Albania sits on the Balkan Peninsula, facing Italy across the Adriatic and sharing a southern border with Greece. For most of the twentieth century it was closed to the outside world. Under the communist leader Enver Hoxha, who ruled from 1944 until his death in 1985, the country cut itself off almost entirely. Foreign travel was forbidden, religion was banned, and more than 170,000 concrete bunkers were built across the landscape in fear of invasion. Albania only opened its borders in the early 1990s. For a traveller, this long isolation has an unexpected upside. The coastline was never lined with high-rise resorts, and the old towns were never torn down and rebuilt. Much of the country looks and feels as it did generations ago.
What makes Albania different from its better-known neighbours is the sheer range packed into a small space. In a single week you can stand on a quiet beach on the Ionian Sea, walk through a UNESCO-listed Ottoman town of grey stone houses, explore Greek and Roman ruins, and hike between remote mountain villages in the Albanian Alps. Distances are short, though mountain roads are slow. The food is simple and good, built around olive oil, grilled vegetables, lamb, fresh fish, and strong coffee. People are warm and genuinely pleased to see visitors, a trait rooted in the old Albanian code of hospitality known as besa.
This is a country for slow, thoughtful travel rather than a tick-list rush. It suits those who prefer a long lunch over a packed schedule, who like talking to the owner of a family guesthouse, and who find meaning in places that have not yet been smoothed over for tourism. Prices remain low by Western European standards, and English is widely spoken by younger Albanians. It is not a polished destination, and that is precisely the point.
In this Email:-
The Best of Albania - Five places that capture the best of Albania, from the Ionian coast to the high mountains of the north. For each one you will find its history, what there is to see and do, and practical advice for your visit. A suggested week-long itinerary and guidance on timing and transport follow at the end.
Berat — the city of a thousand windows
Gjirokastër — the stone city of the south
Butrint — ancient ruins beside a quiet lagoon
The Albanian Riviera — Dhërmi, Ksamil, and the Ionian coast
Theth and the Valbona Valley — the heart of the Albanian Alps
A suggested 7-day itinerary, plus when to visit and how to get there
