Gjiokaster, Albania is one of the most beautiful towns in the Balkans. Here you will read about things to do in Gjirokaster, why visit Gjirokaster and more!
21 Ideas For Where To Go In Albania Including Some Off The Radar Ideas; Adam Cheshler; Chasing the Donkey
Tirana, Berat, and Saranda you already know, but this list of ideas for where to go in Albania includes some off the radar ideas that’ll get you excited!
On the trail of the unexpected – a road trip around Albania; Fiona Dunlop; Guardian
Strange, ancient and beautiful, there’s much to discover amid the cultural crossroads of a country that provides a real adventure…
Source: On the trail of the unexpected – a road trip around Albania
Why Gjirokaster is Albania’s best-kept secret; Holly Baxter; Independent
Don’t go to Gjirokaster. You’ve never heard of it anyway, and who would want to give up a couple of weeks of their precious annual leave on a mountainous city in Albania? It’s impossible to get to…
Berat Albania: The Coolest Mountain Town You’ve Never Heard Of; Brigitte & Jake; Nothing Familiar
Berat is more than just a UNESCO site! With its castle, food, traditional architecture, and close proximity to Ohrid, Berat Albania will blow you away!
Source: Berat Albania: The Coolest Mountain Town You’ve Never Heard Of
The Best Places to Visit in Albania; Catherine; CheeseWeb
From lively cities to National Parks to the stunning beaches of the Albanian Riviera, we share the best places to visit in Albania and the very best things to do in Albania.
How to spend a mystifying week in Albania; Thomas Hussey; Matador Network
Ethereal mountains, deep caves, and empty beaches.
Albania’s latest tourism campaign has raised a few eyebrows; Sasha Brady; Lonely Planet
In Albania, age-old traditions and Mediterranean beaches on the cheap; Mary Winston Nicklin; NY Times
One tiny country offers epic road trips, high mountain passes and the Ionian coastline.
Source: In Albania, age-old traditions and Mediterranean beaches on the cheap
Steeped in history but crumbling, Albania’s ‘slanted city’; BRISEIDA MEMA & NICOLAS GAUDICHET; AFP
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’
Albania offers visa-free entry to attract GCC tourists; Arab News
- Albania has a rich historical and cultural heritage recognized as part of the world’s cultural heritage that warrants special protection
- Hospitality is an old Albanian tradition and foreigners are always treated with special respect
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
Explore Albania with special guest John Stapleton; Telegraph
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.
Tour highlights
- Undiscovered Albania
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).
- John Stapleton
Balkan Sites Feature Among Europe’s Endangered Heritage; Mariya Cheresheva; Balkan Insight
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
Balkan highlights – your ultimate list of what to see in the Balkans; Kami & The Rest of the World; My Wanderlust
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!
The big read: Rambling the Riviera in Albania; Ellie O’Byrne; Irish Examiner
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.
Albania Receives $71 Million Loan for Tourism From World Bank; Janeen Christoff; TravelPulse
As the door closes on 2016 and people begin to look to up and coming destinations in the New Year, should we be looking to Albania? According to a report in Voice of America News, the World Bank just extended a $71 million loan to the country for tourism infrastructure.
“The World Bank said on Tuesday it had given Albania a $71 million loan to upgrade infrastructure in four southern towns to help attract foreign tourism but also urged local authorities to avoid unsustainable over-construction,” reports VOA.
Two of the four towns are UNESCO World Heritage sites, Gjirokaster and Berat, and the Port of Sarande and the southeastern town of Permet will also be getting makeovers.
Biking Albania: Touring Centuries Old City of Gjirokaster; Karen Rubin; Going Places, Far & Near
(I travel to Albania with BikeTours.com’s President Jim Johnson on a specially constructed “President’s Tour” itinerary that modifies the regular “Albania’s UNESCO Sites with Rivers, Valleys, and Gorges” trip. (See: Come to Albania Now to See Emergence of a Young Country-Best Way to Experience Albania is on Bike Tour. This is 5th in the series.)
Our ride today, the 6th of cycling (7th of the tour), will bring us into the historic city of Gjirokaster – an Ottoman-era city carved into the hillside overlooking a spectacular river valley.
Today’s 46 km ride is one of the easiest – almost steadily downhill or flat – for a total elevation gain of just 200 meters and a loss of 360 meters. We follow the Vjoca River to Kelcyra Gorge.
Unexpected Highlights of Travel to Albania; Laura Longwell; Travel Addicts
When we decided to travel to Albania, we had absolutely no idea what to expect. We’d heard a few sound bites about bad roads and transportation challenges and a few vague assertions that it was an inexpensive place to visit – nothing to help us form any good ideas about what we would be experiencing. For us, as for most Americans, Albania was a completely dark place on our mental maps.
What we found in Albania was a mix of remarkable natural beauty, deep history, tempting food, and some of the nicest people you’ll meet anywhere. It’s like Italy with limited public transportation and the French Riviera with more partially-constructed buildings and less attitude. Albania is like its neighbor to the south, Greece, but with far fewer tourists and a whole lot of Cold War bunkers.
Why Albania should be high on your travel list and not just for the Adriatic beach parties; Diana Preston; Daily Mail Online
- Many holidaymakers opt for Greece over its neighbour Albania but this vibrant country has plenty to offer
- The hilltop town of Gjirokastra is a picturesque settlement, with slate roofed houses, a fortress and cobbled streets
- The bustling seaside resort of Saranda offers much in the way of beach parties, bars and places to do watersports
As the sun went down, a line of men in felt hats, baggy shirts and scarlet sashes performed a joyous dance on the terrace of a hilltop castle.
Across a narrow ribbon of sea, the silhouette of Corfu ebbed into purple shadow. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t Greece but its less visited neighbour, Albania.
A two-hour taxi ride along roads lined with oleander bushes had brought me across the border from Greece’s Preveza airport.
