How To Travel Around Albania

Albania only opened its doors to the world twenty years ago and now during the summer months the usually quiet seaside spots morph into loud disco laden towns where everyday is a weekend.

A trip to Albania will leave you with wonderfully unique sights such as donkeys tethered to concrete bunkers, houses crawling up hillsides in the Unesco-listed Ottoman towns of Berat and Gjirkastra and isolated beaches.

Albanians are usually helpful kind people who will shake their heads yes (po) and nod to say no (jo). An unusual, but almost a national pastime for Albanians is staring so as a traveler expect to be on the receiving end of some long stares.

The country itself is made up of 30 percent vast interior plains, a 300km coastal region and a spine of mountains that run the length of the country. There are 15 national parks, which include, Mt dajti, Butrint, Mt Tomorri and Valbone.

Albania's international airport is Nene Tereza International Airport and sits 26km northwest of Tirana.

When traveling around Albania try and aim for early morning departures, as there are few buses that run in the early afternoon. The buses are cheap but can get crowded and always keep an eye on your possessions.

If you wish to drive through Albania on a motorcycle watch out for open drains. Driving in Albania can be hazardous.

There are trains that run from North Tirana to Shkodra, west to Durres, south to Vlora and east to Pogradec. These journeys are really interesting but can be incredibly slow.

A good route to take when traveling around Albania would be to make your starting spot in Saranda, check out Butrint and Gjirokastra, and then head up the coastal route via Dhermi to Tirana.

When visiting Albania you will without a doubt notice the small concrete domes with rectangular slits, as they are everywhere you go. Yes, these are bunkers built from 1950 to 1985, Hoxha's legacy.

Nowadays the bunkers tend to get used as handy public toilets and many an Albanian will admit to having lost their virginity in a bunker.

Before embarking on a visit to Albania then you may wish to read anything by Ismail Kadare to get to grips with some of the history of this country.

On an environmental not the trout in lake Ohrid is endangered although still eaten. Oil fields around Fier have been badly maintained leaking sludge into the surrounding environment and several coastal regions discharge raw sewage into the rivers and seas.

Rubbish is everywhere and this issue is being tackled by the Organic Agriculture Association (www.organic.org.al)

Albania became a member or NATO in 2009 and revenue from tourism was up 20% in 2009.

Source: Europe on a Shoestring - The Lonely Planet