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© Lonely Planet Publications 48 Albania ALBANIA ALBANIA Albania is a meat-and-three-veg kind of country. The meat – kidney shaped – spreads along the west-coast beaches of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, while the veg consists of the alpine mountains and brilliant green Lake Koman in the north and the thriving wetlands near Vlora in the south. Tirana, almost smack bang in Albania’s heart, makes a tasty and surprisingly colourful and trendy side dish, and there’s no doubt that the Unesco-listed and easily ac- cessible Ottoman towns of Berat and Gjirokastra are dessert. Coffee is the extraordinary site of Butrint, bereft of tourists but rich in archaeological finds. There are millions of ethnic Albanians in neighbouring countries, and as many as a million Albanians make a living in the UK, Italy, Greece, USA and Australia. In summer, hundreds of thousands return, bumping up the local tourism industries and turning quiet seaside spots into loud discos where every day is a thumping weekend. In contrast, northern men and women still wear traditional dress and shepherds guide flocks along grassy ledges in the otherwise inhospitable mountains. International travellers with no links to Albania are still a relatively new phenomenon, and benefit from practically unrestricted access to castles and century-old houses as well as incredibly generous hospitality and friendliness. Mind the potholes, packs of mangy dogs and undecipher- able addresses, and take in the unique sights of Albania: donkeys tethered to bunkers, houses crawling up each other to reach the tops of hills, and pockets of isolated beaches. Like a good meat-and-three-veg dish, Albania is affordable, filling and ready to eat. FAST FACTS Area 28,748 sq km Capital Tirana Currency lekë; US$1= 95.25 lekë; UK£1 = 138.74 lekë; €1 = 126.12 lekë; A$1 = 64.20 lekë Famous for being ‘mysterious’, concrete bunkers, unique language Key phrases tungjatjeta (hello), mirupaf- shim (goodbye), ju lutem (please), falemind- erit (thank you), me falni (excuse me), më vjen keq (I’m sorry) Official language Albanian Population 3.62 million Telephone codes country code %355; international access code %00 Visas not needed for citizens of the EU, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada; see p97 for details lonelyplanet.com ALBANIA •• Highlights 49 trally located ruins and archaeological ALBANIA HOW MUCH? museum, before catching the rickety early-afternoon train to Shkodra ( p90 ). Shot of mulberry raki (a local spirit) The next morning head up the terrifying 100 lekë road to the mountain village of Theth Bottle of Albanian wine 600 lekë ( p92 ) and spend a night with a local Short taxi ride 300 lekë family, before heading back to Shko- dra and checking out the Marubi photo English translation of an Ismail exhibitions and valley-guarding Rozafa Kadare novel 1800 lekë fortress. Take a return trip on the Lake Pizza 300 lekë Koman ferry ( p91) and find your way to Kruja. Make your way to beautiful Berat LONELY PLANET INDEX for two days of rest, then take a trip to the ruins of Apollonia (p75 ), near Fier. Catch Litre of petrol 160 lekë a bus down through Vlora (p82 ) and Litre of bottled water 50 lekë pass through the scenic Llogaraja Pass ( p84 ). Next stop is at the Ionian coast’s Tirana beer 150 lekë beaches: choose between busy Dhërmi Souvenir T-shirt 800 lekë and quieter Jal ( p85 ) or Himara ( p85 ). Street snack (burek) 30 lekë Then check out Saranda and the nearby attractions of Butrint, the Monastery of St Nicholas at Mesopotamia and the Blue HIGHLIGHTS Eye Spring ( p88 ). Cruise up to Gjirokas- Tirana ( p62 ) Wild colour schemes and hip tra ( p88 ) to explore another Ottoman- Blloku cafe culture. era town. Next comes adventure on Lake Koman ( p91 ) Seemingly mile-high the stunning road to Korça ( p79 ) – cliffs enclosing bottle-green water. not an easy ride but an unforgettable one. Berat ( p75 ) and Gjirokastra ( p88 ) Unesco- Check out Korça’s museums and beer listed museum cities. factory before finding your way to lake- Dhërmi ( p84 ) to Butrint ( p87 ) The south’s side Pogradec ( p79 ) for some R and R. dramatic Ionian coast, ranging from beaches to jungly ruins. CLIMATE & WHEN TO GO Theth ( p92 ) A hard-to-reach village deep Coastal Albania has a pleasant Mediterranean in the northern alps. climate. In Tirana and other inland towns on the plains there’s plenty of rainfall during win- ITINERARIES ter, but temperatures below freezing are rare. One week Two days in Tirana ( p62 ) will The high mountains often experience heavy give you time to check out the museums, snow between November and March, and eat at some of the great restaurants, dance towns such as Korça become icy. Roads and in the pyramid and get some mountain tracks to mountain villages can be blocked by time on the Dajti Express (p74 ). Then snow for months, and Theth can be inacces- hop on a bus or furgon (minibus) to Berat sible as late as June. ( p75 ), Albania’s loveliest Ottoman-era In summer Tirana swelters, especially in town, for two days of traipsing around August, when temperatures reach the high the town’s old quarters. Next, make your 30s, and even in the mountain towns the mer- way to Saranda ( p86 ) by the sea (stopping cury frequently rises to 40°C. Temperatures en route at Dhërmi, p84 , for some beach on the coast are milder. See p429 for a Tirana time) and take a day trip to the wonder- climate chart. ful jungly ruins of Butrint ( p87 ). On the The best time to visit Albania is spring or way to the airport take a detour to Kruja autumn, particularly May and September, ( p73 ) to check out one of the country’s when you can sightsee in the mild sunshine. best ethnographic museums and buy your In August the temperature is high, accom- souvenirs in its authentic little bazaar. modation is very tight in coastal regions, and Two weeks Spend two days in Tirana, most hotels will only take bookings for stays then head to Durrës ( p71 ) for its cen- of a week or more..