I plan to visit Tirana in the coming months. From Tirana I would like to make day trips to Albanian cities and towns outside Tirana. I would like to know if locals or people who have visited Albania could make recommendations.
Ideally, I would like to visit areas where the Ottoman architectural influence is strong and where some Greco-Roman ruins can be found too. If the location has remnants of Communist-era Enverist kitsch then that would be ideal too!
Would readers recommend any of the following? This is my current list of preferences, more or less in order:
-Kruje
-Berat
-Gjirokaster
-Shkoder
-Butrint
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
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Hey Belfast Bound,
Your choice of cities is really good. You can do day trips to Kruja, Berat and Shkoder but Gjirokaster and Butrinti you cannot but you can visit them at one shot. I would recommend you travel to Saranda via coastal road (it has been repaired recently) and stay in Saranda. Butrinti is half hour from there. Then, drive to Gjirokaster and later on to Tirana. Maybe you need two nights to stay on the road. You can stay one night in Saranda and the other in Gjirokaster.
Have a great time, this is a beautiful country.
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Kruje is good for the restored market area and the castle with Skanderbeg Museum and Ethnological Museum.
Berat is a must see. The castle, the old town, the Gorica quarter, the mountain of Tomor, all good stuff.
Gjirokaster is also great. The hotel Kalemi is a fantastic place to stay in a restored traditional house. The castle/museum is good.
Shkoder is OK.. Nice photographic museum, good castle, good gateway to the northern mountains, the bridge at Mesi is cool.
Butrint is also a must see. I recommend a route from Tirana, stay overnight in Berat, down the coast via Vlore, Llogara pass, Dhermi, Vuno/Jal, Himara, Qeoparo, Borshi, Piqeras, and Saranda. Return to Tirana via Gjirokaster and Tepelena. Be sure to make a side trip to Byllis near Ballsh. Fantastic Illyrian/Greek/Roman site perched over the Vjosa river valley. I like it better than Butrint because of the isolation and location.
As for ex-commie kitsch, don%26#39;t worry. It%26#39;s everywhere!
If you have specific questions, shoot me an e-mail at sksintirana(at)hotmail.com
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i love Shkoder - its way more than ok! (but i admit to being incredibly biased as my husband and his family come from Shkoder!)
The castle Rozafa is lovely and there is a museum in the grounds - be warned all the details are written in Albanian. There is the lake and if you visit Shirok you can have a lovely lakeside meal with beautiful views :-)
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How easy is it to get from Saranda to Tirana please.
My Wife and I are considering coming from Cyprus to Corfu (satying a few days as we love the island) and trying to get a ferry across to Saranda, as we are not sure how to get to Durres.
We want to visit Tirana and specifically buy some items in the shops in town and thought we could use a short visit to discover more and come back for another vist with real time on our hands to discover some of the lovely places mentioned above.
But it seems so difficult to find out how to get to Albania except say a direct flight via Athens from Cyprus.
Would very much appreciatte some advice please.
Many thanks
Alan
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AlanCyprus wrote:
Re: Best Albanian Cities %26amp; Towns outside Tirana?
Aug 19, 2009 11:43 AM
How easy is it to get from Saranda to Tirana please.
My Wife and I are considering coming from Cyprus to Corfu (satying a few days as we love the island) and trying to get a ferry across to Saranda, as we are not sure how to get to Durres.
We want to visit Tirana and specifically buy some items in the shops in town and thought we could use a short visit to discover more and come back for another vist with real time on our hands to discover some of the lovely places mentioned above.
But it seems so difficult to find out how to get to Albania except say a direct flight via Athens from Cyprus.
Would very much appreciatte some advice please.
Many thanks
Alan
Alan,
From Saranda to Tirana is 5-6 hours in a private car, depending on how fast you drive, traffic, construction and other limiting factors. There are also buses and mini-buses that take much longer as they stop more and don%26#39;t go as quickly. You have two choices as to the route to take, either the coast road or the inland route via Gjirokaster. I advise you to take the coast road as it is spectacular. Better yet, if you only have a few days to %26quot;taste%26quot; Albania, don%26#39;t waste time and energy coming up to Tirana. Stay in Saranda and make day trips to Butrint, Gjirokaster, the Blue Eye spring, Borshi, or any of a number of sites within a hour%26#39;s drive of Sarande. If you try to rush up to Tirana or Durres, you%26#39;ll just be tired and miss out on the best part of the country; the relaxed lifestyle!
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Thank you very much for that advice.
How expensive is the one hour trip to visit these places and back with a tour guide or local taxi please.
What rate are they giving in lLbania for Sterling pounds or Euros.
Do people like a particular currency ?
Best wishes,
Alan
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You wrote:
How expensive is the one hour trip to visit these places and back with a tour guide or local taxi please.
What rate are they giving in lLbania for Sterling pounds or Euros.
Do people like a particular currency ?
Depending on how you travel, day trips from Saranda can be inexpensive or ridiculously inexpensive. Hiring a taxi is the most expensive way to go. Depending on how good your negotiating skills are and what time of year it is, you may be able to get a car and driver for a daily rate of around 50 Euro. This way you don%26#39;t waste time waiting around. There also may be a rental car option if you drive.
If you choose to travel by mini-bus, getting around is cheap. Buses are even cheaper. The only problems with these are irregular schedules and limited service. You can catch a bus to Borshi, but then you have to wait for one going back which could be a few hours or a day.
As of today, the exchange rate is 134 Lek to the Euro or 150 Lek to the GB pound.
Most merchants will take Euro, pounds, or dollars, but it is always easier to use local currency, especially in smaller shops or more remote villages. You need to be aware that many Albanians will quote the price in %26quot;old Lek%26quot; which refers to the currency before the lek was devalued (in 1964). If something costs 100 lek, they will give a price of 1,000 lek. Even those who were born long after the devaluation occured will do it. Really weird. When I first came to Tirana, I had a guy latch on to me in the main street and give me a little tour of downtown. After a few minutes he starts telling me about his poor mother needing medecine and I, being a gullible newcomer, asked how much it would cost. He says, %26quot;two thousand lek%26quot; (about 20 dollars). I give him 2,000 and he damn near had a heart attack. He really only wanted 200 from me for a coffee for him and his friends! Needless to say, he would always greet me and ask if I wanted a tour guide every time I saw him. Until I learned enough Albanian to tell him to take a hike!
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Thanks for the reply especially the devaluation of the Leke!
Need to be careful.
The exchange rates are VERY HELPFUL.
Many thanks
Alan
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Hey TiranaTransplant !
We need your advice on traveling from Tirana to Sarande.
1. What’s the best route to take?
2. Where’s worth stopping off – taking a detour?
We fly into Tirana at 9am and don’t need to be in
Sarande until late that evening.
Thanks.
L.
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