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| ⇒ Country Profile: Albania |
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 Introduction
It is mainly people that have never been to Albania who are responsible for the country's bad press. Those who discover Albania for themselves usually return singing the praises of its friendly, tolerant people, its fascinating Ottoman cities and other historical sites and its magnificent mountain scenery and charming villages.
Albania has something to offer almost everyone. Hikers will love the Albanian Alps or the Tomorri massif, whilst cyclists will find a network of ancient tracks criss-crossing the country. Those who are interested in archaeology can spend hours in the complex sites of Butrint and Byllis. History-lovers can explore ancient castles, Ottoman fortresses and the museum cities of Berati and Gjirokastra. Art connoisseurs should visit the little-known medieval churches, with their beautiful frescoes, and the icon collections in Tirana, Korca and Berati. And gourmets will enjoy the delicious seafood, mountain lamb, organic fruit and vegetables and, of course, Albania's excellent wine.
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Contact Information
Keys Facts
Location
Southeastern Europe, Western Balkans.
Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Area
28,748 sq km (11,100 sq miles).
Population
3.6 million (2008 estimate).
Population Density
126 per sq km.
Capital
Tirana. Population: 602,000 (2008).
Geography
Albania is bordered by Montenegro and Kosovo to the north, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the southeast. Italy lies across the Mediterranean to the west; at its narrowest point, close to where the Adriatic and Ionian Seas meet, Italy and Albania are only 75km (47 miles) apart. Albania's highest point is the summit of Mt Jezerca (2693m/8835ft), in the Dinaric Alps in the far north. The largest lake in the Balkans, Lake Shkodra, straddles the border between Albania and Montenegro; in the southwest, Lake Ohrid is shared with Macedonia and the Prespa Lakes between Albania, Macedonia and Greece.
Government
Parliamentary republic, under a constitution passed in 1998.
Head of State
President Bamir Topi since 2007.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Sali Berisha since 2005.
History
Albania was the last country in Europe to hold multi-party elections, in March 1991. The first year of democracy was turbulent; the country stabilised after the March 1992 elections, but the collapse of pyramid-banking schemes brought Albania to the brink of civil war in early 1997. Since then, Albania has gradually become more politically stable and economically prosperous. The 2005 parliamentary elections resulted in the first peaceful handover of power from one governing party to another.
Language
The official language is Albanian. Greek is widely spoken in the south of the country, and some state schools there use Greek as the medium of education. Many Albanians speak Italian; some also know French or English.
Religion
Albania is an extremely secular society. The traditional breakdown is 70% Muslim, 20% Orthodox (the autocephalous Albanian church) and 10% Catholic, but at best these figures indicate nothing more than nominal attachment to each faith.
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Social Conventions
Normal Albanian etiquette is for people to shake hands the first time they see each other every day, and then again when they part. Between friends, a kiss on both cheeks is exchanged by men as well as women.
The usual way to indicate 'yes' is by moving the head horizontally from side to side. 'No' is usually signalled by a slight raising of the eyebrows, sometimes accompanied by a gentle click of the tongue.
Albanians usually remove their shoes inside their homes or other people's houses. If you are visiting an Albanian home, you will be offered a pair of slippers or plastic sandals to wear while you are indoors.
Smoking is widespread, and it is very unusual to find a non-smoking section in a restaurant, never mind a bar. However, smoking is not allowed on public transport, and this ban is almost always respected. On long journeys, the bus or minibus will stop for a cigarette-break from time to time.
Homosexuality is taboo, although not illegal. Public displays of affection by gay couples are likely to be greeted with some hostility.
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Accommodation
Hotels
Almost every town in Albania has at least one hotel of a reasonable international standard. As one would expect, the capital city has the widest range, with accommodation ranging from the luxury end of the market - the Sheraton (www.starwood.com/sheratontirana) and the Rogner (www.hotel-europapark.com) - through business hotels and cosier, family-run establishments, to budget options including Albania's only Backpacker Hostel (www.tiranahostel.com), in a 19th-century villa a few minutes' walk from the city centre. Accommodation in the capital and throughout the country can be reserved through two Tirana-based travel agencies (see Accommodation Information below).
Grading: There is a somewhat haphazard grading system, using stars, which does not necessarily correspond to the facilities provided.
Guest Houses
Outside Tirana, accommodation is usually in family-run guest houses or in large, communist-era hotels, most of which have been renovated to at least an acceptable standard. There are top-of-the-range hotels at Saranda, Durresi, Vlora and at a couple of beach resorts.
Accommodation Information
Albania Holidays
Boulevard Zogu I, Qendra Tregetare Tirana, 2nd floor, Tirana, Albania
Tel: (042) 235 688.
Websites: www.albania-holidays.com or www.albania-hotel.com
ATHS
Rruga e Durresit, Pall. 102, Tirana, Albania
Tel: (042) 240 955.
Website: www.aths-travel.com
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Communication
Telephone
Country code: 355. City codes: Tirana 042, Durresi 0522, Elbasani 0542, Shkodra 0222, Gjirokastra 0842, Korca 0822.
Mobile Telephone
Coverage is good, except in the most remote, mountainous areas.
Internet
Almost every sizeable town in Albania has public Internet access, usually via an Internet cafe. Some hotels, especially in Tirana, have broadband connections in the guest rooms; a few have Wi-Fi.
Post
The Albanian postal service is not 100% reliable, although it is not especially bad either. Important documents should be sent by courier. DHL and Federal Express have offices in Tirana and a few other cities. An internal courier service called ACS operates within Albania.
Post office hours: The central post office in Tirana is open from 0730 to 2000 Mon-Sun.
Media
Albania has a good diversity of print and electronic media, although the market is undeveloped which means that all privately-owned outlets are dependent to at least some extent on government advertising. Newspapers are often very partisan; indeed, three widely available papers are published by political parties. Political parties, religious groups and state bodies aren't allowed to own private TV and radio stations.
Press
- Rilindja Demokratike, the organ of the ruling Democratic Party, has a circulation of 50,000.
- The Albanian Daily News and Tirana Times are English-language newspapers.
- Some Albanian newspapers contain a few pages in English; these include Gazeta Shqiptare.
TV
- In addition to the state-owned public broadcaster, TVSH, several privately owned stations are licensed to broadcast in almost every district of the country.
- TV Arberia (TVA) is a private network.
- Some hotels in Tirana and elsewhere have satellite television in the bedrooms.
Radio
- There are many radio stations; most of them are music channels.
- The BBC World Service broadcasts in Tirana on 103.9 FM, and of course on its usual short-wave channels elsewhere in the country.
- The Voice of America broadcasts to Albania on medium and short wave.
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Entertainment
Food and Drink
Albanian cuisine is excellent, with both Ottoman and Italian influences evident. There are many good restaurants everywhere, although obviously in smaller towns the choice is less wide than in the cities. Vegetarians will find themselves eating a lot of salad; luckily for them, Albanian tomatoes and cucumber are delicious.
Albanian vineyards produce high-quality wine, some of it from indigenous grapes such as Kallmet (red) and Shesh (red and white). Grapes are also used to make raki, a clear spirit which is the country's national drink.
National specialities:
- Mediterranean fish such as sea-bream and sea-bass, as well as eels.
- Koran (a species of trout unique to the Ohrid and Prespa lakes).
- Traditional dishes often use vegetables and yoghurt or curd cheese to make the meat go further.
- Pace koke (sheep's head soup).
- Kukurec (sheep's innards in a gut casing).
National drinks:
- Apart from raki (see above), Albania's other national drink is coffee. In bars and restaurants, this usually means espresso or cappuccino.
- In private homes, kafe turke is made in the traditional Balkan way, with grounds and sugar brewed together.
Tipping: The usual tipping practice is to round the bill up by about 10%.
Nightlife
Nightclubs in Tirana stay open until very late. The music is sometimes live, especially at weekends. Outside Tirana, clubs of this sort are less common; in the coastal towns during the summer tourist season, music and dancing is laid on in the big hotels.
The local cinema chain, Millennium, has branches in all the large towns. They usually screen Hollywood films, in the original language with Albanian subtitles.
Albania has a high standard of classical music. Opera, ballet and concert performances take place throughout the year in Tirana, and to a lesser extent elsewhere.
Shopping
The best place in Albania to shop for traditional crafts is Kruja, less than an hour from Tirana. The bazaar there has felt-makers, rug-weavers and antique dealers. Many of the Kruja shops sell small souvenirs such as Albanian flags, copper plates and ashtrays in the shape of bunkers. Apart from Kruja, there are a few souvenir shops in Tirana, an artisans' co-operative in Gjirokastra and a souvenir stall at Butrint.
Shopping hours: Generally Mon-Sun 0900-1500 and then again for a couple of hours in the early evening (variable according to the time of year). Not all shops open on Sundays.
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Getting There
Getting There by Air
The national airline is Albanian Airlines (LV) (website: www.albanianairlines.com.al), which operates direct flights to London Stansted from July to September. British Airways (BA) (website: www.ba.com) has a year-round direct service from London Gatwick.
Approximate Flight Times
From London to Tirana is 3 hours on a direct flight.
Main Airports
Tirana International Airport (TIA) (website: www.tirana-airport.com.al) is 25km (16 miles) from the capital. To/from the airport: An hourly bus service runs into the city centre between 0700 and 1900 (journey time - 30 minutes if traffic is light). Taxis are also available. Facilities: Small duty-free shop, ATM (in arrivals terminal), newsagents, souvenir kiosk and cafe.
Departure Tax
US$10 is levied on all foreign nationals. Nationals of Albania pay Lek1,000.
Getting There by Water
Main ports: Durresi, Vlora and Shengjini.
Durresi has connections to Bari (journey time - 9 hours), to Ancona (journey time - 18 hours) and to Trieste (journey time - 24 hours) in Italy (website: www.cemar.it/dest/traghetti_albania.htm). It is also possible to travel from Durresi to Bari via catamaran (journey time - 3 hours) (website: www.venezialines.com).
Vlora has ferry connections to Brindisi (journey time - 6-8 hours) (website: www.agoudimos-lines.com and www.skenderbeglines.com).
Saranda has a hydrofoil service (journey time - 30 minutes) and a ferry service (journey time - 90 minutes) to Corfu. The ferry companies Finikas and Albkorfuz have ticket-offices in Corfu town.
Getting There by Rail
There are no international passenger services at present.
Getting There by Road
The main road crossings into Albania are from Ulcinj (Ulqini) and Podgorica in Montenegro; Prizreni in Kosova; Debar, Struga and Ohrid in Macedonia; Kastoria (Kosturi) and Ioannina in Greece. Drivers bringing their own car into Albania pay a nominal circulation tax, which is valid for 60 days. Guarded parking is essential; mid-range hotels (and better) usually provide this to guests.
The main international bus routes to Tirana are from Prishtina via Prizreni in Kosova; from Tetova via Debar in Macedonia; and from Thessalonica, Ioannina and Athens in Greece. There are also buses from Ulqinj to Shkodra.
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Sightseeing
- Don't miss the ancient city of Butrint (website: www.butrint.org), 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 Durresi. 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, Korca 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 Korca, was once the largest city in the Balkans, full of churches and basilicas, and with its own academy where artists were trained.
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Things To Do
- Hike in Albania's magnificent mountains. The two areas with the best infrastructure (in terms of accommodation, guides etc) are the Albanian Alps in the far north and the Tomorri massif in the southeast. Outdoor Albania (www.outdooralbania.com) organises hiking, skiing and mountain-biking tours throughout the country.
- Explore Tirana's communist past. Sights include the murals and statues in the city centre, the house where Enver Hoxha lived and the Pyramid, built as his mausoleum. Afterwards, take a bus or taxi up to the Martyrs' (partisans') Cemetery, with its statue of Mother Albania.
- Take the ferry up the jade waters of Lake Komani, hemmed in on both sides with towering cliffs. Look out for pygmy cormorants, herons and golden eagles.
- Sunbathe or swim on one of Albania's beautiful beaches. They slope gently into the Adriatic and are more rugged further south. The lakes have beaches too. But be warned: in high season, all but the most remote beaches are crowded and dirty.
- Go white-water rafting through the spectacular canyons of the Osumi River. Outdoor Albania (www.outdooralbania.com) has qualified and experienced guides, or the Castle Park Hotel in Berati organises rafting weekends.
- Cycle (or drive, or take the bus) through the Gramoz mountains from Korca to Permeti. Allow time to enjoy the dramatic views and sample the food in the restaurants along the way.
- Birdwatch in the coastal wetlands of Karavastaja, the westernmost breeding site of the Dalmatian pelican, or Kune-Vaini, home to spotted eagles, spoonbills and herons.
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Transport
Getting Around by Air
There are no internal flights.
Getting Around by Water
The only internal boat journey is the Komani-Fierza ferry (see Things to Do).
Getting Around by Rail
The hub of the national railway network is Durresi. From there, services operate to Tirana, Shkodra, Vlora and Pogradeci. Trains are diesel, infrequent (except between Tirana and Durresi) and slow.
Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the right. Successive Albanian governments have invested heavily in highway improvement and the main inter-city routes are now of a reasonable standard. However, Albania is a mountainous country and some towns will be connected by relatively narrow, winding roads for the foreseeable future. 4-wheel drive is not normally required.
Bus: All main towns are connected by good bus and/or minibus services to Tirana and to their neighbouring towns.
Car hire: Cars can be hired in Tirana from the usual international companies, although they are expensive compared to northern Europe and North America. It may be cheaper, and will certainly be less stressful, to arrange a chauffeur-driven car in advance through one of the Tirana-based travel agencies.
Regulations: Normal European speed limits apply (50kph/30mph in built-up areas, 80kph/50mph on open roads, depending on their quality). Front-seat passengers are required to use seat belts, in built-up areas as well as on the open road.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit (technically this should be accompanied with a certified translation) and national driving licence are required. Travellers bringing their own car into Albania should ascertain before departure that their insurance is valid there; emergency breakdown cover is also worth considering.
Getting Around Towns and Cities
Taxis are plentiful and relatively economical for short journeys within city limits. Urban buses are very cheap but usually very crowded. In Tirana, there is a flat fare for any bus journey; within the city centre, taxis also have a flat fare, which should be agreed with the driver before setting off.
Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times from Tirana (in hours and minutes) to other major cities/towns in Albania.
| Road | Rail |
| Durresi | 0.45 | 1.00 |
| Shkodra | 2.00 | 3.30 |
| Gjirokastra | 4.30 | - |
| Korca | 4.00 | - |
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Weather
Albania has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters in the lowlands. In the highlands, snow can fall from November until March; mountain towns are very cold at this time of year.
Required Clothing
Dependent on the time of year and regions of the country to be visited, and also on the activities planned. For outdoor activities in the mountains, good waterproofs and warm layers should be carried at all times of year. On the coast in summer, long trousers and a light jacket will often be required in the evenings.
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