A guide to Albania

Closed to outsiders for much of the 20th century, Albania has long been Mediterranean Europe's enigma. Until fairly recently its rumpled mountains, fortress towns and sparkling beaches were merely a rumour on most travel maps. But, with the end of a particularly brutal strain of communism in 1991, Albania tentatively swung open its gates. The first curious tourists to arrive discovered a land where ancient codes of conduct still held sway and where the wind whistled through the shattered remnants of half-forgotten ancient Greek and Roman sites. A quarter of a century after throwing off the shackles of communism, Albania's stunning mountain scenery, crumbling castles, boisterous capital and dreamy beaches rivalling any in the Mediterranean continue to enchant.

Visit Albania

We highly recommend the Visit Albania to everyone looking to travel to Albania.

How to get to Albania?

At the time of this writing there are daily flights to Tirana International Airport from all London major airports, EasyJet from Gatwick, Wizzair from Luton, British Airways from Heathrow and Air Albania from Stanstead. Tickets for off peak times vary between £50-£90 return and it takes around 2:30-3hrs flight time to arrive in Tirana from London.

Some information about Albania:

• Population: ~3 million
• Capital City: Tirana
• Time Zone GMT/UTC +1
• Currency: Lek (ALL) - 1.00 GBP = 135 ALL - Sep 2020
• Country Dialing Code: +355
• Languages: Albanian (official) - Albanian language is a unique language in the Indo European group of languages.
• Electricity: 220V 60Hz
• Electric Plug Details: European plug with two circular metal pins

Cities to visit in Albania.

1. Tirana
2. Durres
3. Berat
4. Shkoder
5. Gjirokaster
6. Elbasan
7. Vlora
8. Saranda
9. Kruje

Places to visit in Albania

1. Butrint
2. Syri Kalter (The Blue Eye)
3. Kalaja e Lekuresit (Lekuresi Castle)
4. Llogara
5. Apollonia
6. Roman Amphitheater in Durres
7. Skanderbeg castle in Kruje

Some useful links:

• albania.al
• theguardian.com
• lonelyplanet.com
• traveloffpath.com