Albania

Kukës isn’t full of old monuments, but it’s worth a visit, simply because it’s such a beautiful place. Set amidst the mountains (the peak of Mt Gjalica rises above the town), the town is ... [full story]

Around 120 km from Tirana, the city of Gjirokastra is actually more a small- but extremely pretty- town. Although a flourishing settlement in the 1200s, the town suffered at the hands of the invading ... [full story]

Shkodra, or the legendary Scutari (as it is called by the Italians), is one of Albania’s most well known cities; it’s also one of the oldest settlements in Europe. Shkodra lies about 80 km ... [full story]

Elbasan is a steel and iron centre. But once upon a time, Elbasan was a very picturesque settlement, and a little of its past glory still remain. The name of the town itself - ... [full story]

Berat is known as `the city of a thousand windows’ (because its houses have a lot of windows), is about 122 km from Tirana and is one of Albania’s bastions of the Christian faith. ... [full story]

Tirana’s markets have a good selection of handicrafts, as almost everything that is produced in the country- carpets and rugs, silverware, leather and woodwork- make their way to the capital. Tirana itself was known, ... [full story]

Tirana is the one Albanian city where you can get a fairly wide range of things to eat- both local and international. In comparison with other towns, Tirana has a number of eateries- both ... [full story]

Formerly, the only hotels you would find in Tirana were the state-owned ones run by Albturist. However, in the past few years, with democracy coming into the country, there’s been a lot of privatisation, ... [full story]

April/May/June and mid-September to mid-October are the best months for visits. Tirana enjoys a more temperate climate with warm and dry spell from June to September and a pleasanter, cooler winter and spring from ... [full story]

Tirana has a fairly good bus network, which is reliable enough and covers much of the city. However, if you want to be on your own, hiring a car is a good idea. Tirana ... [full story]