I am planning to drive from Croatia to Igoumenitsa and then take the ferry to Corfu.
Does anyone have tips on how long the journey is likely to take, and places to stay with my three young kids, especially in Albania?
AG
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i am planning to drive from athens to dubrovnik on 10 August.
Athens-Larisa-Florina-Bitola in FYROM-Ohrid in FYROM -Elbasan in Albania-Tirana in Albania-Shcoder in Albania-Montenegro-Dubrovnik in croatia.
MY OPINION IS TO DON%26#39;T STAY IN ALBANIA.
STAY IN OHRID in FYROM or METSOVO in greece.
the roads in south albania is terrible.
i recommend you to come in Igoumenitsa via FYROM (Tirana-Elbasan-Ohrid-bitola-florina-grevena-metsovo-ioannina-Igoumenitsa)
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As a person who was stationed in Albania for over a year, I DONT recomend that you attempt to drive to Igoumenitsa through Albania.
-It is not safe
-Dont bring a car or valuables that you dont mind losing
-Medical care in Albania is on par with Afghanistan (Im not kidding)
-Somonella is common
-Decent lodging expensive and rare
IF you choose to make this trip cross from Montenagro EARLY! and get through Albania by the most direct route and plan to stay in Greece in the city of Ioannina then drive to Igoumentisa the following day.
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I realize that my reply comes too late for the person inquiring in this thread, however it might be helpful for others in the future. There are no safety reasons that you should worry about while traveling thru Albania (some roads are not so great, but for the most part they have been rebuild).
During summer of 2007, I took a trip from Athens, Delphi, Ioannina (Zagorohoria Villages)crossed the border into Albania thru Kakavia, went to Gjirokastra, Saranda, took the ferry to Corfu, then back to Sarands, Dhermi, Vlora, Tirana, Durres and Shkodra.
I believe the two responses above were deliberate to create a sense of danger in connection with traveling to Albania (looks like they came from some not-so-friendly neighbors who seem threatened by Albanian tourism. What they don%26#39;t understand is that people will travel wherever they want to, it’s a free world, and due to the proximity between the two countries, people who travel to Greece also like to cross over the border in Albania to see a different country, and vice versa). Please do not be discouraged by such statements, if they were true there would be no tourists in Albania and that is certainly not true.
The beaches in the south starting with Vlora, Dhermi, Himara, Borsh, and Saranda are great getaways. You will find places which are crowded (if that is what you are looking for), and also spots where you will enjoy the beaches all to yourself.
P.S. there are several daily ferries that cross from Corfu to Saranda, and vice versa for less than 1 hr. In Saranda you can visit the ancient city of Butrint, relax on some beach in Ksamil, and enjoy the night life of Saranda. Hotels and food are pretty cheap.
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Definitely agree with Pojani... The two posts that talk about dangers in Albania seems to have been written during the cold war era... Definitely come and visit Albania. It is still very special and the roads to South is now one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean (still to finish 1/3 of it). And just think twice before skipping Tirana - it%26#39;s a modern and (although chaotic) welcoming city with a lot to see and try...
Seems this is late but that would be great to know your opinion ASGUK
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I agree absolutely with the previous 2 posts!!
Albania is a wonderful country to visit, the roads have improved enormously as well. We have driven from UK to Igoumenitsa a few times.
The people are wonderful, open, friendly, generous to a fault and they love the English and the Americans. You will be very safe and the hotels are of an incredibly high standard - especially compared to Greece now. That%26#39;s why all the negative warnings - they are threatened. I now live in Ohrid in Macedonia and we go around the corner regularly to Albania!!
So don%26#39;t be scared - it%26#39;s a great adventure and the country is beautiful.
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I realise the negative messages were posted a year ago, but I have to say that I could not disagree more with them. I spent the first week in June 2009 touring Albania with my daughter in a rented car. Starting from Tirana, we drove to the coast at Durres then south through Vlore, over the Llogara Pass, through Dhermi/Dryades to Saranda, then back on the inland route through Gjirokaster, Fier, back to Durres then home from Mother Tereza Airport.
We stayed in lovely hotels everywhere (the Theranda in Tirana, the Paradise Beach south of Vlore, the Drymades beach resort, the Ando Lupu I in Saranda and the Adriatik in Durres). They were all very good and very inexpensive compared with similar standard accommodation in other countries. The people we met everywhere were lovely.
My only slight reservation was that some parts of the roads were in very poor condition, but there is loads of construction/improvement work going on everywhere and the majority of roads that had been reconstructed were very good.
Apart from that I can honestly say that, as two women travelling alone through quite a large area of Albania, we felt totally safe and had a wonderful holiday.
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I have made that drive two times in the last three years, the first time being a first time traveler to Albania. You can take a ferry from Sanrande in southernmost Albania to Corfu. I put my motorcycle on the ferry there and it worked out very well.
As far as driving, the first time I went I had to deal with %26quot;roads%26quot; that were, in places, nothing more than gravel and rubble. the driving was slow and harrowing, but great fun, but remember-- I was a single guy on a adventure, not traveling with children.The roads from Croatia, through Montenegro (and a tiny few miles of road through Bosnia) were quite acceptable. Entering Albania the road was more poorly maintained, but still acceptable. I did not hit the really bad roads until I got beyond Durres. I did, however notice my first time that part of the road from Durres to the south was beautiful, and I learned that the government was undertaking major road renovation. In fact, I saw equipment on the roadsides on many stretches.The following year i returned again, and noticed that greater stretches had been built and these sections were great. such construction was going on. A few months ago i was watching CNN and they did a segment on the Albanian road system, announcing that the new road was complete. I haven%26#39;t driven it yet, but if uit%26#39;;s really finished, it wil be a great trip.The Albanian coast offers spectacular scenery, especially as you wind up the Llogarosa pass.You don%26#39;t say what part of croatia you wil be starting at, but the Croatian coast is beautiful, especially Dalmatia. the anciernt town of Split is beutiful and you can see Dicocletian%26#39;;s palace. then you make your way to Dubrovnik--- the beutiful ancient walled city (it wil be crowded with tourists, depending on what month you are planning to go). the bays of Montenegro are sytunning, and car is the only way to see it. I felt that the Northern Albania section from the border to Durres was actually quite ugly, but from Durres to the south it is beuatiful. the Albanian coastal road offers spectacular scenery. I didi not make reservations, but just chose places to stay. i traveled both times in october, so there was no problem as the season was over. I would usrge you to check the road situation and I would not hesitate if in fact the roads are finished, but i think it is too rough otherwise for a novice traveler with kids. The member that recommended against driving is probably remembering the road as it used to be. There are many places to stay ansd I found albania very cheap, especially when compared to western europe, and it was cheapeer than croatia. i was stying in acceptable family hotels, and I was paying about 20 euros per night, al little less farther south. Durres has a number of family hotels lining the long ocean front and they all charge about the same.Vlore, to the south is a beautiful town with many hotels and I suggest you get a guide book or look on line, although tourism is new to Albania and the internet is just fledgling. I particularly enjoyed the samall town of Himare (listed on some maps and websites as Himara), which sits exactly where the Ionian and Adriatic seas meet,. it is a charming lirttlwe place. I stayed twice at the Hotel Joni, right on the sea, located just as you leave town as the hill begins to rise. Also, just before you get into Himare, look up and to the right and you will see the ancient town of Himare, now a small village that is literally old ruins. It%26#39;s worth a hike through there. there are only a few people living there today. An old man I met who could communicate with me in italian told me the town was built in the first century, but after several destructive earthquakes, it was abandoned. i missed it the first time, butsaw it the second time.the family that runs it is very nice and they have a decent restaurant attached to it. the rooms are spartan but clean and all have balconies right on the water. I paid 15 eurios for my singkle room and I think the larger doubles/triples were 20-25 euros, depending on the season. Summer rates are higher and although there were few people there duribng late septmebre-early October, I was told thatthe beachjed and hotels do get busy.In Sarande i lucked into the Hotel Delfin, right at the turn to the Butrint ruins, which are well worth a visit. That hotel has a great position onthe water, as close as you can get. the rooms are simple but very well appointed, with balconies over the sea. You can see corfu from there. the rate i paid was 15 euros both times. i am sure the siummer rates are higher, but I will stay there again when I go back.
I believe the ferry to Corfu there does not take cars, and if that is the case you will get to Igoumenitsa by driving east up into the hills to the town of Delvin, then through to the border, which isn%26#39;;t very far.The road was in poor repair, but I did see the road crews there, so they were definitely putting in a good road. The road around Delvin was acceptable.As far as how long it will take, that all depends on this new road. I drove on the bad roads and Albania took me 3 days, but i stopped to take pictures and go to beaches and towns. If you wanted to drive straight through i would recommend stopping in Vlore or Himare, then going on through.Just outside of Fier you will see the ancient Roman ruins of Appolonnia, one of the great archaeological sites of the country (by the way.. I thought Fier was very ugly and my albanian friends told me it is a town to be avoided for lodging) I recommend you search some other websites. beyond Himare is the fortress of war lord Ali Pasha-- a very fun visit, and I would think kids would like it. I wandered around inside it alone both times, as there were no tourists around. the little village of Dhermi, just north of Himare is in a beautiful little cove. there are a few hotels there and not much else, but it is a fun place to stay if you want to relax by the water.The trip you describe is a great one, and I would be concerned only about the road issue.You will need a good map, but there aren%26#39;;t many of Albania. I used the Freytag map and it was acceptable, although I did go into some serious back country that wasn%26#39;t mapped and got lost. however, for the major roads you will be on, it will do just fine. You can buy it on line.The roads at the Greek border are excellent, and you will have no such concerns in Greece. Please let me know if I can answer more questions.here are some search terms to use for internet searches i think would be helpful: Durres, Himare, vlore, Sarande. Butrint, Appolonia. Good luck..
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Hello!
Your post was very helpful for me.
I am finishing planning a trip including Croatia, Montenegro and Greece, and would like to pass thru Albania. That%26#39;s the idea:
I will arrive in Zagreb at September 7 and then rent a car to explore Split and Dubrovnik (until September 10). After that I need to get to Athens by September 11 late night.
I found two flights that leaves from Tirana or Ioannina. The Tirana flight leaves at 4h30PM and Ioannina leaves 8hPM.
I think it is best to flight from Tirana but I really need to make sure that it is possible to arrive there before 3PM to take the flight..
So, do you know if I can rent a car in some place close to Dubrovnik or in some Montenegro city and left it in Tirana airport? If not, do you know which is the best public transport and how many time you think it is possible to go from Budva to Tirana (i%26#39;ll need to arrive in Tirana no more than 3PM of September 11th)?
Thanks for any possible help.
Regards,
Andre Pessoa
andrerpessoa@gmail.com
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Wow, some informative posts around here. Thanks, i needed the info too.
However, I did know that Albania is not a place to visit for me. Very bad roads, lots of criminals etc. Avoid.
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Albania is terrific. I took my wife and two little girls there for a holiday this summer. We travelled all round the country and loved every second. Fabulous beaches, ruins, people. Criminals? Rubbish - the same as everywhere else. The roads are now excellent along the major thoroughfares - all newly made. There are still odd stretches that are a bit dicky but they are by no means impasssable. Go now before tourism changes it for ever.
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