Must See Places In South ALBANIA

We will be touring by car - all suggestions welcome

Thanks

C

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Depending how much time you have but go and visit south of Albania from Vlora to Saranda and stop in any place you can. Amazingly beautiful coast. Also try to stop in Gjirokaster and Berat. If you go to the north go and visit Thtethi.

Have a great time on your trip and let me know if you need anything else.

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Thanks so much for your info!

We want to keep n the south as we have no time!

Looking to visit villages, %26amp; see local life etc1

C

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If you travel from Saranda to Gjirokaster, stop at Blue Eye (Syri Kaltër); the water is freezing but will thrust you back to the surface. There is a nice patio restaurant under a plane tree in the square of Libohova, and St. Mary%26#39;s church in nearby Labova e Kryqit dates from the 6th century (Justinian).

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Hi, I remind you of my post from the 15-16 of this month which I reprint here

If you think you need more to do Driloni on Lake Ohrid or a drive out along the north coast o Lake Prespa ( the road is under construction but driveable ) to some of the villages on its%26#39; coast (some places offer home stays) are possibilities.

Again as I wrote before if you define your interests and desires (seeing, walking rafting ect) it helps making suggestions. Yours Nimrod

If you enter thru Kakvije I would suggest visiting the %26quot;Blue Eye great place for a picnic. Depending on your interests beaches and archaeology continuing to Ksamil and Butrint. In Sarande and Ksamil there is no lack of where to stay. In June we were able to negotiate the prices .In August I don%26#39;t expect that will be possible . There are literally dozens of hotels in both places. Then to Gjirokastra if possible stay in the Ali Pasha room of the Hotel Kalemi. This won%26#39;t be the cheapest place but it is very special. Permeti also offers accomodations ,we did not sleep there however. The drive through the Vjoses is very rewarding.Will write more this evening but work calls.

In the Gramoz mountains about 10-15 Kms after Leskoviku there is a trout farm with a good restaurant and cabins for sleeping . We stopped there for a lunch break and were shown the cabins by people staying there we got talking to. Slightly before the Barmashi Pass is a small Hotel Jorge%26#39;s (6 rooms) and in Erseka there are several. We stayed at the Devi not knowing there were alternatives which we noticed the next morning going south (we did this route in the other direction). I can not recomend it other than the fact it was cheap and we got a good breakfast . The water was only warm and the pressure was very low . The only time during or trip I didn%26#39;t shower. If you want something traditional and more like a home stay in the village of Dardha ( the turn off to it is about 6-7 kms before Korca ) is a great place to go . The village up in the mountains is one of few in the area to retain the old style stone building and accomodations should be available. On the way up or down stop to eat at Taverna Antoneta . In a beautiful setting in the village of Boboshtica

with the best raki I tasted , made from mullberries

the owner has he told us 1000 trees left from when Korca was a silk producing center. In Korca besides all the %26quot;normal sights we really enjoyed the Bratko Museum of Oriental artifacts. A gift to the city of an American who was a native of Korca. The other thing would be the church of St Mary in Mborja just out side the city. Finally download Korca in your pocket from the web http://korca.inyourpocket.com/

this site also has a down loadable list of dates of events . I note that from the 13-16 of August they are having the annual Beerfest. Finally I bought and used the Brandt guide and while it wasn%26#39;t perfect it does have a far ammount of info.So good luck The Albanians are wonderful people. Again if you want more specifics ask , Yours Nimrod

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Hey all,

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?

Other than these, is there anywhere else we should see in South Albania?

1. Ksamili Beach

2. Bay of Kakome

3. Castle of Lëkursit

4. The Butrint National Park

5. Gjirokastra - town and castle

6. Himara

We are booked into a hotel in Sarande for 6 days… and have a car… so:

1. Sarande: any good bars, nighclubs, restaurants etc...?

2. Where is best to hire a boat in south Albania to explore islands, beaches etc…?

3. What beaches should we visit?

4. Is there anywhere to do White Water Rafting? Scuba Diving/ Snorkeling?

Thanks for the assistance – really appreciate it!

L.