Last Updated on May 25, 2023 by PowersToTravel
Albania (Shqiperi) – definitely is the “place to go.”
My husband Greg and I recently returned from our nine day trip traveling throughout Albania in September 2014. I have traveled to Antarctica, and we have together traveled to Tanzania, Iceland, the Galapagos and more. We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars to see some of the world’s most spectacular sights from which also hang some of the world’s largest price tags. It is in that context that we want to let potential travelers know that we consider this trip to Albania to have been one of our best travel decisions.
Albania is inexpensive. That fact alone does not drive our vacation dreams. However, its low price tag allowed us to hire a driver / guide to take us throughout the country to allow us to enjoy, learn and relax, stress-free.
We contacted several companies looking for private, ‘bespoke’, customized tours. We contacted one large international company, one local US company and one Albanian company. Through the email back and forth, Tours Albania (TAB) immediately stood out. (Shkëlqim) Jimmy Lama responded quickly and articulately to our request, and iterated to our final itinerary before the international company had even returned to us with a possible itinerary.
Tours Albania does not restrict itself to national borders. Jimmy promised one driver/guide who would be able to take us throughout Albania, and then throughout Montenegro. He did not need to hand us off at the border to some other licensed operator. This factored heavily into our decision.
We held our breath and put down the relatively small deposit required.
Itinerary
- Day 1 – Aug 30 Arrival in Tirana by Turkish Airways from Boston via Istanbul
- Day 2 – Sightseeing in Tirana: Et’hem Bey mosque, Greek Orthodox Cathedral, PostBiloku memorial, National Gallery of Art, Dajti cable car
- Day 3 – Drive to Durres (Durres Roman amphitheater and waterfront) and Berat (Castle and historic town), a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Day 4 – Drive to Ardenica Monastery, Apollonia, Vlore
- Day 5 – Drive along Himare coastline, visit Porto Palermo, to Saranda
- Day 6 – Butrint (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ksamil Beach, return to Saranda
- Day 7 – Drive to Gjirokastra (UNESCO World Heritage Site) via “Blue Eye” spring
- Day 8 – Drive north to Shkodre and Rozafa Castle
- Day 9 – Drive to Montenegro
- Day 10 – Montenegro
- Day 11 – Montenegro
- Day 12 – Montenegro
- Day 13 – Montenegro
- Day 14 – Drive south back to Albania to Krujë
- Day 15 – Fly home
Impressions
Fast forward to the conclusion of our trip.
We feel so enriched by our experience. We feel we have made a friend in our very fine guide, Kledi Milloshi. His excellent driving, in-depth knowledge, dry wit, versatile language skills, American accent and open social, historical and philosophical discussions gave us an unforgettable trip.
We had mixed weather. In early September it was warm. I wore shorts throughout the trip. We had beautiful sun in Saranda, rain for some illogical reason at both the Roman sites Apollonia and Butrint.
We also timed it perfectly. We landed in Tirana on Saturday the 30th of August – this weekend is the last weekend of the summer, and everyone who could be at the beach was, except for us. This meant that we had an excellent Tirana city tour without the huge crowds. There were people, to be sure, but Kledi kept saying, “It isn’t usually like this!” Then as we headed towards the seacoast on Monday, everyone was either heading back or had already arrived back in Tirana. Beaches were actually almost deserted in Vlorë and quite quiet in Sarandë. We had great savings on hotel costs in both locations.
We loved Albania. The historic sites, Berat, Butrint, Durrës, Himarë, Apollonia, Ardenica, Krujë, Shkodër we visited with our knowledgeable guide. We glimpsed so much that we would have overlooked ourselves, had we been alone: the underwear factory at Berat that provided employment for 16,000 people during the Communist period, making white and only white tee-shirts, the oil wells, the yucca plants near Sarandë that were planted to foil a western invasion, the rail station at Durrës and what the Albanian’s think of the railroad, a field of retired MIGs.
We were given a glimpse into what life was like during the Communist period, how so much had changed during the years since 1991 and the optimism with which Albanians look forward to some day becoming a member of the European Union. We saw statues, buildings, paintings, but most of all, we experienced people on bicycles, motorbikes, donkeys. We promenaded each night in whatever town we found ourselves. We learned that gas stations are named after owners’ daughters. We learned they don’t have mortgages, are not in debt and extended families eat together and stay together.
“I know the business I should be in, in Albania,” my husband announced on the 3rd day. “Windows! You guys need windows.”
“Why?” Kledi asked, puzzled.
“You don’t have any on most of your houses!”
“But we have them where we need them. People only build each story of the house as they can afford. Houses without windows are just houses which haven’t been finished. They will, eventually. Eventually the son will want to marry, maybe in five or ten years, and then he will build another story onto the house. Then he will put in the windows. “
Half-way through the trip, we relaxed in Saranda, on the balcony of our waterfront hotel. My husband and I looked at each other and said at the same moment, “I just love it here. We could retire here.”
Many people just pass through Albania on a multi-country trip through the Balkans. Many people visit Tirana and pop up to Krujë both of which are excellent destinations. However, to experience Albania, understand a little bit about its journey to the 21st century, you need to see it all, and you should see it with someone who knows and appreciates it.
Diabetic Travel Tips
Albania can be a hot country. Luckily we visited at the end of August and early September and the weather was pleasantly hot but not scorchingly hot. We brought a soft-sided cooler (brand name Koolatron) that fits into our large suitcase, plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car, and then with an adapter, plugs into the electric socket in the hotel. It was pleasant to have cold soda, but more so, it kept the insulin cool and me stress-free
Related Links
Click here to read all my articles about our Albania vacation and cultural impressions.
(I am not compensated in any way for my review)
Friis & Resor – Nils-Erik is a Finnish person very interested in Albanian travel as well. I checked out his site, and used Google Translator to read it. Interestingly enough, as I read aloud I understood quite a bit of his site because it sounded like Norwegian to me! I put the text into the Norwegian Google Translator and it stumbled a bit, and then recommended Swedish. That did the trick. At some point I will have enough time to write about my trips to Norway and my “excellent” Norwegian language skills.
