Albania

Albania at a Glance

Albania's unspoiled mountains, archeological and cultural heritage and delicious cuisine make it an ideal multi-activity destination. It is only three hours' flying time from London, a ferry hop from Italy or Corfu, or an easy drive from central Europe, yet it is still largely undiscovered. Trekking, rafting and other outdoor pursuits can be organised by local operators or arranged independently; the UNESCO-listed cities of Gjirokastra and Berati can be visited easily from the capital, Tirana, and from the ferry-ports. Tirana itself comes as a surprise to almost every first-time visitor; a vibrant Mediterranean city with a lively café culture and excellent restaurants, it is an ideal base from which to explore the many attractions in the surrounding area.

Capital City:
Tirana

Currency:
Lek

Language:
Albanian

International Telephone Code:
+355

ISBN-10: 184162246

ISBN-13: 9781841622460

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Table of Contents

1) Introduction
2) Background Information
3) Practical Information
4) Tirana
5) Day Trips from Tirana
6) The Southeast
7) The Northeast
8) The Northwest
9) The Southwest
10) Appendix 1 - Language
11) Appendix 2 - Further Information
12) Index

About the Author

Gillian Gloyer has lived and worked in Albania. Now based in the UK she visits the country frequently.

Guidebook Updates

Updates Between Editions & Further Information

Update on Telephone Numbers (Oct 2008)

General Author Update (Jan 2010)

Notes from the Author

Albania must be the most rapidly changing country in Europe. I visit it at least once a year, and on almost every visit I find myself startled by some innovation or another. The first surprise on my most recent trip was the discovery that every single fixed-line telephone number in the country has been changed; an initial 2 must now be added to the old numbers, after the city code if this is being used. This means that all landline numbers in Tirana now have seven digits. So, for example, the telephone number for the British Embassy in Tirana is now 223 4973; from a mobile phone, or from elsewhere in Albania, you would dial 04 (the city code for Tirana) 223 4973. Elsewhere in the country, the same initial 2 needs to be added; these numbers will now have five or six digits. For example, to call the Old Bazar Travel and Tour Agency in Gjirokastra, you would now dial 268899 (if you were calling from a land-line in Gjirokastra) or 084 268899 (if you were calling from a mobile or from elsewhere in Albania). Mobile phone numbers have not been affected, only landlines.

An even bigger surprise was that – at least in Tirana – many restaurants and even bars are enforcing the new law which prohibits smoking in public places. I would never have dreamt that it would be possible to enjoy a drink or a meal in Albania without choking on clouds of cigarette smoke!

It is now very much easier to fly into Albania than it was only a couple of years ago. Although there is still only one civilian airport in the country (the one near Tirana known as Rinas), it has a brand new terminal building which makes arriving at or departing from Rinas a much more pleasant experience and has meant that an increasing number of airlines are using it. The new airport is managed by a private consortium which has also built a completely new access road connecting it with Tirana, 20 kilometres away. Readers should note that the guidebook's maps of the area around Tirana (on pages 50 and 76-77 of the third edition) do not show this new road; the maps will be updated in the next edition. The main effect, apart from reducing the journey time between Tirana and the airport, is that it is now possible to get to Rinas by public transport from Kruja or, by changing at Fushë-Kruja, from points further north; the minibuses from Kruja to Tirana now use the new airport road and pass only a couple of hundred metres from the terminal building. The airport bus to Tirana now leaves from the bus station, to your left as you exit the terminal. The official taxis wait at the front of the terminal building.

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