Albania had never really been high on our list of places to visit. When you think of bucket list destinations we don’t think it would feature on anybody’s really, or does it? However, when we visited Montenegro last summer and we were looking for things to do and places to visit during our stay, a day trip to Albania popped up in the search results. As a country with a very chequered history from communism to civil war, we decided to take the leap and book the trip. If nothing else it was another country to tick off our list. Plus if we didn’t enjoy it, it was only a day. And as the age-old saying goes -‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’.
We booked the Albania day trip via Viator, a company we use to book the majority of our trips when travelling. It cost us approximately £52 each. The price included return coach transfers between Budva and three cities in Albania (more about those later). Together with a tour guide and free time to explore at our leisure. We were picked up from the central Budva pick up point at 6.30am and after a few more pickups in neighbouring towns, we were on the way to the Montenegro/Albania border. With our passports at the ready, we simply passed them to the tour guide. He then showed them to the border guard and we were waved through. The process was a lot simpler and quicker than the Montenegro/Croatia border crossing which we’d experienced earlier in our Balkans break when we took a short side trip to Dubrovnik.
Shkodër (Skadar)
The first stop on our Albanian adventure was Shkodër. The coach dropped us off in the city centre. We followed our tour guide to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We were given a brief overview of the cathedral and its history. Followed by some free time to buy a souvenir, light a candle, make a donation. Our tour guide then led us back to the main street (Rruga Kolë Idromeno) which is lined with numerous shops, bars and restaurants. We had 20 minutes to have a wander and see what else Schodër has to offer. It was just enough time to get a taste for the place.
A lot of investment has been made in Shkodër. However, the cold grey buildings of the communist era can still be seen. Especially on the side streets. A lot of dodgy dealings seemed to be going on (mobile phones), on roadsides. It made us feel uncomfortable but never to the point, where we felt unsafe. If anything we’d prepared ourselves for worse, so were in fact pleasantly surprised at how ‘pretty’ the main street is and how welcoming the locals are. Also, English is widely spoken, especially by children, much more than in Montenegro. Therefore we had a great chat with a kid who’s dad owned the shop where we bought ice cream from.
As we love religious buildings and Albania is a multicultural country where a number of religions are practised, we also visited the Ebu Beker Mosque. Also known as the Grand Mosque. It originally dates back to the 18th Century, however, underwent a full renovation and reopened in 1995. Unfortunately, it was prayer when we visited meaning we were not allowed inside. But it’s a beautiful building (with stunning gardens) and one worth checking out, even if just from outside.
Durrës
The next stop was the port city of Durrës. The journey from Shkodër took approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. As we drove into the city, it struck us how different it is to Shkodër. It looks extremely similar to any other port city you would find in mainland Europe. However without the hordes of visitors. In fact, it felt very much like a ghost town. We visited in July, therefore the peak of summer, yet the beaches and streets were next to empty and we couldn’t understand why. Especially as we’d been told it was the most popular and liveliest resort in the country (maybe it was just the day we visited?).
It has everything you would expect from a seaside tourist town, just not the tourists and it felt like such a shame. Durrës seems a lot more modern (yet steeped in history – more about that soon) than Shkodër, with a lot of the architecture in the city together with the palm street lined streets reminding us of LA. There are also numerous modern restaurants selling locally caught seafood and not forgetting bars. During our free time in Durrës, and as it was nearly lunchtime, we decided a cold pint of lager was in order. At approximately £1.20 a pint (1.40L (lek)) we soon realised Albania’s a great value for money place to visit.
With Roman and Byzantine heritage, history can be seen throughout Durrës. It’s home to Albania’s biggest amphitheatre which dates back to the 2nd century and once held 20,000 people. The amphitheatre is one of the cities top attractions and it’s somewhere we would recommend visiting. Especially if you have an interest in Roman history. Another must-see site is Durrës castle. It is part of the cities fortified walls and dates back to the 1st century.
Tirana
The last stop was the country’s capital – Tirana. The journey from Durrës to Tirana took approximately 45 minutes. Again, this city really did surprise us. It’s evident a lot of money has been spent to modernise the city. With a number of modern buildings including the Albania Parliament building, the Cultural Centre (home to a Mosque, the Museum of Religious Harmony and an Islamic Center) and Skanderbeg Square (the main square in the city). It was also evident that modernisation is ongoing as there was a lot of scaffolding and construction work being carried out.
In Tirana, we were given 90 minutes of free time. Therefore we grabbed lunch. We opted for the Nona restaurant in the Toptani shopping centre. It’s very close to the Tirana sign which provides a great photo opportunity. We both chose pizza washed down with two beers. We assumed the capital would be more expensive than the smaller towns and cities, however, it wasn’t. Our bill came to a grand total of £14! Proving yet again that Albania is a great country to visit if you’re travelling on a budget.
Tirana is home to a number of museums including the National Historic Museum, the House of Leaves (showcasing items found at the National Intelligence Service HQ) and the Mezuraj Museum (housing a collection of Albanian paintings & sculptures). There are nearly 200,000 concrete bunkers dotted all over Albania. They were built between the 1960s and 1980s. You can visit one up close, together with a segment of the Berlin wall and a piece of a prison at the Checkpoint Monument located on Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit. It’s a stark reminder of the country’s communist era, a must if you want to understand Albania’s history. It certainly appealed to the dark tourists in us.
Would We Return?
In a word – yes!
Albania really surprised us and one day just was not enough. As Montenegro is becoming more popular as a travel destination, we think Albania will follow suit. Tirana is a great capital and one we would love to return to and spend three or four days exploring, the same way we would any other European capital city. Also, we think it is only a matter of time before Durrës becomes a port of call on even more cruise routes and even becomes a popular beach break destination in its own right.
Unfortunately for Albania it still has its communist era reputation which puts a lot of people off visiting. Hopefully, more people will start visiting and soon as it is a great country (from what we’ve seen) with lots of history (granted not all of it good), beautiful beaches, interesting cities and low prices.
Have you ever visited Albania? What did you think? If you haven’t, would you? Let us know.
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