the suggested walks or take a boat trip around the park.

• See the other interesting and accessible archaeological sites, such as the abandoned city of Apollonia and the Roman amphitheatre in Durrësi. Byllis is a little harder to get to, but well worth the effort.

• Visit Rozafa Castle, in Shkodra. Built before the Roman conquest, it was last used for military purposes as recently as 1913. Rozafa was the last fortress in Albania to fall to the Ottomans, in 1479.

• Make the easy day trip from Tirana to Kruja, the family seat of Albania's 15th-century hero, Skanderbeg. Within the medieval castle's walls are two interesting museums. The restored Ottoman bazaar just outside the castle offers the best souvenir-shopping in Albania.

• Explore the Ottoman cities of Gjirokastra and Berati, with their unique domestic architecture and their imposing hilltop castles.

• The national collections of religious art, in Tirana, Korça and Berati, contain wonderful icons painted by the 16th-century artist Onufri and his successors in the 18th and 19th centuries.

• Admire the vibrant colours of the frescoes in Albania's little-known churches. Voskopoja, near Korça, was once the largest city in the Balkans, full of churches and basilicas, and with its own academy where artists were trained.

Albania Airports

Albania’s only international airport is Nënë Tereza International Airport (also known as Mother Theresa and, more commonly, Rinas airport), which is located 26km northwest of Tirana. There are no domestic flights within Albania.

Visa/Passport requirements

No visa is required by citizens of EU countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland or the USA. Citizens of all countries – even those entering visa-free – will be required to pay an ‘entry tax’ at the border. The entry tax for all visitors (apart from Czechs and Poles; they get in for free) is €10.

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