In this beautiful Mediterranean country, virgin nature and cultural mysteries come together to create a unique sense of place. From the pure, white snow of the mountains to the red fields of spring poppies, Albania’s landscape is ever changing with the seasons, offering visitors a warm summer beach holiday or a challenging mountain trek during the fall.
In Albania visitors are welcomed as guests as part of the country’s rich cultural tradition and heritage. The warm hospitality of Albanians will make everyone feel at home in this small but wonderful land.
There’s a huge diversity of natural scenery: beautiful mountains such as “Bjeshket e Nemuna” Albanian Alps, with Theth ancient stone houses huddle together under an amphitheater of mountains. Valbona where you are left in awe at the peaks all around this incredible mountain village; If you’re looking for beaches, a circuit of the Mediterranean’s coast reveals one gem after another, such as the Albanian Riviera. Stunning mountain scenery, crumbling castles, boisterous capital and dreamy beaches rivaling any in the Mediterranean continue to enchant
In coastal areas the calamari, mussels and fish will knock your socks off, while high-altitude areas like Llogara have roast lamb worth climbing a mountain for. Offal is popular; fërgesë Tiranë is a traditional Tirana dish of offal, eggs and tomatoes cooked in an earthenware pot.
When it comes to drinks raki is very popular. The two main types are grape raki (the most common) and mani (mulberry) raki. Coffee remains the standard national drink of choice at any time of day, normally tiny, super strong espresso combined with a cigarette.
National parks in Albania include Dajti, Llogara, Tomorri, Butrint, Valbona and Theth. Most are protected only by their remoteness, and tree-felling and hunting still take place. Hiking maps of the national parks are available, though they can be hard to find.
Albania’s Alps have become a ‘must-do’ for hikers, and they’re home to brown bear, wolf, otter, marten, wild cat, wild boar and deer. Falcons and grouse are also Alpine favorites, and birdwatchers can also flock to wetlands at Lake Butrint and Lake Shkodra (though the wetlands aren’t pristine).
Lake Ohrid’s unique trout species is endangered (but still eaten), and endangered loggerhead turtles nest on the Ionian coast and on the Karaburun Peninsula, where there have also been sightings of critically endangered Mediterranean monk seals
Declared “Monument in Protection” by the Albanian State in 1948. Registered as an UNESCO world heritage in 1992.The national importance of Butrint’s assets and cultural heritage was recognized and confirmed in the world by UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 1992.
Registration of Butrint by UNESCO was based on cultural criteria as a unique and exceptional testimony of a cultural tradition and civilization that disappeared. Butrint was an ancient city in Epirus, during the VII century. The main objects in Butrint are: The Temple of Aeskulapius, the theater with 1500 seats, nymfeu, the bathrooms, the basilica, the Lion gate, the gate lake, the Venetian towers, and the fortress of Ali Pasha etc. A series of items can be found at the Museum of Butrint.
Gjirokastra, the so-called “City of stone”. Stated as a “Museum City” by the Albanian state in 1961. Proclaimed as a world heritage in 2005.Gjirokastra is a unique testimony of a cultural tradition of life during the XIV – XIX centuries.It is the main city of the southern part of the country. This city impresses everyone who visits it, as a result of the architecture, the surprising images of Drinos valley, and the spectacular crown ridge of calcareous Bureto and Lunxhëria.
Berati. Registered as a world heritage in 2005 and ratified in 2008 by UNESCO. Berati is the city where can be found traces of the Illyrian, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, rich in old churches with wonderful wall paintings, icons and wood engraving. In 1961 the city was put under the protection of the Albanian state and was declared a “Museum City “.