All About World Heritage Sites
Make traveling more meaningful
Rampant illegal logging in Albania’s biggest national park is ravaging primeval woodland protected by UNESCO, a BIRN investigation reveals. By Arlis Alikaj The driver shunted the Soviet-made truck …
Source: Chainsaw Gangs: The Plunder Of Albania’s Ancient Forests – Analysis
It is never too late to embark on an adventure and explore places you have never been before. If you are looking for a place to satisfy your wanderlust, National Geographic got you covered. The…
Source: Ten countries that deserve more travelers, according to National Geographic
The Lolomani dwelling, formerly the home of the Ottoman period family of that name, was once an impressive sight in the mountainside town of Gjirokastra in southern Albania.
Source: Steeped in history but crumbling, Albania’s ‘slanted city’
JEDDAH: Its natural beauty, geographical position and enjoyable Mediterranean climate make Albania an attractive European destination the whole year around.
These factors increased the number of foreign tourists visiting the country in 2017 to more than 5.2 million.
Recently, Albanian tourism has grown, resulting in the offer of travel packages that allow its most precious traits to shine, such as “sun and sea tourism,” “history and culture tourism,” “mountain tourism,” and other growing fields.
According to Albanian Ambassador Sami Shiba, “The citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar can enter Albania without a visa from April 1 to Oct. 31, 2018.”
Albania has a considerable coastline, 450 km long, which extends along the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea, where within minutes tourists can experience the mountain climate of Llogara and the warmth of the coast of Dhermi. Besides the beaches, the Adriatic coast is rich with lagoons and natural ecosystems.
Read more from source: Albania offers visa-free entry to attract GCC tourists
This memorable journey to a beautiful, lesser visited part of the Balkans will allow you to discover Albania, as well as one of the most breathtaking sites in neighbouring Macedonia. On this 11-day tour, you will take in the area’s magnificent Adriatic coastline, visit four Unesco World Heritage Sites, and delve into the fascinating Communist-era heritage of the region. The acclaimed broadcast journalist and broadcaster John Stapleton will join us for two nights of the tour, offering valuable insights into Albania and the broader region. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit one of Europe’s most beguiling and least known destinations before the crowds arrive.
With a long Adriatic coastline, Albania is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe , yet still one of the least visited where the mystique of its Communist past is beguiling to visitors from all over the world. This superbly crafted tour will allow you to discover Albania and a part of Macedonia before volume tourism prevails (new tourists from The Far East and USA are the largest number of new visitors).
Four historic landmarks around the Balkans have been shortlisted for the Most Endangered Programme, which aims to raise awareness of neglected monuments and sites across Europe.
An Albanian archaeological site and post-Byzantine churches, Bulgaria’s UFO-like communist monument and an abandoned casino in the Romanian city of Constanta have been selected among the 12 finalists for the pan-European “7 Most Endangered Programme 2018”.
The programme is a joint initiative by Europa Nostra, a leading European heritage organization, and the European Investment Bank Institute, aimed at raising awareness and mobilising efforts to save endangered heritage sites across Europe.
The final list of the seven most endangered heritage sites in Europe will be selected by the board of Europa Nostra on 15 March.
The 12 finalists, determined by a panel of experts in history, archaeology, architecture, conservation, project analysis and finance, were announced at the opening of the European Year of Cultural Heritage on January 16.
Source: Balkan Sites Feature Among Europe’s Endangered Heritage
Are you wandering what to see in the Balkans? Then this ultimate list of Balkan highlights is for you! All the best destinations in the Balkan countries in one place!
As you probably know very well the Balkans is one of my favorite regions in the whole world. I keep returning there as often as I can, at least few times each year and I always keep finding new Balkan highlights there. That is why I’ve decided to create the ultimate list of what to see in the Balkans so you will have a great cheatsheet for your next trip to south-east Europe.
Since my personal bucket list for the area is still neverending I’ve asked few fellow bloggers and friends to help me with those highlights so you can see here as many awesome and worth visiting places as possible!
If you are a history buff and always keen to explore some less known places than this the right article for you. Actually travelling makes more knowledgeable travellers learn the most about while visiting different parts of the world, it is history. After all, it is the many tales, the great deeds of men and the mysteries attached to a destination that often attract travellers to places that are ancient. Apart from the knowledge associated to them, another thing that attracts travellers to these amazing heritage sites around the world are the architectural finesse with which they were built. Right from the structures to the building materials, some of these sites stand out to be no less than marvels. Here is a compilation of such places; pick the one you like and travel.
Butrint, Albania
Tbilisi’s Nodar Dumbadze Professional State Youth Theatre will become the first Georgian troupe to perform for theatre-goers flocking to the UNESCO World Heritage Site city of Butrint in Albania to attend International Festival of Theatre ‘Butrinti 2000’.
Presenting their stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s 1623-published play Much Ado About Nothing, the company will celebrate the 15th edition of the festival that has hosted over 60,000 local and visiting theatre-goers since its founding.
Director Dimitri Khvtisiashvili’s staging of the Shakespeare work will go on stage of the Ancient Amphitheatre Butrint on July 17, with the festival launching four days earlier.
The Georgian company was invited to perform at the festival along with local and international theatres including the Albanian Dance Theatre Company, Thesis Theatre Company from Greece and National Theatre of Beijing.
Albania’s coastline has grown in popularity as a budget sun destination for Italian families. We should follow their lead for a unique, culturally distinctive travel experience, says Ellie O’Byrne.
“ARE you from Cork? I recognised your accent. I used to live in Wilton. My wife is Irish.”
Living up to the ultimate cliché of the Irish abroad in the vertiginous UNESCO world heritage city of Gjirokastër, 70km inland from the Albanian Riviera, as dusk falls on the cobbled streets, is a satisfying feeling.
Stopping for a chat, chairs are gathered around and our near-neighbour joins us for a coffee.
